Apparatus for loading and re-slicing semiconductor wafer

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an apparatus for loading an unprocessed semiconductor wafer which is doped in advance with impurity diffusion layers on both sides or not doped, re-slicing the wafer and unloading two sheets of the re-sliced wafer as processed wafers upon completion of re-slicing the unprocessed wafer into two sheets to a recovery wafer magazine as a total system. More particularly, the present invention provides an improved loading and unloading mechanism arranged between a storage space of both unprocessed and processed wafers and a re-slicing mechanism, with chucking mechanisms and wafer magazines in the storage space. The loading and unloading mechanism includes a loading manipulator and an unloading manipulator, wherein the loading manipulator receives an unprocessed wafer from the storage space and then conveys and loads the wafer on a chucking mechanism which is operated in combination with a re-slicing mechanism, and then the unloading manipulator recovers two sheets of re-sliced wafers from the chucking mechanism and further unloads them into another wafer magazine. While the unloading manipulator is unloading the two sheets of re-sliced wafers into the magazine, simultaneously the loading manipulator will take out a new unprocessed wafer, wherein the new wafer is conveyed to a stand-by position and awaits until the completion of re-slicing an earlier wafer on the chucking mechanism.