The Xindashida Zhongweixing TBA4894 wafer handling robot in the semiconductor industry’s application to the photoresist coating and development process.
2025-07-25
The Xindashida Zhongweixing TBA4894 wafer handling robot in the semiconductor industry’s application to the photoresist coating and development process.
Project Background
The Pressure of Domestic Substitution Under International Monopoly: The global photoresist coating and developing equipment market has long been dominated by companies such as Tokyo Electron (TEL), SCREEN, and ASML (which entered the track market through its acquisition of HMI), collectively holding over 90% of the market share. China’s semiconductor equipment sector is heavily reliant on imports, leaving it vulnerable to “bottleneck” risks. In response, Xinsida Zhongweixing has launched the TBA4894 atmospheric dual-arm five-axis wafer manipulator—a solution specifically designed for the wafer-handling stage in photoresist coating and developing equipment. This innovative product will help domestically produced photoresist coating and developing machines achieve breakthroughs in higher process nodes, thereby bolstering China’s semiconductor industry chain’s independence and controllability.
Customer needs
1. Wafer Cassette (Cassette/FOUP) Compatibility Issue: The slot spacing for standard FOUPs (Front Opening Unified Pods) is typically 10 mm. However, when stacking wafers, a larger spacing is required. Due to insufficient Z-axis travel, the robotic arm cannot accurately pick up or place the stacked wafers.
2. Process Compatibility Issues: Certain processes (such as bonding and temporary adhesion) may require maintaining the wafer spacing during transport. Insufficient Z-axis travel can compromise process stability.
Xinshida Solution
Proposal Description
By adopting a dual-Z-axis structure design for the existing large-capacity, dual-arm wafer manipulator and employing a layered telescoping mechanism, it is possible to achieve a longer vertical stroke without increasing the overall height of the manipulator itself.
Scheme advantages
1. Meets the 900mm wafer-handling position requirements stipulated by SEMI standards, and is compatible with the loading and unloading needs of multi-layer wafer cassettes and complex process equipment.
2. By adopting an offset rail layout and a modular design, mechanical rigidity is enhanced while overall dimensions are reduced. This design is particularly well-suited for compact semiconductor equipment platforms, preventing bulky structures from encroaching on limited space and improving the flexibility of equipment layout.
3. Supports multi-axis coordinated control, enabling simultaneous handling of pick-and-place tasks at different heights, reducing motion switching time, and achieving coordinated movement between lifting and rotating. This significantly shortens the wafer transfer cycle and boosts production line capacity.
Scheme Composition
Xinshida Zhongweixing’s TBA4894 five-axis atmospheric cylindrical coordinate dual-arm wafer handling robot, integrated drive and control unit, teach pendant, and more.
Associated products
TBA4894D_5-Axis Atmospheric Cylindrical Coordinate Dual-Arm Wafer Handling Robot
Project Results
The Xindashida Zhongweixing TBA4894 five-axis atmospheric cylindrical-coordinate dual-arm wafer-handling robot is designed to meet customers’ requirements for picking and placing wafers in their process equipment. It helps customers break international monopolies, reduce reliance on imported core components, and achieve the goal of domestic substitution. The robot can handle picking and placing tasks at different heights simultaneously, minimizing motion-switching time and enabling coordinated movement between lifting and rotating functions, thereby significantly shortening the wafer transfer cycle and helping customers boost production line capacity.
