Jabil. has been granted a patent for an innovative end effector designed to handle semiconductor wafers of various sizes. The device features a wafer support, a bearing arm for robotic integration, support pads with specialized designs, and a low friction clamp that securely interfaces with the wafer’s edge. GlobalData’s report on Jabil gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Jabil, Powder bed fusion was a key innovation area identified from patents. Jabil's grant share as of June 2024 was 51%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
End effector for handling semiconductor wafers of varying sizes
The patent US12042930B2 describes an innovative end effector designed for semiconductor wafer handling. Central to its design is a wafer support that interfaces with a bearing arm, which connects to robotic elements. The wafer support features both proximal and distal support pads, with the distal pads designed with ridges that include a heightened back and an angled proximal feature, serving as a wafer-edge stop. Additionally, the end effector incorporates a low friction moving clamp that utilizes two canted rollers, which are bi-directionally driven along a plane provided by the bearing arm. This clamp is engineered to retract and apply pressure via a pivoting angular strike face, ensuring secure physical contact between the semiconductor wafer and the wafer-edge stop.
Further enhancements to the end effector include the ability to accommodate various wafer sizes, specifically 200 mm and 300 mm, through the low friction clamp mechanism. The design also integrates a moving clamp motor and a low friction vacuum cylinder, which provides minimal clamping forces. Safety features such as retract stops and travel stops are included to control the movement of the clamp. The wafer support is equipped with additional functionalities, such as vacuum eyelets for gripping and a fiber optic sensor to detect wafer presence. Overall, the claims outline a sophisticated apparatus aimed at improving the efficiency and precision of semiconductor wafer handling in robotic applications.
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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
