FLIPPING APPARATUS

Provided in the present invention is a flipping apparatus, comprising a bracket body, a rotary driver, and a clamping apparatus, a plurality of partition plates being formed on inner side surfaces of two side walls of the bracket body, a carrier slot for the placement of a wafer being formed between each two adjacent partition plates, and rotating shafts being formed on outer side surfaces of the two side walls of the bracket body. The rotary driver is connected to at least one rotating shaft to drive the bracket body to rotate, and the clamping apparatus is disposed on the side wall of the bracket body and is used for pressing or releasing the wafers placed in the carrier slots. In the present invention, by means of the arrangement of the clamping apparatus on the bracket body holding the wafers, the wafers are fixed by the clamping apparatus when the bracket body rotates, effectively avoiding fragments or surface scratches caused by the wafers shaking in the bracket body when the wafers changes posture with the bracket body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a flipping apparatus.

2. The Related Art

In the manufacturing of semiconductor devices, a plurality of different processes are involved, and different processes have different placement postures for wafers to achieve their respective processing purposes. For example, with the continuous reduction of semiconductor process linewidth, the requirements for wafer surface cleanliness are higher and higher, and in order to balance the wafer surface cleaning effect and efficiency, technicians have developed a batch cleaning and single cleaning combination cleaning equipment, that is, a batch cleaning apparatus and a single cleaning apparatus are integrated in the same equipment. It is well known that in the batch cleaning apparatus, wafers are immersed in a cleaning tank in a vertical posture for the cleaning process, while in the single cleaning apparatus, the wafer is held in a horizontal posture for the cleaning process. Because most robots only have a grasping function, and can easily grasp the wafer in the vertical or horizontal posture, but cannot realize a flipping function, if the robot is configured with the flipping function, the complexity of the structure and operation of the robot will be increased, so a flipping apparatus is usually arranged in the wafer transfer process of different postures, and as an intermediate platform, the flipping apparatus can change the placement posture of the wafer to adapt to different processes and facilitate the transfer of the robot.

Referring toFIG.1, a robot101grasps wafers103after the end of the previous process and transfers the wafers103to a wafer holder111of a flipping mechanism110. The flipping mechanism110further includes an accommodating cavity113and a driver115. The wafer holder111is installed in the accommodating cavity113, and the driver115drives the wafer holder111to rotate in the accommodating cavity113, so that the wafer103held in the wafer holder111is converted from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture. Then, another robot102extends through a loading opening114disposed on the accommodating cavity113, and takes out the wafer103from the flipping mechanism110in a horizontal posture and transfers it to the next process, referring toFIG.2.

Referring toFIG.3, the wafer holder111is provided with one or more groups of carrier slots112for accommodating one or more than two wafers103. To facilitate loading and taking out the wafer103, the width of the carrier slots112is set to be larger than the thickness of the wafer103, and generally, the width is about 4 mm, and the thickness of the wafer103is about 0.7 mm. When the wafer rotates from the vertical posture to the horizontal posture, because the thickness of the wafer is less than the width of the carrier slots112, during the rotation process, the wafer will shake in the carrier slots112under the action of its own gravity (referring to the direction indicated by the arrow inFIG.3), resulting in scratches on the surface of the wafer, and even resulting in fragments.

SUMMARY

An object of the present invention is to provide a flipping apparatus capable of solving the problem that scratches or fragments caused by wafer shake while the wafer changes its posture during the wafer transfer in a batch cleaning and single cleaning combination cleaning equipment.

To achieve the above and other related objects, the present invention discloses a flipping apparatus, comprising:a bracket body, wherein a plurality of partition plates are formed on inner side surfaces of two side walls of the bracket body, carrier slots for placing wafers are formed between adjacent partition plates, and rotating shafts are formed on outer side surfaces of the two side walls of the bracket body;a rotary driver, wherein the rotary driver is connected to at least one rotating shaft to drive the bracket body to rotate;a clamping apparatus, wherein the clamping apparatus is disposed on the side wall of the bracket body and is used to press or release the wafers placed in the carrier slots.

Preferably, in the flipping apparatus, the clamping apparatus comprises:a housing, wherein the housing is fixed on the side wall of the bracket body;a gas port, wherein the gas port is located at one end of the housing, and used to connect to a gas source;a piston, wherein the piston is slidably arranged in the housing and is provided with driving force by the gas source;a telescopic rod, wherein the telescopic rod is slidably arranged in the housing, and one end of the telescopic rod is fixedly connected with the piston;a reset spring, wherein the reset spring is arranged at the other end of the housing and connected with the other end of the telescopic rod for resetting the piston and the telescopic rod;a plurality of limiting slots, wherein the plurality of limiting slots are arranged on one side of the housing and are arranged at equal intervals along the length direction of the telescopic rod;a plurality of limiting rods, wherein one end of the plurality of limiting rods is fixed on the telescopic rod, the other end of the plurality of limiting rods passes through corresponding limiting slot, and the limiting rods are driven by the telescopic rod to slide in the limiting slots to press or release the wafers placed in the carrier slots.

Preferably, in the flipping apparatus, the clamping apparatus further includes a liquid discharge chamber for collecting and discharging liquid accumulated inside the housing.

Preferably, in the flipping apparatus, the clamping apparatus is further provided with a displacement sensor for measuring the displacement of the telescopic rod.

Preferably, in the flipping apparatus, accommodating grooves for accommodating the limiting rods are disposed on the partition plates of the bracket body.

Preferably, in the flipping apparatus, a plurality of liquid drain holes are disposed at the bottom of the carrier slot of the bracket body.

Preferably, the flipping apparatus further comprises a box body, wherein the box body is provided with a loading port.

Preferably, the flipping apparatus further comprises an exhaust device disposed on a rear wall of the box body, wherein the exhaust device comprises a first exhaust plate, a second exhaust plate, a liquid collecting cavity and an exhaust port which are sequentially arranged along the air flow direction, and the first exhaust plate is provided with a plurality of first air vents; the second exhaust plate is provided with a plurality of second air vents, a space is reserved between the first exhaust plate and the second exhaust plate, the first air vents and the second air vents are arranged in a staggered manner, and the exhaust port is configured to connect a fan.

Preferably, in the flipping apparatus, both the second air vents and the exhaust port are arranged obliquely upward.

Preferably, in the flipping apparatus, the first exhaust plate is arranged in an inclined manner relative to the second exhaust plate.

Preferably, in the flipping apparatus, the bottom of the liquid collecting cavity is provided with a liquid discharge port.

Preferably, the flipping apparatus further comprises a lifting mechanism, wherein the lifting mechanism comprises a lifting rod and a support base fixed on the lifting rod, the support base is driven by the lifting rod to move up and down, and is used to assist the wafers to be transferred from a robot to the bracket body.

Preferably, the flipping apparatus further comprising a plurality of nozzles disposed around the bracket body for spraying liquid onto the wafer held in the bracket body.

As described above, the flipping apparatus provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects:in the present invention, a clamping apparatus is disposed on a bracket body for holding a wafer, and the wafer is fixed by the clamping apparatus when the bracket body rotates, so that the wafer can effectively avoid shaking when the wafer changes posture with the bracket body. Therefore, there are no fragments or wafer surface scratches when the wafer changes posture with the bracket body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following will describe the embodiments of the present invention through specific examples, and persons skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and functions of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. The present invention may also be embodied or applied in other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification may be modified or modified based on different viewpoints and applications without deviating from the spirit of the present invention.

It should be noted that the illustrations provided in the embodiments only illustrate the basic concept of the present invention in a schematic manner. The illustrations only show the components related to the present invention and are not drawn based on the actual number, shape, and size of the components during implementation. The shape, quantity, and proportion of each component during actual implementation can be arbitrarily changed, and the layout of its components may also be more complex.

Referring toFIG.4, the overall structure of a flipping bracket200of the present invention is shown. The flipping bracket200mainly includes a bracket body210and a clamping apparatus220. The clamping apparatus220is fixed to the bracket body210by fasteners for clamping or releasing wafers201held in the bracket body210.

Referring toFIG.5, the bracket body210has a first side wall211and a second side wall212. A plurality of partition plates213are formed on inner side surfaces of the first side wall211and the second side wall212, and a carrier slot215is formed between every two adjacent partition plates213, and a width of the carrier slot215is greater than a thickness of the wafer201, which facilitates taking out and placing the wafer201. Rotating shafts217are formed on outer side surfaces of the first side wall211and the second side wall212, and at least one rotating shaft217is connected to a rotary driver (not shown in the figure), and the rotary driver drives the flipping bracket200to rotate which brings the wafer201held in the bracket body210to change a placement posture.

The bottom of each carrier slot215is hollowed out, and specifically, a plurality of liquid drain holes216are disposed at the bottom of the carrier slot215, and for a process in which a chemical reagent needs to be sprayed to the wafer201during the flipping process of the wafers201, the liquid drain holes216are conducive to quickly discharging the residual liquid in the carrier slot215, and avoiding the accumulation of liquid in the carrier slot215and pollution of the surface of the wafers201caused by adsorbed particles and the like.

FIG.6andFIG.7show the structure of the clamping apparatus220of the present invention. One end of a housing221is provided with a gas port222, and an inlet end of the gas port222is connected to a gas source. A piston223is disposed at an outlet end of the gas port222. The piston223may slide in the housing221under the action of a gas driving force provided by the gas source. One end of a telescopic rod224is fixedly connected to the piston223, and may be driven by the piston223to slide in the housing221. A reset spring225is disposed between the other end of the telescopic rod224and the housing221, and when the gas source is cut off, the telescopic rod224and the piston223are reset under the action of the reset spring225. A plurality of limiting slots226are provided on one side of the housing221, and the plurality of limiting slots226are arranged at equal intervals along the length direction of the telescopic rod224. Corresponding to the plurality of limiting slots226, a plurality of limiting rods227are disposed on one side of the telescopic rod224, and a free end of each limiting rod227passes through the respectively corresponding limiting slot226and extends into the bracket body210. Accommodating grooves214for accommodating the limiting rods227are disposed on the partition plates213of the bracket body210. Movement of the telescopic rod224drives the plurality of limiting rods227to move in the limiting slots226to make the limiting rods227press or release the wafer201.

FIG.8andFIG.9show schematic views of the clamping apparatus220of the present invention pressing the wafer201. When the gas source is turned on, the piston223pushes the telescopic rod224to slide towards the wafer201, and the limiting rod227disposed on the telescopic rod224moves out of the accommodating groove214and gradually approaches the surface of the wafer201, so that the plurality of wafers201are synchronously pressed against the same side of the partition plates213, and the wafers201are fixed in the carrier slots215, and the plurality of wafers201are kept at the same spacing, so as to facilitate a subsequent operation of taking out the wafers201by the robot.FIG.10andFIG.11show schematic views of the clamping apparatus220according to the present invention releasing the wafer201. When the gas source is cut off, the piston223and the telescopic rod224slide in the direction away from the wafer201by action of the reset spring225, and the limiting rods227disposed on the telescopic rod224gradually separates from the surface of the wafers201and returns to the initial position. When the limiting rods227return to the initial position, the limiting rods227are completely accommodated in the accommodating grooves214provided on the partition plates213, which can prevent the limiting rods227from protruding into the carrier slots215and fragments or scratches caused by interfering with the limiting rods227when the wafers201are placed or taken out.

To detect accuracy of the moving position of the telescopic rod224, the clamping apparatus220is further provided with a displacement sensor228for measuring the displacement of the telescopic rod224, so as to further ensure normal operation of the clamping apparatus220.

FIG.12shows a schematic view of rotating the wafers201from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture in the embodiment. After the flipping bracket200receives the wafers201in the vertical posture, before the rotation, the gas source is turned on, and as shown inFIG.9, the limiting rods227synchronously presses the plurality of wafers201against the same side of the partition plates213, and then the rotary driver drives the flipping bracket200to rotate to the horizontal posture, and therefore, shaking and collision of the wafers201in the carrier slots215in the rotation process are avoided. After the wafers201are flipped to a horizontal posture, the gas source is cut off, and as shown inFIG.11, after the limiting rods227reset and release the wafers201, then the wafers201are taken out from the flipping bracket200by the robot.

As an example, the clamping apparatus220is further provided with a liquid discharge chamber230. The liquid discharge chamber230is provided with a discharge port231. The liquid discharge chamber230is mainly used to collect and discharge liquid accumulated inside the housing221, especially discharge the liquid remaining at the installation position of the reset spring225. Referring toFIG.6andFIG.7again, the liquid discharge chamber230is disposed on the housing221, and a through hole232communicating with the installation position of the reset spring225and the liquid discharge chamber230is provided inside the liquid discharge chamber230, so that the liquid that penetrates into the clamping apparatus220can be discharged in time through the liquid discharge chamber230. In some processes, while the wafers201are flipping, a chemical liquid needs to be sprayed on the surface of the wafers201to process the surface of the wafers201. For example, in a cleaning process, when the wafers201are flipping, deionized water needs to be sprayed to ensure that a predetermined thickness water film is formed on the surface of the wafers201, so as to reduce particle pollution. In the embodiment, the limiting slots226provided by the housing221of the clamping apparatus220and the accommodating grooves214provided by the bracket body210form interchange channels inside the bracket body210and the clamping apparatus220, and although the chemical liquid is sprayed toward the wafers201held on the bracket body210, it is impossible to avoid that part of the chemical liquid enters the clamping apparatus220through the interchange channels. If the liquid at the installation position of the reset spring225cannot be discharged, a large water pressure will be generated when the liquid accumulates to a certain extent, and this will cause the clamping apparatus220to fail, and the limiting rods227cannot press the wafers201after the gas source is turned on.

FIG.13shows an overall view of a flipping apparatus300according to the present invention. The flipping apparatus300includes a flipping bracket310. The structure of the flipping bracket310is the same as that of the flipping bracket200, and both include a bracket body311and a clamping apparatus312, and details are not described herein again. In this embodiment, the flipping apparatus300further includes a box body320. A top opening of the box body320is configured to receive the wafers301. A loading port321is disposed on a front wall of the box body320for taking out the wafers301. A door plate322may be disposed at the loading port321, and the door plate322is driven by a cylinder323to open or close the loading port321. The flipping bracket310is installed in the box body320through a support arm302, and a rotary driver313that drives the flipping bracket310to rotate is integrated on a side wall of the box body320. The top portion of the box body320is provided with a plurality of nozzles324around the flipping bracket310for spraying a misty liquid onto the wafers301held within the flipping bracket310.

As an example, a lifting mechanism330for transferring the wafers301is also provided in the flipping apparatus300. Referring toFIG.14andFIG.15, the lifting mechanism330includes a lifting rod331and a support base332fixed to a lower end of the lifting rod331. Locating slots333for holding the wafers301is disposed on a bottom surface of the support base332. Referring toFIG.14again, the first robot303grasps several wafers301from a cleaning tank, and transfers the wafers301to the top of the flipping apparatus300, and in this case, the bracket body311is in a vertical posture, and the lifting rod331drives the support base332to rise. The locating slots333on the support base332are in one-to-one correspondence with the carrier slots of the bracket body311.FIGS.16to18illustrate the process of the wafers301transferring from the support base332to the flipping bracket310. The first robot303firstly places the wafers301on the support base332, and then the first robot303is removed. The wafers301are gradually placed in the carrier slots of the bracket body311in the process of the wafers301descending along with the support base332. After the wafers301are located in the flipping bracket310, the support base332continues to move downward and is separated from the wafers301, and the transfer of the wafers301from the support base332to the flipping bracket310is completed.

After the wafers301are transferred to the flipping bracket310, the clamping apparatus312presses the wafers301against the same side of the partition plates, so that the wafers301are arranged neatly and equidistantly on the flipping bracket310, and on the other hand, the wafers301are fixed in the carrier slots, so that the wafers301do not wobble in the carrier slots when the flipping bracket310rotates. Subsequently, the rotary driver313drives the flipping bracket310to rotate to change the wafers301from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture. As shown inFIG.20, the nozzles324continuously spray misty liquid during the rotation of the flipping bracket310to form a liquid film with predetermined thickness on the surface of the wafers301so as to protect the surface of the wafers301without being tarnished. After the wafers301are rotated to the horizontal posture, the clamping apparatus312releases the wafers301. The loading port321is opened, and a second robot305horizontally extends into the box body320to take out the wafer301in the horizontal posture, as shown inFIG.21. Before the wafers301are rotated horizontally, the wafers301are slightly paused in an inclined posture, and as shown inFIG.19, the thickness of the liquid film formed on the surface of the wafers301is adjusted by adjusting the inclined angle, and the front surface of the wafers301is sufficiently wetted.

Referring toFIG.13again, the box body320is further disposed an exhaust device340for maintaining cleanliness and humidity of the process atmosphere. The exhaust device340needs to be connected to the factory's exhaust system, and it needs to avoid liquid being sucked into the exhaust system, otherwise it may cause corrosion and damage to exhaust ducts or fan. Because the nozzles324continuously spray the misty liquid, process gas in and around the box body320has high humidity, and based on this, the exhaust device340disposed on the box body320in this embodiment has a gas-liquid separation function, so as to prevent liquid from being sucked into the exhaust system.

FIG.22shows a schematic view of the box body320according to the present invention. The exhaust device340is mounted on the rear wall of the box body320. Referring toFIG.23andFIG.24, the exhaust device340is provided with a first exhaust plate341, a second exhaust plate342, a liquid collecting cavity343, and an exhaust port344which are sequentially arranged along the air flow direction. The exhaust port344is configured to connect to a fan of the factory's exhaust system. In this embodiment, the second exhaust plate342and the rear wall of the box body320are integrally formed, and it may be understood that, in another embodiment, the second exhaust plate342may be an independent member. The first exhaust plate341is provided with multiple first air vents341a. The second exhaust plate342is provided with multiple second air vents342a. A space is reserved between the first exhaust plate341and the second exhaust plate342, and specifically, the first exhaust plate341is arranged in an inclined manner relative to the second exhaust plate342, and the first air vents341aand the second air vents342aare arranged in a staggered manner, that is, the first air vents341aand the second air vents342ado not overlap. The airflow flowing out through the first air vents341ado not directly flow through the second air vents342a, but first flows to the non-porous area of the second exhaust plate342. The airflow hits against the non-porous area of the second exhaust plate342, which can reduce the air velocity and cause a part of the liquid trapped in the airflow to flow along the second exhaust plate342, and then the airflow flows to the second air vents342a. Therefore, the staggered arrangement design of the first air vents341aand the second air vents342acan not only reduce the airflow speed, change the airflow path, avoid the airflow wrapped with a large amount of liquid to be directly sucked to the factory's exhaust system, corroding and damaging the fan or exhaust ducts, but also prolong the time for the airflow to flow through the exhaust device340, thereby prolonging the time for gas-liquid separation and reducing the amount of liquid entering the exhaust system.

As an example, both the second air vents342aand the exhaust port344are arranged obliquely upward, further promoting gas-liquid separation and reducing the amount of liquid entering the exhaust system. In addition, liquid discharge ports (345a,345b) are respectively provided at the bottom of the box body320and the liquid collecting cavity343for discharging the collected liquid.

The flipping apparatus of the present invention is provided with a flipping bracket, and the flipping bracket comprises a bracket body and a clamping apparatus, and the clamping apparatus is disposed on the bracket body holding the wafers, and the wafers are fixed by the clamping apparatus when the flipping bracket rotates, so that the wafers can effectively avoid wobbling in the flipping bracket and there are no fragments or wafer surface scratches when the posture of the wafers is changed along with the flipping bracket.

The above embodiments are provided to those skilled in the art to realize or use the invention, under the condition that various modifications or changes being made by those skilled in the art without departing the spirit and principle of the invention, the above embodiments may be modified and changed variously, therefore the protection scope of the invention is not limited by the above embodiments, rather, it should conform to the maximum scope of the innovative features mentioned in the Claims.