Conveying device for conveying at least one wafer

{
  "publication_number": "US11430683B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Conveying device for conveying at least one wafer",
  "abstract": "A conveying device includes a transport body configured to carry or hold a wafer, and a stator relative to which the conveying device is designed to move the transport body at least two-dimensionally on a conveying surface. The stator includes several movably arranged actuating magnets, each of which is connected to the stator via an actuating element, and the actuating element is configured to change a position and/or an orientation of the connected actuating magnets relative to the stator. The transport body includes at least two stationary magnets which are connected to the transport body such that the stationary magnets are immovable relative to the transport body, and the stator and the transport body are magnetically coupled by the stationary magnets and the actuating magnets. The device conveys the transport body relative to the stator by controlled positioning and/or orientation of the actuating magnets via the actuating elements.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A conveying device for conveying at least one wafer, comprising: at least one transport body configured at least to carry or hold the at least one wafer; and a stator, relative to which the conveying device is configured to convey the at least one transport body at least two-dimensionally on a conveying surface in controlled fashion, wherein: the stator comprises several movably arranged actuating magnets, each of which is connected to the stator via an actuating element, wherein the actuating element is configured to change a position and/or an orientation of the connected actuating magnets relative to the stator in controlled fashion; the at least one transport body comprises at least two stationary magnets which are connected to the transport body such that the at least two stationary magnets are immovable relative to the transport body; the stator and the at least one transport body are magnetically coupled by means of the at least two stationary magnets and the several actuating magnets; and the conveying device is configured to convey the at least one transport body relative to the stator by controlled positioning and/or orientation of the several actuating magnets via the actuating elements.",
    "2. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the conveying device is configured to convey the at least one transport body in a controlled floating fashion.",
    "3. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the conveying device is configured to levitate the at least one transport body relative to the stator via the several actuating magnets and the at least two stationary magnets.",
    "4. The conveying device according to claim 1, further comprising: at least one slit valve fixedly positioned relative to the conveying surface, and configured to allow at least a portion of the wafer carried or held by the at least one transport body therethrough while precluding at least a portion of the at least one transport body from passing therethrough.",
    "5. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the several actuating magnets and/or the at least two stationary magnets are arranged facing the conveying surface, wherein the conveying device is configured to convey the at least one transport body relative to the stator along the conveying surface in controlled fashion.",
    "6. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transport body include at least two transport bodies, and the conveying device is configured to convey the at least two transport bodies along different conveying paths on the conveying surface such that one transport body of the at least two transport bodies can overtake another transport body of the at least two transport bodies.",
    "7. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transport body include at least two transport bodies, and the conveying device is configured to convey the at least two transport bodies along a conveying path having at least two tracks on the conveying surface.",
    "8. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the conveying device is configured to convey the at least one transport body at least up to a processing station, or to at least position or align the at least one wafer transported by the at least one transport body in the processing station.",
    "9. A conveying device for conveying at least one wafer, comprising: at least one transport body configured at least to carry or hold the at least one wafer; and a stator, relative to which the conveying device is configured to convey the at least one transport body at least two-dimensionally on a conveying surface in controlled fashion, wherein: the at least one transport body comprises several movably arranged actuating magnets, each of which is connected to the transport body via an actuating element, wherein the actuating element is configured to change a position and/or an orientation of the connected actuating magnet relative to the transport body in controlled fashion; the stator comprises at least two stationary magnets which are connected to the stator such that the at least two stationary magnets are immovable relative to the stator; the at least one transport body and the stator are magnetically coupled by means of the at least two stationary magnets and the several actuating magnets; and the conveying device is configured to convey the at least one transport body relative to the stator by controlled positioning and/or orientation of the several actuating magnets by means of the actuating elements.",
    "10. The conveying device according to claim 9, further comprising: at least one slit valve fixedly positioned relative to the conveying surface, and configured to allow at least a portion of the wafer carried or held by the at least one transport body therethrough while precluding at least a portion of the at least one transport body from passing therethrough.",
    "11. The conveying device according to claim 9, wherein the several actuating magnets and/or the at least two stationary magnets are arranged facing the conveying surface, wherein the conveying device is configured to convey the at least one transport body relative to the stator along the conveying surface in controlled fashion.",
    "12. The conveying device according to claim 9, wherein the conveying device is configured to levitate the at least one transport body relative to the stator via the several actuating magnets and the at least two stationary magnets.",
    "13. A method for operating a conveying device, comprising: freely moving at least one transport body, which is configured to carry or hold at least one wafer, on a conveying surface into a desired position and/or orientation with the conveying device, which is configured to move the at least one transport body at least two-dimensionally on the conveying surface using a stator, relative to which the conveying device is configured to convey the at least one transport body in controlled fashion, wherein: one of the at least one transport body and the stator comprises several movably arranged actuating magnets, each of which is connected to the one of the at least one transport body and the stator via an actuating element, wherein the actuating element is configured to change a position and/or an orientation of the connected actuating magnet relative to the at least one transport body and the stator in controlled fashion; the other of the at least one transport body and the stator comprises at least two stationary magnets which are connected to the other of the at least one transport body and the stator such that the at least two stationary magnets are immovable relative to the other of the at least one transport body and the stator; the at least one transport body and the stator are magnetically coupled by means of the at least two stationary magnets and the several actuating magnets; and the conveying device is configured to freely move the at least one transport body relative to the stator by controlled positioning and/or orientation of the several actuating magnets by means of the actuating elements.",
    "14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: moving at least a portion of the wafer carried or held by the at least one transport body through a slit valve; and precluding, with the slit valve, at least a portion of the at least one transport body from passing through the slit valve after moving the at least a portion of the wafer through the slit valve."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "This application is a 35 U.S.C. § 371 National Stage Application of PCT/EP2019/063849, filed on May 28, 2019, which claims the benefit of priority to Ser. No. DE 10 2018 006 259.8, filed on Jun. 14, 2018 in Germany, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The present disclosure concerns a conveying device for conveying at least one wafer, and a method for its operation. Preferably, magnetic levitation is used for floating transport and/or positioning and/or orientation of the at least one wafer. The solution presented here may preferably be used in the field of semiconductor production.\n\nIn semiconductor production, often objects such as wafers must be transported or positioned. Conventionally, transport systems are used for this which move the wafer on fixed tracks or rails. Such fixed tracks or rails normally only allow a one-dimensional movement, which in particular has the disadvantage that the wafers are conveyed in an established order, and in particular it is not usually possible to bring a rear wafer ahead of a front one. In addition, for wafer transport inside a so-called cluster tool, it is known to use a centrally arranged handling device which can convey each wafer in a radial direction (one-dimensionally) up to processing stations of the cluster tool arranged in a circle around the handling device. This previously conventional type of wafer transport inside the cluster tool however leads to restrictions in the design of the cluster tool.",
  "cpc": [
    "H10P 72/3204",
    "B65G 2811/0668",
    "B65G 54/02",
    "H01L 21/67709",
    "H01L 21/67724",
    "H01L 21/67736",
    "H02K 2213/09",
    "H02K 41/031",
    "H10P 72/3214",
    "H10P 72/3222"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B65G 54/02",
    "H01L 21/677"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "BOSCH GMBH ROBERT"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "RAATZ HEIKE",
    "VERHELST BAS",
    "FRANGEN JOACHIM"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2019-05-28",
  "publication_date": "2022-08-30",
  "grant_date": "2022-08-30",
  "priority_date": "2018-06-14",
  "application_number": "US-201916972955-A",
  "family_id": "66810766",
  "citations": [
    "DE102014225171A1",
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    "DE19960321A1",
    "JP2012019618A",
    "JPS6036222A",
    "US10056816B2",
    "US2003021658A1",
    "US2003217668A1",
    "US2010238425A1",
    "US2016375534A1",
    "US2017317569A1",
    "US7224252B2"
  ]
}