JP2006005271A - Tool and method for heat treatment of semiconductor wafer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heat treatment tool capable of surely preventing not only the generation of slip but also the generation of scratches on the periphery of a rear face and a chamfer at the time of executing heat treatment for a silicon wafer or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The heat treatment tool to be used for heat treatment by horizontally supporting a wafer-like object to be heat-treated has a supporting part for supporting the rear side of the object to be heat-treated, and the supporting surface of the supporting part is formed like a projected curve. For instance, an annular susceptor 41 having a supporting part for supporting the object to be heat-treated along the peripheral edge of the rear face is used, and the semiconductor wafer W is supported so that a boundary part between the chamfer and the rear face of the semiconductor wafer W is brought into contact with the supporting surface 46 formed like the projected curve to execute heat treatment. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat treatment jig suitable for heat treating a wafer-like object, particularly a silicon wafer, and a heat treatment method for a semiconductor wafer using the same.

  When a device is manufactured using a wafer cut from a semiconductor ingot such as a silicon single crystal, a number of steps are involved from a wafer processing process to an element formation process. One of these processes is a heat treatment process. This heat treatment step is a very important process performed for the purpose of forming a defect-free layer on the surface layer of the wafer, gettering, crystallization, oxide film formation, impurity diffusion, and the like.

As a diffusion furnace (oxidation / diffusion apparatus) used for such a wafer heat treatment step, for example, for oxidation or impurity diffusion, a large number of wafers W as shown in FIG. A vertical heat treatment furnace 20 that performs heat treatment in a state where it is horizontally supported with a gap is used. The wafer W in the heat treatment furnace 20 can be heated by a heater 24 provided around the reaction chamber 22. During the heat treatment, gas is introduced into the reaction chamber 22 through the gas introduction pipe 26, flows from the upper side to the lower side, and is discharged from the gas exhaust pipe 28 to the outside. The gas used varies depending on the purpose of the heat treatment, but mainly H ₂ , N ₂ , O ₂ , Ar, etc. are used. In the case of impurity diffusion, these gases are also used as a carrier gas for the impurity compound gas.

  When the wafer W is heat-treated using such a vertical heat treatment furnace 20, a heat treatment vertical boat 10 (hereinafter referred to as a heat treatment jig 10) for setting a number of wafers W horizontally as a heat treatment jig for supporting the wafer. A heat treatment boat, a vertical boat, or simply a boat). FIG. 5A shows an outline of a general heat treatment boat 10. A pair of plate members (top plate 16a and bottom plate 16b) are connected to both end portions of four rod-like (columnar) columns 14. As shown in FIG. 6 (A), a large number of slits (grooves) 11 are formed in each support column 14, and a semicircular convex portion between the slits 11 acts as a support portion 12 for the wafer W.

The heat treatment boat 10 in which a large number of grooves 11 (support portions 12) are formed in the support 14 as described above is generally called a short finger type. When the heat treatment is performed, as shown in FIG. 5B, the periphery of the back surface (lower surface) of the wafer W is horizontally supported at four places by the support portions 12 formed at the same height of the respective columns 14. Will be.
As for the support portion of the boat, for example, as shown in FIG. 6B, there is a case where a rectangular support portion 13 is formed on a square column 15.

  When the peripheral portion of the back surface of the wafer W is supported as described above, the weight of the wafer W is concentrated on the support portion, so that the stress generated thereby is always acting. When this stress exceeds the critical shear stress, dislocation occurs in the wafer. This dislocation spreads to a macroscopic size due to the action of stress and becomes a slip. The occurrence of slip greatly reduces the quality of the wafer, so it is important to prevent this.

  However, generally, a slip is remarkably generated on the wafer under a high temperature atmosphere. In particular, as semiconductor devices are highly integrated, the diameter of wafers is increasing in order to increase the device yield per wafer. As a result, the weight of the wafer increases, and accordingly, the stress acting on the wafer tends to increase, and slip is more likely to occur in the wafer. A silicon wafer having a diameter of 200 mm or more, particularly 300 mm, has a problem that the wafer is bent during heat treatment and stress is concentrated on the rear corner of the boat support portion, and slip is likely to occur.

  Various heat treatment jigs have been proposed in order to prevent the occurrence of slip, and for example, one in which the support surface of the support portion of the vertical boat is inclined so as to correspond to the bending of the wafer is proposed (Patent Document 1). reference). In such a case where the support surface is inclined at a predetermined angle, the wafer is supported by the chamfered portion, and when the wafer is bent during the heat treatment, the wafer is supported in a state where the back surface of the wafer is in surface contact with the support surface. The stress concentration is alleviated and the occurrence of slip is suppressed.

An annular or arcuate susceptor 31 as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B has also been proposed (see Patent Document 2). By placing such an annular (arc-shaped) susceptor 31 on the support portion of the boat and passing through the susceptor 31, the wafer W can be rotated around the entire circumference with a width of several millimeters to several tens of millimeters along the peripheral edge of the back surface. Some can be supported. Therefore, since the wafer W is supported over a wider area and the stress is dispersed, the occurrence of slip can be suppressed. The susceptor 31 shown in FIG. 7 is provided with an opening (notch) 32 so that the transfer machine can pass when the wafer W is transferred.
Furthermore, in order to prevent the occurrence of slip more effectively, a susceptor having a support surface inclined so as to correspond to the bending of the wafer has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

  In boats and susceptors with support surfaces inclined so as to respond to wafer deflection as described above, even if the wafer bends during heat treatment, it contacts the wafer over a large area and stress is dispersed, so slip generation is suppressed. Effect is obtained. However, even when the wafer is heat-treated using a susceptor having a support surface inclined, many scratches may occur on the back surface or chamfered portion of the wafer. Moreover, since the way of bending differs depending on the wafer, scratches are generated on the inner side of the back surface, scratches are generated on the chamfered portion, and the scratch generation position cannot be specified.

  Particularly recently, with the high integration of semiconductor devices, not only slip but also scratches generated on the back surface of the wafer are regarded as important. This is because, when a pin chuck type stepper is used, there is a concern that defocusing (focal failure) may occur when a wafer back surface scratch is placed on the pin chuck pin. Therefore, it is important to suppress not only the slip but also the back surface scratches, and the back surface scratches during the heat treatment sometimes become a problem in the subsequent device process even in the periphery of the back surface. Furthermore, it is said that if the chamfered portion of the wafer is scratched, it will cause a wafer crack in the subsequent device process.

JP-A-9-251961 JP-A-6-260438

  In view of such problems, in the present invention, when heat-treating a silicon wafer or the like, not only slip but also a heat treatment jig and a semiconductor wafer that can reliably prevent generation of scratches in the peripheral portion of the back surface and the chamfered portion. An object is to provide a heat treatment method.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a heat treatment jig used when a wafer-like object to be processed is horizontally supported and heat-treated, and supports the back side of the object to be processed. There is provided a jig for heat treatment, characterized in that the support surface of the support portion is formed in a convex curved surface.

  In this way, if a jig for heat treatment having a support surface formed into a convex curved surface is used, for example, a silicon wafer is supported so that the boundary portion between the chamfered portion and the back surface is always in contact with the support surface having a convex curved surface. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of scratches on the back surface.

In this case, the convex curved surface of the support surface may be inclined downward toward the inside of the jig (claim 2).
In this way, if the convex curved surface of the support surface is inclined downward toward the inside of the jig, the boundary portion between the chamfered portion and the back surface of the workpiece becomes easier to contact the support surface, and the occurrence of scratches on the back surface is further increased. It can be surely prevented.

And it is preferable that the convex curved surface of a support surface shall be constant or changed within the range whose curvature radius is 0.5-500 mm.
If it is a convex curved surface within such a radius of curvature, slips and scratches due to stress concentration are less likely to occur, and the scratch generation area can be further reduced.

The heat treatment jig includes a top plate, a bottom plate, and a support column fixed between the top plate and the bottom plate, and the support unit is provided on the support column. 4) Alternatively, an arcuate or annular susceptor having a support portion for supporting the object to be processed along the peripheral edge of the back surface can be provided.
These types of heat treatment jigs are often used for heat treatment of semiconductor wafers, and if the support surface is a convex curved surface as in the present invention, not only slip but also scratches on the back surface and chamfered portion are also effective. Can be suppressed.

According to the present invention, in the method of heat treating a chamfered semiconductor wafer, the boundary portion between the chamfered portion and the back surface of the semiconductor wafer is formed in the convex curved surface using the heat treatment jig. A semiconductor wafer heat treatment method is provided, wherein the wafer is heat-treated while being in contact with the support surface.
If the wafer is heat-treated as described above using the heat treatment jig according to the present invention, even if the wafer is deformed, the boundary portion is always supported in a state in contact with the support surface. Scratches do not occur deep inside the surface, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of scratches on the back surface and chamfered portions that cause problems in the device process.

In this case, the semiconductor wafer to be heat-treated can be a silicon wafer.
As a semiconductor wafer, especially a silicon wafer has a large diameter and its own weight is large. Therefore, slips, scratches on the back surface and the like are likely to occur, which often causes a problem. Therefore, if the silicon wafer is heat-treated using the jig for heat treatment of the present invention, not only slip but also scratches on the back surface and the chamfered portion can be surely suppressed, and the yield can be improved.

  The heat treatment jig according to the present invention supports the object to be processed by a convex curved support surface, and can reliably prevent not only slip but also back surface scratches and chamfered portion scratches. Therefore, for example, when a silicon wafer having a chamfered diameter of 300 mm is heat-treated, the boundary portion between the back surface and the chamfered portion of the wafer is supported using an annular susceptor in which the support surface according to the present invention is formed in a convex curved shape. By doing so, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of scratches on the chamfered portion that can cause defocusing and the like in the device process, and to suppress the occurrence of scratches on the chamfered portion that cause cracks, and as a result, the yield can be greatly improved.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Prior to the completion of the present invention, the present inventor investigated the cause of scratches on the back surface and chamfered portion of the wafer when a silicon wafer was heat-treated using a boat or susceptor having an inclined support surface. It turns out that.
First, during the heat treatment, when the wafer is elastically deformed, as shown in FIG. 8A, the back surface 8 of the wafer W is repeatedly brought into contact with the tip of the boat support or the corner 37 inside the annular susceptor 31a. It was found that a large number of back surface scratches 9 were generated.
Further, since the back surface 8 of the wafer W is in contact with the support surface 36 over a wide area, even when the support surface 36 of the susceptor 31b has a large roughness as shown in FIG. It was found that the back surface scratch 9 is likely to occur due to the minute unevenness.

  In addition, when the wafer W is supported by a boat or the like having such a support surface 36 inclined, scratches may occur deep inside the back surface of the wafer due to the way the wafer is bent during heat treatment, the inclination gradient, or the chamfered shape (FIG. 8). (A)) may occur on the outside (FIG. 8B), and further, as shown in FIG. 8C, the chamfered portion 7 may be supported by the susceptor 31c to cause a scratch 9c. .

It should be noted that if the tip 37 of the boat support or the corner 37 inside the susceptor is greatly chamfered and rounded, the occurrence of back surface scratches 9 due to the corner 37 can be suppressed. Since the back surface peripheral part of this contact | connects a support surface by several mm width, generation | occurrence | production of the back surface crack 9 resulting from the surface roughness of a support surface cannot be prevented.
In addition, it is conceivable to increase the inclination angle of the support surface and always support only the chamfered portion 7 even when the wafer bends. However, if the chamfered portion 7 is scratched as described above, the wafer cracks and particles May cause the occurrence of

  Therefore, the present inventor must inevitably cause some scratches at the point of contact with the support portion (support surface) as long as the wafer is supported. We thought that it should be possible to generate scratches at the location, and investigated and examined. It has been found that if the boundary region between the chamfered portion and the back surface of the wafer can be controlled so as to always contact, adverse effects such as a decrease in yield can be minimized even in subsequent device processes.

  Based on these findings, the present inventor has made further studies and, as a result, in the heat treatment jig that horizontally supports the wafer when heat treating the wafer, the support surface of the support portion is formed in a convex curved surface shape. Thus, it has been found that the boundary portion between the chamfered portion and the back surface of the wafer can be reliably supported, so that even if a scratch occurs, it can be controlled so that the scratch is placed at the least problematic position. It was completed.

Hereinafter, as a preferred embodiment, a vertical boat for heat treatment and an annular susceptor according to the present invention used for heat treatment of a silicon wafer will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a vertical boat for heat treatment according to the present invention. The heat treatment boat 1 includes a top plate 2, a bottom plate 3, and four support columns 4, and each support column 4 is fixed between the top plate 2 and the bottom plate 3. Each column 4 is provided with a support portion 5 at a predetermined interval, and a support surface 6 of the support portion 5 is inclined downward toward the inside of the boat 1 and is formed in a convex curved surface shape.

  On the other hand, FIG. 2 shows an example of an annular susceptor according to the present invention, where (A) is a perspective view and (B) is a cross-sectional view. The susceptor 41 has a support portion on the upper side, and, like the vertical boat 1, the support surface 46 is inclined downward toward the inside of the susceptor 41 and is formed in a convex curved shape.

  In such a vertical boat 1 or the annular susceptor 41, the support surfaces 6 and 46 are formed in a convex curved surface inclined downward, so that the wafer W to be heat-treated is bent during the heat treatment. Even in the case of deformation, the boundary portion between the chamfered portion and the back surface is always supported so as to be in contact with the support surfaces 6 and 46.

  For example, when the annular susceptor 41 is used, as shown in FIG. 3, the boundary portion 47 between the chamfered portion 7 and the back surface 8 of the wafer W is supported in a state of being in contact with the support surface 46 formed in a convex curved surface shape. It will be. If the boundary portion 47 between the chamfered portion 7 and the back surface 8 is supported in this way, even if the wafer W is elastically deformed during the heat treatment, there is no corner portion 37 as shown in FIG. Contact with 37 can be prevented. Even if the roughness of the support surface 46 is somewhat rough, the chamfered portion 7 and the back surface 8 of the wafer W do not come into contact with the support surface 46. That is, the wafer always comes into contact with the support surface 46 at the boundary portion 47 between the chamfered portion 7 and the back surface 8. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably prevent the chamfered portion 7 and the back surface 8 of the wafer W from being scratched.

  On the other hand, some scratches may occur at the boundary portion 47 between the chamfered portion 7 and the back surface 8 of the wafer W, that is, the contact point with the support surface 46. However, the scratched portion is narrow and the boundary portion 47 has a certain amount of scratches. Even if scratches occur, there is almost no problem in the subsequent device process. In some cases, some scratches may occur within the range of 1 mm from the boundary portion 47. However, within this range, there are few problems and the influence can be minimized.

The convex curved surface of the support surface may be appropriately set according to the size (diameter) of the wafer to be heat-treated, the shape of the chamfered portion, and the like.
For example, in the case of silicon wafers, the width of the chamfered portion of the wafer varies somewhat depending on the chamfered shape, specifications, etc., but generally in the range of about 0.3 to 0.4 mm from the outer peripheral end regardless of the diameter of the wafer. is there. In consideration of the width and shape of the chamfered portion, the convex curved surface of the support surface may be formed so as to support the boundary portion between the chamfered portion and the back surface of the wafer to be heat-treated. However, if the radius of curvature of the convex curved surface is less than 0.5 mm, the contact area is too small and stress concentration occurs, which may cause deep scratches and slips, so 0.5 mm or more, especially 5 mm or more. It is preferable to do.

On the other hand, when the radius of curvature of the convex curved surface exceeds 500 mm, the surface becomes comparatively gentle and the stress concentration is further relaxed. However, the contact area increases, so there is a possibility that the area where scratches are generated becomes large. Therefore, if the curvature radius that defines the curved surface shape of the support surface is set between 0.5 and 500 mm, the generation of scratches can be more effectively suppressed, and at the same time the scratch generation area can be made smaller. it can.
In addition, the curvature radius of a convex curve is not limited to a fixed thing, It is good also as what is changing within the range of 0.5-500 mm, for example, it is so continuous that the curvature radius of a convex curve is near the inner side of a boat. It is good also as a support surface which becomes small.

  Further, it is preferable to make the surface roughness of the support surface as small as possible. If the surface roughness of the support surface is large, point contact may occur between the wafer and the support surface, and stress may concentrate and cause a relatively deep scratch. In the jig for heat treatment of the present invention, since the boundary portion between the chamfered portion and the back surface of the wafer can be supported, even if some scratches enter the boundary portion, it does not matter so much, but deep scratches are generated. Should be avoided as much as possible. Accordingly, it is preferable to prevent the generation of scratches more effectively by sufficiently reducing the surface roughness of the support surface by etching, mirror polishing or the like.

The material of the jig for heat treatment according to the present invention may be appropriately determined according to the material of the object to be processed, the heat treatment conditions, and the like. When used for heat treatment of a silicon wafer, the surface material is SiO ₂ , SiC or If Si is used, contamination during heat treatment can be effectively prevented. For example, if a boat for heat treatment made of hard high-purity silicon carbide containing almost no metal impurities is used, contamination of the silicon wafer is prevented, and even when heat treatment is performed at a high temperature of 1000 ° C. or higher, particularly 1200 ° C. or higher. There is also an advantage that it can be used for a long time without being deformed. Particularly, CVD-SiC coating is preferable because it can further reduce metal contamination generated during the heat treatment.

  In addition, if the shape of the support surface of the jig for heat treatment according to the present invention is formed in a convex curved surface shape, it does not necessarily have to be inclined downward toward the inside of the jig. For example, a susceptor 51 having a semi-cylindrical cross section as shown in FIG. 9A, or a susceptor 61 having a large curvature radius on the entire support curved surface as shown in FIG. 9B may be used. Both of these susceptors 51 and 61 have support surfaces 56 and 66 formed in a convex curved shape, and can be supported in a state where a boundary portion between the chamfered portion and the back surface of the wafer W is in contact with the support surfaces 56 and 66. it can.

Further, the shape other than the support surface is not particularly limited, and if it is a susceptor, in addition to an annular one, an opening is provided so that the transfer machine can pass through when transferring the wafer W onto the susceptor. An arc-shaped susceptor having a (notch) may be used.
On the other hand, in the case of a boat for heat treatment, the number of struts is not limited to four, and can be increased or decreased, that is, three or less, or five or more. As for the shape of the support portion, it is also possible to form an annular or arc-shaped support portion similar to the susceptor shown in FIG.

Examples of the present invention and comparative examples will be described below.
Example 1
An annular susceptor having a support surface as shown in FIG. 2 inclined inward and formed in a convex curved surface was prepared. This susceptor is made of SiC and has an outer diameter of 305 mm and an inner diameter of 290 mm, and the convex curved surface of the support surface has a radius of curvature in the range of about 150 to 10 mm and has a smaller radius of curvature toward the inside. .
Such an annular susceptor was set in a short finger type heat treatment boat. Then, the chamfered silicon wafer having a diameter of 300 mm was placed so that the boundary portion between the chamfered portion and the back surface was in contact with the support surface of the susceptor.

In this way, 30 silicon wafers were supported on the heat treatment boat via the annular susceptor having the convex curved support surface, and carried into a heat treatment furnace as shown in FIG. Then, heat treatment was performed in an oven at 1200 ° C. for 1 hour in an argon atmosphere.
After the heat treatment, the boat was taken out from the heat treatment furnace, and when the back surface of the wafer after the heat treatment was visually inspected, no occurrence of slip was confirmed in any wafer, and there were some scratches on the back surface, It was within the boundary region between the chamfered portion and the back surface, and it was not a problem in the subsequent device process.

(Comparative example)
A silicon wafer was heat-treated under the same heat treatment conditions as in Example 1 using an annular susceptor having a flat support surface as shown in FIG. The susceptor used had an outer diameter of 310 mm, an inner diameter of 260 mm, and a support surface tilt angle of 2 °.
When the wafers after the heat treatment were inspected in the same manner, it was confirmed that all of the wafers had a large number of minute back scratches within a range of 20 mm from the outer peripheral edge, and the occurrence positions varied depending on the wafers. .

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The above embodiment is merely an example, and the present invention has the same configuration as that of the technical idea described in the claims of the present invention, and any device that exhibits the same function and effect is the present invention. It is included in the technical scope of the invention.
For example, an object to be heat-treated using the heat-treating jig according to the present invention is not limited to a silicon wafer, and can be applied to heat-treating other semiconductor wafers.

It is a schematic front view which shows an example of the vertical boat for heat processing which concerns on this invention. It is the schematic which shows an example of the cyclic | annular susceptor which concerns on this invention. (A) Perspective view (B) Cross section It is the schematic which expanded the support part. It is the schematic which shows an example of a vertical heat processing furnace. It is the schematic which shows an example of the conventional vertical boat for heat processing. (A) Front view (B) Transverse cross-sectional view (with wafer supported) It is a schematic perspective view which shows the wafer support part in the conventional boat for heat processing. (A) Semicircular support (B) Rectangular support It is the schematic which shows an example of the conventional susceptor which has an opening part. (A) Plan view (B) Sectional view (with wafer supported) It is the schematic which expanded the support part of the susceptor which inclined the support surface. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the other example of the cyclic | annular susceptor which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vertical boat for heat processing, 2 ... Top plate, 3 ... Bottom plate, 4 ... Support | pillar, 5 ... Support part,
6 ... Support surface, 7 ... Chamfered portion, 8 ... Back surface, 9 ... Back surface scratch, 10 ... Heat treatment boat,
11 ... slit (groove), 12, 13 ... support part, 14, 15 ... strut,
20 ... Heat treatment furnace, 31 ... Susceptor, 36, 46, 56, 66 ... Support surface,
37 ... Corner, 41, 51, 61 ... Annular susceptor, 47 ... Boundary part (contact point),
W ... wah.

Claims (7)

  A jig for heat treatment that is used when a wafer-like object to be processed is horizontally supported and heat-treated, and has a support part that supports the back side of the object to be processed, and the support surface of the support part is A jig for heat treatment, which is formed in a convex curved surface.   The heat treatment jig according to claim 1, wherein the convex curved surface of the support surface is inclined downward toward the inside of the jig.   The heat treatment jig according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the convex curved surface of the support surface has a curvature radius that is constant or changed within a range of 0.5 to 500 mm.   The heat treatment jig is a vertical boat for heat treatment having a top plate, a bottom plate, and a support fixed between the top and the bottom plate, and the support is provided on the support. The jig for heat treatment according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:   4. The heat treatment jig according to claim 1, wherein the heat treatment jig is an arc-shaped or annular susceptor having a support portion that supports the object to be processed along a peripheral edge of the back surface. The jig for heat treatment as described.   In the method of heat-treating a chamfered semiconductor wafer, the boundary portion between the chamfered portion and the back surface of the semiconductor wafer is formed by using the heat treatment jig according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A heat treatment method for a semiconductor wafer, wherein the heat treatment is performed while supporting the wafer so as to be in contact with a support surface formed in a convex curved surface.   7. The semiconductor wafer heat treatment method according to claim 6, wherein the semiconductor wafer to be heat-treated is a silicon wafer.

Images