Reconfigurable Guide Pin Design for Centering Wafers Having Different Sizes

• US 20120128457A1
• Filed: 11/24/2010
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Chang, Hsin, Chen, Hsin-Yu, Tsai, Fang Wen, Lin, Jing-Cheng, Chiou, Wen-Chih, Jeng, Shin-Puu, Yu, Chen-Hua
• Granted Patent: US 8,567,837 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/749.6
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/90 Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68707 the wafers being placed on a robot blade, or gripped by a gripper for conveyance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6875 characterised by a plurality of individual support members, e.g. support posts or protrusions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20305 Robotic arm

Abstract

An apparatus includes a robot arm, and a plurality of guide pins mounted on the robot arm. Each of the plurality of guide pins includes a plurality of wafer supports at different levels, with each of the plurality of wafer supports configured to support and center a wafer having a size different from wafers configured to be supported and centered by remaining ones of the plurality of wafer supports

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a robot arm; and

a plurality of guide pins mounted on the robot arm, wherein each of the plurality of guide pins comprises a plurality of wafer supports at different levels, with each of the plurality of wafer supports configured to support and center a wafer having a size different from wafers configured to be supported and centered by remaining ones of the plurality of wafer supports.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of guide pins comprises a slanted portion and parallel portions not vertical to the slanted portion, with the parallel portions attached to the slanted portion.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein upper ones of the plurality of wafer supports are configured to support and center wafers having greater diameters than lower ones of the plurality of wafer supports.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the robot arm is a part of process robot arm (PRA) module.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the robot arm comprises arc arms, and wherein two of the plurality of guide pins are secured onto the arc arms of the robot arm.

6. An apparatus comprising:

a robot arm;

a micro stage comprising a fixed part and a movable part, wherein the fixed part is secured onto the robot arm; and

a plurality of guide pins, wherein one of the plurality of guide pins is mounted on the movable part of the micro stage, and wherein the plurality of guide pins is configured to support a wafer.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the robot arm comprises a base and two arc arms attached to the base, wherein the apparatus comprises two micro stages, with the micro stage being one of the two micro stages, wherein each of the two micro stages is mounted on one of the two arc arms, and two of the plurality of guide pins are mounted on movable parts of the two micro stages.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising an additional micro stage comprising a fixed part mounted on the base of the robot arm, with one of the plurality of guide pins mounted on a movable part of the additional micro stage.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the micro stage is electrical drivable.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the movable part of the micro stage is configured to travel toward and away from a center of a circle defined by the plurality of guide pins.

11. An apparatus comprising:

an arm-controlled robot arm comprising;

a base; and

a first movable part and a second movable part attached to the base, wherein the first and the second movable parts are configured to glide relative to the base;

a first guide pin mounted on the base; and

a second guide pin and a third guide pin mounted on the first and the second movable parts, respectively, wherein the first, the second, and the third guide pins are configured to support a wafer.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first and the second movable parts are configured to move in directions parallel to each other.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein each of the first and the second movable parts comprises an arc arm.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first, the second, and the third guide pins define a circle having a size substantially equal to the wafer.