CN116759374B - Passive leveling platform and method - Google Patents

Passive leveling platform and method Download PDF

Info

Publication number
CN116759374B
CN116759374B CN202311027052.3A CN202311027052A CN116759374B CN 116759374 B CN116759374 B CN 116759374B CN 202311027052 A CN202311027052 A CN 202311027052A CN 116759374 B CN116759374 B CN 116759374B
Authority
CN
China
Prior art keywords
leveling
axis
stator
wafer
platform
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Active
Application number
CN202311027052.3A
Other languages
Chinese (zh)
Other versions
CN116759374A (en
Inventor
***
吴云涛
姜小光
宋建功
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Shanghai Lieth Precision Equipment Co ltd
Original Assignee
Shanghai Lieth Precision Equipment Co ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Shanghai Lieth Precision Equipment Co ltd filed Critical Shanghai Lieth Precision Equipment Co ltd
Priority to CN202311027052.3A priority Critical patent/CN116759374B/en
Publication of CN116759374A publication Critical patent/CN116759374A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CN116759374B publication Critical patent/CN116759374B/en
Active legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/683—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping
    • H01L21/687—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches
    • H01L21/68714—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches the wafers being placed on a susceptor, stage or support
    • H01L21/68785—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches the wafers being placed on a susceptor, stage or support characterised by the mechanical construction of the susceptor, stage or support
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/68—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for positioning, orientation or alignment
    • H01L21/682—Mask-wafer alignment
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/683—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping
    • H01L21/687—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches
    • H01L21/68714—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches the wafers being placed on a susceptor, stage or support
    • H01L21/68742—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches the wafers being placed on a susceptor, stage or support characterised by a lifting arrangement, e.g. lift pins

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Container, Conveyance, Adherence, Positioning, Of Wafer (AREA)

Abstract

The application discloses a passive leveling platform, which comprises: a vertical motor; the stator assembly is positioned above the vertical motor and comprises a stator bottom plate, three gravity compensation cylinders and three locking cylinders, wherein the three gravity compensation cylinders and the three locking cylinders are arranged on the stator bottom plate; a mover assembly located above the stator assembly, the mover assembly comprising three guide pins connected to the stator base plate, a wafer holding member with a support structure, and leveling connections between each guide pin and the support structure, wherein a locking cylinder of the stator assembly is used to lock the guide pins of the mover assembly, and wherein the leveling connections comprise a first connection for pitch leveling and two second connections for pitch and horizontal translational leveling.

Description

Passive leveling platform and method
Technical Field
The application relates to the field of semiconductor equipment, in particular to a passive leveling platform and a passive leveling method.
Background
In the manufacturing or processing process of semiconductor equipment, a platform is required to realize the passive leveling function of the wafer and the mask plate, and meanwhile, the horizontal position accuracy can be maintained after leveling.
The prior art structure comprises a vertical motor, a passive leveling mechanism stator and a passive leveling mechanism rotor. In order to realize the pitching function of the passive leveling of the rotor, the three guide rods of the rotor and the wafer fixing component are realized by positioning balls and pre-tightening springs. Meanwhile, three horizontal positioning rods are designed on the stator and are close to the wafer fixing component for maintaining the relative stability of the horizontal position of the stator.
In the prior art, the pitching function of vertical positioning and leveling is realized by using a positioning ball and a pre-tightening spring between a guide pin and a supporting structure, but the horizontal position of the pitching function of the rotor is not constrained, and meanwhile, the horizontal position of the rotor relative to a stator is changed, and three horizontal positioning rods designed on the stator are required to be reserved with horizontal clearances to ensure the pitching stroke. The mover cannot guarantee the horizontal position stability, and accurate positioning constraint cannot be realized through the positioning rod on the stator, so that the horizontal position drift of the wafer in the process is finally caused.
In view of the foregoing deficiencies of the prior art, it is desirable to provide an improved passive leveling platform and passive leveling method.
Disclosure of Invention
The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The application provides a passive leveling platform, comprising: a vertical motor; the stator assembly is positioned above the vertical motor and comprises a stator bottom plate, three gravity compensation cylinders and three locking cylinders, wherein the three gravity compensation cylinders and the three locking cylinders are arranged on the stator bottom plate; and a mover assembly over the stator assembly, the mover assembly including three guide pins connected to the stator base plate, a wafer securing member with a support structure, and leveling connections between each guide pin and the support structure, wherein a locking cylinder of the stator assembly is used to lock the guide pins of the mover assembly, and wherein the leveling connections include a first connection for pitch leveling and two second connections for pitch and horizontal translational leveling.
In some embodiments, the first connector comprises a dual axis flexure and the second connector comprises a quad axis flexure.
In some embodiments, the biaxial flexible member is each cut with a set of centrally symmetrical circular arcs in the direction of X, Y.
In some embodiments, the biaxial flexibility has high adjustability along the Rx, ry axes and low adjustability along the X, Y, Z and Rz axes.
In some embodiments, the four-axis flexures are each cut with two sets of centrally symmetric circular arcs in the direction X, Y.
In some embodiments, the four-axis flexure has high adjustability along the Rx, ry, X, Y axis and low adjustability along the Z and Rz axes.
In some embodiments, the first connector comprises a single-pin gimbal and the second connector comprises a double-pin gimbal.
In some embodiments, the passive leveling platform further comprises a mounting platform, wherein the stator assembly is disposed above the mounting platform and the vertical motor is disposed below the mounting platform.
In some embodiments, the stator base plate is circular and the three guide pins are evenly distributed on the stator base plate.
The application also provides a method for carrying out passive leveling by utilizing the passive leveling platform, which comprises the following steps: placing the wafer on a wafer fixing component of the passive leveling platform; starting a vertical motor to enable the wafer to move upwards; and when the wafer is contacted with the mask plate, the gesture of the wafer is regulated through the passive leveling platform so as to enable the wafer to be tightly attached to the mask plate.
According to the technical scheme, through the combined use of two different leveling connectors, the requirements of pitching rotation and horizontal translation during passive leveling of the wafer and the mask plate can be met, and meanwhile, the horizontal position accuracy can be maintained.
Drawings
The features, nature, and advantages of the present application will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views. It is noted that the drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn on scale for illustrative purposes.
Fig. 1 shows a system schematic of a conventional passive leveling platform.
Figure 2 shows a system schematic of the passive leveling platform of the present application.
Figure 3 illustrates a first exemplary configuration of the passive leveling platform of the present application.
Figure 4 shows a first example of a leveling connection of the passive leveling platform of the present application.
Figure 5 illustrates a second exemplary configuration of the passive leveling platform of the present application.
Figure 6 shows a second example of a leveling connection for a passive leveling platform of the present application.
Fig. 7 illustrates an example method of passive leveling using the passive leveling platform of the present application.
Detailed Description
The objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application will become more apparent by the following detailed description of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the described exemplary embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the described embodiments may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other exemplary embodiments, well-known structures have not been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the concepts of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the application. Meanwhile, the various aspects described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined without conflict.
As mentioned above, conventional passive leveling platforms in the prior art use positioning balls and pre-loaded springs between the guide pins and the support structure to achieve vertical positioning and leveling of the pitch function, but their horizontal position is not constrained, while the pitch function of the mover causes a change in horizontal position relative to the stator. The mover cannot guarantee the horizontal position stability, and accurate positioning constraint cannot be realized through the positioning rod on the stator, so that the horizontal position drift of the wafer in the process is finally caused.
To this end, the present application provides an improved passive leveling platform. The passive leveling platform of the present application utilizes two different leveling connectors (e.g., a dual axis flexure and a quad axis flexure) between the guide pins and the support structure to achieve leveling functionality and maintain current positional accuracy.
Fig. 1 shows a system schematic 100 of a conventional passive leveling platform.
As shown in fig. 1, the conventional passive leveling platform mainly comprises a vertical motor (101), a stator and a rotor. The wafer (106) is placed on the wafer holding member (102) of the mover. In order to realize the pitching function of the passive leveling of the rotor, three guide pins (103) of the rotor and the wafer fixing component are realized by positioning balls and a pre-tightening spring (104). Meanwhile, three horizontal positioning rods (105) are designed on the stator and are close to the wafer fixing component for maintaining the relative stability of the horizontal position of the stator.
For clarity, only two guide pins of the mover and two horizontal positioning bars of the stator are shown in fig. 1.
The left side of fig. 1 shows the state before passive leveling. As shown, the wafer and the mask plate (107) are not bonded prior to leveling, leaving an included angle therebetween.
The right side of fig. 1 shows the state after passive leveling. As shown, after passive leveling, the attitude of the wafer holding member is adjusted so that the wafer on the wafer holding member is tightly attached to the mask.
In the passive leveling platform of fig. 1, the mover uses positioning balls and pre-tension springs between the guide pins and the support structure of the wafer holding member to achieve vertical positioning and leveling of the pitch function, but its horizontal position is not constrained. Meanwhile, the pitching function of the rotor causes the horizontal position change relative to the stator, and three horizontal positioning rods designed on the stator are required to be reserved with horizontal clearances to ensure the pitching stroke. Namely, the mover cannot guarantee the horizontal position stability, and accurate positioning constraint cannot be realized through the positioning rod on the stator, so that the horizontal position drift of the wafer in the process is finally caused.
Figure 2 illustrates a system schematic 200 of the passive leveling platform of the present application.
The passive leveling platform of the application also mainly comprises a vertical motor (201), a stator, a rotor and the like. Similar to conventional passive leveling platforms, the mover of the passive leveling platform of the present application includes a wafer holding member (202) on which a wafer (206) is disposed. The mover further comprises three guide pins (203).
Likewise, for clarity, only two guide pins of the mover are shown in fig. 1.
Unlike the locating balls and pre-load springs of the passive leveling platform of fig. 1, the passive leveling platform of fig. 2 employs two different leveling connections (204 and 204') between the wafer holding component (202) and the guide pins (203).
Leveling connectors 204 are used for pitch leveling, and leveling connectors 204' are used for pitch and horizontal translational leveling.
By way of example, the leveling connection 204 in fig. 2 is a dual axis flex and the leveling connection 204' is a four axis flex. In some embodiments of the present application, one biaxial flexure and two four-axis flexures are employed (only one of which is shown in FIG. 2 for clarity). Further details regarding the dual-axis flexure and the quad-axis flexure are described below in conjunction with fig. 3 and 4.
The left side of fig. 2 shows the state before passive leveling. As shown, there is an included angle between the wafer and the reticle (207) that is not bonded prior to leveling.
The right side of fig. 2 shows the state after passive leveling. As shown, after passive leveling, the attitude of the wafer fixing member is adjusted so that the wafer is closely attached to the mask.
As shown in fig. 2, the passive leveling platform of the present application achieves pitch and horizontal translational leveling through two different leveling connectors without the need for a horizontal positioning rod on the stator, thereby maintaining horizontal positional accuracy while reducing structural complexity of the leveling platform.
Figure 3 illustrates a first exemplary configuration 300 of the passive leveling platform of the present application.
As shown in fig. 3, the passive leveling platform of the present application mainly includes a vertical motor (301), a stator assembly located above the vertical motor, and a mover assembly located above the stator assembly.
The stator assembly comprises a stator base plate (302), three gravity compensation cylinders (303) and three locking cylinders (304) arranged on the stator base plate.
The sub-assembly includes three guide pins (305) connected to the stator base plate (302), a wafer holding component (306) with a support structure (307), and leveling connections (308, 308') between each guide pin and the support structure.
The locking cylinder (304) is used for locking a guide pin (305) of the rotor assembly.
Three guide pins and three corresponding leveling connections are included in fig. 3. One of the leveling links (308, also referred to as a "first link") is used for pitch leveling and the other two leveling links (308', also referred to as "second links") are used for pitch and horizontal translational leveling.
Unlike pitch (pitch) in the field of aircraft, pitch refers in the present application to movement along the Rx and Ry axes (i.e., rotation about the X and Y axes). That is, the pitch in the passive leveling of the present application corresponds to a combination of both pitch (pitch) and yaw (yaw) in the field of aircraft. Whereas pitch leveling refers to leveling by adjusting movement along the Rx and Ry axes (i.e., adjusting the angle of rotation about the X and Y axes). Horizontal translational leveling refers to translational leveling along the X and Y axes, which is performed by adjusting the translational position along the X and Y axes.
In the example of fig. 3, the first link (308) comprises a biaxial flex and the second link (308') comprises a four-axis flex. For clarity, only one of the two second connectors is shown in fig. 3.
The passive leveling platform also includes a mounting platform (309). As shown in fig. 3, the stator assembly is disposed above the mounting platform (309) and the vertical motor (301) is disposed below the mounting platform.
In fig. 3, the stator base plate (302) is circular, and three guide pins (305) are uniformly distributed on the stator base plate. It should be noted that this arrangement is merely exemplary and not limiting. In a practical implementation, a person skilled in the art may use differently shaped stator floors and the guide pins may be arranged on the stator floors in different ways.
Fig. 4 illustrates a first example 400 of a leveling connection for a passive leveling platform of the present application.
The leveling connections in fig. 4 correspond to the two-axis flexures and the four-axis flexures in the passive leveling platform of fig. 3.
Specifically, the left side of fig. 4 shows a biaxial flexure and the right side of fig. 4 shows a four-axis flexure.
As shown in fig. 4, the biaxial flexible pieces are each cut with a set of circular arcs of central symmetry in the direction X, Y. Specifically, the upper arc (401) of the biaxial flexible member is cut in the X direction, and the lower arc (402) is cut in the Y direction. It should be noted that the designations of X and Y directions are exemplary and not limiting. In an alternative embodiment, the cutting direction of the upper arc of the biaxial flexible member may be regarded as the Y direction, and the cutting direction of the lower arc may be regarded as the X direction.
The above cutting of the biaxial flexibility allows for high adjustability of the biaxial flexibility along the Rx, ry axes and low adjustability along the X, Y, Z and Rz axes.
In the present application, the degree of adjustability along an axis indicates the degree of restriction to movement along that axis. If there is a high degree of adjustability along a certain axis, this means that there is less restriction on movement on that axis and a greater range of movement along that axis is possible. For example, having a high degree of adjustability along the Rx axis means being able to move along the Rx axis (i.e., rotate about the X axis) and a large range of movement (i.e., a large angle of rotation), and having a high degree of adjustability along the Ry axis means being able to move along the Ry axis (i.e., rotate about the Y axis) and a large range of movement (i.e., a large angle of rotation).
Similarly, in the present application, having a low degree of adjustability along a certain axis means that the restriction on movement along that axis is high and the range of movement along that axis is small (or not movable along that axis). For example, having a low degree of adjustability along the X axis means that the range of movement along the X axis is small or not movable along the X axis. Having a low degree of adjustability along the Rz axis means that the range of motion along the Rz axis is small (i.e., the angle of rotation about the Z axis is small) or cannot move along the Rz axis.
In other words, a high degree of adjustability of the biaxial flexure along the Rx and Ry axes means that the angles at which rotation about the X and Y axes is possible are large, thereby enabling a large degree of adjustment on the Rx and Ry axes. While a low degree of adjustability of the biaxial flexure along the X, Y, Z and Rz axes indicates a small range of movement (or inability to move) along the X, Y and Z axes and a small angle of rotation (or inability to rotate) about the Z axis, and therefore a small range of adjustment or adjustability along these axes.
Therefore, the double-shaft flexible piece can meet the pitching (rotation along the X axis and the Y axis) functional requirement of the platform, and meanwhile, the constraint on other degrees of freedom is larger, so that the position stability of other degrees of freedom can be ensured.
In the present application, the adjustability may be defined in a number of ways. For example, the degree of adjustability may be represented by a range of movement along a particular axis (translational distance, rotational angle, combinations thereof, or the like). For the X-axis, the degree of adjustability of the X-axis can be expressed in terms of a range of distances for translational movement along the X-axis. For the Rx axis, the adjustability of the Rx axis may be expressed in terms of an angular range of rotation about the X axis.
Meanwhile, in a specific implementation, the high degree of adjustability and the low degree of adjustability may be set according to actual conditions. For example, a corresponding movable range threshold may be set according to actual leveling requirements, with an adjustability above that threshold being considered high and an adjustability below that threshold being considered low.
Taking the translational movement as an example, assuming that the movable range threshold a (the distance value of the translational movement) is set according to the actual leveling requirement, the X-axis can be considered to have a high degree of adjustability when the translational movement range along the X-axis is greater than a, and the X-axis can be considered to have a low degree of adjustability when the translational movement range along the X-axis is less than a. For the Y-axis and the Z-axis, it is also possible to determine whether the Y-axis and the Z-axis have high or low adjustability based on a comparison of the translational movement ranges along the Y-axis and the Z-axis with the threshold a.
Taking the rotational movement as an example, assuming that the movable range threshold B (the angle value of the rotational movement) is set according to the actual leveling requirement, when the movement range along the Rx axis (i.e., the rotational movement range around the X axis) is greater than B, the Rx axis can be considered to have high adjustability, and when the movement range along the X axis is less than B, the Rx axis can be considered to have low adjustability. For the Ry axis and the Rz axis, it is also possible to determine whether the Y axis and the Z axis have high or low adjustability based on a comparison of the movement ranges of the Ry axis and the Rz axis (rotational movement ranges around the Y axis and the Z axis) with the threshold B.
In an alternative implementation, a first threshold of the movable range and a second threshold higher than the first threshold may also be set, and an adjustability higher than the second threshold may be regarded as a high adjustability, while an adjustability lower than the first threshold may be regarded as a low adjustability.
As further shown in fig. 4, the four-axis flexures are each cut with two sets of centrally symmetrical circular arcs in the direction X, Y. Specifically, the upper two arcs (403, 404) of the four-axis flexible member are cut in the X direction, and the lower two arcs (405, 406) are cut in the Y direction.
The above-described cutting pattern of the four-axis flexure provides for a high degree of adjustability of the four-axis flexure along the Rx, ry, X, Y axis and a low degree of adjustability along the Z and Rz axes.
Thus, the four-axis flexure is capable of movement along Rx, ry, X, Y axes (i.e., rotation about the X-axis and Y-axis, translational movement along the X-axis and Y-axis), is incapable of movement along Rz and Z-axis or has a small range of movement along Rz and Z-axis (i.e., is incapable of rotation about Z-axis (or has a small angle of rotation), and is incapable of translational movement along Z-axis (or has a small range of movement)).
Thus, the four-axis flexure can meet the requirements of pitch rotation (rotation along the X-axis and Y-axis) and horizontal translation (translation in the X-Y plane) during passive leveling.
In the example of fig. 4, a specific cutting pattern of the biaxial flexibility and the four-axis flexibility is shown, but it should be noted that this is only exemplary and not limiting. In a specific implementation, a person skilled in the art may use different cutting modes according to the actual situation.
For example, the biaxial flexible member may be cut first in the Y direction to give an upper arc and then in the X direction to give a lower arc. That is, arc 401 in fig. 4 may be out of order with arc 402. Similarly, the four-axis flexure may also be cut first in the Y direction to obtain the upper two arcs, and then in the X direction to obtain the lower two arcs. That is, arcs 403 and 404 in FIG. 4 may be reversed from arcs 405 and 406. Still further, the four-axis flexible member may be cut alternately in the X-direction and the Y-direction.
Further, fig. 4 shows that the number of arcs in the X direction and in the Y direction are equal and each arc has the same cutting arc. In practical implementations, the number of arcs in the X-direction and in the Y-direction and/or the arc may be varied and/or the arc may have a different cutting arc as desired by those skilled in the art.
The arc of the cut affects the degree of adjustability (i.e., the degree of constraint when moving along a particular axis) of the cut flexible member. For example, the steeper the arc of a circle is cut (i.e., the greater the degree of curvature of the arc of a circle), the higher the degree of adjustability of the flexible member after cutting (the smaller the restriction is to movement along a particular axis, the greater the range of movement). Conversely, the flatter the arc of the arc (i.e., the less curved the arc), the lower the degree of adjustability of the flexible member after cutting (the greater the restriction to movement along a particular axis, the less the movable range).
In addition, the spacing between the left and right half arcs of the arc also affects the adjustability of the cut flexible member. For example, the smaller the interval between the left and right semi-circular arcs, the higher the degree of adjustability of the post-cutting flexible member, and the larger the interval between the left and right semi-circular arcs, the lower the degree of adjustability of the post-cutting flexible member.
In practical implementations, one skilled in the art can select the material of the flexible member and set the specific cutting mode of the flexible member (such as the cutting sequence, the cutting arc, the interval between the left and right half arcs, etc.) according to the actual leveling requirement (e.g., the range of the amplitude that needs to be adjusted in all directions), so that the cut flexible member combination (one biaxial flexible member and two four-axis flexible members) meets the actual leveling requirement of the passive leveling platform.
Figure 5 illustrates a second exemplary configuration 500 of the passive leveling platform of the present application.
The passive leveling platform structure in fig. 5 is similar to the passive leveling platform in fig. 3.
Specifically, the passive leveling platform of fig. 5 also includes a vertical motor (501), a stator assembly positioned above the vertical motor, and a mover assembly positioned above the stator assembly.
The stator assembly includes a stator base plate (502), three gravity compensation cylinders (503) disposed on the stator base plate, and three locking cylinders (504).
The sub-assembly includes three guide pins (505) connected to the stator base plate, a wafer holding component (506) with a support structure (507), and leveling connections (508, 508') between each guide pin and the support structure.
The locking cylinder (504) is used for locking a guide pin (505) of the rotor assembly.
The passive leveling platform also includes a mounting platform (509). As shown in fig. 3, the stator assembly is disposed above the mounting platform (509) and the vertical motor (501) is disposed below the mounting platform.
The passive leveling platform of fig. 5 includes three leveling connections: a first link (508) and two second links (508 '), wherein the first link (508) is used for pitch leveling and the second link (508') is used for pitch and horizontal translational leveling.
Unlike the first connector in the form of a two-axis flexure and the second connector in the form of a four-axis flexure in fig. 3, the first connector (508) includes a single-fixed pin gimbal and the second connector (508') includes a double-fixed pin gimbal as shown in fig. 5. For clarity, only one of the two second connectors is shown in fig. 5.
In fig. 5, the stator base plate (502) is circular, and three guide pins (505) are uniformly distributed on the stator base plate. It should be noted that this arrangement is merely exemplary and not limiting. In a practical implementation, a person skilled in the art may use differently shaped stator floors and the guide pins may be arranged on the stator floors in different ways.
Figure 6 illustrates a second example 600 of a leveling connection for a passive leveling platform of the present application.
The leveling connection in fig. 6 corresponds to the single and double fixed pin universal joints in the passive leveling platform of fig. 5.
Specifically, the left side of fig. 6 shows a single-pin joint and the right side of fig. 6 shows a double-pin joint.
Universal joints (also known as universal joints) are devices that enable variable angle power transmission for positions that require changing the direction of the drive axis. The structure and function of the universal joint is similar to joints on limbs of the human body, which allows the angle between the connected parts to be varied within a certain range. The universal joints are well known in the art and will not be described in detail herein.
Two different types of universal joints are shown in fig. 6. Specifically, the left side of fig. 6 shows a single fixed pin universal joint. By means of a single fixing pin, an adjustment along the Rx and Ry axes can be achieved, which acts like the biaxial flexure in FIG. 4. Thus, the single-fixing pin universal joint can realize pitching leveling. The right side of fig. 6 shows a double-fixed pin universal joint. By means of two fixing pins up and down, an adjustment along the Rx, ry, X and Y axes can be achieved, which functions like the four-axis flexure in FIG. 4. Therefore, the double-fixing pin universal machine can realize pitching and horizontal translation leveling.
Figures 4-6 illustrate two exemplary configurations of the passive leveling platform of the present application. Specifically, fig. 4 and 5 illustrate the use of one biaxial flexible member and two four-axis flexible members as the connection members between the guide pins and the support structure of the wafer fixing member, and fig. 5 and 6 illustrate the use of one single-fixing pin universal joint and two double-fixing pin universal joints as the connection members between the guide pins and the support structure of the wafer fixing member. It should be noted that this is by way of example only and not by way of limitation. In particular implementations, other forms of connectors may be employed by those skilled in the art depending on the actual situation. For example, other suitable connectors that enable pitch leveling other than dual axis flexures and single fixed pin gimbals, and other suitable connectors that enable pitch and horizontal translational leveling other than four axis flexures and dual fixed pin gimbals, may be employed.
Fig. 7 illustrates an example method 700 of passive leveling using the passive leveling platform of the present application.
As shown, method 700 begins at step 705. In step 705, a wafer is placed on a wafer holding component of a passive leveling platform. The mask plate may be placed over a passive leveling platform (as shown in fig. 2).
Next, at step 710, the vertical motors of the passive leveling platform may be activated to move the wafer upward.
After the vertical motor is started, the whole passive leveling platform moves upwards, so that the wafer on the passive leveling platform is driven to move upwards together.
In step 715, when the wafer is in contact with the mask, the attitude of the wafer is adjusted by the passive leveling platform so that the wafer is tightly attached to the mask.
In an ideal situation, the mask plate is strictly parallel to the wafer, so that the mask plate and the wafer can be closely attached when the passive leveling platform is contacted after being lifted.
However, in actual semiconductor processing, the mask is often not exactly parallel to the wafer, but rather has a certain deviation (e.g., the two have a certain angle). In this case, the attitude of the wafer can be automatically adjusted by the passive leveling of the passive leveling platform, so that the wafer and the mask plate are closely attached.
Specifically, one leveling connection (such as a dual-axis flexure) of the passive leveling platform can adjust the movement of the wafer along the Rx and Ry axes, thereby adjusting the rotation of the wafer about the X and Y axes, while the dual-axis flexure can ensure the positional stability of the wafer along other axes, preventing the wafer from horizontal positional drift during processing.
Meanwhile, the other two leveling connectors (such as two four-axis flexible members) of the passive leveling platform can adjust the movement of the wafer along the Rx, ry, X and Y axes, so as to adjust the rotation of the wafer around the X and Y axes and the translation along the X and Y axes, thereby meeting the requirements of pitching and horizontal translation during passive leveling.
The passive leveling platform can meet the requirements of pitching and horizontal translation when the wafer and the mask plate are passively leveled by combining two different leveling connectors, and can maintain the horizontal position accuracy and prevent the wafer from horizontal position drift.
The detailed description set forth above in connection with the appended drawings describes examples and is not intended to represent all examples that may be implemented or fall within the scope of the claims. The terms "example" and "exemplary" when used in this specification mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," and not "over or superior to other examples.
Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Thus, the use of such phrases may not merely refer to one embodiment. Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean "one and only one" unless specifically so stated, but rather "one or more". The term "some" means one or more unless specifically stated otherwise. The elements of each aspect described throughout this disclosure are all structural and functional equivalents that are presently or later to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims.
It is also noted that the embodiments may be described as a process which is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. Additionally, the order of the operations may be rearranged.
While various embodiments have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities described above. Various modifications, substitutions, and improvements apparent to those skilled in the art may be made in the arrangement, operation, and details of the apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the scope of the claims.

Claims (7)

1. A passive leveling platform, comprising:
a vertical motor;
the stator assembly is positioned above the vertical motor and comprises a stator bottom plate, three gravity compensation cylinders and three locking cylinders, wherein the three gravity compensation cylinders and the three locking cylinders are arranged on the stator bottom plate; and
a mover assembly positioned above the stator assembly, the mover assembly including three guide pins coupled to the stator base plate, a wafer securing member with a support structure, and a leveling connection between each guide pin and the support structure,
wherein the locking cylinder of the stator assembly is used for locking the guide pin of the rotor assembly, and wherein the leveling connector comprises a first connector and two second connectors, the first connector is used for pitching leveling, the second connector is used for pitching and horizontal translation leveling, wherein the first connector comprises a double-shaft flexible piece and the second connector comprises a four-shaft flexible piece, the double-shaft flexible piece is respectively cut with a group of circular arcs with central symmetry in the X, Y direction, and the four-shaft flexible piece is respectively cut with two groups of circular arcs with central symmetry in the X, Y direction.
2. The passive leveling platform of claim 1, wherein the dual-axis flexure has a high degree of adjustability along the Rx, ry axes and a low degree of adjustability along the X, Y, Z and Rz axes, wherein a high degree of adjustability indicates a range of movement along the respective axes that is greater than a preset threshold and a low degree of adjustability indicates a range of movement along the respective axes that is less than a preset threshold.
3. The passive leveling platform of claim 2, wherein the four-axis flexure has a high degree of adjustability along the Rx, ry, X, Y axis and a low degree of adjustability along the Z and Rz axes.
4. The passive leveling platform of claim 1, wherein the first connection comprises a single fixed pin gimbal and the second connection comprises a double fixed pin gimbal.
5. The passive leveling platform of claim 1, further comprising a mounting platform, wherein the stator assembly is disposed above the mounting platform and the vertical motor is disposed below the mounting platform.
6. The passive leveling platform of claim 1, wherein the stator base plate is circular and the three guide pins are evenly distributed on the stator base plate.
7. A method of passive leveling using the passive leveling platform of any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising:
placing a wafer on a wafer fixing component of the passive leveling platform;
starting a vertical motor to enable the wafer to move upwards; and
when the wafer is in contact with the mask plate, the gesture of the wafer is adjusted through the passive leveling platform, so that the wafer is tightly attached to the mask plate.
CN202311027052.3A 2023-08-16 2023-08-16 Passive leveling platform and method Active CN116759374B (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN202311027052.3A CN116759374B (en) 2023-08-16 2023-08-16 Passive leveling platform and method

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN202311027052.3A CN116759374B (en) 2023-08-16 2023-08-16 Passive leveling platform and method

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
CN116759374A CN116759374A (en) 2023-09-15
CN116759374B true CN116759374B (en) 2023-11-14

Family

ID=87957488

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CN202311027052.3A Active CN116759374B (en) 2023-08-16 2023-08-16 Passive leveling platform and method

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CN (1) CN116759374B (en)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN117954375B (en) * 2024-03-27 2024-07-02 上海图双精密装备有限公司 Rotary driving device for double-shaft platform

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1988005205A1 (en) * 1986-12-29 1988-07-14 Hughes Aircraft Company X-y--z positioning stage
JPH10163299A (en) * 1996-12-02 1998-06-19 Hitachi Denshi Ltd Work holding theta rotary-stage
CN102455601A (en) * 2010-11-03 2012-05-16 上海微电子装备有限公司 Four-degree-of-freedom precision positioning device
CN209495091U (en) * 2018-12-28 2019-10-15 中国电子科技集团公司第二十七研究所 A kind of twin shaft self-level(l)ing device
CN212390035U (en) * 2020-06-23 2021-01-22 天航智能机械有限公司 Adjustable platform device
CN218785562U (en) * 2022-11-17 2023-04-04 深圳市雕拓科技有限公司 Leveling workbench and displacement platform based on flexible hinge
WO2023051437A1 (en) * 2021-09-29 2023-04-06 北京北方华创微电子装备有限公司 Semiconductor process device and wafer support structure thereof

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6842226B2 (en) * 2001-09-21 2005-01-11 Nikon Corporation Flexure supported wafer table
KR20210012494A (en) * 2019-07-25 2021-02-03 삼성전자주식회사 Lift pin alignment method and alignemnet apparatus and substrate processing apparatus

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1988005205A1 (en) * 1986-12-29 1988-07-14 Hughes Aircraft Company X-y--z positioning stage
JPH10163299A (en) * 1996-12-02 1998-06-19 Hitachi Denshi Ltd Work holding theta rotary-stage
CN102455601A (en) * 2010-11-03 2012-05-16 上海微电子装备有限公司 Four-degree-of-freedom precision positioning device
CN209495091U (en) * 2018-12-28 2019-10-15 中国电子科技集团公司第二十七研究所 A kind of twin shaft self-level(l)ing device
CN212390035U (en) * 2020-06-23 2021-01-22 天航智能机械有限公司 Adjustable platform device
WO2023051437A1 (en) * 2021-09-29 2023-04-06 北京北方华创微电子装备有限公司 Semiconductor process device and wafer support structure thereof
CN218785562U (en) * 2022-11-17 2023-04-04 深圳市雕拓科技有限公司 Leveling workbench and displacement platform based on flexible hinge

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CN116759374A (en) 2023-09-15

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
CN116759374B (en) Passive leveling platform and method
JP6613432B2 (en) Redundant parallel positioning table device
US8305279B2 (en) Antenna positioner system
JP2008543630A (en) Landing device for ultra-compact unmanned aerial vehicles
EP1346266B1 (en) Robot motion compensation system
US20210370530A1 (en) Gravity compensation assembly and robot waist structure including same
US10517683B2 (en) Parallel-type micro robot and surgical robot system having the same
EP3306270B1 (en) Two-degree-of-freedom rotation control device and application system therewith
TWI293182B (en) Method, system, and apparatus for management of reaction loads in a lithography system
CN102375292A (en) Device and actuator for controlling inclination or rotation center of optical system
JPH063150A (en) Gimbal-vibration separating system
US20180361590A1 (en) Active assembly system, active assembly method and positioning assembly device thereof
CN113192873A (en) Flexible connection mechanism, micro-motion platform mechanism and semiconductor equipment
CN104850140A (en) Two-degree-of-freedom rotation control device and application system with device
CN104062854B (en) Leveling and focusing device for lithographic equipment
US20120148338A1 (en) Position Arrangement Device And Joint Module Thereof
CN114153126B (en) Micro mirror surface group driving device based on bearing centering
CN115230993A (en) Controllable stretching device and method suitable for different satellite platforms
CN114700728A (en) Six-degree-of-freedom attitude adjusting platform for satellite solar wing assembly
EP3782769A1 (en) Redundant parallel positioning table device
CN113238336A (en) Optical adjusting device and adjusting method thereof
KR20230004759A (en) Wafer scanning apparatus and method for processing a focused beam
CN114114585B (en) Six-freedom-degree compliant mechanism movement table for lenses
CN118143912A (en) Large-stroke nanoscale parallel adjustment platform
CN117585196A (en) Aircraft complex power supply system assembly method and system based on precision distribution

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PB01 Publication
PB01 Publication
SE01 Entry into force of request for substantive examination
SE01 Entry into force of request for substantive examination
GR01 Patent grant
GR01 Patent grant