JP4305465B2 - Wafer processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a wafer processing apparatus that performs epitaxial growth, heat treatment, and the like, and more particularly, to a wafer processing apparatus that can lift a wafer from a susceptor.

  As an apparatus for performing processing such as heat treatment or epitaxial growth on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter also simply referred to as a wafer), the wafer is loaded into a chamber and placed on a susceptor in the chamber. There is a configuration in which the wafer on the susceptor is carried out of the chamber after the treatment. Before and after this processing, there are various methods for placing the wafer on the susceptor and transferring the wafer from the susceptor. As one of them, as shown in FIG. At least three or more lift pins 54 provided so as to be able to project upward from the upper surface of the susceptor 52 supported through the through hole 56 are caused to project by a substantially equal amount by the lift pin lifting and lowering means 55, and after the projecting operation, After the wafer W is transferred onto the lift pins and supported by the three or more lift pins 54 in a substantially horizontal state, the lift pins 54 are lowered in synchronization with each other to place the wafer on the susceptor, The loaded wafer is lifted above the susceptor by the lift pin protruding operation, and then transferred out of the chamber by the transfer device. Method of (lift pin method) has been known (see Patent Document 1). However, this system requires a double-tube susceptor moving mechanism (see Patent Document 2), and there is a problem that the mechanism for lifting the wafer from the susceptor becomes complicated.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, as a wafer transfer means used in a wafer processing apparatus having a uniaxial susceptor support means having a simple structure as compared with the double tube type, a Bernoulli method for blowing gas onto the wafer is used. There are some (see, for example, Patent Documents 3 and 4). In this method, Bernoulli-type wafer transfer means 69 is used as means for placing the wafer W on the susceptor 62 supported by a uniaxial susceptor support device 63 in the chamber 61. However, this type of wafer transfer means blows gas to lift the wafer, so that there is a problem in that surrounding dust rises and film thickness defects and resistance defects occur due to particles. Also, the Bernoulli-type wafer transfer means requires a distance from the wafer in order to suck or place the wafer on the susceptor, and scratches caused by contact with the transfer means or dropping on the susceptor when the wafer is sucked or released. There was also a problem that occurred.

JP-A-9-205130 US Pat. No. 5,421,893 International Publication No. WO2002 / 097872 Pamphlet JP 2005-340521 A

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and it is possible to lift a wafer from a susceptor with a simpler mechanism, and to provide a wafer transfer means for placing the wafer on the susceptor and for collecting the wafer from the susceptor. It is an object of the present invention to provide a wafer processing apparatus that can employ a chuck system that is not Bernoulli.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problem, and is a wafer processing apparatus, at least a chamber, and a susceptor on which a wafer disposed in the chamber and processed on the upper surface is placed, Susceptor support means for supporting the susceptor so that the susceptor can rotate up and down. The susceptor is formed with at least three through holes penetrating in the vertical direction and arranged to close the through holes. The susceptor support means has a lid, releasably supports the susceptor, and has a pedestal that holds the susceptor when the susceptor support means releases the susceptor; The susceptor on which the wafer is placed is held by the susceptor support means, and the susceptor is held on the pedestal when the wafer is taken into and out of the chamber. Thus, the susceptor is released from the susceptor supporting means, and the susceptor supporting means lifts the wafer from the susceptor by pushing up the lid from below through the through-hole of the susceptor held by the pedestal. A wafer processing apparatus characterized by being capable of being provided is provided.

  With such an apparatus, when processing a wafer, the susceptor on which the wafer is placed is held by the susceptor support means, and when the wafer is taken in and out of the chamber, the susceptor is held on the pedestal to support the susceptor. The wafer can be lifted from the susceptor by pushing up the lid from below through the through hole of the susceptor that is released from the susceptor support means held by the pedestal, so the uniaxial susceptor with a simple structure A wafer processing apparatus capable of supporting both the susceptor and lifting the wafer from the susceptor while being a support means, and capable of lifting the wafer from the susceptor while having a simple uniaxial structure. be able to.

  In this case, a wafer transfer means having a fork for supporting the wafer from the lower surface is provided, and the wafer transfer means supports the wafer on the lid body pushed up from the susceptor by the fork and out of the chamber. Preferably, the wafer is transferred, and the wafer is supported on the fork and placed on the lid body pushed up from the susceptor in the chamber.

  As described above, the apparatus includes wafer transfer means having a fork for supporting the wafer from the lower surface, and the wafer transfer means supports the wafer on the lid pushed up from the susceptor with the fork and transfers the wafer outside the chamber. If the wafer is mounted on a lid pushed up from the susceptor in the chamber by supporting the wafer with a fork, dust generation will not occur when the wafer is transferred, and the wafer will not be damaged. It can be a processing device.

The lid body has a cap-like shape, and a counterbore is formed around the through-hole of the susceptor so that the cap-like lid body can be fitted, and the lower surface of the lid body has the susceptor support means. It is preferable that it is formed so that it can be fitted.
Further, the lid body has a thick pin-like shape in comparison with the lower part, and a counterbore is formed around the through-hole of the susceptor so that the upper part of the pin-like lid body can be fitted. It is preferable that the lower end of the pin-shaped lid is formed so as to be fitted to the susceptor support means.

  If the wafer processing apparatus is formed so that the lid can be fitted into the through hole of the susceptor and the lower part of the lid can be fitted to the susceptor support means, the wafer is processed. In some cases, the through hole of the susceptor and the lid are securely fitted, and the upper surface of the susceptor and the lid can be substantially flush with each other, so that the entire surface of the wafer can be processed in a uniform environment. Further, when lifting the wafer from the susceptor, the susceptor support means and the lid are securely fitted, so that the wafer can be reliably lifted.

  The wafer processing apparatus may perform epitaxial growth on a single crystal wafer or heat-treat the wafer.

  As described above, if the wafer processing apparatus is an apparatus for performing epitaxial growth on a single crystal wafer, or heat-treating the wafer, the susceptor can be formed while being a uniaxial susceptor support means having a simple structure. It is possible to both support and lift the wafer from the susceptor, to perform epitaxial growth or heat treatment of the wafer at a low cost, and to make a wafer processing apparatus in which particles or scratches are not easily attached to the processed wafer. Can do.

  The wafer processing apparatus according to the present invention can be a lift pin type wafer processing apparatus that can use a fork type as a wafer transfer means while having a simple uniaxial structure. For this reason, it is not necessary to use a Bernoulli-type wafer chuck as a wafer transfer means, and the uniaxial type with a simple structure is inexpensive and can perform desired processing by transferring the wafer while suppressing dust generation and scratches. A high-quality wafer processing apparatus can be obtained.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
1 to 3 are schematic views showing an example of a wafer processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a state during processing of a wafer. FIG. 2 shows a state where the susceptor is held on the pedestal and the susceptor support means is released from the susceptor. FIG. 3 shows a state where the lid is pushed up by the susceptor support means and the wafer is lifted.

  The wafer processing apparatus 100 includes at least a chamber 11, a susceptor 12 that is disposed in the chamber 11 and on which a wafer W to be processed is placed, and at least three through holes that vertically penetrate the susceptor 12. 13, a lid 14 disposed so as to close the through-hole 13, a susceptor support means 16 that supports the susceptor 12 so as to be rotatable up and down, and a susceptor when the susceptor support means 16 releases the susceptor 12. Instead of the support means 16, a pedestal 17 that can hold the susceptor 12 is provided.

  In this case, the shape of the susceptor support means 16 is not particularly limited. For example, the same number of arms as the through holes 13 extend from the central axis, and the angle at which the tips of the arms correspond to the positions of the through holes. Can be arranged in. Further, the number of through holes and arms is 3 respectively, and it is preferable that they are arranged at an equal angle since a simple structure can be obtained. Of course, the number of through-holes and arms can be four or more.

The lid body 14 is preferably locked by a counterbore formed around the through hole 13. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the lid body 14 has a cap-like shape, and a counterbore 15 is formed so as to be fitted around the through-hole 13 of the susceptor 12, and the lower surface is the susceptor support means 16. It is formed so that it can be fitted. By providing such a lid, even if a through-hole is formed in the susceptor, it is possible to prevent variations such as temperature distribution during wafer processing. The wafer can be lifted from the susceptor by pushing up the lid 14 from below through the through hole 13 by the susceptor support means 16.
As shown in FIG. 5, the lid body 14 may have a shape like a pin having a thicker upper portion than the lower portion. In this case, the tip of the arm of the susceptor support means 16 has a concave shape and is fitted with a pin-shaped lid. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the relationship is opposite to the convex shape of the arm tip.

The susceptor support means 16 can support the susceptor so that it can freely rotate up and down, and can support the susceptor 12 so that it can be released. When the susceptor support means 16 releases the susceptor 12, the base 17 holds the susceptor 12 as shown in FIG. Further, by rotating the arm and disposing it immediately below the through hole, the susceptor support means 16 can push up the lid 14 disposed in the through hole 13 of the susceptor 12 as shown in FIG.
Further, the location where the susceptor support means 16 holds the susceptor 12 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the susceptor support means 16 be disposed at an angle such that the tip portion of the arm supports an intermediate point between the through holes as shown in FIG. At this time, it is preferable to provide a fitting portion 18 so that the susceptor 12 and the susceptor support means 16 do not slip. This is convenient for positioning when the susceptor support means supports the susceptor, and it does not drop.

In order to process a wafer using the wafer processing apparatus according to the present invention, the following order is used.
First, as shown in FIG. 1, the susceptor 12 on which the wafer W is placed is supported by the susceptor support means 16 to perform a desired process such as epitaxial growth or heat treatment. When the processing is completed, as shown in FIG. 2, the susceptor is lowered, the susceptor is held by the base 17, and the susceptor support means 16 is released from the susceptor. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the susceptor support means 16 is rotated, for example, the tip of the arm of the susceptor support means 16 is aligned directly below the through hole 13 of the susceptor 12, and the lid body 14 is moved from the through hole 13 of the susceptor 12. Push up and hold. As a result, the wafer W is lifted from the susceptor.
Next, the fork-type wafer transfer means 20 is used to support the wafer W on the lower surface and carry it out of the chamber 11 from the transfer port 23, and the wafer W to be processed next is pushed up by the susceptor support means 16. Place on top.
Thus, in the present invention, since the wafer can be taken in and out of the chamber by lifting the wafer from the susceptor, generation of particles and damage to the wafer can be prevented.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the susceptor support means 16 is lowered while the susceptor 12 is held on the base 17. As a result, the lid 14 is fitted to the susceptor 12, and the wafer 12 is placed on the susceptor 12.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the susceptor support means 16 is rotated to support and lift, for example, the fitting processing portion 18 of the susceptor 12.
In this state, by rotating the susceptor support means 16, the gas is supplied into the chamber 11 using the gas supply port 21 and the gas discharge port 22 while rotating the susceptor 12, and wafer processing such as epitaxial growth processing and heat treatment is performed again. It can be carried out.

  After processing the wafer, the susceptor support means 16 is lowered again as shown in FIG. 2 to hold the susceptor 12 on the base 17 and release the susceptor support means 16 from the susceptor 12. Next, the susceptor support means 16 is rotated so that the tip of the arm is aligned directly below the through hole 13 of the susceptor 12.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the susceptor support means 16 is raised again, and the lid 14 fitted in the through hole 13 is pushed up to lift the wafer W from the susceptor 14. Next, the fork-type wafer transfer means 20 is inserted from the transfer port 23, enters from the side between the wafer W and the susceptor 12, supports the wafer W from below, and transfers it outside the chamber 11.

  Thus, if a wafer is processed using the wafer processing apparatus according to the present invention, a lift pin type wafer processing apparatus that can use a fork type as a wafer transfer means while having a simple uniaxial structure. It can be.

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example and a comparative example are shown and this invention is demonstrated further more concretely, this invention is not limited to these.
(Example)
1-3, using the wafer processing apparatus of the present invention, which has a uniaxial susceptor support means, lifts the wafer from the susceptor, and transfers the wafer using a fork-type wafer transfer means, Epitaxial growth was performed on 2000 silicon wafers having a diameter of 200 mm and a thickness of 725 μm.
As a result, the failure rate due to particles was 1.5%, and the failure rate due to particles could be suppressed to a low level. The defect rate due to wafer scratches was 0.7%, which was also a good value.

(Comparative example)
Epitaxial growth was performed on 2000 silicon wafers under the same conditions as in Example 1 using the wafer processing apparatus for transferring wafers using Bernoulli-type wafer transfer means shown in FIG.
As a result, the defect rate due to particles was 2.5%, which was higher than that of Example 1. Further, the defect rate due to scratches on the wafer was 4.2%, and defects due to scratches occurred frequently.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The above-described embodiment is an exemplification, and the present invention has any configuration that has substantially the same configuration as the technical idea described in the claims of the present invention and that exhibits the same effects. Are included in the technical scope.

It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an example of the processing apparatus of the wafer which concerns on this invention, and is a schematic diagram which shows an example in the process of a wafer. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an example of the processing apparatus of the wafer which concerns on this invention, is a schematic view when a susceptor is hold | maintained at a base and a susceptor support means is released from the susceptor. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an example of the processing apparatus of the wafer which concerns on this invention, pushes up a cover body with a susceptor support means, and is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an example when a wafer is lifted. It is the schematic which shows the case where the cover body of the wafer processing apparatus which concerns on this invention is cap shape, (a) is the schematic which shows the case where the cover body is pushed up by the susceptor support means, (b) It is the schematic which shows the case where a susceptor support means is separated from the cover body. It is the schematic which shows the case where the cover body of the wafer processing apparatus which concerns on this invention is pin shape, (a) is the schematic diagram which shows the case where the cover body is pushed up by the susceptor support means, (b) It is the schematic which shows the case where a susceptor support means is separated from the cover body. It is the schematic which shows the processing apparatus of the wafer which has the conventional double tube | pipe type susceptor moving mechanism, (a) is the schematic which showed the mode in process of a wafer, (b) is at the time of transferring a wafer FIG. It is the schematic which shows the processing apparatus of the wafer which has the conventional Bernoulli-type wafer transfer means, (a) is the schematic which showed the mode in process of the wafer, (b) is the outline at the time of transferring a wafer FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Chamber, 12 ... Susceptor, 13 ... Through-hole, 14 ... Cover body,
15 ... Counterbore, 16 ... Susceptor support means, 17 ... Base, 18 ... Fitting processing part,
20 ... Wafer transfer means, 21 ... Supply port, 22 ... Discharge port, 23 ... Transfer port,
51 ... Chamber, 52 ... Susceptor, 53 ... Susceptor support means,
54 ... Lift pin, 55 ... Lift pin lifting means, 56 ... Through hole,
61 ... Chamber, 62 ... Susceptor, 63 ... Susceptor support means,
69: Wafer transfer means, 100: Wafer processing apparatus, W: Wafer.

Claims (5)

A wafer processing apparatus, comprising at least a chamber, a susceptor placed in the chamber, on which a wafer to be processed is placed, and a susceptor support means for supporting the susceptor so as to be rotatable up and down. And
The susceptor has at least three through holes penetrating vertically, and has a lid disposed so as to close the through hole, and the susceptor support means can release the susceptor. The susceptor support means has a pedestal for holding the susceptor when the susceptor support means is released, and when processing the wafer, the susceptor on which the wafer is placed is held by the susceptor support means, When the wafer is taken into and out of the chamber, the susceptor is released from the susceptor support means by holding the susceptor on the pedestal, and the susceptor support means is passed through the through hole of the susceptor held by the pedestal. A wafer characterized in that the wafer can be lifted from the susceptor by pushing up the lid from below. Of the processing device.   2. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising wafer transfer means having a fork for supporting the wafer from a lower surface, the wafer transfer means being pushed up from the susceptor and the wafer on the lid body. The wafer is supported by the fork and transferred to the outside of the chamber, and the wafer is supported by the fork and placed on the lid body pushed up from the susceptor in the chamber. A wafer processing device.   3. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lid has a cap-like shape, and a seat is provided so that the cap-like lid can be fitted around a through-hole of the susceptor. An apparatus for processing a wafer, wherein a counterbore is formed, and a lower surface of the lid is formed so as to be fitted to the susceptor support means.   3. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lid has a pin-like shape whose upper part is thicker than the lower part, and the pin-like lid is formed around a through hole of the susceptor. A wafer processing apparatus, wherein a counterbore is formed so that an upper portion of the body can be fitted, and a lower end of the pin-shaped lid is formed so as to be fitted to the susceptor support means. .   5. The wafer according to claim 1, wherein the wafer processing apparatus performs epitaxial growth on a single crystal wafer or heat-treats the wafer. 6. Processing equipment.

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