Substrate mapping apparatus and method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12564003-B2
Application number	US-202418655873-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2024
Priority date	Jun 30, 2020
Publication date	Feb 24, 2026
Grant date	Feb 24, 2026

Abstract

A semiconductor wafer mapping apparatus comprising a frame forming a wafer load opening communicating with a load station for a substrate carrier disposed to hold more than one wafers vertically distributed in the substrate carrier for loading through the wafer load opening, a movable arm movably mounted to the frame so as to move relative to the wafer load opening and having at least one end effector movably mounted to the movable arm to load wafers from the substrate carrier through the wafer load opening, an image acquisition system including an array of cameras arranged on a common support and each camera fixed with respect to the common support that is static with respect to each camera of the array of cameras, wherein each respective camera is positioned with a field of view disposed to view through the wafer load opening with the common support positioned by the movable arm.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A semiconductor substrate transport apparatus comprising:
a frame forming a substrate load opening communicating with a load station for a substrate carrier disposed to hold more than one substrates stacked in the substrate carrier for loading through the substrate load opening; a movable door movably connected to the frame to open and close the substrate load opening; a movable arm movably mounted to the frame so as to move relative to the substrate load opening and having at least one end effector movably mounted to the movable arm to load substrates from the substrate carrier through the substrate load opening; an image acquisition system including at least one camera having a field of view disposed to view, through the substrate load opening with the at least one camera positioned by the movable door, substrate slots for holding at least one of the more one substrates in the substrate carrier, and each substrate held in the substrate carrier is imaged by the at least one camera positioned by the movable door; and an illumination source connected to and positioned by the movable door, in common with the at least one camera, so as to illuminate, through the substrate load opening, an outer edge of each substrate in the substrate carrier, which edge delineates upper and lower edge boundaries of the outer edge of the substrate, the illumination source being disposed with respect to the at least one camera so that the outer edge directs reflected edge illumination, from the illumination source, at the at least one camera, and optically obfuscates, at the upper and lower edge boundaries, background reflection light, viewed by the at least one camera through the substrate load opening; wherein the outer edge of the substrate is defined in the image with the upper and lower edge boundaries in relief in image contrast, formed by and between the edge reflection and the optically obfuscated background, registered by the at least one camera so as to effect from the image of the outer edge determination of one or more of an amount of warp and an amount of bow for a selected respective one of the stacked substrates.

2 . The semiconductor substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the end effector has movable tines that are adjusted to change a distance between the tines to pick up substrates that are one or more of warped and bowed.

3 . The semiconductor substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the end effector has tines that are moved with respect to each other to pick up substrates based on the determination of the one or more of the amount of warp and the amount of bow for the selected respective one of the stacked substrates.

4 . The semiconductor substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the illumination source is disposed relative to a respective camera so that reflected light from planar surfaces of the substrate and each other substrate slotted in the substrate carrier are optically obfuscated in each image by the respective camera.

5 . The semiconductor substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a controller communicably coupled to the movable door and at least one camera, the controller being configured to move the movable door to open and close the substrate load opening and to effect imaging the more than one substrates in the substrate carrier with one or more images as the movable door moves to open and close the substrate load opening.

6 . The semiconductor substrate transport apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to position the movable door at predetermined locations relative to the substrate carrier to effect imaging, with the at least one camera at each respective predetermined location, separate and different parts of the substrate carrier.

7 . The semiconductor substrate transport apparatus of claim 6 , wherein each separate and different part of the substrate carrier imaged by the at least one camera has a different set of substrate slots corresponding to the separate and different part of the substrate carrier.

8 . The semiconductor substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the end effector is moved and adjusted, relative to the substrate load opening, based on determination of one or more of the amount of warp and the amount of bow for the selected respective one of the stacked substrates so as to effect picking of the selected respective one of the stacked substrates.

9 . A semiconductor substrate transport apparatus comprising:
a frame forming a substrate load opening communicating with a load station for a substrate carrier disposed to hold more than one substrates stacked in the substrate carrier for loading through the substrate load opening; a movable door movably connected to the frame to open and close the substrate load opening; a movable arm movably mounted to the frame so as to move relative to the substrate load opening and having at least one end effector movably mounted to the movable arm to load substrates from the substrate carrier through the substrate load opening; an image acquisition system including at least one camera having a field of view disposed to view, through the substrate load opening with the at least one camera positioned by the movable door, substrate slots for holding at least one of the more one substrates in the substrate carrier, and each substrate held in the substrate carrier is imaged by the at least one camera positioned by the movable door; and an illumination source connected to and positioned by the movable door, so as to illuminate, through the substrate load opening, an edge profile of each substrate in the substrate carrier, which edge profile delineates upper and lower edge boundaries of the edge profile of the substrate, the illumination source being disposed with respect to the at least one camera, positioned by the movable door, so that an outer edge of the substrate directs reflected edge illumination, from the illumination source, at the at least one camera, and optically obfuscates, at the upper and lower edge boundaries, background reflection light, viewed by the at least one camera through the substrate load opening; wherein the edge profile of the substrate is defined in the image with the upper and lower edge boundaries in relief in image contrast, formed by and between the edge reflection and the optically obfuscated background, registered by the at least one camera so as to effect from the image of the edge profile determination of one or more of an amount of warp and an amount of bow for a selected respective one of the stacked substrates.

10 . The semiconductor substrate transport apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the end effector has movable tines that are adjusted to change a distance between the tines to pick up substrates that are one or more of warped and bowed.

11 . The semiconductor substrate transport apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the end effector has tines that are moved with respect to each other to pick up substrates based on the determination of the one or more of the amount of warp and the amount of bow for the selected respective one of the stacked substrates.

12 . The semiconductor substrate transport apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the illumination source is disposed relative to a respective camera so that reflected light from planar surfaces of the substrate and each other substrate slotted in the substrate carrier are optically obfuscated in each image by the respective camera.

13 . The semiconductor substrate transport apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising:
a controller communicably coupled to the movable door and at least one camera, the cont

Assignees

• Brooks Automation Us Llc

Inventors

• Sunugatov Radik
• Wang Roy R
• Shieh Karl
• Graciano Justo
• Wise Austin
• Hansen Casper
• Pastor Erick

Classifications

• H10P72/3411

  involving loading and unloading of wafers · CPC title

• H10P72/14

  Vertical carrier comprising wall type elements whereby the substrates are horizontally supported, e.g. comprising sidewalls · CPC title

• G01N21/9503

  Wafer edge inspection · CPC title

• G06T7/13 Primary

  Edge detection · CPC title

• G06T2207/30148

  Semiconductor; IC; Wafer · CPC title