CN116895570A - Conveying sheet system and method applied to multiple chambers and multiple processes - Google Patents

Conveying sheet system and method applied to multiple chambers and multiple processes Download PDF

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Publication number
CN116895570A
CN116895570A CN202310647946.6A CN202310647946A CN116895570A CN 116895570 A CN116895570 A CN 116895570A CN 202310647946 A CN202310647946 A CN 202310647946A CN 116895570 A CN116895570 A CN 116895570A
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Prior art keywords
transfer
chamber
wafer
reaction chamber
conveying
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CN202310647946.6A
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衣凰
王晓晨
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Shengjisheng Semiconductor Technology Beijing Co ltd
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Shengjisheng Semiconductor Technology Beijing Co ltd
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Priority to CN202310647946.6A priority Critical patent/CN116895570A/en
Publication of CN116895570A publication Critical patent/CN116895570A/en
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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
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D31/00—Other cooling or freezing apparatus
    • 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
    • H01L21/67207—Apparatus for manufacturing or treating in a plurality of work-stations comprising a chamber adapted to a particular process
    • 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
    • H01L21/67242—Apparatus for monitoring, sorting or marking
    • H01L21/67248—Temperature monitoring
    • 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
    • H01L21/67242—Apparatus for monitoring, sorting or marking
    • H01L21/67253—Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring
    • 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
    • H01L21/67242—Apparatus for monitoring, sorting or marking
    • H01L21/67276—Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput
    • 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
    • H01L21/677—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 for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67703—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 for conveying, e.g. between different workstations between different workstations
    • 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
    • H01L21/677—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 for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67703—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 for conveying, e.g. between different workstations between different workstations
    • H01L21/67706—Mechanical details, e.g. roller, belt
    • 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
    • H01L21/683—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 for supporting or gripping
    • H01L21/687—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 for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches
    • H01L21/68714—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 for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches the wafers being placed on a susceptor, stage or support
    • H01L21/68742—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 for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches the wafers being placed on a susceptor, stage or support characterised by a lifting arrangement, e.g. lift pins
    • 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
    • H01L21/683—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 for supporting or gripping
    • H01L21/687—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 for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches
    • H01L21/68714—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 for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches the wafers being placed on a susceptor, stage or support
    • H01L21/68792—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 for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches the wafers being placed on a susceptor, stage or support characterised by the construction of the shaft

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Container, Conveyance, Adherence, Positioning, Of Wafer (AREA)

Abstract

The invention relates to a conveying sheet system and a conveying sheet method applied to a multi-chamber and multi-process, which belong to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, wherein the conveying sheet system comprises a front end interface module, a wafer conveying and cooling chamber, a first transfer chamber, a transfer and reaction chamber and a second transfer chamber which are sequentially connected; the first transfer chamber is closely adjacent to the second transfer chamber, and two sides of a central connecting line of the first transfer chamber and the second transfer chamber are respectively provided with a transfer and reaction chamber; a first transfer manipulator is arranged in the first transfer cavity, and a second transfer manipulator is arranged in the second transfer cavity; the second transfer chamber is also connected with at least one second reaction chamber. The scheme realizes the process of completing a plurality of continuous processes on the same machine, has more reasonable, compact and flexible structural design, saves the running time and the equipment occupation area of the wafer, and reduces the process cost of the semiconductor wafer.

Description

Conveying sheet system and method applied to multiple chambers and multiple processes
Technical Field
The invention belongs to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, and particularly relates to a conveying sheet system and a conveying sheet method applied to multiple chambers and multiple processes.
Background
The processing of semiconductor wafers is typically performed in a vacuum chamber of an apparatus, and therefore requires a wafer handling system to control the movement of wafers into and out of the apparatus. Most of the existing conveying sheet systems are system layouts which are carried out under the condition of certain high productivity and the same process or are system layouts which are carried out by combining low productivity and different processes; for multiple continuous processes with high productivity, the number of machines is increased, which cannot be completed on the same machine, thus increasing the whole wafer process transfer time and the equipment occupation space of the factory, and further increasing the production cost of single products.
The prior art patent application publication No. CN111926306a proposes a multi-process chamber transfer scheme, which has a large transfer chamber, two mechanical arms are disposed in the transfer chamber, and a plurality of chambers are disposed around the transfer chamber, so that a wafer sequentially enters into the plurality of chambers to perform a continuous process, but the transfer efficiency and the occupied area of equipment are still to be improved.
Disclosure of Invention
Based on the technical problems in the prior art, the invention provides a conveying sheet system and a conveying sheet method applied to multiple chambers and multiple processes, solves the problem that wafers finish multiple continuous processes on the same machine, and simultaneously saves the running time of the wafers and the occupied area of equipment.
According to the technical scheme of the invention, the invention provides a conveying sheet system applied to a multi-chamber multi-process, which comprises a front end interface module, a wafer conveying and cooling chamber, a first transfer chamber, a transfer and reaction chamber and a second transfer chamber which are sequentially connected; the first transfer chamber is closely adjacent to the second transfer chamber, and two sides of a central connecting line of the first transfer chamber and the second transfer chamber are respectively provided with a transfer and reaction chamber; a first transfer manipulator is arranged in the first transfer cavity, and a second transfer manipulator is arranged in the second transfer cavity; the second transfer chamber is also connected with at least one second reaction chamber.
Further, at least one first reaction chamber is also connected to the first transfer chamber.
Further, a first wafer supporting structure capable of at least lifting is arranged in the first reaction chamber; a second wafer supporting structure capable of rotating and lifting at least is arranged in the transfer and reaction chamber; a third wafer support structure capable of at least lifting is arranged in the second reaction chamber.
Further, each first wafer support structure includes one or more first wafer supports; each second wafer supporting structure comprises two or more second wafer supporting parts, the plurality of second wafer supporting parts are connected through connecting parts, and the connecting parts are connected with a rotating mechanism and a lifting mechanism; each third wafer support structure includes one or more third wafer bearings.
Preferably, each first wafer support structure has two first wafer supports; the first reaction chambers are provided with two in total and are respectively positioned at two sides of the first transfer chamber; each second wafer supporting structure comprises four second wafer supporting parts, and the middle point connecting lines of the four second wafer supporting parts form a square; each third wafer support structure includes one or two third wafer bearings; the total number of third wafer supports in all of the second reaction chambers is four.
Preferably, the first conveying manipulator is a double-piece double-arm manipulator, and is provided with two horizontally distributed mechanical arms capable of synchronously rotating and stretching; the second conveying manipulator is a single-piece double-arm manipulator and is provided with two mechanical arms which are distributed up and down and can rotate and stretch independently.
Further, the first transfer chamber, the transfer and reaction chamber and the second transfer chamber are respectively provided with an extraction opening, a backfill opening and a vacuum degree detection opening.
Further, a door valve capable of being opened and closed is arranged between the connected chambers.
Further, the wafer transfer and cooling chambers are two arranged side by side.
The invention also provides a transfer sheet method applied to the multi-chamber multi-process, which adopts the transfer sheet system applied to the multi-chamber multi-process, and comprises the following steps:
step S1, a wafer enters a wafer conveying and cooling chamber from a front end interface module, and a first conveying mechanical arm conveys the wafer from the wafer conveying and cooling chamber to a first reaction chamber and then performs a first process in the wafer conveying and cooling chamber;
step S2, after the first process is completed, the first conveying mechanical arm conveys the wafer from the first reaction chamber to a transit and reaction chamber, and then the wafer is cooled in the transit and reaction chamber;
step S3, after cooling is completed, the second transfer manipulator transfers the wafer from the transfer and reaction chamber to a second reaction chamber, and then a second process is performed in the second transfer and reaction chamber;
step S4, after the second process is completed, the second transfer manipulator transfers the wafer from the second reaction chamber to another transfer and reaction chamber;
step S5, the first transfer manipulator transfers the wafer from the transfer and reaction chamber to the first reaction chamber, and then a third process is carried out in the transfer and reaction chamber;
and S6, after the third process is completed, the first conveying mechanical arm conveys the wafer from the first reaction chamber to the wafer conveying and cooling chamber for cooling, and finally the wafer is moved out of the wafer conveying and cooling chamber to the front-end interface module.
Compared with the prior art, the invention has the following beneficial technical effects:
1. the scheme realizes the process that the wafer completes multiple continuous processes on the same machine, one machine can be matched with eight reaction chambers, and the operation time of the wafer is saved, wherein the process can be realized by a single process or multiple continuous processes; and the structure is more compact, and the occupied area of the equipment is saved.
2. Compared with the prior art, the scheme adopts the structure of two transfer chambers which are not communicated, because the two transfer chambers are simultaneously operated for taking and delivering wafers with different reaction chambers, and the pressure difference requirements between the different reaction chambers and the transfer chambers are different, the scheme can better realize more complex and higher-requirement technological processes. In addition, the two-chamber structure is advantageous over the large chamber of the single piece in terms of cost of raw materials and processing.
3. According to the scheme, through rotation of the second wafer supporting structure in the transfer and reaction chamber, two groups of four wafers are supported by one chamber, so that the effect of exchanging wafers between two adjacent different transfer chambers and continuing the next process is achieved, a group of conveying chambers are reduced, and the wafer exchange time is shortened compared with the prior art.
4. The transfer and reaction chamber in this scheme can be compatible three kinds of functions, and one is the reaction chamber function, and one is transfer chamber function, and one is wafer cooling chamber function to save equipment and cavity quantity, reduce equipment area.
5. The transfer and reaction chamber of the scheme can be arranged to hold two wafers, and can also hold four wafers, which can be matched according to the process time of the first reaction chamber. For example, the productivity of the first process is relatively high and high, so that the wafers of the two first reaction chambers are both transferred to the transfer and reaction chambers and then cooled (for example, the wafers are cooled by introducing low-temperature nitrogen and the time required for the cooling is relatively long), thereby playing a role in improving the productivity; in the process after the second reaction chamber, the transfer and reaction chamber can also cope with the change of the productivity of the first process at any time, so that the whole machine has the function of capacity adjustment and is more flexible.
6. The optimization of the conveying structure and the method is carried out from the angle of specific process duration, for example, four second reaction chambers are arranged based on the characteristic of relatively low productivity of the doping process, and bottleneck points are solved by increasing the number; or aiming at other processes, the independent chambers can flexibly match different processes, and the expandability is large.
7. All adopt liftable wafer bearing structure in each cavity of this scheme, in the in-process with first transfer manipulator or second transfer manipulator exchange wafer initiatively goes up and down to make the requirement of two transfer manipulators reduce, whole size can optimize, increase simultaneously the bottom maintenance space of first transfer cavity and second transfer cavity.
Drawings
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the transfer and reaction chamber in the embodiment shown in fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of the invention.
Reference numerals in the drawings illustrate:
1. the front end interface module;
2. a wafer transfer and cooling chamber;
3. a first transfer chamber;
4. a transfer and reaction chamber;
5. a second transfer chamber;
6. a first transfer robot;
7. a second transfer robot;
8. a second reaction chamber;
9. a first reaction chamber;
10. a first wafer support structure;
11. a second wafer support structure;
12. a third wafer support structure;
13. a first wafer support;
14. a second wafer support;
15. a connection part;
16. a third wafer support;
17. a gate valve.
Detailed Description
For the purpose of making the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the invention.
It should be noted that, for convenience of description, only the portions related to the present invention are shown in the drawings. Embodiments of the invention and features of the embodiments may be combined with each other without conflict.
It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," and the like herein are merely used for distinguishing between different devices, modules, or units and not for limiting the order or interdependence of the functions performed by such devices, modules, or units.
It should be noted that references to "one", "a plurality" and "a plurality" in this disclosure are intended to be illustrative rather than limiting, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that "one or more" is intended to be construed as "one or more" unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
The invention relates to a conveying sheet system and a conveying sheet method applied to a multi-chamber and multi-process, which belong to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, wherein the conveying sheet system comprises a front end interface module, a wafer conveying and cooling chamber, a first transfer chamber, a transfer and reaction chamber and a second transfer chamber which are sequentially connected; the first transfer chamber is closely adjacent to the second transfer chamber, and two sides of a central connecting line of the first transfer chamber and the second transfer chamber are respectively provided with a transfer and reaction chamber; a first transfer manipulator is arranged in the first transfer cavity, and a second transfer manipulator is arranged in the second transfer cavity; the second transfer chamber is also connected with at least one second reaction chamber. The scheme realizes the process of completing a plurality of continuous processes on the same machine, has more reasonable, compact and flexible structural design, saves the running time and the equipment occupation area of the wafer, and reduces the process cost of the semiconductor wafer.
Referring to fig. 1, a transfer wafer system for a multi-chamber multi-process is provided for efficiently performing a continuous process of a plurality of semiconductor wafers, such as a series of processes including loading, film deposition, cooling, doping, annealing, cooling, and blanking. The wafer transfer and reaction device comprises a front end interface module 1, a wafer transfer and cooling chamber 2, a first transfer chamber 3, a transfer and reaction chamber 4 and a second transfer chamber 5 which are sequentially connected. The first transfer chamber 3 and the second transfer chamber 5 are two independent chambers, the first transfer chamber 3 is close to the second transfer chamber 5 at one side far away from the front end interface module 1, and two sides of a central connecting line of the two chambers are respectively provided with a transfer and reaction chamber 4. A first transfer manipulator 6 is arranged in the first transfer chamber 3, and a second transfer manipulator 7 is arranged in the second transfer chamber 5. The second transfer chamber 5 is also connected with at least one second reaction chamber 8. Optionally, at least one first reaction chamber 9 is also connected to the first transfer chamber 3.
The front end interface module 1 (EFEM) is located at the forefront of the system, and is used for wafer input and load-bearing after the process is completed, and the prior art scheme is adopted, and an atmospheric robot is arranged in the front end interface module, so that the wafer is transferred from a wafer transfer box (FOUP) to a wafer transfer and cooling chamber 2 (Loadlock). The wafer conveying and cooling chamber 2 is used for converting the wafer in the atmosphere and vacuum environment, and simultaneously has the function of cooling the wafer, and both ends of the wafer are provided with door valves 17 which can be closed and opened, so that the interior of the wafer conveying and cooling chamber 2 is sealed or communicated with the chamber at one end of the wafer conveying and cooling chamber 2, and the wafer conveying and cooling chamber 2 is preferably two side by side, so that the feeding and discharging efficiency is improved. Similarly, the above-mentioned connected chambers are connected and communicated by connecting means, and are provided with openable and closable gate valves 17, so that the chambers can be operated independently.
More specifically, in this embodiment, there are two first reaction chambers 9, which are respectively located at two sides of the first transfer chamber 3, and the first reaction chamber 9 is located between the transfer and reaction chamber 4 and the wafer transfer and cooling chamber 2. At least a first wafer support structure 10 (rotatable structure or the like may be designed according to different process requirements) capable of being lifted is provided in the first reaction chamber 9. Each first wafer supporting structure 10 includes one or more (e.g. two) first wafer supporting portions 13, each first wafer supporting portion 13 is configured to support a wafer, for example, an existing electrostatic chuck, and an elevating mechanism is disposed below the first wafer supporting portion 13 (in the prior art, not described in detail); preferably, two first wafer supporting portions 13 are arranged side by side, and are connected by a connecting portion, and a lifting mechanism is arranged below the connecting portion, so that the two first wafer supporting portions 13 can be lifted and lowered synchronously.
A second wafer support structure 11 is provided in the transfer and reaction chamber 4, which is at least rotatable and liftable. Each second wafer supporting structure 11 includes two or more second wafer supporting portions 14, each second wafer supporting portion 14 supports a wafer, the plurality of second wafer supporting portions 14 are connected through a connecting portion 15, the connecting portion 15 is connected with a lifting mechanism and a rotating mechanism (which are not described in detail in the prior art), as shown in fig. 2, preferably, each second wafer supporting structure 11 includes four second wafer supporting portions 14, and supports four wafers simultaneously, and has an initial positioning structure, and the second wafer supporting portions 14 are selected and completed in four steps a week, and can be set at different angles according to different chamber connection angles. For example, the connecting portion 15 is in an X shape, the middle points of the four second wafer supporting portions 14 are connected to form a square, and the geometric center of the square is a rotation axis, so that after a group of wafers positioned at a diagonal position are connected, the second wafer supporting structure 11 rotates 90 degrees, another group of wafers can be connected, which is equivalent to combining two transfer chambers into one, and through the rotation of the second wafer supporting structure 11 in the transfer and reaction chamber 4, two groups of four wafers are supported by one chamber, so that the functions of exchanging wafers between two adjacent different transfer chambers and continuing the next process are achieved. It is conceivable that, for example, the middle point connecting lines of the four second wafer supporting portions 14 form a parallelogram other than a square, two adjacent wafers are grouped, and the second wafer supporting structure 11 is rotated 180 degrees to be switched to another group, so that similar effects can be achieved; the square scheme is preferably adopted, so that the design, production, control and the like are more beneficial.
A third wafer support structure 12 (which may also be designed as a rotatable structure or the like according to different process requirements) is arranged in the second reaction chamber 8, which is at least capable of being lifted. Each third wafer support structure 12 includes one or more third wafer supports 16, each third wafer support 16 supporting a wafer. Preferably, the number of the second reaction chambers 8 is four, each third wafer support structure 12 includes a third wafer support portion 16, and the total number of the third wafer support portions 16 in all the second reaction chambers 8 is four, which is the same as the number of wafers supported in one transfer and reaction chamber 4. Two of the four second reaction chambers 8 are arranged on two sides of the second transfer chamber 5, and the other two are arranged on one end of the second transfer chamber 5 far away from the first transfer chamber 3, and the two second reaction chambers 8 at the end part can also be combined into a double-piece reaction chamber similar to the first reaction chamber 9, so that the requirements of different processes are met.
The eight reaction chambers are matched by one machine in the embodiment of the invention, and the single process or multiple continuous processes can be realized, so that the running time of the wafer is saved; and the structure is more compact, and the occupied area of the equipment is saved. Compared with the prior art, the structure of the two transfer chambers which are not communicated is adopted, because the two transfer chambers simultaneously carry out the operation of taking and delivering the wafer with different reaction chambers, and the pressure difference requirements between the different reaction chambers and the transfer chambers are different, the scheme can better realize more complex and higher-requirement technological processes. In addition, the two-chamber structure is advantageous over the large chamber of the single piece in terms of cost of raw materials and processing.
In the first transfer chamber 3, the transfer and reaction chamber 4, the second transfer chamber 5, and the wafer transfer and cooling chamber 2, there are an extraction port, a backfill port, and a vacuum detection port, for example, three ports spaced apart in the first transfer chamber 3 shown in fig. 1. The extraction opening is used for vacuumizing, the backfilling opening is mainly used for introducing low-temperature gas for cooling, and the vacuum degree detection opening is used for being connected with a vacuum gauge to monitor the vacuum degree in the cavity. Furthermore, taking the transfer and reaction chamber 4 as an example, it can be compatible with three functions, besides being used as a transfer chamber and a reaction chamber, it can also be used as a cooling chamber, thereby saving the equipment and the number of chambers and reducing the occupied area of the equipment.
The first transfer robot 6 is preferably a dual-slice dual-arm robot, and has two horizontally distributed arms capable of rotating and retracting synchronously, so that two wafers can be simultaneously taken and sent at a time, and the dual-slice dual-arm robot is more suitable for the chamber structure with dual slices and four slices shown in fig. 1; the first transfer robot 6 may be configured to pick and place wafers from both wafer transfer and cooling chambers 2 at the same time, or one of the robots may be configured to pick and place wafers from one wafer transfer and cooling chamber 2 independently, etc., as desired. The second transfer robot 7 is preferably a single-piece double-arm robot, and has two vertically distributed robots that can rotate and stretch independently to transfer wafers, so as to improve transfer efficiency, and more efficiently transfer multiple wafers in the transfer and reaction chamber 4 to the second reaction chamber 8 one by one and subsequently remove the wafers from the second reaction chamber 8. The single-arm manipulator and the double-arm manipulator are in the prior art, other feasible manipulator schemes can be adopted, the tail end of the manipulator is a fork arm which is approximately U-shaped, a wafer is supported at the edge position, when the wafers are exchanged, the manipulator for supporting the wafer enters the cavity, the wafer supporting part in the cavity is positioned in the space in the middle of the fork arm, the wafer supporting part is lifted upwards to separate the wafer from the fork arm, and then the manipulator is moved out of the cavity; the robot acquires the wafer in a similar manner to this reverse process. The design of this scheme adopts liftable wafer bearing structure, and in the in-process of exchanging the wafer with the conveying manipulator initiative lift, compare with the prior art scheme adopts liftable manipulator, the wafer bearing structure of non-liftable to accomplish above-mentioned similar process, the requirement of manipulator reduces, whole size is optimized, increases simultaneously and changes the bottom maintenance space of cavity 3 and second transfer cavity 5.
The present invention also provides a method for conveying a wafer for multi-chamber and multi-process, taking an embodiment of the conveying system shown in fig. 1 as an example, the steps of the method are generally shown in fig. 3, and the method specifically comprises the following steps.
In step S1, wafers are transferred from the wafer transfer cassette into the wafer transfer and cooling chamber 2 by the atmospheric robot in the front end interface module 1. The gate valve 17 of the wafer transferring and cooling chamber 2 is closed, vacuumized to a vacuum degree substantially the same as that of the first transfer chamber 3, and then the gate valve 17 on the side is opened to communicate the two chambers (the operation of the other gate valves 17 is similar, and the chambers are mutually communicated or independent in cooperation with the transferring and processing, which is not a major improvement point of the present invention, and therefore will not be described in detail. The first transfer robot 6 takes out the wafer from the wafer transfer and cooling chamber 2, transfers the wafer to the first reaction chamber 9 through the first transfer chamber 3, and then performs oxide film deposition therein (first process). The first process takes a relatively short time, and the first transfer robot 6 loads wafers into both the first reaction chambers 9 and performs the first process through the two transfer processes.
In step S2, after the first process is completed, the first transfer robot 6 sequentially transfers the wafers from the two first reaction chambers 9 to one transfer and reaction chamber 4 (for example, left side), places two wafers at a time, then rotates the second wafer support structure 11 by a predetermined angle, and places another two wafers, so that the four wafers placed in the transfer and reaction chamber 4 are simultaneously cooled.
In step S3, after the cooling is completed (the temperature reaches the requirement), the second wafer supporting structure 11 rotates by another predetermined angle to make the wafers at the positions close to the second transfer chamber 5 one by one, and the second transfer robot 7 takes out the four wafers from the transfer and reaction chamber 4 one by one, transfers the wafers to the four second reaction chambers 8 through the second transfer chamber 5, and performs the doping process (second process) in the second reaction chambers 8.
In step S4, after the second process is completed, the second transfer robot 7 transfers the wafers from the second reaction chamber 8 to another transfer and reaction chamber 4 (on the right side) one by one, and the second wafer support structure 11 in the transfer and reaction chamber 4 rotates according to the setting, so as to carry the four wafers.
In step S5, the second wafer supporting structure 11 rotates according to the setting, and the wafers are taken out in two groups by cooperating with the first transfer robot 6, and are sequentially transferred from the transfer and reaction chamber 4 to the first reaction chamber 9, and then an annealing process (a third process) is performed therein.
In step S6, after the third process is completed, the first transfer robot 6 transfers the wafer from the first reaction chamber 9 to the wafer transfer and cooling chamber 2 for cooling, so that the wafer is cooled to the desired temperature. Finally, the wafer is returned to the wafer transfer cassette from the wafer transfer and cooling chamber 2 through the atmospheric robot of the front end interface module 1. This one working cycle ends. It is contemplated that the above steps in different duty cycles may be performed simultaneously (without the steps affecting each other, creating a conflict) to more quickly complete the processing of all wafers.
In the transfer method of the present invention, the transfer and reaction chamber 4 may be configured to hold two wafers or four wafers, which may be matched according to the process time of the first reaction chamber 9. For example, the throughput of the first process is relatively high and fast, so that the wafers of the two first reaction chambers 9 are both transferred to the transferring and reaction chamber 4 and then cooled (for example, cooled by introducing low-temperature nitrogen, which requires relatively long time), so that the effect of improving the throughput can be achieved; in the process after the second reaction chamber 8, the transfer and reaction chamber 4 can also cope with the change of the productivity of the first process at any time, so that the whole machine has the function of capacity adjustment and is more flexible. In addition, the optimization of the conveying structure and the conveying method is carried out from the angle of specific process duration, for example, four second reaction chambers 8 are arranged based on the characteristic of relatively low productivity of the doping process, and bottleneck points are solved by increasing the number; or aiming at other processes, the independent chambers can flexibly match different processes, and the expandability is large.
It should be noted that the main improvement point of the present invention is a wafer transfer scheme, and specific structures for performing processes in each reaction chamber may be the same as those of the prior art. The invention preferably adopts a symmetrical structure shown in fig. 1, each chamber adopts a polygonal structure, and the design of the structure, the inlet and outlet angles of each chamber and the like can be adjusted according to the situation so as to better match the positions of the other chambers and the requirements of the process conveying sheet. The reaction chambers at different positions can be changed into chambers capable of bearing different numbers of wafers according to different process requirements, different wafer bearing structures are used, heating elements are installed, the heating function is realized, and the optimal combination of productivity and process chambers can be realized, so that the processing time of the wafers is further shortened according to specific process, the occupied area of equipment in a factory is reduced, and the cost of the wafers is reduced.
Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical solution of the present invention, and are not limiting; although the invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical scheme described in the foregoing embodiments can be modified or some technical features thereof can be replaced by equivalents; such modifications and substitutions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. The conveying sheet system applied to the multi-chamber multi-process is characterized by comprising a front end interface module (1), a wafer conveying and cooling chamber (2), a first transfer chamber (3), a transfer and reaction chamber (4) and a second transfer chamber (5) which are sequentially connected; the first transfer chamber (3) is adjacent to the second transfer chamber (5), and two sides of a central connecting line of the first transfer chamber and the second transfer chamber are respectively provided with one transfer and reaction chamber (4); a first conveying manipulator (6) is arranged in the first transfer chamber (3), and a second conveying manipulator (7) is arranged in the second transfer chamber (5); the second transfer chamber (5) is also connected with at least one second reaction chamber (8).
2. A transfer plate system for multi-chamber multi-process according to claim 1, wherein at least one first reaction chamber (9) is further connected to the first transfer chamber (3).
3. A transfer plate system for multi-chamber multi-process according to claim 2, characterized in that at least a first wafer support structure (10) capable of being lifted is provided in the first reaction chamber (9);
a second wafer supporting structure (11) which can at least rotate and lift is arranged in the transit and reaction chamber (4);
a third wafer supporting structure (12) capable of at least lifting is arranged in the second reaction chamber (8).
4. A transfer wafer system for use in a multi-chamber multi-process as in claim 3, wherein each of the first wafer support structures (10) comprises one or more first wafer supports (13);
each second wafer supporting structure (11) comprises two or more second wafer bearing parts (14), the plurality of second wafer bearing parts (14) are connected through connecting parts (15), and the connecting parts (15) are connected with a rotating mechanism and a lifting mechanism;
each of the third wafer support structures (12) includes one or more third wafer bearings (16).
5. A transfer wafer system for use in a multi-chamber multi-process as in claim 4, wherein each of said first wafer support structures (10) has two of said first wafer supports (13); the first reaction chambers (9) are provided with two, and are respectively positioned at two sides of the first transfer chamber (3);
each second wafer supporting structure (11) comprises four second wafer supporting parts (14), and the middle point connecting lines of the four second wafer supporting parts (14) form a square;
each of said third wafer support structures (12) comprises one or two of said third wafer bearings (16); the total number of the third wafer holders (16) in all the second reaction chambers (8) is four.
6. Conveyor system for multi-chamber and multi-process applications according to any of claims 1-5, characterized in that the first conveyor robot (6) is a double-wafer and double-arm robot with two synchronously rotatable and retractable arms distributed horizontally; the second conveying manipulator (7) is a single-piece double-arm manipulator and is provided with two mechanical arms which are distributed up and down and can rotate and stretch independently.
7. The transfer sheet system for multi-chamber multi-process according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first transfer chamber (3), the transfer and reaction chamber (4) and the second transfer chamber (5) each have an extraction port, a backfill port and a vacuum detection port.
8. A transfer plate system for multi-chamber multi-process according to any of claims 1-5, characterized in that between the connected chambers there are arranged openable and closable gate valves (17).
9. Transfer wafer system for multi-chamber multi-process according to any of claims 1-5, wherein the wafer transfer and cooling chambers (2) are two arranged side by side.
10. A transfer sheet method applied to a multi-chamber multi-process, characterized in that it employs a transfer sheet system applied to a multi-chamber multi-process as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 5, comprising the steps of:
step S1, a wafer enters a wafer conveying and cooling chamber (2) from a front end interface module (1), and a first conveying mechanical arm (6) conveys the wafer from the wafer conveying and cooling chamber (2) to a first reaction chamber (9) and then performs a first process in the first reaction chamber;
step S2, after the first process is completed, the first conveying mechanical arm (6) conveys the wafer from the first reaction chamber (9) to a transfer and reaction chamber (4) and then cools the wafer in the transfer and reaction chamber;
step S3, after cooling, the second transfer manipulator (7) transfers the wafer from the transfer and reaction chamber (4) to a second reaction chamber (8), and then a second process is performed in the second reaction chamber;
step S4, after the second process is completed, the second conveying mechanical arm (7) conveys the wafer from the second reaction chamber (8) to the other transfer and reaction chamber (4);
step S5, a first conveying mechanical arm (6) conveys the wafer from the transfer and reaction chamber (4) to a first reaction chamber (9), and then a third process is carried out in the first reaction chamber;
and S6, after the third process is finished, the first conveying mechanical arm (6) conveys the wafer from the first reaction chamber (9) to the wafer conveying and cooling chamber (2) for cooling, and finally the wafer is moved out of the wafer conveying and cooling chamber (2) to the front end interface module (1).
CN202310647946.6A 2023-06-02 2023-06-02 Conveying sheet system and method applied to multiple chambers and multiple processes Pending CN116895570A (en)

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CN202310647946.6A CN116895570A (en) 2023-06-02 2023-06-02 Conveying sheet system and method applied to multiple chambers and multiple processes

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