CN114628298A

CN114628298A - Replacement monitoring device for semiconductor component and component replacement monitoring method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN114628298A
Application number: CN202011455866.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 崔佑荧; 李相雨
Original assignee: Adaptive Plasma Technology Corp
Current assignee: Adaptive Plasma Technology Corp
Priority date: 2020-12-10
Filing date: 2020-12-10
Publication date: 2022-06-14

Abstract

The present invention relates to a replacement monitoring device for a semiconductor component and a component replacement monitoring method thereof. A replacement monitoring device for a semiconductor component, comprising: a finger (12) having a structure capable of loading a component and being transported by a robot to be replaced; and image acquisition units (14a, 14b) which are coupled to the fingers (12) and can acquire images of the replacement position.

Description

Replacement monitoring device for semiconductor component and component replacement monitoring method thereof

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a replacement monitoring apparatus of a semiconductor component and a component replacement monitoring method thereof, and more particularly, to a replacement monitoring apparatus of a semiconductor component and a component replacement monitoring method thereof, which detect a fixing position of a component during a component replacement process to prevent a process error that may occur due to an alignment error of the component.

Background

Among parts used in a semiconductor manufacturing process, parts such as an Edge Ring (Edge Ring) as a consumable part need to be replaced periodically. The edge ring is used to confine the plasma or gas flow at the edge of the wafer to improve process uniformity or reliability. For such replacement of the edge ring, it is necessary to make the inside of the chamber in an atmospheric state and the Lid (Lid) in an open state. If such replacement of the edge ring is performed by a vacuum robot in a vacuum state, the replacement Time or standby Time (Backup Time) of the apparatus can be reduced to improve productivity. Patent publication No. 10-2017-0054248 discloses a cluster tool assembly in which removal and replacement of consumable components can be performed in a processor module provided in the cluster tool assembly. Also, patent publication No. 10-2011-. Minimizing changes to semiconductor processing equipment and reducing replacement time during component replacement is beneficial to production efficiency. Also, it is necessary to manufacture a device capable of preventing the occurrence of alignment errors during such replacement. Thereby being capable of satisfying the precision required in the semiconductor process. However, the prior art does not disclose the above-described techniques.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems in the prior art, and has the following objects.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document 1: patent publication No. 10-2017-0054248 (published by lam research, 2017.05.17) uses automated replacement of consumable components connected to an end effector of a plasma processing system.

Patent document 2: patent publication No. 10-2011-0056841 (korean TES, 2011.05.31 publication) wafer alignment apparatus and load lock chamber including the same.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved

An object of the present invention is to provide a replacement monitoring apparatus for a semiconductor component and a component replacement monitoring method thereof, which can detect a fixed position of a component in a state where a consumable component has been replaced to confirm whether the component is mounted at a predetermined position, thereby preventing a process error due to a replacement position error.

(II) technical scheme

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a replacement monitoring device for a semiconductor component includes: a finger having a structure capable of loading the component and being transported by the robot for replacement; and an image acquisition unit which is combined with the finger and can acquire an image of the replacement position.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the finger includes a pair of hands, and the image pickup units are respectively provided on the pair of hands.

According to still another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the image acquired by the image acquisition unit is processed into wireless data to be transmitted.

According to still another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the component is an edge ring bonded to the edge of the wafer, and the separation distance between the electrostatic chuck 31 and the edge ring at different positions is detected by the image acquisition unit.

According to still another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a replacement monitoring method of a semiconductor component includes the steps of: conveying the parts to be replaced by the mechanical arm and fixing; preparing a component replacement device in which a camera module that can transmit an acquired image by wireless communication is mounted; moving the component replacement device, on which the camera module is mounted, to a position where the component is fixed; acquiring images of the fixing part at different positions, and digitizing and transmitting the images; judging whether the transmitted numerical value is in a reference range; and storing the transferred values, wherein the camera acquires an image through a hole formed on the component conveying device.

According to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, status information of the process chamber is acquired by the camera module.

According to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the power for operating the camera module is supplied through the robot arm.

(III) advantageous effects

Among components inside a chamber of an apparatus for manufacturing semiconductors, an edge ring (edge ring) as a consumable part has a function of restricting plasma and gas flow at the edge of a wafer to ensure process uniformity. Such edge rings need to be replaced periodically and for replacement it is necessary to bring the chamber to atmospheric pressure and open the lid for manual replacement. If such a replacement process is performed by a vacuum robot in a vacuum state, replacement time and standby time (backup time) can be reduced, and thus productivity can be improved. With the progress of miniaturization and height of semiconductor processes, the outermost chips of the wafer may be affected by the mounting position of the edge ring, and thus the yield may be lowered. The replacement monitoring device for semiconductor components according to the present invention can accurately mount such consumable components to a designated position by a robot in a vacuum state. Also, the monitoring device according to the present invention can check the fixed position of the consumable part and monitor the state of the inside of the process chamber during the replacement process. The monitoring method according to the present invention confirms the position of a component through a vision unit such as a camera during the replacement of the component, thereby preventing the occurrence of process errors caused by the replacement of the component. The monitoring method according to the present invention improves the equipment start-up rate and productivity by periodically replacing parts that need to be replaced while maintaining the process conditions. Also, the monitoring method according to the present invention changes the structure of the load lock chamber to be suitable for replacement of parts, thereby reducing the utilization rate of equipment and the replacement time by minimizing a part transfer path when replacing parts.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a replacement monitoring device for semiconductor components according to the invention.

Fig. 2 (a) and (b) show an example of the arrangement structure of the image acquisition unit in the monitoring apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 3A and 3B show an embodiment of a reference position for monitoring a replacement in a monitoring device according to the invention.

Fig. 4A and 4B show an embodiment of a monitoring method of component replacement for a semiconductor according to the present invention.

Description of the reference numerals

11: the loading unit 12: finger-shaped object

12a, 12 b: a hand part 13: processing unit

14a, 14 b: the image acquisition unit 15: coupler

31: the electrostatic chuck 32: edge ring

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings, which are only for clearly understanding the present invention and the present invention is not limited thereto. In the following description, components having the same reference numerals in different drawings have similar functions, and thus, a repetitive description will not be made unless necessary for understanding the present invention, and although a brief description or omission of known components is made, they should not be construed as being excluded from the embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 1, the replacement monitoring apparatus of a semiconductor component includes: a finger 12 having a structure capable of loading a part and being transported by a robot to be replaced; and

image acquisition units

14a, 14b which are coupled to the fingers 12 and can acquire images of the replacement position.

The component may be an Edge Ring (Edge Ring) that holds the wafer in place during semiconductor processing, but is not limited to such, and may monitor the replacement of various consumable components or the like that need replacement. The consumable part is a part that needs to be replaced due to a lifetime, a defect, or the like, and the replaced part will replace the consumable part to become a new part. The replacement monitoring device may be moved to the process chamber by an automated transport device, such as a robotic arm. The replacement monitoring device may comprise fingers 12 incorporated on the transport device and the components may be loaded on the loading unit 11. The loading unit 11 may be a structure loaded and fixed on the finger 12 or formed as a part of the finger 12. For example, fingers 12 may have structure or means for securing or separating loading unit 11 in a designated position, and may include, for example, slots, protrusions, magnetic engagement portions, or similar engagement means. The components are loaded on the loading unit 11, and the fingers 12 can convey the loading unit 11 to, for example, an electrostatic chuck provided inside the vacuum chamber to mount the components. The finger 12 may include a pair of

hands

12a, 12b separated from each other and extending in parallel, and the finger 12 may be moved by a vacuum robot such as a robot arm in a state where the loading unit 11 having a rectangular plate shape, a circular disk shape, or the like is located on the upper side of the

hands

12a, 12 b. At the ends of the fingers'

hands

12a, 12b or other pre-set positions, an

image acquisition unit

14a, 14b such as a camera may be incorporated. The

hands

12a, 12b of the fingers extending in parallel may have the same or similar structure, and the

image pickup units

14a, 14b may be detachably attached to the specified positions of the

hands

12a, 12b of each finger. The focal points of the

image capturing units

14a, 14b may be formed in a direction perpendicular to the plane formed by the fingers 12. The fingers 12 are coupled to the vacuum robot by a coupler 15, and the loading unit 11 may be moved to a plurality of positions, for example, to an electrostatic chuck (ESC) disposed inside the process chamber, as the vacuum robot operates. The processing unit 13 may be disposed on the loading unit 11, the fingers 12, or the couplers 15, and the processing unit 13 may have an electronic chip structure including a microprocessor, which may detect an operation state of the loading unit 11 or control operations of various electronic components or electronic elements provided to the loading unit 11. The processing unit 13 may include an image processing device that controls the operation of each

image acquisition unit

14a, 14b, or converts an image acquired by each

image acquisition unit

14a, 14b into transmittable data. Also, the processing unit 13 may include a near field communication device, and may communicate with an external operation device through the near field communication device. For example, the processing unit 13 may detect the movement state, the replacement state, or the replacement position of the component, and transmit to the external operation device through the communication device. For example, the position information acquired by each of the

image acquisition units

14a, 14b is processed by the processing unit 13 and then transmitted to the external operation device through the communication device. For example, a vision unit such as a camera unit may be provided on the front side of the loading unit 11.

Image acquisition units

14a, 14b may be provided at the

hand portions

12a, 12b of the fingers to acquire an image of a predetermined point at which the parts are fixed or to acquire the position of a replaced part with respect to the electrostatic chuck in a state where the parts are loaded in the loading unit 11. After acquiring the relative position of each replacement part to the electrostatic chuck, it may be converted into an electric signal by the image processing unit 16 provided at the

image acquisition units

14a, 14b and transmitted to the processing unit 13. The image data is converted into transmittable wireless signal data by a wireless data processing unit 17 provided in the processing unit 13, and the wireless signal data is transmitted to a replacement control unit 18 located outside the vacuum chamber by an external robot arm or short-range wireless communication. The position data of the conveyed component may be analyzed by the replacement control unit 18 to confirm whether the replacement component is fixed at the designated position. The

image capturing units

14a, 14b may be incorporated at a variety of different positions on the finger 12.

Referring to (a) and (b) of fig. 2, the finger 12 includes a pair of

hands

12a, 12b, and

image pickup units

14a, 14b are provided on the pair of

hands

12a, 12b, respectively. The fingers 12 are generally plate-shaped and may be formed with a connector 121 that can be connected to a vacuum robot or the like. The pair of

hands

12a and 12b may extend in parallel from a main body extending in a rectangular plate shape in the connector 121. The pair of

hand parts

12a, 12b may be manufactured in various structures capable of supporting the lower portion of the loading unit and moving the loading unit, and are not limited to the embodiment. Holes may be formed in the main body of the finger 12 or the pair of

hand portions

12a, 12b, for example, through

holes

21a, 21b may be formed respectively on the rear side and the front side in the extending direction of each of the pair of

hand portions

12a, 12 b. In addition, the

image pickup units

14a, 14b may be provided in through holes formed at each end of the pair of

hand portions

12a, 12 b. Fig. 2 (a) and (b) show shapes seen on the upper and lower sides of the fingers 12, respectively, and

image pickup units

14a, 14b such as cameras are provided at upper side portions of the

hands

12a, 12b, and focus is formed in a direction perpendicular to the fingers 12 through the through holes to pick up images under the

hands

12a, 12 b. The power required for the operation of the

image acquisition units

14a, 14b may be supplied by the robot arm, or from the processing unit described above, or by an independent power source, and the invention is not so limited. Whether or not a semiconductor component such as an edge ring is attached to a designated position of the electrostatic chuck can be confirmed by the

image pickup units

14a, 14b provided on the pair of

hands

12a, 12 b.

Referring to fig. 3A, the component is an edge ring 32 bonded to the edge of the wafer, and the separation distance between the electrostatic chuck 31 and the edge ring 32 at different positions is detected by the

image pickup units

14a, 14 b. An edge ring 32 as a replacement member is mounted on the electrostatic chuck 31, which may have a function of restricting plasma from moving to the outside through the outer circumferential surface of the wafer. In order to maintain a uniform plasma density at the outer circumferential surface of the wafer, it is necessary to maintain a uniform distance between the outer circumferential surface of the electrostatic chuck 31 and the inner circumferential surface of the edge ring 32 along the outer circumferential surface, so that process errors can be reduced. The edge ring 32 may be moved into the interior of the process chamber by fingers and mounted on the electrostatic chuck 31. After the edge ring 32 is mounted on the electrostatic chuck 31, the mounting state of the edge ring 32 can be detected by the image pickup unit. As shown in the left side of fig. 3A, a cylindrical edge ring 32 may be fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the circular electrostatic chuck 31. In order to confirm whether the edge ring 32 is mounted to the designated position, the separation distances D1, D2 of two points facing each other may be acquired by the image acquisition unit to be quantified. The digitized separation distances D1, D2 may be transmitted to a replacement control module to confirm whether they are within a specified specification (specification). Such specification ranges may be different depending on the process steps, and the installation state of the edge ring 32 may be confirmed in each process step. If the mounting of the edge ring 32 is out of the precision required for the process step, an alarm can be raised or an error signal can be generated. As described above, an image acquisition unit such as a camera may be mounted on each hand, and images for the separation distances D1, D2 may be acquired by the image acquisition unit. The separation distances D1, D2 can be obtained for at least two points, and for example, two points P11, P12 can be selected as reference positions. Alternatively, three points P11, P23, and P24 may be selected as the reference positions, and four points P21, P22, P23, and P24 may be selected as the reference positions. As described above, the centering state of the edge ring 32 with respect to the electrostatic chuck 31 can be determined by using a plurality of points as a reference, and is not limited to the embodiment.

Referring to fig. 3B, an edge ring 32 may be loaded on the loading unit 11, and the loading unit 11 may be placed on the upper side of the fingers 12.

Image acquisition units

14a, 14b may be incorporated at the ends of the

hands

12a, 12 b. The fingers 12 may be coupled to a vacuum robot by a coupler 15 and the edge ring 32 may be mounted to the electrostatic chuck by operation of the vacuum robot. After the edge ring 32 is mounted to the vacuum chuck, the fingers 12 may again enter the interior of the process chamber and an image of the reference position in the above description is acquired by the

image acquisition units

14a, 14b and transmitted to the replacement control unit by the processing unit 13 to confirm the mounting state of the edge ring 32. This process will be explained below.

Referring to fig. 4A and 4B, the replacement monitoring method of the semiconductor component includes the steps of: conveying and fixing the part to be replaced by the mechanical arm (P41); mounting a camera, which can transmit the acquired image by wireless communication, to the component replacement device (P42); the component replacement device moves to a component fixing position (P43); acquiring images of different positions of the fixed part to digitize and transmit them (P45); judging whether the transmitted value is within a reference range (P46); and storing the transferred value (P48), wherein the camera acquires an image through a hole formed on the component conveying device.

The fingers 12 may be moved through the inlet 43 into the interior of the process chamber 41 to secure the edge ring 32 to the electrostatic chuck 31 from which the edge ring is removed for replacement (P41). As described above, after the edge ring 32 is secured to the electrostatic chuck 31, the fingers 12 may reenter the interior of the process chamber 41 through the inlet 43 (P43). Which may be a state in which the camera and image capturing unit 14a is mounted on the hand 12a in advance (P42), the fingers 12 may be the same or different fingers 12 as those used for the fixing edge ring 32. After the finger 12 enters the interior of the process chamber 41, first, an image of the separation distance of the edge ring 32 and the electrostatic chuck 31 may be acquired by the image acquisition unit 14a at a first position P1 near the entrance 43. Then, the image acquiring unit 14a may move to a second position P2 different from the first position P1 to acquire an image and digitize it. As described above, the processing unit 13 may be provided at the finger 12 or other suitable position, and the image pickup unit 14a and the processing unit 13 may form a wireless transmission system that wirelessly transmits the picked-up image to the outside. At least two images of different positions can be acquired and transmitted to the control module (P45) arranged externally by means of a wireless transmission system. The control module may determine whether it is within the reference range from the digitized data of the image transmitted according to the process step (P46). If it is judged that the reference range (NO) is exceeded, an alarm signal or an error signal may be generated. The fingers may then reenter the position of the inner correction edge ring 32 of the process chamber 41 (P47). When such a process is repeated and it is determined that the edge ring 32 is fixed at the specified position (YES), the data may be stored (P48).

Although one image pickup unit 14a is shown in the present embodiment, the image pickup units 14a may be incorporated on the pair of hand portions 12a, respectively. In addition, a plurality of kinds of positions P1, P2 at which images are acquired may be set. Also, the image capturing unit 14a may be used to monitor the internal state of the process chamber 41 as well as to confirm the fixing position of the edge ring 32. The image acquisition unit 14a may have various functions, and is not limited to the embodiment.

Various components may be replaced by a replacement module and are not limited to the embodiments described.

The present invention has been described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments, and those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present invention without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention with reference to the illustrated embodiments. The invention is not limited by such variations and modifications, but is only limited by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A replacement monitoring device of a semiconductor component, comprising:

a finger (12) having a component-loadable configuration and being transported by the robot for replacement; and

and image acquisition units (14a, 14b) which are coupled to the fingers (12) and acquire images of the replacement positions.

2. The replacement monitoring device for semiconductor components according to claim 1,

the finger (12) includes a pair of hands (12a, 12b), and the image pickup units (14a, 14b) are respectively provided on the pair of hands (12a, 12 b).

3. The replacement monitoring device for semiconductor components according to claim 1,

the images acquired by the image acquisition units (14a, 14b) are processed into wireless data for transmission.

4. The replacement monitoring device for semiconductor components according to claim 1,

the component is an edge ring bonded to the edge of the wafer, and the separation distance between the electrostatic chuck (31) and the edge ring at different positions is detected by image capturing units (14a, 14 b).

5. A method of monitoring replacement of a semiconductor component, comprising the steps of:

conveying the parts to be replaced by the mechanical arm and fixing;

preparing a component replacement device in which a camera module that transmits an acquired image by wireless communication is mounted;

moving the component replacement device, on which the camera module is mounted, to a position where the component is fixed;

acquiring images of the fixing part at different positions, and digitizing and transmitting the images;

judging whether the transmitted numerical value is in a reference range; and

the transmitted value is stored and the transmitted value is stored,

wherein the camera acquires an image through a hole formed on the component transfer device.

6. The replacement monitoring method of a semiconductor component according to claim 5,

status information of the process chamber is acquired by the camera module.

7. The replacement monitoring method of a semiconductor component according to claim 5,

power for operating the camera module is supplied through the robot arm.