Apparatus for handling semiconductor wafers

A semiconductor wafer handling apparatus for automated movement of semiconductor wafers between cassette trays and wafer test systems, said assembly comprising:

• a platform for carrying at least one semiconductor wafer cassette tray;
• wafer alignment means carried by said platform for aligning a semiconductor wafer in a predetermined test position;
• and
• wafer transfer means associated with said platform and said wafer alignment means for transferring said wafer between said cassette tray, said alignment means and said test system;
• said wafer transfer means being operational in the same plane relative to said platform and capable of extending, retracting and rotating in said plane;
• said wafer transfer means being operational in the same plane relative to said platform and capable of extending, retracting and rotating in said plane;
• said wafer transfer means including:
• a shuttle arm assembly mounted for translational and rotational movement so that said shuttle arm assembly may be selectively aligned with said cassette tray, said alignment means and said test system;
• shuttle arm drive means disposed below said platform in a compact, movable, framed unit and coupled to said shuttle arm assembly for translating said shuttle arm assembly between said cassette tray position, said wafer alignment position and said wafer test position,
• said shuttle arm drive means further including sensor means for sensing the position of said shuttle arm assembly,
• said shuttle arm drive means formed and positioned to move said shuttle arm assembly in a plane perpendicular to said platform to selectively align with a wafer in said cassette tray and to place said wafer on and lift said wafer off said test system, to move said shuttle arm assembly in a plane parallel to said platform to insert said wafer in said alignment means, and to rotate said shuttle arm assembly about an axis perpendicular to said platform to translate said wafer to said wafer test position;
• said wafer transfer means also including means for controlling said translational and rotational movement of said shuttle arm assembly for selectively extending, retracting and rotating said shuttle arm assembly relative to each of said cassette tray, said alignment means and said test system so that in response to signals from said control means said shuttle arm assembly can be selectively actuated to translate to a cassette tray position and secure and remove a semiconductor wafer from said cassette tray, translate to a wafer alignment position and insert, release, secure and remove said wafer from said alignment means, and translate and rotate to a wafer test position and place said wafer on, release, secure, and lift said wafer off said test system.

A semiconductor wafer handling apparatus for automated movement of semiconductor wafers between wafer cassette trays and wafer test systems, said assembly comprising:

• a platform for carrying at least one semiconductor wafer cassette tray;
• wafer alignment means carried by said platform for aligning a semiconductor wafer in a predetermined test position;
• and
• wafer transfer means associated with said platform and said wafer alignment means for transferring said wafer between said cassette tray, said alignment means and said test system;
• said wafer transfer means being operational in the same plane relative to said platform and capable of extending, retracting and rotating in said plane;
• said wafer transfer means including;
• a shuttle arm assembly mounted for translational and rotational movement so that said shuttle arm assembly may be selectively aligned with said cassette tray, said alignment means and said test system;
• shuttle arm drive means disposed below said platform in a compact, movable, framed unit and coupled to said shuttle arm assembly for translating said shuttle arm assembly between said cassette tray position, said wafer alignment position and said wafer test position,
• said shuttle arm drive means further including sensor means for sensing the position of said shuttle arm assembly, said shuttle arm sensor means including a first through beam sensor coupled to said .theta. motor assembly and positioned to sense when said shuttle arm assembly is in said cassette tray position, said second through beam sensor coupled to said .theta. motor assembly and positioned to sense when said shuttle arm assembly is in said wafer test position, and a position marker means mounted on said .theta. motor for indicating when said shuttle arm assembly arm assembly is in said cassette tray and said wafer test positions;
• said wafer transfer means also including means for controlling said translational and rotational movement of said shuttle arm assembly for selectively extending, retracting and rotating said shuttle arm assembly relative to each of said cassette tray, said alignment means and said test system so that in response to signals from said control means said shuttle arm assembly can be selectively actuated to translate to a cassette tray position and secure and remove a semiconductor wafer from said cassette tray, translate to a wafer alignment position and insert, release, secure and remove said wafer from said alignment means, and translate and rotate to a wafer test position and place said wafer on, release, secure, and lift said wafer off said test system.

A semiconductor wafer handling apparatus for automated movement of semiconductor wafers between wafer cassette trays and wafer test systems, said assembly comprising:

• a platform for carrying at least one semiconductor wafer cassette tray, said platform including an orthogonal slot for accommodating translation of said shuttle arm assembly between said cassette tray position, said wafer alignment position and said wafer test position and said wafer test position is about 60 degrees from said cassette tray position and said wafer alignment position;
• wafer alignment means carried by said platform for aligning a semiconductor wafer in a predetermined test position;
• and
• wafer transfer means associated with said platform and said wafer alignment means for transferring said wafer between said cassette tray, said alignment means and said test systems;
• said wafer transfer means being operational in the same plane relative to said platform and capable of extending, retracting and rotating in said plane;
• said wafer transfer means including:
• a shuttle arm assembly mounted for translational and rotational movement so that said shuttle arm assembly may be selectively aligned with said cassette tray, said alignment means and said test system;
• shuttle arm drive means disposed below said platform in a compact, movable, framed unit and coupled to said shuttle arm assembly for translating said shuttle arm assembly between said cassette tray position, said wafer alignment position and said wafer test position,
• said shuttle arm drive means further including sensor means for sensing the position of said shuttle arm assembly;
• said wafer transfer means also including means for controlling said translational and rotational movement of said shuttle arm assembly for selectively extending, retracting and rotating said shuttle arm assembly relative to each of said cassette tray, said alignment means and said test system so that in response to signals from said control means said shuttle arm assembly can be selectively actuated to translate to a cassette tray position and secure and remove a semiconductor wafer from said cassette tray, translate to a wafer alignment position and insert, release, secure and remove said wafer from said alignment means, and translate and rotate to a wafer test position and place said wafer on, release, secure, and lift said wafer off said test system.

A semiconductor wafer handling apparatus;

• for automated movement of semiconductor wafers between wafer cassette trays and wafer test systems, said assembly comprising:
• a platform for carrying at least one semiconductor wafer cassette tray;
• wafer alignment means carried by said platform for aligning a semiconductor wafer in a predetermined test position;
• and
• wafer transfer means associated with said platform and said wafer alignment means for transferring said wafer between said cassette tray, said alignment means and said test system;
• said wafer transfer means being operational in the same plane relative to said platform and capable of
• extending, retracting and rotating in said plane;
• said wafer transfer means including:
• a shuttle arm assembly mounted for translational and rotational movement so that said shuttle arm assembly may be selectively aligned with said cassette tray, said alignment means and said test system;
• said shuttle arm assembly including a shuttle arm housing, pulley means longitudinally disposed within said housing, a wafer shuttle motor coupled at one end of said housing to said pulley means, wafer finger means for supporting said wafer mounted on the exterior of said housing, radial slide means disposed longitudinally within said housing connected to said wafer finger means for reciprocation thereof between an extended and a retracted position in response to signals from said control means to secure and remove said wafer from said cassette tray, and to insert, release, secure and remove said wafer from said alignment means and said wafer test system, said shuttle arm sensor means being disposed and arranged to sense when said wafer finger means is in said extended or in said retracted position;
• shuttle arm drive means disposed below said platform in a compact, movable, framed unit and coupled to said shuttle arm assembly for translating said shuttle arm assembly between said cassette tray position, said wafer alignment position and said wafer test position, said shuttle arm drive means further including sensor means for sensing the position of said shuttle arm assembly,
• said wafer transfer means also including means for controlling said translational and rotational movement of said shuttle arm assembly for selectively extending, retracting and rotating said shuttle arm assembly relative to each of said cassette tray, said alignment means and said test system so that in response to signals from said control means said shuttle arm assembly can be selectively actuated to translate to a cassette tray position and secure and remove a semiconductor wafer from said cassette tray, translate to a wafer alignment position and insert, release, secure and remove said wafer from said alignment means, and translate and rotate to a wafer test position and place said wafer on, release, secure, and lift said wafer off said test system.

A semiconductor wafer handling apparatus for automated movement of semiconductor wafers between wafer cassette trays and wafer test systems comprising an orthogonally slotted platform for carrying at least one semiconductor wafer cassette tray, control means, wafer alignment means carried by said platform for aligning a semiconductor wafer in a predetermined test position and wafer transfer means mounted below said platform and extending through said slot, said wafer transfer means comprising a shuttle arm assembly mounted for translational and rotational movement so that said shuttle arm assembly may be selectively aligned with said cassette tray, said alignment means and said test system and further comprising means for controlling said translational and rotational movement of said shuttle arm assembly selectively for translational to a cassette tray position to secure and remove a semiconductor wafer from said cassette tray, translation to a wafer alignment position to insert, release, secure and remove said wafer from said alignment means, and translation and rotation to a wafer test position to place said wafer on, release, secure, and lift said wafer off said test system, said wafer transfer means further including shuttle arm drive means disposed below said platform in a compact, movable, framed unit and coupled to said shuttle arm assembly for translating said shuttle arm assembly between said cassette tray position, said wafer alignment position and said wafer test position, and shuttle arm sensor means associated with said shuttle arm drive means for sensing the position of said shuttle arm assembly, said shuttle arm drive means including a z slide assembly mounted below said platform and having a frame, a .theta. motor assembly coupled to said z slide assembly and movable along the longitudinal axis of said z slide assembly in response to selective control signals from said control means to translate said shuttle arm assembly in a plane perpendicular to said platform, and a z motor assembly coupled to said shuttle arm assembly for rotation of said shuttle arm assembly between said wafer alignment position and said wafer test position in response to selectively signals from said control means, said z motor assembly including a z slide having a length sufficient to translate said shuttle arm assembly between the uppermost slot of said cassette tray, said wafer alignment means, and said wafer test system, and a z slide puck, and .theta. motor assembly being coupled to said z slide assembly and movable along the longitudinal axis thereof by means of a driven rod mounted at one end to said .theta. motor assembly and extending said length of said z slide, said z slide puck being coupled therebetween, said shuttle arm assembly further including a linear rotary bearing assembly coupled with said drive rod to provide translation and rotation motion of said drive rod in response to signals from said control means.

A shuttle arm drive assembly for an automated semiconductor wafer handling apparatus having a platform for carrying at least one semiconductor wafer cassette tray, control means, wafer alignment means carried by said platform for aligning a semiconductor wafer in a predetermined test position, wafer test means for testing a semiconductor wafer, and wafer transfer means associated with said platform and said wafer alignment means for transferring said wafer between said cassette tray, said alignment means and said test system, said shuttle arm drive assembly comprising:

• a z slide assembly mounted below said platform and having a frame,
• said z slide assembly including
• a z slide having a length sufficient to translate said shuttle arm between the uppermost slot of said cassette tray, said wafer alignment means, and said wafer test system;
• a z slide puck, said .theta. motor assembly being coupled to said z slide assembly and movable along the longitudinal axis thereof by means of a lead screw mounted through said .theta. motor assembly and extending said length of said z slide, said z slide puck being coupled therebetween;
• a drive rod disposed in opposing parallel relation to said lead screw and said z slide and extending said length thereof, said lead screw being coupled to a z motor, said z motor being mounted within said frame of said shuttle arm drive means and disposed to permit unhindered movement of said .theta. motor throughout said length of said z slide, said z motor connected to said lead screw by pulley means mounted at one end of said lead screw to provide rotary motion of said lead screw responsive to signals from said control means, one portion of said .theta. motor assembly is connected to said lead screw and a second portion of said .theta. motor assembly is connected to said z slide assembly,
• said pulley means including a first pulley mounted at one end of said lead screw, a second, substantially identically ratioed, pulley mounted on said z motor, said first and second pulleys being disposed in a plane parallel to and beneath said platform, and a toothed timing belt communicating therebetween;
• a .theta. motor assembly coupled to said z slide assembly disposed within said frame and movable along the longitudinal axis of said z slide assembly in response to selective control signals from said control means, for rotation of said shuttle arm between said wafer alignment position and said wafer test position in response to selective signals from said control means and a z motor assembly coupled to said shuttle arm to translate said shuttle arm in a plane perpendicular to said platform.

A shuttle arm drive assembly for an automated semiconductor wafer handling apparatus having a platform for carrying at least one semiconductor wafer cassette tray, control means, wafer alignment means carried by said platform for aligning a semiconductor wafer in a predetermined test position, wafer test means for testing a semiconductor wafer, and wafer transfer means associated with said platform and said wafer alignment means for transferring said wafer between said cassette tray, said alignment means and said test system, said shuttle arm drive assembly comprising:

• a z slide assembly mounted below said platform and having a frame,
• said z slide assembly including
• a z slide having a length sufficient to translate said shuttle arm between the uppermost slot of said cassette tray, said wafer alignment means, and said wafer test system;
• a z slide puck, said .theta. motor assembly being coupled to said z therebetween;
• a drive rod disposed in opposing parallel relation to said lead screw on said z slide and extending said length thereof, said lead screw being coupled to a z motor, said z motor being mounted within said frame of said shuttle arm drive means and disposed to permit unhindered movement of said .theta. motor throughout said length of said z slide, said z motor connected to said lead screw by pulley means mounted at one end of said lead screw to provide rotary motion of said lead screw responsive to signals from said control means,
• wherein said drive rod is hollow and a vacuum means and said control means communicate with said shuttle arm assembly through the bore in said rod;
• a .theta. motor assembly coupled to said z slide assembly disposed within said frame and movable along the longitudinal axis of said z slide assembly in response to selective control signals from said control means, for rotation of said shuttle arm between said wafer alignment position and said wafer test position in response to selective signals from said control means and a z motor assembly coupled to said shuttle arm to translate said shuttle arm in a plane perpendicular to said platform.