CN112652553B - Loading chamber and semiconductor processing equipment - Google Patents
Loading chamber and semiconductor processing equipment Download PDFInfo
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- CN112652553B CN112652553B CN202011449348.0A CN202011449348A CN112652553B CN 112652553 B CN112652553 B CN 112652553B CN 202011449348 A CN202011449348 A CN 202011449348A CN 112652553 B CN112652553 B CN 112652553B
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- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 17
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 34
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 30
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 claims description 30
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 230000000903 blocking effect Effects 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000002955 isolation Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000005461 lubrication Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicon Chemical compound [Si] XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 abstract description 49
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 abstract description 49
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 abstract description 49
- 235000012431 wafers Nutrition 0.000 description 50
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 description 38
- IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N Atomic nitrogen Chemical compound N#N IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 8
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 6
- 229910052757 nitrogen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N atomic oxygen Chemical compound [O] QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000001301 oxygen Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229910052760 oxygen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 238000010521 absorption reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000009286 beneficial effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007599 discharging Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000000605 extraction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001914 filtration Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000009413 insulation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001050 lubricating effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005086 pumping Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
- H01L21/67155—Apparatus for manufacturing or treating in a plurality of work-stations
- H01L21/67196—Apparatus for manufacturing or treating in a plurality of work-stations characterized by the construction of the transfer chamber
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y02P70/00—Climate change mitigation technologies in the production process for final industrial or consumer products
- Y02P70/50—Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
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- Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
- Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
- Power Engineering (AREA)
- Cooling Or The Like Of Electrical Apparatus (AREA)
- Container, Conveyance, Adherence, Positioning, Of Wafer (AREA)
Abstract
The invention provides a loading chamber and semiconductor processing equipment. The loading chamber is applied to semiconductor processing equipment and is provided with a first mode communicated with the outside and a second mode isolated from the outside, and comprises a cavity, a heat exchange assembly arranged in the cavity and a switchable air duct structure; the switchable air duct structure is connected with the heat exchange assembly and is used for extracting the gas in the cavity and conveying the gas to the outside of the cavity when the loading cavity is in the first mode or conveying the gas to the heat exchange assembly when the loading cavity is in the second mode; the heat exchange assembly is used for sending outside air into the cavity when the loading cavity is in the first mode; or cooling the gas conveyed by the switchable air duct structure when the loading chamber is in the second mode, and conveying the gas into the cavity. The loading chamber and the semiconductor processing equipment provided by the invention can cool the silicon wafer in the loading chamber so as to avoid the damage of electronic devices and cables in the loading chamber due to high temperature.
Description
Technical Field
The invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, in particular to a loading chamber and semiconductor processing equipment.
Background
In the field of semiconductor fabrication, the process of preparing silicon wafers is typically performed in a vertical furnace apparatus. Vertical furnace equipment typically includes process boats, heat tanks, process tubes, loading chambers, and electronics and cables. During operation of the vertical furnace apparatus, the silicon wafer is unloaded into the loading chamber after the process is completed within the process tube of the vertical furnace apparatus. However, during the process of unloading the silicon wafer into the loading chamber, the silicon wafer, the process boat and the thermal insulation barrel can bring a large amount of heat into the loading chamber, and the electronic devices and cables in the loading chamber are easily damaged.
The vertical furnace apparatus has two modes of operation, an air mode and a nitrogen mode, respectively. Wherein, the air mode is that the internal space of the vertical furnace equipment is communicated with the external environment in the working process, so that the internal space of the vertical furnace equipment is in an aerobic state; the nitrogen mode means that the internal space of the vertical furnace equipment is isolated from the external environment during the operation process so that the internal space of the vertical furnace equipment is in an anaerobic state. When the vertical furnace apparatus is in the air mode, since the control of the oxygen content in the internal space thereof is not required, air can be introduced into the inside of the vertical furnace apparatus to cool the silicon wafer.
Existing vertical furnace equipment typically installs a cooling structure in the loading chamber and introduces air into the cooling structure to cool the wafers. The specific cooling process is as follows: air is introduced into the loading chamber and is caused to flow toward the silicon wafer to absorb heat from the silicon wafer, and then the air is caused to enter the heat exchange unit and be cooled thereby, and the cooled air is caused to flow toward the silicon wafer again to absorb heat from the silicon wafer, and the foregoing steps are repeated continuously to form a circulating air flow, thereby continuously taking away heat from the silicon wafer.
However, in actual production, the temperature of the air absorbing the heat of the silicon wafer is high, so that the high-temperature air cannot be quickly cooled to room temperature by the heat exchange unit, so that when the air flows to the silicon wafer again, the heat absorption rate is greatly reduced, the problem of low cooling efficiency of the silicon wafer is caused, and further, the electronic devices and cables in the loading chamber are damaged due to high temperature.
Disclosure of Invention
The embodiment of the invention aims at solving at least one of the technical problems in the prior art, and provides a loading chamber and semiconductor processing equipment, which can cool a silicon wafer in the loading chamber, so as to avoid damage of electronic devices and cables in the loading chamber due to high temperature.
In order to achieve the object of the present invention, there is provided a loading chamber for use in a semiconductor processing apparatus, the loading chamber having a first mode of communication with the outside and a second mode of isolation from the outside, characterized by comprising a chamber body and a heat exchange assembly and a switchable air duct structure disposed within the chamber body, wherein,
the switchable air duct structure is connected with the heat exchange assembly and is used for extracting gas in the cavity and conveying the gas to the outside of the cavity when the loading cavity is in the first mode or conveying the gas to the heat exchange assembly when the loading cavity is in the second mode;
the heat exchange assembly is used for sending outside air into the cavity when the loading cavity is in the first mode; and when the loading chamber is in the second mode, the heat exchange assembly stops introducing outside air, cools the air conveyed by the switchable air duct structure and sends the air into the chamber.
Optionally, the switchable air duct structure comprises an air duct body, a first fan and an air duct switching assembly, wherein,
the air channel body is arranged in the cavity, an air channel is formed in the air channel body, the air inlet end of the air channel is communicated with the interior of the loading cavity, and the air outlet end of the air channel is connected with the heat exchange assembly; and the air duct body and the cavity wall of the cavity are correspondingly provided with air outlets communicated with the outside;
the air channel switching assembly is used for opening the air outlet and simultaneously plugging the air channel at the downstream position of the air outlet; or closing the air outlet and simultaneously unblocking the air duct;
the first fan is arranged in the air duct and is positioned between the air inlet end and the air outlet of the air duct and used for sucking gas in the cavity into the air duct.
Optionally, the air duct switching assembly comprises an exhaust baffle and a driving source, wherein,
the exhaust baffle is rotatably arranged in the air duct and is positioned at the downstream position of the air outlet;
the driving source is used for driving the exhaust baffle to rotate to a first position for closing the air outlet or a second position for blocking the air channel.
Optionally, the driving source comprises a rotating shaft, a linear cylinder and a plurality of connecting rods hinged in sequence, wherein,
the rotating shaft is rotatably arranged in the air duct and is connected with the exhaust baffle plate;
the linear cylinder is used for providing linear power;
the connecting rods are respectively connected with the linear air cylinder and the rotating shaft, and are used for converting linear power provided by the linear air cylinder into rotating power and transmitting the rotating power to the rotating shaft.
Optionally, two mounting holes are oppositely formed in the air duct body along the direction perpendicular to the air duct, the rotating shaft penetrates through the two mounting holes, and a lubricating gasket is arranged between the rotating shaft and each mounting hole.
Optionally, the heat exchange assembly comprises a heat exchange channel, a heat exchange unit, a fan filter group and an air inlet switch, wherein,
the heat exchange channel is arranged in the cavity, the air inlet end of the heat exchange channel is connected with the air outlet end of the air channel, and the air outlet end of the heat exchange channel is communicated with the inside of the cavity; and the heat exchange channel and the cavity wall of the cavity are correspondingly provided with air inlets for communicating with the outside;
the air inlet switch is arranged at the air inlet and used for controlling the opening and closing of the air inlet;
the heat exchange unit is arranged in the heat exchange channel and is positioned at the upstream of the air inlet and used for cooling the air entering the heat exchange channel from the air channel.
The fan filter group is arranged in the heat exchange channel and is used for sucking outside air through the air inlet when the loading chamber is in the first mode and sending the air into the cavity through the air outlet end of the heat exchange channel; when the loading chamber is in the second mode, the air inlet switch closes the air inlet, and the air cooled by the heat exchange unit is sent into the cavity through the air outlet end of the heat exchange channel.
Optionally, the heat exchange assembly further comprises a second fan, the second fan is arranged in the heat exchange channel, and the second fan is positioned between the fan filtering group and the heat exchange unit; the second fan is used for sucking air outside the loading chamber into the heat exchange channel or sucking gas in the switchable air duct device into the heat exchange channel.
Optionally, the air outlet end of the heat exchange channel and the air inlet end of the air channel are arranged at two sides of the cavity.
Optionally, the air duct comprises a first sub air duct and a second sub air duct, wherein,
the air inlet end of the first sub-air duct is communicated with the inside of the cavity, the air outlet end of the first sub-air duct is connected with the air inlet end of the second sub-air duct, and the air outlet end of the second sub-air duct is connected with the heat exchange assembly;
the air outlets are arranged at corresponding positions on the first sub-air duct or the second sub-air duct and the cavity wall of the cavity.
As another aspect, an embodiment of the present invention also provides a semiconductor processing apparatus, including a process chamber, a process boat, and a loading chamber in communication with the process chamber, where the process boat is movably disposed in the process chamber and the loading chamber, wherein the loading chamber adopts the loading chamber in the above embodiment.
The embodiment of the invention has the following beneficial effects:
according to the loading chamber provided by the embodiment of the invention, the heat exchange component and the switchable air duct structure are arranged in the chamber, when the loading chamber is in the first mode, external air is sent into the loading chamber, and gas in the loading chamber is conveyed to the outside, so that the air takes away heat of a silicon wafer in the chamber, and the gas in the chamber is directly conveyed to the outside and does not pass through the heat exchange component, so that the cooling efficiency can be effectively improved; when the loading chamber is in the second mode, the heat exchange assembly cools the gas in the chamber, so that the heat of the silicon wafer is continuously taken away by the gas in the chamber. The loading chamber provided by the invention can respectively realize the gas external circulation and the gas internal circulation of the chamber when the loading chamber is in the first mode and the second mode, thereby improving the speed of cooling the silicon wafer and avoiding the damage of electronic devices and cables in the chamber due to high temperature.
By adopting the loading chamber provided by the embodiment of the invention, when the loading chamber is in the first mode and the second mode, the gas external circulation and the gas internal circulation are respectively formed in the chamber, so that the heat of the silicon wafer is continuously taken away by the gas, the speed of cooling the silicon wafer is improved, and the damage of electronic devices and cables in the chamber due to high temperature is avoided.
Drawings
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a conventional loading chamber;
fig. 2 is a schematic structural view of a cooling device provided in embodiment 1;
fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an air duct switching mechanism provided in embodiment 1;
fig. 4 is a schematic partial structure of the driving source provided in embodiment 1;
fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a cooling device according to embodiment 1.
Detailed Description
In order to better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the following describes the loading chamber and the semiconductor processing apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Existing vertical furnace equipment generally has two modes of operation, an air mode and a nitrogen mode, respectively. Wherein, the air mode is that the internal space of the vertical furnace equipment is communicated with the external environment in the working process, so that the internal space of the vertical furnace equipment is in an aerobic state; the nitrogen mode means that the internal space of the vertical furnace equipment is isolated from the external environment during the operation process so that the internal space of the vertical furnace equipment is in an anaerobic state. During operation of the vertical furnace apparatus, the silicon wafers are unloaded into the loading chamber after the process is completed inside the process tube, and during this process, the silicon wafers, process boats and the thermal casks introduce a large amount of heat into the loading chamber.
Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a conventional loading chamber. To prevent the damage to the electronics and cables due to the excessive temperature inside the loading chamber 10, a cooling structure is provided inside the loading chamber 10 to cool the silicon wafer 20. Existing cooling structures are typically provided on the inner walls of the loading chamber 10 and around the periphery of the wafer 20, including: a first air duct 70, a second air duct 90, and a third air duct 80. Wherein the first air duct 70 and the second air duct 90 are disposed in a facing manner, and the third air duct 80 connects the first air duct 70 and the second air duct 90. A fan 50 is also provided in the second air duct 90 and the fan filter unit 40.
When the vertical furnace apparatus is in the air mode, since it is not necessary to control the oxygen content in the inner space thereof, air can be introduced into the cooling structure to cool the silicon wafer 20. The specific cooling process comprises the following steps: opening the blower filter unit 40 to form a negative pressure region, and simultaneously opening the air inlet 30 to allow ambient temperature air to be sucked into the loading chamber 10 by the negative pressure region; the temperature of the silicon wafer rises after the normal-temperature air absorbs the heat of the silicon wafer, and then enters the first air passage 70 and enters the cooling device 60 through the third air passage 80; the high temperature air is cooled down by the cooling device 60, sucked into the blower filter unit 40 by the blower 50, and is introduced into the loading chamber 10 together with the air introduced from the air inlet 30 to form a circulating air flow, thereby continuously taking away the heat of the silicon wafer 20.
However, in actual production, the high temperature air passing through the cooling device 60 cannot be quickly cooled to room temperature, so after the air is mixed with the room temperature air, the temperature of the air entering the loading chamber is far higher than the room temperature, which causes the problem of low cooling efficiency of the silicon wafer, and further damages the electronic devices and cables inside the loading chamber due to high temperature.
In order to solve the above technical problems, embodiments of the present invention provide a loading chamber and a semiconductor processing apparatus, and the specific scheme is as follows.
Example 1
The present embodiment provides a loading chamber for use in semiconductor processing equipment, such as vertical furnace equipment. The loading chamber is provided with a first mode and a second mode which are respectively communicated and isolated with the outside, wherein when the loading chamber is in the first mode, the internal space of the loading chamber is in a state of being communicated with the outside, and air can be introduced into the chamber; when the loading chamber is in the second mode, the internal space of the loading chamber is in a closed state isolated from the outside.
Referring to fig. 2, the loading chamber provided in this embodiment includes a cavity 4, a heat exchange assembly 1 and a switchable air duct structure 2, wherein the heat exchange assembly 1 and the switchable air duct structure 2 are both disposed in the cavity 4.
Specifically, when the loading chamber is in the first mode, the heat exchange assembly 1 is configured to send external air into the cavity 4, and the introduced external air can exchange heat with the silicon wafer 3 in the cavity 4, so as to cool the silicon wafer 3; meanwhile, the switchable air duct structure 2 is used for extracting the air which absorbs heat from the cavity 4 and directly discharging the air to the outside of the cavity 4, so that air flow circulation is formed in the cavity 4 and the outside environment, and the air flow is utilized to cool the silicon wafer 3, so that the cooling rate of the silicon wafer 3 is improved, and further damage to electronic devices and cables in the cavity 4 due to overhigh temperature in the cavity is avoided. Moreover, since the gas in the chamber 4 is directly transferred to the outside without passing through the heat exchange assembly, it is possible to effectively improve the cooling efficiency.
When the loading chamber is in the second mode, the switchable air duct structure 2 is used for conveying the gas inside the cavity 4 into the heat exchange assembly 1; the heat exchange assembly 1 is used for cooling the gas conveyed by the switchable air duct structure 2 and conveying the gas into the cavity 4, so that the gas flow in the cavity 4 takes away the heat of the silicon wafer 3, then the gas flows through the heat exchange assembly 1 and can be blown to the silicon wafer 3 again, thereby forming gas flow circulation in the cavity 4, and cooling the silicon wafer 3 by utilizing the gas flow, and further, the damage to electronic devices and cables in the cavity 4 caused by the overhigh temperature in the cavity is avoided.
In some embodiments, the switchable air duct structure 2 includes an air duct body 21, a first fan 22, and an air duct switching assembly 23. Wherein, the air duct body 21 is disposed in the cavity 4, and the air duct 211 is formed in the air duct body 21. The air inlet end 2111 of the air channel 211 is communicated with the interior of the cavity 4, and the air outlet end 2112 of the air channel 211 is connected with the heat exchange assembly 1.
Air outlets 2113 are correspondingly formed in the air duct body 21 and the chamber walls of the chamber body 4. Specifically, the air outlet 2113 is a through hole for communicating the air duct 211 with the outside, so that the air in the air duct 211 can be discharged from the air outlet 2113 to the outside of the cavity 4.
The first fan 22 is disposed in the air duct 211 and located between the air inlet end 2111 and the air outlet 2113 of the air duct 211, and is used for sucking the air inside the cavity 4 into the air duct 211 through the air inlet end 2111, specifically, the air suction opening of the first fan 22 should face the air inlet end 2111 of the air duct 211, and the air outlet opening of the first fan 22 should face the air outlet 2113, so that the air inside the cavity 4 is discharged to the outside of the cavity 4. In actual production, the first fan 22 may be an air extraction device such as a blower or a negative pressure fan.
The duct switching assembly 23 is configured to open the air outlet 2113 while blocking the duct 211 at a position downstream of the air outlet 2113. The air duct switching assembly 23 also serves to close the air outlet 2113 while unblocking the air duct 211. Specifically, when the loading chamber is in the first mode, the air duct switching assembly 23 opens the air outlet 2113 and blocks the air duct 211 so that the air duct 211 is not in communication with the heat exchange assembly 1; at the same time, the first fan 22 is turned on, so that the high-temperature gas in the cavity 4 is pumped into the air channel 211 from the air inlet end 2111 of the air channel 211, and the high-temperature gas in the air channel 211 is pumped out of the cavity 4 through the air outlet 2113.
When the loading chamber is in the second mode, the air duct switching assembly 23 closes the air outlet 2113 and unblocks the air duct 211 to allow the air duct 211 to communicate with the heat exchange assembly 1, such that the high temperature air in the chamber 4 enters the air duct 211 from the air inlet end 2111 of the air duct 211 and enters the heat exchange assembly 1 through the air duct 211.
As shown in fig. 3, the air duct switching assembly 23 includes an exhaust baffle 231 and a driving source 232, wherein the exhaust baffle 231 is rotatably disposed in the air duct 211 at a position downstream of the air outlet 2113. Specifically, when the exhaust baffle 231 rotates to the second position parallel to the vertical direction in fig. 3, the air outlet 2113 is opened, and the exhaust baffle 231 blocks the air channel 211, so that the air in the air channel 211 can flow out from the air outlet 2113 to the external environment; when the exhaust baffle 231 rotates to the first position in which the horizontal directions are parallel to each other in fig. 3, the exhaust baffle 231 blocks the air outlet 2113, and the air duct 211 is unblocked, so that the air in the air duct 211 can flow out from the air outlet end 2112 of the air duct 211 into the heat exchange assembly 1.
The driving source 232 is used for driving the exhaust baffle 231 to rotate to a first position for closing the air outlet 2113 or a second position for blocking the air channel 211.
As shown in fig. 3, in some embodiments, the duct switching assembly 23 further includes a housing 233 disposed in the duct body 21 and corresponding to the position of the air outlet 2113, in which the aforementioned exhaust baffle 231 is rotatably disposed. The housing 233 is provided with two vertical openings (2331,2332) perpendicular to the axis of the duct body 21, which are disposed opposite to each other so that the gas can enter the heat exchange assembly 1 through the two vertical openings (2331,2332) when the exhaust baffle 231 is located at the above-described first position parallel to the horizontal direction. The housing 233 is further provided with a horizontal opening 2333 corresponding to the position of the air outlet 2133, so that the air can flow out of the air outlet 2133 when the air discharge damper 231 is positioned at the second position parallel to each other in the vertical direction, and specifically, the horizontal opening 2333 may be overlapped with the air outlet 2133. In some embodiments, the size of the opening on the housing 233 is slightly smaller than the size of the exhaust baffle 231 to achieve a better sealing effect.
In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3, the driving source 232 includes a rotation shaft 2321, a linear cylinder 2322, and a plurality of links 2323 sequentially hinged, wherein the rotation shaft 2321 is rotatably disposed in the air duct 211 and connected with the exhaust baffle 231. The linear cylinder 2322 is used for providing linear power; the plurality of connecting rods 2323 are respectively connected with the linear cylinder 2322 and the rotating shaft 2321, and are used for converting linear power provided by the linear cylinder 2322 into rotating power and transmitting the rotating power to the rotating shaft 2321, so as to drive the exhaust baffle 231 to rotate along the rotating shaft 2321. For example, in the present embodiment, three links 2323 are hinged together in sequence, and, of the two links 2323 located on both sides, one link 2323 is fixedly connected to the driving shaft of the linear cylinder 2322, and the other link 2323 is hinged to the rotating shaft 2321.
In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4, two mounting holes 233 (only one of which is shown in the drawings) are provided on the air duct body 21, the two mounting holes 233 are disposed in the two mounting holes 233 along the direction perpendicular to the air duct 211 and opposite to the rotating shaft 2321, and a lubrication gasket 2331 is provided between the rotating shaft 2321 and each mounting hole 233 to reduce the friction between the rotating shaft 2321 and the mounting holes 233, thereby improving the working efficiency of the driving source 232.
It should be noted that, the air duct switching assembly is not limited to the above structure provided in this embodiment, and in practical application, the air duct switching assembly may also have any other structure, for example, two valves are respectively disposed at the air outlet 2113 and downstream of the air outlet 2113, so that the functions of opening the air outlet 2113 and simultaneously blocking the air duct 211 at the downstream position of the air outlet 2113 and simultaneously unblocking the air duct 211 can be achieved by controlling the on-off states of the two valves, and the air duct switching assembly 23 is also used for closing the air outlet 2113.
In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5, the air duct 211 includes a first sub-air duct 2114 and a second sub-air duct 2115, wherein an air inlet end of the first sub-air duct 2114 is communicated with the interior of the cavity 4, an air outlet end of the first sub-air duct 2114 is connected with an air inlet end of the second sub-air duct 2115, an air outlet end of the second sub-air duct 2115 is connected with the heat exchange assembly 1, and an air outlet 2113 may be provided on the first sub-air duct 2114 or the second sub-air duct 2115. Dividing the air duct 211 into the first sub-air duct 2114 and the second sub-air duct 2115 can make the air duct 211 more suitable for the internal structure of the cavity 4, for example, in this embodiment, the air duct 211 includes the first sub-air duct 2114 vertically disposed along the inner wall of the cavity 4 and the second sub-air duct 2115 horizontally disposed along the bottom of the cavity 4, so as to adapt to the internal structure of the cavity 4, and specifically, in actual production, the shape, the arrangement direction and the number of the sub-air ducts of the air duct should be designed according to the shape and the internal structure of the cavity 4.
In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2, the heat exchange assembly 1 includes a heat exchange channel 11, a heat exchange unit 12, a fan filter bank 13, and an air intake switch 14. Specifically, the heat exchange channel 11 is disposed in the cavity 4, and an air inlet end (not shown) thereof is connected to an air outlet end 2112 of the air duct 211, and an air outlet end 111 of the heat exchange channel 11 communicates with the interior of the cavity 4. The heat exchange channel 11 and the chamber wall of the chamber body 4 are correspondingly provided with an air inlet 112 communicated with the outside, so that the outside air can enter the heat exchange channel 11 through the air inlet 112, and the silicon wafer 3 is cooled by the air with the room temperature.
An air inlet switch 14 is also provided at the air inlet 112 for controlling the opening and closing of the air inlet 112. In some embodiments, the air intake switch 14 may employ a valve arrangement such as a pneumatic valve.
The heat exchange unit 12 is disposed in the heat exchange passage 11 and upstream of the air inlet 112 for cooling the gas entering the heat exchange passage 11 from the air duct 211.
The fan filter group 13 is disposed in the heat exchange channel 11, and is configured to draw in external air through the air inlet 112 when the loading chamber is in the first mode, and send the air into the cavity 4 through the air outlet end 111 of the heat exchange channel 11, so that the silicon wafer 3 is cooled by using normal temperature air, and the cooling rate of the silicon wafer 3 is improved. The fan filter unit 13 is further configured to send the gas cooled by the heat exchange unit 12 into the chamber 4 through the air outlet end 111 of the heat exchange channel 11 when the loading chamber is in the second mode, so that the cooled gas is used to cool the silicon wafer 3.
In some embodiments, the heat exchange assembly 1 further comprises a second fan 15, the second fan 15 being disposed in the heat exchange channel 11, and the second fan 15 being located on a side of the fan filter bank 13 that is adjacent to the heat exchange unit 12. The second fan 15 is used for sucking air into the heat exchange channel 11 from the air inlet 112 to increase the rate of room temperature air entering the cavity 4, thereby further increasing the cooling rate of the silicon wafer 3. The second fan 15 is also used for pumping the gas cooled by the heat exchange unit 12 into the heat exchange channel 11 to increase the rate of cooling air entering the cavity 4, thereby further increasing the cooling rate of the silicon wafer 3.
In some embodiments, the air outlet end 111 of the heat exchange channel 11 and the air inlet end 2111 of the air channel 211 are disposed opposite to each other on two sides of the cavity 4, so as to form a larger air flow, and increase the cooling rate of the silicon wafer 3. Preferably, the air outlet end 111 of the heat exchange channel 11 and the air inlet end 2111 of the air channel 211 can be opposite to the loading position of the silicon wafer 3, so that the air flow can be directly blown to the silicon wafer 3, and the optimal cooling effect is obtained.
According to the loading chamber provided by the embodiment of the invention, the heat exchange component and the switchable air duct structure are arranged in the chamber, when the loading chamber is in the first mode, external air is sent into the loading chamber, and gas in the loading chamber is conveyed to the outside, so that the air takes away heat of a silicon wafer in the chamber, and the gas in the chamber is directly conveyed to the outside and does not pass through the heat exchange component, so that the cooling efficiency can be effectively improved; when the loading chamber is in the second mode, the heat exchange assembly cools the gas in the chamber, so that the gas in the chamber continuously takes away the heat of the silicon wafer. The loading chamber provided by the invention can respectively realize the gas external circulation and the gas internal circulation of the chamber when the loading chamber is in the first mode and the second mode, thereby improving the speed of cooling the silicon wafer and avoiding the damage of electronic devices and cables in the chamber due to high temperature.
Example 2
The embodiment provides a semiconductor processing apparatus comprising a process chamber, a process boat, and a loading chamber in communication with the process chamber. Specifically, the loading chamber provided in example 1 was used as the loading chamber.
By adopting the loading chamber provided by the embodiment of the invention, when the loading chamber is in the first mode and the second mode, the gas external circulation and the gas internal circulation are respectively formed in the chamber, so that the heat of the silicon wafer is continuously taken away by the gas, the speed of cooling the silicon wafer is improved, and the damage of electronic devices and cables in the chamber due to high temperature is avoided.
It is to be understood that the above embodiments are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention, but not in limitation thereof. Various modifications and improvements may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and substance of the invention, and are also considered to be within the scope of the invention.
Claims (10)
1. A loading chamber for use in a semiconductor processing apparatus, the loading chamber having a first mode of communication with the outside and a second mode of isolation from the outside, comprising a chamber body and a heat exchange assembly and switchable air duct structure disposed within the chamber body, wherein,
the switchable air duct structure is connected with the heat exchange assembly and is used for extracting gas in the cavity and conveying the gas to the outside of the cavity when the loading cavity is in the first mode or conveying the gas to the heat exchange assembly when the loading cavity is in the second mode;
the heat exchange assembly is used for sending outside air into the cavity when the loading cavity is in the first mode; and when the loading chamber is in the second mode, the heat exchange assembly stops introducing outside air, cools the air conveyed by the switchable air duct structure and sends the air into the chamber.
2. The loading chamber of claim 1, wherein the switchable air duct structure comprises an air duct body, a first fan, and an air duct switching assembly, wherein,
the air channel body is arranged in the cavity, an air channel is formed in the air channel body, the air inlet end of the air channel is communicated with the inside of the cavity, and the air outlet end of the air channel is connected with the heat exchange assembly; and the air duct body and the cavity wall of the cavity are correspondingly provided with air outlets communicated with the outside;
the air channel switching assembly is used for opening the air outlet and simultaneously plugging the air channel at the downstream position of the air outlet; or closing the air outlet and simultaneously unblocking the air duct;
the first fan is arranged in the air duct and is positioned between the air inlet end and the air outlet of the air duct and used for sucking gas in the cavity into the air duct.
3. The loading chamber of claim 2, wherein the air duct switching assembly comprises an exhaust baffle and a drive source, wherein,
the exhaust baffle is rotatably arranged in the air duct and is positioned at the downstream position of the air outlet;
the driving source is used for driving the exhaust baffle to rotate to a first position for closing the air outlet or a second position for blocking the air channel.
4. The loading chamber of claim 3, wherein the drive source comprises a rotating shaft, a linear cylinder, and a plurality of links hinged in sequence, wherein,
the rotating shaft is rotatably arranged in the air duct and is connected with the exhaust baffle plate;
the linear cylinder is used for providing linear power;
the connecting rods are respectively connected with the linear air cylinder and the rotating shaft, and are used for converting linear power provided by the linear air cylinder into rotating power and transmitting the rotating power to the rotating shaft.
5. The loading chamber of claim 4, wherein two mounting holes are oppositely arranged on the air duct body in a direction perpendicular to the air duct, the rotating shaft is penetrated in the two mounting holes, and a lubrication gasket is arranged between the rotating shaft and each mounting hole.
6. The loading chamber of claim 2, wherein the heat exchange assembly comprises a heat exchange channel, a heat exchange unit, a fan filter bank, and an air intake switch, wherein,
the heat exchange channel is arranged in the cavity, the air inlet end of the heat exchange channel is connected with the air outlet end of the air channel, and the air outlet end of the heat exchange channel is communicated with the inside of the cavity; and the heat exchange channel and the cavity wall of the cavity are correspondingly provided with air inlets for communicating with the outside;
the air inlet switch is arranged at the air inlet and used for controlling the opening and closing of the air inlet;
the heat exchange unit is arranged in the heat exchange channel and is positioned at the upstream of the air inlet and used for cooling the air entering the heat exchange channel from the air channel;
the fan filter group is arranged in the heat exchange channel and is used for sucking outside air through the air inlet when the loading chamber is in the first mode and sending the air into the cavity through the air outlet end of the heat exchange channel; when the loading chamber is in the second mode, the air inlet switch closes the air inlet, and the air cooled by the heat exchange unit is sent into the cavity through the air outlet end of the heat exchange channel.
7. The loading chamber of claim 6, wherein the heat exchange assembly further comprises a second fan disposed in the heat exchange channel, the second fan being located between the fan filter bank and the heat exchange unit;
the second fan is used for sucking air outside the loading chamber into the heat exchange channel or sucking air in the switchable air duct structure into the heat exchange channel.
8. The loading chamber of claim 6, wherein the outlet end of the heat exchange channel is disposed on opposite sides of the interior of the cavity from the inlet end of the air tunnel.
9. The loading chamber of claim 2, wherein the air duct comprises a first sub-air duct and a second sub-air duct, wherein,
the air inlet end of the first sub-air duct is communicated with the inside of the cavity, the air outlet end of the first sub-air duct is connected with the air inlet end of the second sub-air duct, and the air outlet end of the second sub-air duct is connected with the heat exchange assembly;
the air outlets are arranged at corresponding positions on the first sub-air duct or the second sub-air duct and the cavity wall of the cavity.
10. A semiconductor processing apparatus comprising a process chamber, a process boat and a loading chamber in communication with the process chamber, the process boat being movably disposed in the process chamber and the loading chamber, wherein the loading chamber employs the loading chamber of any one of claims 1-9.
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| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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| CN202011449348.0A CN112652553B (en) | 2020-12-09 | 2020-12-09 | Loading chamber and semiconductor processing equipment |
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| CN202011449348.0A CN112652553B (en) | 2020-12-09 | 2020-12-09 | Loading chamber and semiconductor processing equipment |
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| CN112652553A CN112652553A (en) | 2021-04-13 |
| CN112652553B true CN112652553B (en) | 2023-12-22 |
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| CN112652553A (en) | 2021-04-13 |
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