US 11,908,720 B2 · CMP wafer cleaning equipment, wafer transfer robot and wafer flipping method

Abstract

Disclosed are a CMP wafer cleaning apparatus, and a wafer transfer manipulator and a wafer overturn method for same. The wafer transfer manipulator includes: a transverse transfer shaft, with same only being located at a side of a cleaning unit; a transverse transfer carriage provided on the transverse transfer shaft, and capable of transversely moving along the transverse transfer shaft; a first vertical lifting shaft provided on the transverse transfer carriage, and capable of vertically moving on the transverse transfer carriage; a rotary table provided on the first vertical lifting shaft; and a first claw clamping arm connected to the rotary table, and driven by the rotary table to move in a rotational manner. The CMP wafer cleaning apparatus is provided, and when the CMP wafer cleaning apparatus fails, safe storage of a polished wafer can be realized.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) wafer cleaning equipment, comprising a cleaning input unit, a megasonic cleaning unit, a number of scrubbing units, and a spin-drying unit arranged in sequence, in addition, the megasonic cleaning unit further comprises a transfer robot located above the cleaning equipment, comprising a horizontal movement axis, a vertical movement axis and a number of wafer grabbing devices, which transports wafers between the units, the wafer grabbing device near the side of the spin-drying unit grabs and flips the wafers with own wafer flipping function,

wherein the CMP wafer cleaning equipment further comprises a buffer unit, which is located in front of the cleaning input unit and temporarily stores a number of wafers,
wherein a water injector is installed in the buffer unit to prevent the wafers from being dried without being cleaned.

A wafer transfer robot used to transfer wafers in a cleaning module of a chemical mechanical planarization equipment, to take out the wafers that have been cleaned in a cleaning unit in a vertical state, and to flip over and place them horizontally into a drying unit of the cleaning module, comprising:

a horizontal transfer shaft only located on one side of the cleaning unit;
a horizontal transfer carriage that is arranged on the horizontal transfer shaft and moves laterally along the horizontal transfer shaft;
a first vertical lifting shaft that is arranged on a lateral transfer pallet and performs vertical movement on a lateral transfer carriage;
a rotating platform arranged on the first vertical lifting shaft;
a first jaw clamping arm which is connected to a rotating table and driven by the rotating platform to make rotational movement for wafer grabbing and placement,
wherein the cleaning unit and drying unit is installed with switchable doors for automatic opening or closing when the wafer transfer robot grabs and places wafers,
wherein the cleaning unit comprises a pre-drying unit and other units of cleaning module, which are located on both sides of the pre-drying unit;
the pre-drying unit works in vertical direction;
the wafers in the pre-drying unit are transferred to the drying unit by the first jaw clamping arm;
the other units of cleaning module may be one or more of the wafer transition unit, megasonic cleaning unit, and scrubbing unit,
wherein the cleaning module further comprises a buffer unit, which is located in front of the cleaning input unit and temporarily stores a number of wafers,
wherein a water injector is installed in the buffer unit to prevent the wafers from being dried without being cleaned.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

CMP wafer cleaning equipment, wafer transfer robot and wafer flipping method

Life of this patent

CMP wafer cleaning equipment, wafer transfer robot and wafer flipping method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims17