JPH083745A - Apparatus for processing workpiece - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To process a workpiece, such as a semiconductor, in a chamber formed of a first closure part.

CONSTITUTION: The chamber 11 of the first closure part 10 has an opening 17 through which the workpiece 12 is moved in and out along a moving path. The opening 17 is closed in a second closure part 18 mounted at a suitable RAM 19 and is actuated to open and close in a direction inclined with the moving path of the workpiece 12. The opening 17 may be made relatively small according the constitution.

COPYRIGHT: (C)1996,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for processing a work piece. In particular, although the piece to be processed is a semiconductor wafer, it is not limited to this.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art International application WO93 / 08 which is the applicant of the present invention
In 591, a semiconductor wafer and a processing device for processing a work piece similar to the semiconductor wafer are studied. Here, the work piece is designed to provide high temperature and / or high pressure. Small holes (vias) in layers on a wafer for processing semiconductor wafers and similar workpieces
It is often necessary to create layers to fill the. It is known that in order to fill these holes, high pressure may be applied to the wafer or the temperature may be raised to deform the upper layer to fill the holes.

In the above-mentioned international application WO93 / 08591, when the pair of lid portions are integrated, the opposing surfaces of the two lid portions form a closed recess. A work piece to be processed is accommodated in the enclosed recess, and gas is sent into the recess to raise the internal pressure. The reason for using a pair of lid portions is that the wafer can be placed between the lid portions before the lid portions are combined. Generally, a semiconductor wafer is moved generally parallel to its surface, and is then inserted between these two lid parts. Then, the lid portion is moved vertically to the wafer surface as a whole to be integrated.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is based on the above-mentioned international application WO93 / 085.
The present invention relates to an improvement or modification of the processing device disclosed in 91. This application, which relates to EP-A-0516344, also relates to an application in which a semiconductor wafer is processed in order to apply a high pressure to the wafer to fill a small hole or the like in the wafer.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The first aspect of the present invention resides in an enclosure (lid member) in which a wafer is subjected to high temperature and / or high pressure. As described above, in the application WO93 / 08591, the lid portion is moved perpendicular to the wafer surface.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, the first lid portion forms a recess for receiving a work piece in which the work piece is subjected to high temperature and / or high pressure and to be processed. The pieces are fed from the opening into the recess of the first lid part using suitable charging means. Therefore, a second lid portion is provided to seal the opening. The second lid portion is movable in a direction such that a moving path to the recess of the work piece can be left open, and is movable from or to the closed position.

Preferably, the second lid portion is moved in an oblique direction with respect to the moving path of the work piece.

In this way, the actuating means for moving the second lid part move so as not to obstruct the passage of the work piece to the first lid part and avoid the vertical movement as in application WO93 / 08591. Therefore, the opening of the first lid can be made relatively small,
It is possible to reduce the size of the sealing surface between the first lid portion and the second lid portion, reduce leakage, and achieve a small sealing force.

In a variant of the invention, the second lid part is plate-shaped, which is abutted around the opening of the first lid part and sealed with a suitable seal. Alternatively, the second lid portion may be a plug, which is received and sealed in the opening in the first lid portion. The former is usually preferred because the sealing surface is non-slip, but the latter could be made more compact.

The second lid portion can be moved by an appropriate hydraulic, pneumatic or electric ram, and the first lid portion can contain a heater for heating the work piece.

One or the other of the lid portions serves as a gas inlet / outlet for applying a high pressure to the work piece by pressurizing the inside of the recess in the first lid portion when the first lid portion is sealed by the second lid portion. I need.

However, when the piece to be processed is a semiconductor wafer, it is moved to the inside of the first lid portion by the loading means and is received there on a suitable mounting table, and the loading means is removed. Although the interior of the first lid portion needs to be wide enough to receive the wafer and to receive the loading means, the interior and opening of the first lid portion can be shaped to match the shape of the workpiece. If so, it is possible to reduce the wasted space.

Once the work piece is placed in the first lid portion, the loading means is removed and the second lid portion moves to seal the opening in the first lid portion, then the wafer is subjected to high pressure and temperature. .

A second gist of the present invention is that high-pressure gas is supplied to the enclosure in which the workpiece is processed.

In the known high-pressure processing equipment, the high-pressure gas used is often filtered in order to prevent operation failures of the processing equipment valves and actuators. In general, the purpose of this filtration is to remove particulates from the work piece being treated or from the gas compression feed system which can cause equipment failure. Filters used in such devices are typically capable of holding microparticles of size 1 μ or greater. In such a known high-pressure gas treatment system, gas filtration is not used for the purpose of preventing contamination of the workpiece itself.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the work piece treating apparatus includes an enclosure for treating a work piece, a gas introducing means for introducing gas into the enclosure and pressurizing the gas, and the enclosure. It comprises means for filtering the gas before it is introduced into the body.

Using such a device, the high pressure gas is filtered to protect the workpiece from chemical and / or particulate contamination during processing. This is a particular case where the workpiece to be processed is a semiconductor wafer, which is particularly sensitive to such contamination. Therefore, the processing apparatus of the second aspect is suitable for semiconductor wafer processing. Further, this apparatus may be a processing apparatus of the type described in the above-mentioned International Application WO93 / 08591 or the first aspect of the present invention. The filtering means preferably consists of two filters, the first of which is intended to remove chemical impurities from the gas and the second of which is intended to remove particulate impurities. The first filter is an activated carbon filter that removes oil vapor from the gas. The second filter should ideally be located as close as possible to the processor, preferably with a particle size of 0.02μ or more, and a particle size of 0.
It is such that fine particles up to about 01 μ can be taken in. Alternatively, the filter may be of a size that allows for the inclusion of fine particles which are commensurate with the particular dimensions of the piece being processed. The specific dimension is a dimension related to the minimum pattern to be formed on the work piece. Therefore, depending on the treatment, this filter has the same size as or larger than the specified size, or 1/10 or even 1/50 of the specified size.
Fine particles of even the following dimensions are incorporated. Such high-performance filtration is unique in the high-pressure processing technology of the work piece. The apparatus can bring the process enclosure to a pressure of, for example, 100 bar or more. The apparatus usually also comprises a treatment enclosure and / or heating means for the work piece contained therein. The apparatus may be further equipped with a heater or other suitable apparatus for achieving the required processing conditions.

The present invention also proposes a method of treating a work piece, in particular a semiconductor wafer. The method includes introducing a gas into the enclosure to apply a high pressure to the work piece in the enclosure, but prior to this introduction, filtering the gas. It also includes passing the gas through two filters and filtering for both chemical and particulate impurities as described above.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first lid portion 10 comprises two portions 13, 14 which are retained by bolts 15 but are sealed by a seal 16. Chamber 1 of 1
One end is closed but the other end is opened by an opening 17, which lies in a plane inclined in the direction of extension of the chamber. Second lid part 1
8 is mounted so that it is separated from the opening 17 by means of a suitable ram 19. A seal 20 is provided around the opening 17 to seal the first lid portion 10 and the 21st lid portion 18. To insert a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer into the first lid portion 10, the second lid portion 18 is pulled from the opening 17 by the ram 19. A suitable charging means 30 loads the work piece 12 from outside the first lid part 10 through the opening 17 into the recess 11 at the position shown in FIG. At this position, the work piece 12 is received by the support 31, and the charging means 3
0 is completely withdrawn from the first lid part. The ram 19 then moves the second lid portion 18 against the seal 20 and seals the opening 17. The first lid portion 10 is provided with a heater 32 which is provided with a suitable power supply connection 33 which recesses 11 and heats the work piece 12. A gas inlet / outlet 34 is provided so that the recess 11 is exposed to a high pressure and the workpiece 12 is exposed to the high pressure. The gas inlet / outlet 34 is preferably provided with a seal 35.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, the direction of movement of the second lid portion 18 is inclined (shown by the arrow 36) with respect to the direction of movement of the charging means 30 so that the work piece 12 is inserted into the first lid portion 10. When rammed, the ram retracts the second lid portion 18 completely through the opening 17 and allows the work piece 12 to be inserted into the first lid portion 10. The slope of this movement is not exact. Generally, the smaller the size of the opening, the smaller the slope. In general, it is advantageous to make the opening as small as possible to reduce the sealing area. However, if the inclination angle is small, it is necessary to move the second lid portion 18 largely in order not to obstruct the movement path of the charging means 30. Therefore, a balance of these conditions is required according to the particular implementation. Actually this angle is 30 ~
60 degrees is suitable.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the second lid portion 18 is wider than the opening 17 and thus the seal around it is also large.
In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the second lid part 18 is shaped so that it fits within the region 40 forming the opening of the first lid part 10 and the seal 41 is provided on the second lid part 18. Is provided on the wall of the region 40 to seal it. The other parts of this embodiment are the same as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 and are indicated by the same numerals.

The embodiment of FIG. 3 has the disadvantage that the seal 41 slips along the wall of the region 40 when the second lid part 18 is inserted into the first lid part 10, which is always undesirable. Especially when the piece to be processed is a semiconductor wafer, such slipping of the seal may cause fine particles to contaminate the wafer, which is not preferable. On the other hand, with respect to other conditions, the apparatus of FIG. 3 is satisfactory.

4 and 5 show the same processing apparatus as that shown in FIG. 1, but the same parts are indicated by the same numbers. The device of FIGS. 4 and 5 has another form of second lid portion 18 for sealing the opening 17 of the first lid portion 10. In this case, the second lid part is a seal plate placed in the recess 11 and is arranged at the periphery of the opening 17 so as to overlap and abut the seal 20 in this closed position. This seal plate opens and closes with respect to the opening 17 depending on the number of times the ram 19 is operated.
In the open position, the seal plate 18 fits in the space designated by 50 in the recess 11. The main difference between the second lid member shown in FIG. 4 and that shown in FIG. 1 is that in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the ram 19 does not have to resist the force due to the gas pressure in the recess 11.
With respect to the inner wall of the recess 11, the seal plate 18
It is urged by the force of the pressurizing gas entering inside.

On the other hand, the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5 also have disadvantages as compared with the embodiments of FIGS. In other words, the space 50 for moving the seal plate in order to leave room for the recess 12 of the work piece 12 increases the bulk of the recess.

The embodiment of FIG. 4 can utilize other mechanisms for moving the second lid portion 18 in addition to the ram 19 as in the other illustrated embodiments. This is a peculiarity of the FIG. 4 embodiment, and other types of mechanisms such as electromagnetic actuators or rams that enter the top of the recess 11 through the high pressure seal because the actuating mechanism does not have to withstand high gas pressure may be used.

FIG. 5, which shows the side view of the device, shows two rams 19 for moving the sealing plate 18 into its closed and open positions.

It is natural that the mechanism for moving the seal plate 18 must have an appropriate shape so that the work piece 12 can be put into and taken out of the recess 11 through the opening 17.

The processing apparatus shown in FIG. 6 is based on the first and second embodiments of the present invention. Most of the embodiments are the same as in the FIG. 1 device and like parts are designated by the same numerals. However,
The apparatus shown in FIG. 6 additionally includes a filter assembly 53 located at the gas inlet / outlet port 34 immediately before the inlet of the recess 11. The filter assembly 53 consists of two filters 53a and 53b, the first filter 53a having the purpose of removing chemical contaminants from the gas entering the recess 11, and the second filter 53b having a granular shape. It is intended to remove pollutants.
Thus, the work piece 12 is protected from contaminants entering the recess 11.

Although the filter itself is conventional, the problem is the location and purpose with respect to the recess 11 used in the processing apparatus of the present invention, which is essential in the FIG. 6 apparatus. This particular filter is also very fine, 0.01 μ or 0.02
It can trap microparticles of μ or larger. The actual operating characteristics of this filter are chosen to be commensurate with the size of the work piece, as described above.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a first embodiment of the first gist of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a part of a second embodiment of the first gist of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a third embodiment of the first gist of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an embodiment of the first and second aspects of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 ... First lid portion 11 ... Recess 12 ... Work piece 17 ... Opening 18 ... Second lid portion 19 ... Ram

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A first opening for forming a recess for receiving a work piece and an opening for inserting the work piece and taking it out along a moving path.
A lid portion, a second lid portion that seals the opening of the recess, and a second seal portion that moves the second lid portion to a first seal portion that seals the opening, and open a workpiece movement path from the first seal portion. 2. An apparatus for treating a work piece, comprising: an actuating means for moving to a second part. 2. An apparatus for processing a work piece, wherein an actuating means moves the second lid portion in a direction inclined to a moving path of the work piece. 3. The second lid portion is a plate, the first lid portion forming an abutting portion on the periphery of the opening, and including sealing means extending around the opening. The processing device for a processed piece according to claim 1 or 2. 4. The processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second lid portion is in the form of a plug that can be inserted into the opening and seals the opening. 5. The processing device for a work piece according to claim 1, wherein the first lid portion and the second lid portion are in the recess. 6. The processing apparatus for a work piece according to claim 1, wherein the actuating means includes a ram. 7. The processing apparatus for a work piece according to claim 1, further comprising means for heating the work piece. 8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a gas inlet for pressurizing the recess when the recess is sealed by the second lid portion, the work piece being exposed to high pressure. A processing device for a processed piece according to any one of claims. 9. The processing apparatus for a work piece according to claim 1, further comprising: charging means for moving the work piece in an entrance / exit path to / from the recess. 10. The processing apparatus for a work piece according to claim 1, further comprising a support for supporting the work piece in the recess. 11. A processing piece treating apparatus comprising an enclosure, the piece to be processed, gas introducing means for introducing gas into the enclosure and pressurizing the same, the enclosure. And a means for filtering the gas before introducing the gas into the work piece. 12. The filter according to claim 11, wherein the filtering means comprises two filters, the first of which removes chemical impurities from the gas and the second of which removes particulate impurities. Equipment for processing workpieces. 13. The processing device for a work piece according to claim 12, wherein the filter takes in fine particles corresponding to a desired size of the work piece. 14. The processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the second filter can take in fine particles having a size of 0, 01 μ or more. 15. A method for treating a work piece, wherein gas is introduced into the enclosure to apply a high pressure to the work piece in the enclosure, and the gas is filtered before the introduction. 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the gas is filtered for both chemical and particulate impurities.
5. The method for treating a work piece according to item 5. 17. The opening is sealed by loading the work piece through the opening into the enclosure along a moving path and moving a sealing portion along a stroke inclined to the work piece moving path. A method for processing a piece to be processed, which is characterized by the above.