WO2018090574A1

WO2018090574A1 - Wafer transporting apparatus, processing chamber, mechanical arm, semiconductor apparatus, and wafer transporting method

Info

Publication number: WO2018090574A1
Application number: PCT/CN2017/083042
Authority: WO
Inventors: 邓玉春
Original assignee: 北京北方华创微电子装备有限公司
Priority date: 2016-11-21
Filing date: 2017-05-04
Publication date: 2018-05-24
Also published as: TWI652758B; CN108091602B; CN108091602A; TW201820514A

Abstract

Provided are a wafer transporting apparatus, a processing chamber, a mechanical arm, a semiconductor apparatus, and a wafer transporting method. The wafer transporting apparatus comprises: a plurality of wafer carriers (201, 202) arranged in sequence along the horizontal direction; and a lifting mechanism (500), used for driving the plurality of wafer carriers to synchronously perform a lifting movement, in order to jointly perform wafer pick-up and placement operations with a mechanical arm (600) capable of transporting a plurality of wafers. By means of the arrangement of the plurality of wafer carriers and the use of the lifting mechanism to drive the plurality of wafer carriers to perform a synchronous lifting movement, the present wafer transporting apparatus can be used jointly with a mechanical arm capable of transporting a plurality of wafers in order to perform simultaneous wafer placement and wafer pick-up operations on the plurality of wafers, thereby improving the efficiency of wafer delivery and shortening the wafer transporting time, and thus increasing device production capacity.

Description

Transfer device, process chamber, robot, semiconductor device, and transfer method

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor device manufacturing, and in particular to a film transfer device, a process chamber, a robot, a semiconductor device, and a film transfer method.

Background technique

With the rapid development of the integrated circuit market, the demand for chip capacity expansion has brought new market opportunities to equipment manufacturers, and on the other hand, it has placed higher demands on equipment manufacturers' existing and forward-looking technical capabilities. Equipment capacity refers to the number of good products produced during the working hours of the equipment unit. It is an important technical parameter reflecting the processing capacity of the equipment. The degassing device and the annealing device used in the manufacture of integrated circuits need to cooperate with the lifting mechanism of the process chamber to complete the transfer of the wafer before performing the corresponding process. How to improve equipment production capacity by shortening the transfer time and reducing the non-process time has become a major problem that equipment manufacturers need to solve.

The existing process chamber is a single-chamber structure, and a wafer carrier and a lifting mechanism for driving the wafer carrier for lifting movement are disposed in the process chamber. Moreover, the process chamber is coupled to the TM transfer chamber, and a robot is disposed within the transfer chamber for transferring the wafer between the process chamber and the transfer chamber and placing the wafer on a heater within the process chamber.

In the actual application, the existing process chamber inevitably has the following problems: since the wafer carrier and the robot can only take and handle one wafer at a time, the transfer efficiency is low, resulting in a non-process length. , affecting equipment capacity.

Summary of the invention

The present invention is directed to the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, and provides a film transfer device, a process chamber, a robot, a semiconductor device, and a film transfer method for solving the problem of low wafer transfer efficiency.

The present invention solves the above technical problems and adopts the following technical solutions:

The invention provides a film transfer device comprising:

a plurality of wafer carriers arranged in a horizontal direction;

And a lifting mechanism for driving the plurality of wafer carriers to perform a lifting movement synchronously to perform a pick and place operation in cooperation with a robot capable of transmitting a plurality of wafers.

Preferably, the wafer carrier includes a carrying position for carrying the wafer, and the heights of the carrying positions of the plurality of the wafer carriers are sequentially lowered in an order of arrangement.

Preferably, the height difference between the carrying positions of each of the two adjacent wafer carriers is 6-10 mm.

Preferably, the lifting mechanism comprises:

At least one vertically arranged lifting shaft;

a driving source for driving the at least one lifting shaft to perform a lifting movement synchronously;

At least one connecting component, the number of the connecting components corresponding to the number of the lifting shafts for connecting the lifting shaft and two wafer carriers adjacent thereto.

Preferably, each of the connecting components comprises a mounting plate and two connecting plates, wherein

The mounting plate is horizontally disposed and connected to the lifting shaft corresponding to the connecting component;

The two connecting plates are stacked on the mounting plate and are respectively connected to the two wafer carriers corresponding to the lifting shaft.

Preferably, the connecting component further includes a first long slot, a first threaded hole and a first connecting screw, wherein

The first long slot is disposed on each of the connecting plates;

The first threaded hole is disposed on the mounting plate and corresponds to the first long slot;

The first connecting screw is threadedly coupled to the first threaded hole through the first long slot.

Preferably, the connecting component further includes a second long slot, a second threaded hole and a second connecting screw, wherein

The second long slot is disposed on the mounting plate, and a horizontal axis direction thereof is disposed along a circumferential direction of the lifting shaft corresponding to the connecting component;

The second threaded hole is disposed at a top end of the lifting shaft;

The second connecting screw is threadedly connected to the second threaded hole through the second long slot.

Preferably, the connecting assembly further includes a plurality of third threaded holes and a plurality of set screws, wherein

a plurality of the third threaded holes are disposed on each of the connecting plates;

a plurality of the set screws are screwed into the plurality of the third threaded holes in a one-to-one correspondence, and a lower end of each set screw is in contact with an upper surface of the mounting plate;

The level of the web is adjusted by adjusting the relative position of at least one of the set screws and the third threaded hole in its axial direction.

Preferably, each of the wafer carriers includes a ring bracket and a plurality of wafer tips, wherein

The annular bracket is horizontally disposed;

a lower end of each of the wafer top fingers is coupled to the annular bracket, and a plurality of the wafer top fingers are circumferentially spaced along the annular bracket; a plurality of the top ends of the wafer top fingers collectively serve as a carrier The carrying position of the wafer.

As another technical solution, the present invention also provides a process chamber, comprising:

The above-mentioned film transfer device provided by the present invention;

Arranging a plurality of process sub-cavities in a horizontal direction, the plurality of wafer carriers being disposed in the plurality of process sub-cavities in a one-to-one correspondence;

A connecting sub-chamber located between each of the two adjacent process sub-chambers and in communication with the two.

Preferably, the lifting mechanism includes at least one lifting shaft and a driving source, wherein

Each of the lifting shafts is located below the connecting sub-cavity, and an upper end thereof extends vertically upward through the connecting sub-cavity and two of the two process sub-chambers in communication with the connecting sub-cavity a wafer carrier is connected, and a lower end of each of the lifting shafts is connected to the driving source;

The driving source is configured to drive the at least one lifting shaft to perform a lifting movement synchronously.

As another technical solution, the present invention also provides a robot, comprising:

a plurality of transfer fingers for transferring the wafers are arranged in the horizontal direction;

The driving device is configured to drive a plurality of the transfer fingers to move synchronously to cooperate with the above-mentioned film transfer device provided by the present invention to perform a pick and place operation.

As another technical solution, the present invention further provides a semiconductor device including a transfer chamber, the above-described process chamber provided by the present invention, and the above-mentioned manipulator provided by the present invention, the manipulator being disposed in the transfer chamber for A wafer is transferred between the process chamber and the transfer chamber.

As another technical solution, the present invention further provides a film transfer method, which is applied to the above-mentioned semiconductor device provided by the present invention to perform a pick and place operation on a wafer; the pick and place operation includes a film release process and a film taking process. among them,

The releasing process includes the following steps:

S11: the lifting mechanism drives a plurality of the wafer carriers to rise synchronously to a transfer position;

S12: The driving device drives a plurality of the transfer fingers to synchronously transfer the respective wafers into the respective process sub-cavities in a one-to-one correspondence, and is placed on each of the wafer carriers;

S13: the driving device drives each of the transfer fingers to exit each of the process sub-cavities;

S14: The lifting mechanism drives a plurality of the wafer carriers to synchronously descend to a process position.

The taking process includes the following steps:

S21: the lifting mechanism drives a plurality of the wafer carriers to synchronously rise to a transfer position;

S22: the driving device synchronously drives each of the transfer fingers to move into the respective process sub-cavities in a one-to-one manner, and respectively located under the wafers placed on the respective wafer carriers, and then drives each of the transfer films. Raise the finger and hold up the individual wafers;

S23: the driving device drives each of the transfer fingers to synchronously exit each of the process sub-cavities;

S24: The lifting mechanism drives a plurality of the wafer carriers to synchronously descend to a process position.

Preferably, the wafer carrier includes a carrying position for carrying the wafer, and heights of the carrying positions of the plurality of the wafer carriers are sequentially decreased in an order of arrangement;

The step S12 further includes the following sub-steps:

S121: The driving device drives a plurality of the transfer finger fingers to synchronously transfer the respective wafers into each of the process sub-cavities;

S122: Perform horizontal position calibration of the wafers on each of the transfer fingers corresponding to the respective carrier positions in order of high to low carrying positions, and drive the driving device after each calibration. Each of the transfer fingers is synchronously lowered by a corresponding height to place the wafer that has been calibrated on the wafer carrier corresponding to the transfer finger of the wafer;

The step S22 further includes the following sub-steps:

S221: The driving device synchronously drives each of the transfer fingers to move into the respective process sub-cavities in a one-to-one correspondence;

S222: Perform horizontal position calibration on the wafers in the order of the carrier positions from low to high, and after each calibration, the driving device drives each of the transmitting fingers to synchronously rise to a corresponding height. To lift the wafer that has finished calibration from the wafer carrier on which the wafer is located.

The releasing process includes the following steps:

S31: the driving device drives a plurality of the transfer fingers to synchronously transfer the respective wafers into the respective process sub-cavities in a one-to-one correspondence, and are respectively located above each of the wafer carriers;

S32: the lifting mechanism drives a plurality of the wafer carriers to synchronously rise to a transfer position, and correspondingly lifts the wafers on each of the transfer fingers;

S33: the driving device drives each of the transfer fingers to exit each of the process sub-cavities;

S34: The lifting mechanism drives a plurality of the wafer carriers to synchronously descend to a process position.

The taking process includes the following steps:

S41: the lifting mechanism drives a plurality of the wafer carriers to synchronously rise to a transfer position;

S42: the driving device synchronously drives each of the transfer fingers to move into the respective process sub-cavities in a one-to-one manner, and is located under the wafers placed on each of the wafer carriers;

S43: the lifting mechanism drives each of the wafer carriers to be synchronously lowered, so that each of the transfer fingers respectively lifts each of the wafers;

S44: The driving device drives each of the transfer fingers to synchronously exit each of the process sub-cavities.

The step S32 further includes:

Positioning the wafer in a horizontal direction according to the arrangement order of the carrying positions from low to high, and after each calibration, the lifting mechanism drives a plurality of the wafer carriers to synchronously rise corresponding heights to lift up Completing the calibrated wafer;

The step S43 further includes:

Positioning the wafers on the wafers in a horizontal direction in order of high to low, and after each calibration, the lifting mechanism drives each of the wafer carriers to synchronously lower the corresponding heights. A transfer finger corresponding to the wafer that completed the calibration is used to lift the wafer.

The film transfer device provided by the present invention can be used in conjunction with a robot capable of transporting a plurality of wafers by providing a plurality of wafer carriers and driving a plurality of wafer carriers to perform a lifting motion using a lifting mechanism to realize simultaneous execution of a plurality of wafers. The filming and taking operation can improve the wafer transfer efficiency and shorten the film transfer time, thereby increasing the equipment throughput.

The invention provides a process chamber, which is provided with the above-mentioned film transfer device provided by the present invention, and is provided with a plurality of process sub-cavities arranged in a horizontal direction and between two adjacent process sub-cavities, and two The connecting sub-cavities that are connected to each other can make the robot and the film transfer device cooperate, and at the same time perform the pick-and-place operation on the plurality of wafers, thereby improving the wafer transfer efficiency, shortening the film transfer time, and thereby increasing the equipment throughput.

The manipulator provided by the present invention can perform the picking and placing operation on a plurality of wafers in cooperation with the above-mentioned film transfer device provided by the present invention by providing a plurality of transfer fingers, thereby improving the wafer transfer efficiency and shortening the film transfer time. In turn, equipment capacity can be increased.

The semiconductor device provided by the present invention can realize the simultaneous picking and placing operation of a plurality of wafers by using the above-mentioned process chamber provided by the present invention and the above-mentioned manipulator provided by the present invention, thereby improving wafer transfer efficiency and shortening transfer time. In turn, the equipment capacity can be increased.

The film transfer method provided by the present invention is applied to the above-mentioned semiconductor device provided by the present invention, and can perform the pick-and-place operation on a plurality of wafers at the same time, thereby improving the wafer transfer efficiency, shortening the film transfer time, and thereby improving the device throughput. .

DRAWINGS

1 is a cross-sectional view of a film transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a perspective view of a lifting mechanism and a wafer carrier in a film transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a robot in an embodiment of the present invention.

illustration:

100, a process chamber 101, a first process sub-cavity 102, and a second process sub-chamber

103, connecting the sub-cavity 104, the bottom wall

201, a first wafer carrier 202, a second wafer carrier 203, a wafer top finger

204. The first connecting plate 205, the second connecting plate 206, and the positioning hole

500, driving source 501, lifting shaft 401, wafer carrier positioning pin

502, mounting plate 600, robot 601, transfer finger

602, wrist arm 603, elbow arm 604, driving device

detailed description

The technical solutions in the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the drawings in the present invention. It is obvious that the described embodiments are a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. example. All other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts are within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention provides a film transfer apparatus comprising a plurality of wafer carriers and a lifting mechanism, wherein the plurality of wafer carriers are sequentially arranged in a horizontal direction, and the arrangement shape thereof may be a straight line or may be curved. The lifting mechanism is configured to drive a plurality of wafer carriers to perform a lifting movement synchronously to perform a pick and place operation in cooperation with a robot capable of transmitting a plurality of wafers. Here, the pick and place operation includes a take-up process and a release process, wherein the take-up process is performed by the movement of the robot and the movement of the wafer carrier to transfer the wafer from the wafer carrier to the robot. The placement process is coordinated by the movement of the robot and the movement of the wafer carrier to transfer the wafer from the robot to the wafer carrier.

The specific embodiments of the film transfer device provided by the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. Specifically, the film transfer device provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes: two wafer carriers: a first wafer carrier 201 and a second wafer carrier 202; the lifting mechanism 500 is located at the first wafer carrier 201 and The two wafer carriers 202 are below and connected to the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202, respectively, to drive the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202 to move in synchronization.

As shown in FIG. 2, each wafer carrier includes an annular bracket and a plurality of wafer tips 203, wherein the annular brackets are horizontally disposed; the lower end of each wafer top finger 203 is coupled to the annular bracket, and a plurality of wafer tops The fingers 203 are spaced apart along the circumference of the annular carrier; the upper ends of the plurality of wafer tips 203 collectively serve as a carrier for carrying the wafer. The carrying position refers to the position at which the wafer carrier is used to place the wafer. Further, the annular bracket is connected to the top finger 203 of the wafer by a plurality of square grooves on each annular bracket, and a mounting portion is disposed at a lower end of each of the wafer top fingers 203. Located in the square Inside and in the groove, and fixedly connected to the ring bracket by screws.

Preferably, three or four wafer tips 203 can be placed on each wafer carrier and evenly distributed over the wafer carrier to achieve stable support of the wafer.

In addition, since the position of the wafer in the horizontal direction is usually required to be calibrated by the automatic aligner (AWC) during the process of taking and releasing the film, the robot can place the wafer on the wafer carrier only after the calibration is passed. Or remove the wafer from the wafer carrier; if the calibration fails, the horizontal position of the wafer needs to be adjusted by adjusting the horizontal position of the robot. For a robot capable of transmitting a plurality of wafers, as shown in FIG. 3, the two transfer fingers 601 of the robot are relatively fixed, that is, the two transfer fingers 601 can only move synchronously, so that one of the transfer films cannot be made. The position of the other of the transfer fingers 601 is individually adjusted on the premise that the finger 601 is fixed. In this case, the wafer carrier includes a carrier bit for carrying the wafer, which is the location at which the wafer carrier is used to place the wafer. The heights of the carrying positions of the plurality of wafer carriers are sequentially lowered in the order of arrangement. In this way, the position in the horizontal direction of the wafer can be calibrated in order from high to low, and after each calibration, the wafer to be calibrated is subjected to the pick and place operation, that is, the driving robot or the wafer carrier is raised or lowered. The sheet is taken or released to a height corresponding to the wafer. It will be readily understood that calibrating the position in the horizontal direction of the wafer refers to by translating the transfer finger 601 of the robot to enable the wafer on the transfer finger 601 to be centered with the carrier of the wafer carrier.

Preferably, the height difference between the bearing positions of each adjacent two wafer carriers is 6-10 mm, for example 8 mm. Within this range, it is ensured that the position of the wafer that has been calibrated is not affected when the position of the next wafer is calibrated.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned carrying positions are formed by the respective wafer top fingers 203 on the same wafer carrier, and the top heights of the respective wafer top fingers 203 on the same wafer carrier are the same to jointly support the wafer. The heights of the wafer top fingers on different wafer carriers are different and are sequentially lowered in the order of arrangement.

The lifting mechanism includes at least one lifting shaft, a drive source, and at least one connection assembly. Among them, the lifting shaft is set vertically. The driving source is used to drive at least one lifting shaft to synchronize the lifting movement. Connection component The number corresponds to the number of lifting shafts for connecting the lifting shaft and the two wafer carriers adjacent thereto, that is, each lifting shaft corresponds to two wafers adjacent to the lifting shaft A bracket that is coupled to the two wafer carriers by a connection assembly.

The specific structure of the lifting mechanism will be described in detail below by taking the wafer carrier as two examples. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the elevating mechanism includes a lifting shaft 501, a driving source 500, and a connection assembly. Wherein, the lifting shaft 501 is respectively connected to the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202 through a connection assembly. Specifically, the connection assembly includes a mounting plate 502 and two connecting plates, the two connecting plates being a first connecting plate 204 and a second connecting plate 205, respectively, wherein the mounting plate 502 is horizontally disposed and corresponding to the connecting assembly The lifting shaft 501 is connected. The first connecting plate 204 and the second connecting plate 205 are stacked on the mounting plate 502, and respectively correspond to two wafer carriers corresponding to the lifting shaft 501, that is, the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202 connection. Preferably, the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202 are symmetrically disposed on both sides of the lifting shaft 501.

Preferably, for ease of disassembly, the connecting plate and the mounting plate may be screwed. Moreover, in order to cooperate with different types of process chambers and robots, the relative position of the connecting plate and the mounting plate in the horizontal direction can be adjusted by improving the screw connection; and/or, the connecting plate is on the lifting shaft. Adjustment of the position in the circumferential direction.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the connecting component further includes: a first connecting screw 901, a first long slot (not shown), and a first threaded hole (not shown). The first long slot holes are respectively disposed on the first connecting plate 204 and the second connecting plate 205. Preferably, the horizontal axis direction of the first long slot is along the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202. The direction of the center line is arranged to ensure that the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202 remain oppositely disposed on opposite sides of the lifting shaft 501 when adjusting the horizontal position of the connecting plate. The first threaded hole is disposed on the mounting plate 502 and corresponds to the first long slot on the first connecting plate 204 and the second connecting plate 205, respectively, that is, the vertical axis of the first long slot and the first thread The axes of the holes coincide. The first connecting screw 901 is threadedly coupled to the first threaded hole through the first long slot. When the horizontal position of the connecting plate needs to be adjusted, loosen the first connecting screw The nail 901, at this time, the first connecting screw 901 can be translated along the first long slot, that is, the connecting plate is translated relative to the mounting plate, and after the relative position of the connecting plate and the mounting plate is determined, the first connecting screw 901 is tightened. Secure the connection plate to the mounting plate.

In order to facilitate fixing the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202, the connection assembly further includes a second connection screw 902, a second long slot and a second threaded hole, wherein the second long slot is annular or circular And disposed on the mounting plate, and the horizontal axis of the second long slot is disposed along a circumferential direction of the lifting shaft 501 corresponding to the connecting assembly, that is, the horizontal axis of the second long slot is along the surrounding lifting shaft 501 The second threaded hole is disposed at a top end of the lifting shaft 501, and the second connecting screw 902 is threadedly coupled to the second threaded hole through the second long slot. When it is required to adjust the position of the connecting plate in the circumferential direction of the lifting shaft 501, the second connecting screw 902 is loosened, and the second connecting screw 902 can be translated at a certain angle along the second long slot, that is, the connecting plate is opposite to the mounting plate. After a certain angle is translated, after the relative positions of the connecting plate and the mounting plate are determined, the second connecting screw 902 is screwed to fix the connecting plate and the mounting plate.

In order to keep the wafer stable during the transfer process, to ensure the levelness of the wafer carrier, the connection assembly further includes a plurality of set screws 903 and a plurality of third portions respectively disposed on the first connecting member 204 and the second connecting member 205. A plurality of set screws 903 are screwed into the plurality of third threaded holes one by one, and the lower end of the set screw 903 is in contact with the upper surface of the mounting plate 502. By adjusting the relative position of the at least one set screw 903 and the third threaded hole in the axial direction thereof, the lower end of the set screw 903 can be pushed to tilt the mounting plate 502, the different set screws 903 are rotated, and the tilt of the mounting plate 502 The orientation is also different, thereby achieving the adjustment of the level of the connecting plate, and indirectly realizing the adjustment of the level of the wafer carrier.

As another technical solution, as shown in FIG. 1 , an embodiment of the present invention further provides a process chamber including a film transfer device, a plurality of process sub-cavities, and a connection sub-cavity. Wherein, a plurality of process sub-cavities are sequentially arranged in the horizontal direction. The film transfer device adopts the above-mentioned film transfer device provided by the embodiment of the present invention, wherein a plurality of wafer carriers are disposed in a plurality of process sub-cavities in a one-to-one correspondence. Connecting subchambers in each phase Adjacent to the two process sub-cavities, and connected to the two.

Optionally, the lifting mechanism comprises at least one lifting shaft and a driving source, wherein each lifting shaft is located below the connecting sub-cavity, and an upper end thereof vertically extends through the connecting sub-cavity and two communicating with the connecting sub-cavity Two wafer carriers are connected in the process sub-cavity, and the lower end of each lifting shaft is connected to the driving source; the driving source is used for driving at least one lifting shaft to perform the lifting movement.

Taking the process sub-cavity as two as an example, the two process sub-cavities are respectively a first process sub-cavity 101 and a second process sub-cavity 102, and the connection sub-cavity 103 is disposed in the first process sub-cavity 101 and the second process sub-cavity 102. Between and in communication with each other, the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202 are respectively located in the first process sub-cavity 101 and the second process sub-cavity 102.

The lifting shaft 501 is located below the connecting sub-cavity 103, and the upper end of the lifting shaft 501 extends vertically upward through the connecting sub-cavity 103, and passes through the above-mentioned connecting assembly in the connecting sub-cavity 103 with the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier The rack 202 is connected. The lower end of the lift shaft 501 is connected to the drive source 500.

Preferably, in the non-use state, the position of the wafer carrier can be defined by means of the wafer carrier positioning pin 401. Specifically, the lower end of the wafer carrier positioning pin 401 is machined with an external thread and is threadedly coupled to the bottom wall 100 of the process sub-chamber. At the same time, a positioning hole 206 is disposed on the wafer carrier, and the upper end of the wafer carrier positioning pin 401 passes through the positioning block 206, thereby realizing the position of the wafer carrier.

The embodiment of the present invention provides a process chamber, which is provided with the above-mentioned film transfer device provided by the embodiment of the present invention, and is provided with a plurality of process sub-cavities arranged in a horizontal direction and between two adjacent process sub-chambers. And connecting the sub-cavities with the two, the robot can be matched with the film transfer device, and the wafers can be taken and discharged at the same time, thereby improving the wafer transfer efficiency, shortening the film transfer time, and thereby improving the equipment throughput. .

As another technical solution, the present invention also provides a robot comprising a plurality of transfer fingers for driving a wafer and a driving device. Among them, a plurality of transfer fingers are arranged in the horizontal direction. The driving device is configured to drive a plurality of transfer finger synchronization movements to cooperate with the above-mentioned film transfer device provided by the embodiment of the present invention to perform a pick and place operation.

Taking the transfer finger as two as an example, as shown in FIG. 3, the robot includes two transfer fingers 601, a wrist mechanical arm 602, an elbow mechanical arm 603, and a driving device 604, wherein the driving device 604 can pass through the wrist mechanical arm 602. The elbow robot 603 drives the two transfer fingers 601 to move synchronously in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. In the present embodiment, the two transfer fingers 601 are connected by a U-shaped connecting plate, and are sequentially arranged in the horizontal direction, and the directions of the two transfer fingers 601 are identical.

The robot provided by the embodiment of the present invention can perform the pick-and-place operation on a plurality of wafers simultaneously with the above-mentioned film transfer device provided by the embodiment of the present invention by providing a plurality of transfer fingers, thereby improving wafer transfer efficiency and shortening. Transfer time, which in turn can increase equipment capacity.

As another technical solution, the present invention further provides a semiconductor device including a transfer chamber, the above-described process chamber provided by the embodiment of the present invention, and a robot provided by the embodiment of the present invention, wherein the robot is disposed in the transfer chamber, The wafer is transferred between the process chamber and the transfer chamber.

The semiconductor device provided by the embodiment of the present invention can realize the simultaneous wafer picking and discharging operation of a plurality of wafers by using the above-mentioned process chamber provided by the embodiment of the present invention and the above-mentioned manipulator provided by the embodiment of the present invention, thereby improving wafer transfer. Efficiency, shortening the transfer time, and thus increasing equipment capacity.

As another technical solution, the present invention further provides a film transfer method, which is applied to the above-mentioned semiconductor device provided by the embodiment of the present invention to perform a pick and place operation on a wafer. The pick and place operation includes a placing process and a taking process. As shown in FIG. 1-3, the above-described releasing process and the taking process are described in detail by taking two wafer carriers as an example. Specifically, the releasing process includes the following steps:

S11: The lifting mechanism drives the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202 to rise synchronously to the transfer position. The transfer position refers to the position at which the wafer is taken out or placed.

S12: The driving device 604 drives the two transfer fingers 601 to synchronously transfer the first wafer and the second wafer into the first process sub-cavity 101 and the second process sub-cavity 102, respectively, and respectively placed on the first wafer carrier 201 and The top of the wafer carrier 202 of the second wafer carrier 202 is 203.

S13: The driving device 604 drives the two transfer fingers 601 to exit the first process sub-cavity 101, respectively. And a second process sub-cavity 102.

S14: The lifting mechanism drives the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202 to descend to the process position. The process bit refers to the location where the wafer is processed.

The filming process includes the following steps:

S21: The lifting mechanism drives the first wafer carrier 201 carrying the first wafer and the second wafer carrier 202 carrying the second wafer to rise to the transfer position in synchronization.

S22: The driving device 604 synchronously drives the two transfer fingers 601 to move into the first process sub-cavity 101 and the second process sub-cavity 102 one by one, and is respectively located under the first wafer and the second wafer, and then drives two transfer films. The finger 601 is raised and the first wafer and the second wafer are lifted, respectively.

S23: The driving device 604 drives the two transfer fingers 601 to simultaneously exit the first process sub-cavity 101 and the second process sub-cavity 102.

S24: The lifting mechanism drives the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202 to descend to the process position.

Since the position of the wafer in the horizontal direction is usually required to be calibrated by the automatic aligner (AWC) during the taking and unwinding process, the robot can place the wafer on the wafer carrier only after the calibration is passed, or The wafer is removed from the wafer carrier; if the calibration fails, the horizontal position of the wafer needs to be adjusted by adjusting the horizontal position of the robot. For a robot capable of transmitting a plurality of wafers, as shown in FIG. 3, the two transfer fingers 601 of the robot are relatively fixed, that is, the two transfer fingers 601 can only move synchronously, so that one of the transfer films cannot be made. The position of the other of the transfer fingers 601 is individually adjusted on the premise that the finger 601 is fixed. In this case, the wafer carrier includes a carrier bit for carrying the wafer, which is the location at which the wafer carrier is used to place the wafer. The heights of the carrying positions of the plurality of wafer carriers are sequentially lowered in the order of arrangement. In this way, the position in the horizontal direction of the wafer can be calibrated in order from high to low, and after each calibration, the wafer to be calibrated is subjected to the pick and place operation, that is, the driving robot or the wafer carrier is raised or lowered. Taking the film to the height corresponding to the wafer, it is easy to understand, in the horizontal direction of the wafer The position is calibrated to mean that the wafer on the transfer finger 601 can be centered with the carrier of the wafer carrier by translating the transfer finger 601 of the robot.

In this case, taking two wafer holders as an example, the carrying height of the first wafer carrier 201 is higher than the carrying height of the second wafer carrier 202.

The above step S12 further includes the following sub-steps:

S121: The driving device 604 drives the two transfer fingers 601 to synchronously transfer the first wafer and the second wafer into the first process sub-cavity 101 and the second process sub-cavity 102, respectively.

S122: firstly perform horizontal position calibration of the first wafer on the transfer finger 601 corresponding to the carrying position of the first wafer carrier 201, and then transfer the finger corresponding to the carrying position of the second wafer carrier 202. Position calibration of the second wafer on 601 in the horizontal direction. And, after the positional alignment in the horizontal direction of the first wafer, the driving device 604 drives the two transfer fingers 601 to synchronously descend the first height to place the first wafer on which the calibration is completed on the first wafer carrier 201. Similarly, after positional alignment in the horizontal direction of the second wafer, the driving device 604 drives the two transfer fingers 601 to simultaneously descend the second height to place the second wafer that has been calibrated on the second wafer carrier 202. on. It is easy to understand that the first height is greater than the second height, and the difference between the two is the same as the difference between the heights of the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202.

Step S22 further includes the following sub-steps:

S221: The driving device 604 synchronously drives the two transfer fingers 601 to move into the first process sub-cavity 101 and the second process sub-cavity 102 in a one-to-one correspondence.

S222: First, the second wafer on the carrying position of the second wafer carrier 202 is horizontally aligned, and then the first wafer on the carrying position of the first wafer carrier 201 is horizontally aligned. Moreover, after the positional calibration of the second wafer, the driving device 604 drives the two transfer fingers 604 to simultaneously raise the third height to lift the second wafer that has been calibrated from the second wafer carrier 202. Similarly, after the position calibration of the first wafer, the driving device 604 drives the two transfer fingers 604 to synchronously rise to a fourth height to complete the calibrated first wafer from the first wafer carrier 201. Lift up. It is easily understood that the third height is less than the fourth height, and the difference between the two is the same as the difference between the heights of the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202.

The film transfer method provided by the embodiment of the present invention is applicable to the above-mentioned semiconductor device provided by the embodiment of the present invention, and can perform the picking and placing operation on a plurality of wafers at the same time, thereby improving the wafer transfer efficiency and shortening the film transfer time. Can increase equipment capacity.

As another technical solution, the present invention further provides a film transfer method, which is different from the above-described film transfer method in that the film transfer method is to complete the transfer of the wafer by lifting and lowering the robot, and the embodiment of the present invention The transfer method is provided by the lifting of the wafer carrier to complete the transfer of the wafer.

Specifically, the film transfer method provided by the embodiment of the present invention is applied to the semiconductor device provided by the embodiment of the present invention to perform a pick and place operation on the wafer. The pick and place operation includes a placing process and a taking process. As shown in FIG. 1-3, the above-described releasing process and the taking process are described in detail by taking two wafer carriers as an example. Specifically, the releasing process includes the following steps:

S31: The driving device 604 drives the two transfer fingers 601 to synchronously transfer the first wafer and the second wafer into the first process sub-cavity 101 and the second process sub-cavity 102, and is respectively located in the first wafer carrier 201 and the second Above the wafer carrier 202.

S32: The lifting mechanism drives the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202 to synchronously rise to the transfer position, and respectively lift the first wafer and the second wafer on the two transfer fingers 601.

S33: The driving device 604 drives the two transfer fingers 601 to exit the first process sub-cavity 101 and the second process sub-cavity 102, respectively.

S34: The lifting mechanism drives the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202 to descend to the process position.

The filming process includes the following steps:

S41: The lifting mechanism drives the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202 to rise synchronously to the transfer position.

S42: The driving device 604 drives the two transfer fingers 601 into the first process sub-cavity 101 and the second process sub-cavity 102, respectively, and is located below the first wafer and the second wafer.

S43: The lifting mechanism drives the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202 to descend synchronously, so that the two transfer fingers 601 respectively lift the first wafer and the second wafer.

S44: The driving device 604 drives the two transfer fingers 601 to exit the first process sub-cavity 101 and the second process sub-cavity 102, respectively.

For the same reason as the above-described film transfer method, the wafer carrier includes a carrying position for carrying the wafer, which is the position at which the wafer carrier is used to place the wafer. The heights of the carrying positions of the plurality of wafer carriers are sequentially lowered in the order of arrangement. In this case, taking two wafer holders as an example, the carrying height of the first wafer carrier 201 is higher than the carrying height of the second wafer carrier 202.

The above step S32 further includes:

First, the first wafer on the carrying position of the second wafer carrier 202 is horizontally aligned, and then the second wafer on the carrying position of the first wafer carrier 201 is horizontally aligned. Moreover, after the positional alignment of the second wafer, the elevating mechanism drives the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202 to simultaneously rise a fifth height to lift the second wafer that completes the calibration. Similarly, after the positional alignment of the first wafer, the elevating mechanism drives the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202 to simultaneously rise a sixth height to lift the first wafer that completes the calibration. It is easily understood that the fifth height is less than the sixth height, and the difference between the two is the same as the difference between the heights of the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202.

Step S43 further includes:

Firstly, the first wafer on the carrying position of the first wafer carrier 201 is horizontally aligned, and then the second wafer on the carrying position of the second wafer carrier 202 is horizontally aligned, and is first. After the position calibration of the first wafer on the carrying position of the wafer carrier 201, the lifting mechanism drives the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202 to simultaneously descend a seventh height to correspond to the first wafer that has been calibrated. The transfer finger 601 holds the wafer. Similar to the second crystal After the position of the second wafer on the carrying position of the sheet carrier 202 is aligned, the lifting mechanism drives the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202 to simultaneously descend an eighth height to correspond to the second wafer that has been calibrated. The transfer finger 601 holds the wafer. It is easily understood that the seventh height is greater than the eighth height, and the difference between the two is the same as the difference between the heights of the first wafer carrier 201 and the second wafer carrier 202.

It is to be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments employed to explain the principles of the invention, but the invention is not limited thereto. Various modifications and improvements can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. These modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of the invention.

Claims

A film transfer device, comprising:

a plurality of wafer carriers arranged in a horizontal direction;

And a lifting mechanism for driving the plurality of wafer carriers to perform a lifting movement synchronously to perform a pick and place operation in cooperation with a robot capable of transmitting a plurality of wafers.
The film transfer device according to claim 1, wherein said wafer carrier includes a carrying position for carrying a wafer, and heights of said load carrying positions of said plurality of said wafer carriers are sequentially lowered in an order of arrangement.
The film transfer device according to claim 2, wherein a height difference between said load carrying positions of each of said two adjacent wafer carriers is 6-10 mm.
The film transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lifting mechanism comprises:

At least one vertically arranged lifting shaft;

a driving source for driving the at least one lifting shaft to perform a lifting movement synchronously;

At least one connecting component, the number of the connecting components corresponding to the number of the lifting shafts for connecting the lifting shaft and two wafer carriers adjacent thereto.
The film transfer device according to claim 4, wherein each of said connecting members comprises a mounting plate and two connecting plates, wherein

The mounting plate is horizontally disposed and connected to the lifting shaft corresponding to the connecting component;

The two connecting plates are stacked on the mounting plate and are respectively connected to the two wafer carriers corresponding to the lifting shaft.
The film transfer device according to claim 5, wherein the connecting assembly further comprises a first long slot, a first threaded hole and a first connecting screw, wherein

The first long slot is disposed on each of the connecting plates;

The first threaded hole is disposed on the mounting plate and corresponds to the first long slot;

The first connecting screw is threadedly coupled to the first threaded hole through the first long slot.
The film transfer device according to claim 5, wherein the connecting assembly further comprises a second long slot, a second threaded hole and a second connecting screw, wherein

The second long slot is disposed on the mounting plate, and a horizontal axis direction thereof is disposed along a circumferential direction of the lifting shaft corresponding to the connecting component;

The second threaded hole is disposed at a top end of the lifting shaft;

The second connecting screw is threadedly connected to the second threaded hole through the second long slot.
The film transfer device according to claim 5, wherein the connecting assembly further comprises a plurality of third threaded holes and a plurality of set screws, wherein

a plurality of the third threaded holes are disposed on each of the connecting plates;

a plurality of the set screws are screwed into the plurality of the third threaded holes in a one-to-one correspondence, and a lower end of each set screw is in contact with an upper surface of the mounting plate;

The level of the web is adjusted by adjusting the relative position of at least one of the set screws and the third threaded hole in its axial direction.
A film transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of said wafer carriers comprises a ring holder and a plurality of wafer tips, wherein

The annular bracket is horizontally disposed;

a lower end of each of the wafer top fingers is coupled to the annular bracket, and a plurality of the wafer top fingers are circumferentially spaced along the annular bracket; a plurality of the top ends of the wafer top fingers collectively serve as a carrier The carrying position of the wafer.
A process chamber, comprising:

a film transfer device according to any one of claims 1-9;

Arranging a plurality of process sub-cavities in a horizontal direction, the plurality of wafer carriers being disposed in the plurality of process sub-cavities in a one-to-one correspondence;

A connecting sub-chamber located between each of the two adjacent process sub-chambers and in communication with the two.
A process chamber according to claim 10, wherein said lifting mechanism comprises at least one lifting shaft and a driving source, wherein

Each of the lifting shafts is located below the connecting sub-cavity, and an upper end thereof extends vertically upward through the connecting sub-cavity and two of the two process sub-chambers in communication with the connecting sub-cavity a wafer carrier is connected, and a lower end of each of the lifting shafts is connected to the driving source;

The driving source is configured to drive the at least one lifting shaft to perform a lifting movement synchronously.
A robot characterized by comprising:

a plurality of transfer fingers for transferring the wafers are arranged in the horizontal direction;

And a driving device for driving a plurality of the transfer fingers to synchronously move to perform a pick and place operation in cooperation with the film transfer device according to any one of claims 1-9.
A semiconductor device, comprising: a transfer chamber, the process chamber according to claim 10 or 11, and the robot according to claim 12, wherein the robot is disposed in the transfer chamber for A wafer is transferred between the process chamber and the transfer chamber.
A film transfer method, which is characterized in that, in the semiconductor device according to claim 13, the wafer picking and placing operation is performed on the wafer; the picking and placing sheet operation includes a film releasing process and a film taking process, wherein

The releasing process includes the following steps:

S11: the lifting mechanism drives a plurality of the wafer carriers to rise synchronously to a transfer position;

S12: The driving device drives a plurality of the transfer fingers to synchronously transfer the respective wafers into the respective process sub-cavities in a one-to-one correspondence, and is placed on each of the wafer carriers;

S13: the driving device drives each of the transfer fingers to exit each of the process sub-cavities;

S14: The lifting mechanism drives a plurality of the wafer carriers to synchronously descend to a process position.

The taking process includes the following steps:

S21: the lifting mechanism drives a plurality of the wafer carriers to synchronously rise to a transfer position;

S22: the driving device synchronously drives each of the transfer fingers to move into the respective process sub-cavities in a one-to-one manner, and respectively located under the wafers placed on the respective wafer carriers, and then drives each of the transfer films. Raise the finger and hold up the individual wafers;

S23: the driving device drives each of the transfer fingers to synchronously exit each of the process sub-cavities;

S24: The lifting mechanism drives a plurality of the wafer carriers to synchronously descend to a process position.
The film transfer method according to claim 14, wherein the wafer carrier comprises a carrying position for carrying a wafer, and heights of the carrying positions of the plurality of wafer carriers are sequentially decreased in an order of arrangement;

The step S12 further includes the following sub-steps:

S121: The driving device drives a plurality of the transfer finger fingers to synchronously transfer the respective wafers into each of the process sub-cavities;

S122: Perform horizontal position calibration of the wafers on each of the transfer fingers corresponding to the respective carrier positions in order of high to low carrying positions, and drive the driving device after each calibration. Each of the transfer fingers is synchronously lowered by a corresponding height to place the wafer that has been calibrated on the wafer carrier corresponding to the transfer finger of the wafer;

The step S22 further includes the following sub-steps:

S221: The driving device synchronously drives each of the transfer fingers to move into the respective process sub-cavities in a one-to-one correspondence;

S222: Perform horizontal position calibration on the wafers in the order of the carrier positions from low to high, and after each calibration, the driving device drives each of the transmitting fingers to synchronously rise to a corresponding height. To lift the wafer that has finished calibration from the wafer carrier on which the wafer is located.
A film transfer method, which is characterized in that, in the semiconductor device according to claim 13, the wafer picking and placing operation is performed on the wafer; the picking and placing sheet operation includes a film releasing process and a film taking process, wherein

The releasing process includes the following steps:

S31: the driving device drives a plurality of the transfer fingers to synchronously transfer the respective wafers into the respective process sub-cavities in a one-to-one correspondence, and are respectively located above each of the wafer carriers;

S32: the lifting mechanism drives a plurality of the wafer carriers to synchronously rise to a transfer position, and correspondingly lifts the wafers on each of the transfer fingers;

S33: the driving device drives each of the transfer fingers to exit each of the process sub-cavities;

S34: The lifting mechanism drives a plurality of the wafer carriers to synchronously descend to a process position.

The taking process includes the following steps:

S41: the lifting mechanism drives a plurality of the wafer carriers to synchronously rise to a transfer position;

S42: the driving device synchronously drives each of the transfer fingers to move into the respective process sub-cavities in a one-to-one manner, and is located under the wafers placed on each of the wafer carriers;

S43: the lifting mechanism drives each of the wafer carriers to be synchronously lowered, so that each of the transfer fingers respectively lifts each of the wafers;

S44: The driving device drives each of the transfer fingers to synchronously exit each of the process sub-cavities.
The film transfer method according to claim 16, wherein the wafer carrier comprises a carrying position for carrying the wafer, and the heights of the carrying positions of the plurality of the wafer carriers are sequentially lowered in an order of arrangement;

The step S32 further includes:

Positioning the wafer in a horizontal direction according to the arrangement order of the carrying positions from low to high, and after each calibration, the lifting mechanism drives a plurality of the wafer carriers to synchronously rise corresponding heights to lift up Completing the calibrated wafer;

The step S43 further includes:

Positioning the wafers on the wafers in a horizontal direction in order of high to low, and after each calibration, the lifting mechanism drives each of the wafer carriers to synchronously lower the corresponding heights. A transfer finger corresponding to the wafer that completed the calibration is used to lift the wafer.