JP7333675B2 - LIFT PIN, SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING APPARATUS AND LIFT PIN MANUFACTURING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a lift pin for supporting a substrate, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus having the lift pin, and a method for manufacturing the lift pin.

2. Description of the Related Art An apparatus (hereinafter simply referred to as a "semiconductor manufacturing apparatus") for manufacturing a semiconductor device by crystal-growing a semiconductor material on a substrate placed on a stage to form a film has been developed. In the process of manufacturing semiconductor devices, semiconductor manufacturing equipment requires special conditions such as the use of reactive gases in environments such as high temperature and high vacuum. Therefore, in order to improve the yield of semiconductor devices, a high degree of cleanliness is required inside the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

By the way, in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, when transporting a substrate on a holder, it is common to lift the substrate from the holder and use an arm. At this time, the substrate can be lifted by supporting at least three points on the back surface of the substrate with a support (hereinafter referred to as “lift pins”) connected to the lifting mechanism and lifting the lift pins.

Since the lift pins support the back surface of the substrate, they are preferably made of a soft material so as not to damage the substrate. In this respect, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-225444 (Patent Document 1) discloses a lift pin in which at least the surface region of the lift pin is made of a material having a lower strength than the susceptor on which the substrate is placed.

However, the internal environment of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment is special as described above, and may affect the life of the lift pins. In addition, the lift pins should be made of a material that does not contaminate the portion of the backside of the substrate that is in contact with the lift pins. Patent Document 1 does not consider the durability performance of the lift pins, the contamination of the substrate, and the like, and further technological development has been required regarding the structure of the lift pins.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a lift pin, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and a lift pin manufacturing method that ensure strength and do not affect the substrate.

That is, according to the present invention,
A lift pin that is attached to an elevating mechanism that lifts the substrate during transportation of the substrate in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and that supports the substrate,
comprising a first member that contacts the substrate when the substrate is lifted, and a second member that is connected to the lifting mechanism;
the first member has a hardness lower than that of the substrate;
The second member is characterized by having a higher strength than the first member,
Lift pins are provided.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a lift pin, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and a lift pin manufacturing method that ensure strength and do not affect the substrate.

The figure which shows the schematic structure of the internal space of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of lift pins when transferring a substrate in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of lift pins when transferring a substrate in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment; Sectional drawing which shows the example of the structure of the lift pin of this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a first manufacturing method for manufacturing the lift pin of the present embodiment; The figure which shows the 2nd manufacturing method which manufactures the lift pin of this embodiment.

The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described later. In addition, in each figure referred to below, the same reference numerals are used for common elements, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

In the embodiment described below, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 uses a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method in which a semiconductor material is crystal-grown on the surface of the substrate W by reacting the substrate W with a gaseous precursor material. will be described as an example, but the embodiment is not particularly limited. Therefore, the present embodiment can be applied to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 that performs various crystal growths such as the sputtering method, the ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) method, the MBE (Molecular Beam Epitaxy) method, and the like.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an internal space of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 of this embodiment. In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the substrate W and the precursor material are caused to react with each other at a predetermined position in the internal space, and the semiconductor material is crystal-grown on the surface of the substrate W. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the substrate W is transported through the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 at any time and placed on a holder or the like.

The substrate W can be lifted from the holder by lift pins 10 and transported by an arm or the like, which will be described later. The lift pins 10 are components that support the substrate W from the back side and are moved vertically by an elevating mechanism. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes at least three lift pins 10a, 10b, and 10c in order to stably support the substrate W, as shown in FIG.

Next, transfer of the substrate W will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 and 3 are diagrams showing an operation example of the lift pins 10 when transferring the substrate W in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 of this embodiment. In addition, in the embodiment described below, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 having three lift pins 10 is exemplified, but the embodiment is not particularly limited.

First, FIG. 2 will be described. 2A and 2B are side views of an operation example of the lift pins 10 of the present embodiment. FIG. 2A shows a state in which the substrate W is placed on the holder 20, and FIG. It shows a state lifted from

As shown in FIG. 2(a), the holder 20 is provided with holes through which the lift pins 10a-10c pass, and the lifting mechanism moves the lift pins 10a-10c in the directions of the arrows in the drawing. When the lift pins 10a to 10c are lifted, each lift pin 10 contacts the substrate W placed on the holder 20, and further lifts the substrate W from the holder 20. As shown in FIG. Accordingly, the substrate W is brought into the state shown in FIG. 2(b), and then transported by an arm or the like. Note that the holder 20 may be heated during the crystal growth process of the substrate W, and from the viewpoint of heat uniformity, it is preferable that the holes through which the lift pins 10 pass are small. Therefore, the shape of the lift pin 10 is generally thin.

Next, FIG. 3 will be described. 3A and 3B are perspective views of an operation example of the lift pins 10 of the present embodiment. FIG. 3A shows a state in which the substrate W is placed on the holder 20, and FIG. It shows a state lifted from That is, FIG. 3(a) corresponds to FIG. 2(a), and FIG. 3(b) corresponds to FIG. 2(b). It should be noted that in FIG. 3, the holder 20 in FIG. 2 is omitted from the viewpoint of visibility of the drawing.

As shown in FIG. 3(a), the lift pins 10a to 10c are raised in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3(a) to come into contact with the substrate W and the substrate W is lifted. At this time, the substrate W is lifted up to a height supported by the arm 30 as shown in FIG. 3(b). After that, the arm 30 moves in the direction of the arrow in FIG. When the lift pins 10a to 10c are lowered after the arm 30 is inserted under the substrate W, the substrate W is placed on the arm 30, and the substrate W is transported by the arm 30 moving.

Incidentally, if the substrate W is damaged due to contact with the lift pins 10 when the substrate W is lifted, the yield of semiconductor devices is lowered. Therefore, it is preferable that the tip portion of the lift pin 10 is made of a material softer than the substrate W. As shown in FIG. On the other hand, since the lift pins 10 have an elongated shape, it is preferable that they have strength enough to withstand repeated transportation processes. Further, in order to maintain the cleanliness of the internal space of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1, the material of the lift pins 10 is required to withstand high temperature and high vacuum and to have corrosion resistance to the precursor material. be done. Therefore, the lift pin 10 preferably has the structure of the embodiment described below.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the structure of the lift pin 10 of this embodiment. Various structures as shown in FIGS. 4(a) to 4(f) can be adopted for the lift pin 10 of the present embodiment. The lift pin 10 of this embodiment is composed of a first member 11 forming a tip portion of the lift pin 10 and a second member 12 connected to an elevating mechanism below the lift pin 10 . The lift pins 10 can be moved vertically by being driven by an elevating mechanism connected to the second member 12, and the first member 11 abuts the back surface of the substrate W when the substrate W is lifted.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the lift pins 10 of each structural example of the present embodiment use different materials for the first member 11 and the second member 12 . In particular, the first member 11 forming the tip portion uses a material having a lower hardness than the substrate W, so that the substrate W can be lifted without damaging the substrate W during the transfer process. In general semiconductor manufacturing processes, for example, Si (silicon) substrates, Ge (germanium) substrates, SiC (silicon carbide) substrates, sapphire substrates, GaN (gallium nitride) substrates, GaP (gallium phosphide) substrates, GaAs substrates, Substrates made of various materials such as gallium nitride) substrates and InP (indium phosphide) substrates are used. Therefore, the material of the first member 11 in this embodiment can be selected to have lower hardness than these substrate materials. For example, polyimide resin, Teflon (registered trademark), rubber, carbon graphite, or the like can be used as the material of the first member 11, but the embodiment is not particularly limited.

On the other hand, if the entire lift pin 10 is made of a soft material like the first member 11, it becomes difficult to ensure sufficient strength of the lift pin 10 during the transportation process. Therefore, by using a material having a higher strength than the first member 11, the second member 12 can withstand repeated transportation processes. Here, the "high-strength material" used in the description of the present embodiment means that sufficient strength can be secured as the lift pins 10, that is, that the strength is enough to withstand the lifting and transportation of the substrate W, and that the crystal growth It means that it can withstand heating in the process. As the material of the second member 12, for example, tungsten, zirconia, various ceramic materials, various metal materials, etc. can be used, but the embodiment is not particularly limited.

Details of each structure of the lift pin 10 shown in FIGS. 4(a) to 4(f) will be described below.

First, FIG. 4A will be described. FIG. 4(a) shows a first example of the structure of the lift pin 10 of this embodiment. The lift pin 10 of the first example has a structure in which a second member 12 is arranged below a first member 11, as shown in FIG. 4(a). In a first example, the first member 11 and the second member 12 can be fixed by an adhesive or the like. In the lift pin of the first example, the first member 11 is made of a soft material and the second member 12 is made of a high-strength material. can improve the strength of

Next, FIG. 4B will be described. FIG. 4B shows a second example of the structure of the lift pin 10 of this embodiment. The lift pin 10 of the second example has a structure in which at least the tip portion of the second member 12 is covered with the first member 11, as shown in FIG. 4(b). That is, the lift pin 10 of the second example has a structure in which the second member 12 is fitted into the concave portion of the first member 11 . By adopting the structure shown in FIG. 4B, the lift pin 10 of the second example has the second member 12 fitted in the first member 11, and the contact area between the members can be increased. , the strength can be improved more than the lift pin 10 of the first example.

Next, FIG. 4(c) will be described. FIG. 4(c) shows a third example of the structure of the lift pin 10 of this embodiment. The lift pin 10 of the third example has a structure in which a first member 11 is fitted in a hollow portion of a cylindrical second member 12, as shown in FIG. 4(c). By adopting the structure shown in FIG. 4C, the lift pin 10 of the third example has the first member 11 fitted into the second member 12, and the contact area between the members can be increased. , the strength can be improved more than the lift pin 10 of the first example.

Next, FIG.4(d) is demonstrated. FIG. 4(d) shows a fourth example of the structure of the lift pin 10 of this embodiment. In the lift pin 10 of the fourth example, as shown in FIG. It is a structure that fits in the part. It should be noted that the lift pin 10 of the fourth example can also have a shape in which the second member 12 has a hollow portion, like the lift pin 10 of the third example shown in FIG. 4(c). That is, the lift pin 10 of the fourth example has a structure in which the first member 11 and the second member 12 are fitted together. By adopting the structure shown in FIG. 4(d), the lift pin 10 of the fourth example can be fixed by fitting the first member 11 and the second member 12 to each other. Since the contact area of the member can be increased, the strength can be improved more than the lift pin 10 of the third example.

Next, FIG. 4(e) will be described. FIG. 4(e) shows a fifth example of the structure of the lift pin 10 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4E, the lift pin 10 of the fifth example has the structure of the lift pin 10 shown in FIG. 4B, in which the first member 11 and the second member 12 are It is a structure having an uneven shape on the contact surface. With the structure shown in FIG. 4(e), the lift pin 10 of the fifth example can fix the first member 11 and the second member 12 by friction. Strength can be improved more than the lift pin 10 .

Next, FIG. 4(f) will be described. FIG. 4(f) shows a sixth example of the structure of the lift pin 10 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4(f), the lift pin 10 of the sixth example has the structure of the lift pin 10 shown in FIG. 4(c), in which the first member 11 and the second member 12 are It is a structure having an uneven shape on the contact surface. With the structure shown in FIG. 4(f), the lift pin 10 of the sixth example can fix the first member 11 and the second member 12 by friction. Strength can be improved more than the lift pin 10 .

By adopting the structure illustrated in FIG. 4, the lift pins 10 of the present embodiment do not damage the substrate W and can have the strength to withstand repeated transfer processes. 4(b) to 4(f), the first member 11 and the second member 12 can be adhered and fixed with an adhesive or the like.

Next, various methods for manufacturing the lift pin 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. The lift pin 10 of this embodiment can be manufactured by a method other than that shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and the following description does not particularly limit the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a first manufacturing method for manufacturing the lift pin 10 of this embodiment. The first manufacturing method shown in FIG. 5 is particularly suitable for manufacturing the lift pins 10 having the structures shown in FIGS. 4(c) and 4(d).

In the first manufacturing method, first, as shown in FIG. 5A, a step of processing the second member 12 into a cylindrical shape is performed. Note that the second member 12 may be prepared in the process of FIG. 5(a) by preparing a processed one.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, a step of injecting the liquid first member 11 into the hollow portion of the second member 12 is performed. After that, in FIG. 5C, a step of curing the injected first member 11 is performed.

After that, as shown in FIG. 5D, a step of forming the cured first member 11 into a predetermined shape is performed. By performing the steps shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D, the lift pin 10 of this embodiment as shown in FIG. 4B can be manufactured.

Next, FIG. 6 will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second manufacturing method for manufacturing the lift pin 10 of this embodiment. In FIG. 6, the method of manufacturing the lift pin 10 shown in FIG. 4(f) is described as an example, but the embodiment is not particularly limited, and the lift pin 10 having another structure may be manufactured. However, the manufacturing method of FIG. 6 can be adopted.

In the second manufacturing method, first, as shown in FIG. 6A, a step of processing the first member 11 and the second member 12 into predetermined shapes is performed. In the example of FIG. 6A, the first member 11 is processed into a shape having a convex portion, and the second member 12 is processed into a shape having a concave portion.

Further, in the process of FIG. 6A, the convex portion of the first member 11 and the longitudinal surface of the concave portion of the second member 12, that is, the surface in contact with the member to be paired becomes uneven. It can be processed as In this way, by processing the side surfaces of the convex portion and the concave portion into an uneven shape, the lift pin 10 as shown in FIG. 4(f) can be manufactured.

After that, by performing a step of fitting the first member 11 to the concave portion of the second member 12, the lift pin 10 of the present embodiment can be manufactured as shown in FIG. 6(b). In addition, in the fitting step in the second manufacturing method, an adhesive may be applied to the contact surfaces of the first member 11 and the second member 12, thereby further improving the strength of the lift pin 10. can be made

According to the embodiments of the present invention described above, it is possible to provide a lift pin, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and a lift pin manufacturing method that ensure strength and do not affect the substrate.

As described above, the present invention has been described with embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and within the scope of embodiments that can be conceived by those skilled in the art, as long as the actions and effects of the present invention are exhibited. , are within the scope of the present invention.

1 ... semiconductor manufacturing equipment,
10... lift pin,
11 ... the first member,
12 ... second member,
20... Holder,
30... arm,
W... Substrate

JP 2016-225444 A

Claims (11)

A lift pin that is attached to an elevating mechanism that lifts the substrate during transportation of the substrate in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and that supports the substrate,
It comprises a first member having a rounded tip portion that abuts on the substrate when the substrate is lifted, and a second member connected to the elevating mechanism,
the first member has a hardness lower than that of the substrate and a longitudinal dimension larger than the diameter of the lift pin;
The second member has a higher strength than the first member, and either the first member longitudinally covers the entire longitudinal outer surface of the second member, or the first member covers the extending longitudinally over the entire length of the interior of the second member,
lift pin. (delete) (delete) (delete) 2. The lift pin according to claim 1, wherein the surfaces of the first member and the second member in contact with each other in the longitudinal direction are uneven. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising at least three lift pins according to claim 1 or 5. (delete) A method for manufacturing a lift pin that is attached to an elevating mechanism that lifts a substrate during transportation of the substrate in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and that supports the substrate,
A first lift pin made of a material having a hardness lower than that of the substrate and having a convex portion, a tip portion opposite to the convex portion having a radius, and a longitudinal dimension larger than the diameter of the lift pin. A first step of processing as a member;
a second step of processing a material stronger than the first member as a second member having a recessed portion;
fitting the first member and the second member,
A method of manufacturing a lift pin, wherein the first member extends longitudinally the entire length inside the second member. The first step includes processing a longitudinal surface of the convex portion into an uneven shape,
In the second step, the longitudinal surface of the recessed portion is processed into an uneven shape.
The lift pin manufacturing method according to claim 8. A method for manufacturing a lift pin that is attached to an elevating mechanism that lifts a substrate during transportation of the substrate in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and that supports the substrate,
A material having a hardness lower than that of the substrate is used as a first member having a concave portion, a rounded tip opposite to the concave portion, and having a longitudinal dimension larger than the diameter of the lift pin. a first step of processing;
a second step of processing a material stronger than the first member as a second member having a convex portion;
fitting the first member and the second member,
A method of manufacturing a lift pin, wherein the first member longitudinally covers the entire longitudinal outer surface of the second member. The first step includes processing a longitudinal surface of the recessed portion into an uneven shape,
In the second step, the longitudinal surface of the convex portion is processed into an uneven shape.
11. The method of manufacturing a lift pin according to claim 10.

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