KR19990068950A - Residual Gas Exhaust System - Google Patents

Abstract

The wafer which has completed the preceding process is loaded into the processor chamber for processing, and then when the finished wafer is discharged to the unloading chamber by the robot arm, highly corrosive and toxic reactive gases are unloaded from the processor chamber together with the wafer. In order to prevent the discharge of the remaining reaction gas to the chamber to prevent contamination of the unloading chamber and corrosion of the printed circuit board inside the unloading chamber is disclosed.

According to the present invention, there is provided a first load lock chamber loaded with a wafer cassette having a plurality of wafers having finished the preceding process, a processor chamber for reloading a wafer from the first load lock chamber and performing a semiconductor manufacturing process, and a processor chamber. And a second load lock chamber in which a wafer cassette for receiving the wafer from which the process is completed is installed, wherein the second load lock chamber includes an inert gas powder for de-wafering the reaction gas contained in the wafer where the process is completed from the processor chamber. A dead portion, a mixture of an inert gas and a reaction gas, and a residual gas exhaust for exhausting the reaction gas leaked from the processor chamber to the second load lock chamber.

Description

Residual Gas Exhaust System

The present invention relates to a residual gas exhaust system, and more particularly, when a wafer having finished the preceding process is loaded into a processor chamber and processed, and then the wafer having finished the process is discharged to the unloading chamber by a robot arm, the processor A highly corrosive and toxic reaction gas is discharged from the chamber together with the wafer into the unloading chamber to force the remaining reaction gas to the outside to prevent contamination of the unloading chamber and corrosion of the printed circuit board inside the unloading chamber. The present invention relates to an exhaust system.

As is well known, in order to mass-produce highly integrated semiconductor devices, various and precise processes must be performed. Such a semiconductor manufacturing process essentially requires various kinds of reaction gases, but most of the reaction gases used in the semiconductor manufacturing process are very toxic to humans or corrosive gases that easily corrode metals.

FIG. 1 illustrates a dry etching apparatus for etching photoresist free portions of a wafer using a large amount of toxic and reactive gases during a semiconductor manufacturing process.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the dry etching apparatus includes a first load lock chamber 10 for temporarily loading the transferred wafer cassette after finishing the preceding process, and the wafer 5a from the first load lock chamber 10. Is processed by the robot arm to carry out the dry etching process and the wafer 5a having undergone the process to transfer the etched wafer 5a to the subsequent process from the processor chamber 20 again. And a second load lock chamber 40 to be loaded.

In addition, a first connection passage 15 connecting the first load lock chamber 10 and the processor chamber 20 to transfer the wafer 5a from the first load lock chamber 10 to the processor chamber 20. The first connecting passage 15 should be provided with a robot arm.

In addition, in order to transfer the wafer 5a processed in the processor chamber 20 to the second load lock chamber 40, another second connection connecting the processor chamber 20 and the second load lock chamber 40 is performed. The discharge chamber 30 in which the robot arm is provided is provided in the center part of the 2nd connection channel | path 25 and 35 which requires the channel | path 25 and 35. As shown in FIG.

The first connecting passage 15 to prevent toxic and corrosive reaction gases from being discharged to the outside when the wafer enters and leaves the processor chamber 20 from the processor chamber 20 to the first and second load lock chambers 10 and 40. Outer doors 15a and 35b are provided in the second connecting passages 25 and 35 so that the passages are hermetically sealed.

As a result, the wafer of the wafer cassette loaded into the first load lock chamber 10 is loaded into the processor chamber 20 by the robot arm of the first connection passage 15, and then the process proceeds, and the wafer which has been processed again is processed. From the processor chamber 20 is loaded into the empty wafer cassette 45 waiting in the second load lock chamber 40 and transferred to the subsequent process.

However, in a semiconductor manufacturing facility using conventional toxic and corrosive reaction gases, as shown in the accompanying FIG. 2, the trace amount remained at the moment when the processor chamber 20 was opened to discharge the processed wafer to a subsequent process. The process gas is discharged to the outside of the processor chamber 20, or discharged to the outside in a state of being deposited on the back of the wafer, etc., contaminating the inside of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to discharge the reaction gas outside the processor chamber to forcibly exhaust the reaction gas that is severely polluted by being discharged outside the processor chamber. Another passage is communicated at a predetermined position, the passage is in communication with the exhaust duct so that the reaction gas can be exhausted, and nitrogen gas is blown between the wafer and the wafer loaded in the wafer cassette to improve the exhaust performance. The present invention provides a residual gas exhaust system for forcibly exhausting residual gas deposited on a wafer.

1 is a conceptual diagram conceptually illustrating a conventional dry etching facility.

FIG. 2 shows that corrosive gas leaks when a processed wafer from a conventional dry etching facility is discharged to a receive indexer.

3 is a conceptual diagram showing the application of the residual gas exhaust system according to the present invention in a dry etching facility.

4 is an enlarged view of a portion of a residual gas exhaust system;

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, a residual gas exhaust system includes a first load lock chamber loaded with a wafer cassette having a plurality of wafers finished in a previous process, and a semiconductor loaded with a wafer from the first load lock chamber. And a second load lock chamber in which a processor chamber for performing a manufacturing process and a wafer cassette for receiving a wafer having finished the process from the processor chamber are installed, the second load lock chamber being included in the wafer where the process is completed from the processor chamber. And an inert gas injection unit for de-wafering the reaction gas, a mixture of the inert gas and the reaction gas, and a residual gas exhaust unit for exhausting the reaction gas leaked from the processor chamber to the second load lock chamber. .

Specifically, the inert gas injector is configured to supply an inert gas to a nozzle unit for injecting inert gas between the wafer inserted into the slot of the wafer cassette and the wafer, an inert gas pipe for supplying the inert gas to the nozzle unit, and an inert gas pipe. It is characterized by consisting of an inert gas supply unit for supplying.

Specifically, the inert gas injection unit is characterized in that at least two, and the direction of the inert gas injected by the inert gas injection unit is characterized in that the residual gas exhaust pipe direction.

Preferably, the residual gas exhaust pipe is characterized in that the exhaust fan (fan) is provided.

Optionally, the inert gas injection unit is characterized in that the injection of nitrogen gas.

Hereinafter, with reference to Figures 3 and 4 attached to the dry etching facility to which the present invention residual gas exhaust system is applied as follows.

The wafer 105a having completed the preceding process is loaded on the wafer carrier 105 and loaded into the first load lock chamber 110 of the dry etching facility.

The wafer 105a from the first load lock chamber 110 is loaded back into the processor chamber 120. In order to load the wafer 105a from the first load lock chamber 110 into the processor chamber 120, the wafer 105a is loaded. A connection passage through which the wafer 105a can pass may be formed between the load lock chamber 110 and the processor chamber 120. Unexplained reference numeral 115a denotes a robot arm.

In this way, the connection passage connecting the first load lock chamber 110 and the processor chamber 120 becomes the first connection passage 115. On the other hand, the second connection passage 125 for unloading the wafer 105a loaded from the first load lock chamber 110 through the first connection passage 115 on the other side of the processor chamber 120 has undergone a process. 135 is formed.

On the other hand, an exit chamber 130 communicates with an intermediate portion of the second connection passages 125 and 135.

The wafer from which the process is completed from the processor chamber 120 is loaded into the discharge chamber 130 by the robot 130a installed in the discharge chamber 130, and the wafer loaded into the discharge chamber 130 is robot again. It is conveyed to the last part of the second connecting passage 135 by the arm 130b.

Here, the robot arm 135a is again installed in the second connection passage 135 so that the wafer transferred by the robot arm 130b of the discharge chamber 130 is transferred to the second load lock chamber by the last robot arm 135a. Flows into 140.

The second load lock chamber 140 is in airtight communication with the second connecting passage 135, and a portion of the second load lock chamber 140 is opened, and the opened portion is a flexible tube or a predetermined diameter. An exhaust pipe 147 having a communication therewith is in communication.

On the other hand, the second load lock chamber 140 is provided with a wafer cassette 145 so that the wafer discharged from the discharge chamber 130 is loaded. The wafer cassette 145 is mounted on the wafer plate 140b, and the vertical displacement generating unit 140a is provided on the wafer plate 140b.

Here, the vertical displacement generating unit 140a should be designed so that the wafer plate 140b may be finely adjusted to be transferred up and down. As such, when the wafer plate 140a is finely adjusted by the vertical displacement generating unit 140a and the up and down movement occurs, the wafer 105a can be sequentially inserted into the slot of the wafer cassette 145.

In addition, a nitrogen gas injection nozzle unit 150 for injecting high-pressure nitrogen gas is formed on the rear surface of the wafer cassette 145 placed on the wafer plate 140b of the second load lock chamber 140.

The nitrogen gas injection nozzle unit 150 is composed of a plurality of nitrogen gas injection nozzles 150a and a nitrogen gas pipe 150b.

Here, the interval between the nitrogen gas injection nozzles 150a is equal to the interval between the wafer and the wafer. That is, the nitrogen gas injected from the nitrogen gas injection nozzle 150a is injected between the wafer and the wafer so that the corrosive and toxic gases deposited on the wafer are removed from the wafer.

The nitrogen gas injection nozzle 150a is again connected to the nitrogen gas pipe 150b.

The nitrogen gas pipe 150b is in communication with the nitrogen gas supply unit 160 again. A nitrogen gas supply / supply shutoff valve (not shown) may be provided so that nitrogen gas is selectively supplied to an intermediate portion of the nitrogen gas pipe 150b.

Reference numerals 147a and 147b denote optical sensors.

Referring to the accompanying drawings the operation of the present invention residual gas exhaust system configured as described above are as follows.

First, when the wafer 105a, which has completed the preceding process, is loaded into the first load lock chamber 110 of the dry etching apparatus while being loaded in the wafer cassette 145, and the dry etching environment is set, the dry etching process is started. One of the plurality of wafers loaded in the wafer cassette 105 of the first load lock chamber 110 is unloaded by the robot arm 115a and loaded into the processor chamber 120, and in the processor chamber 120 The dry etching process is started on the loaded wafer.

Thereafter, when a predetermined time elapses and the etch target film is removed by the reaction gas, the reaction gas existing in the processor chamber 120 is exhausted and purged.

When the exhaust gas and the purge are performed, the wafer located in the processor chamber 120 is discharged to the discharge chamber 130 by the robot arm 130b of the discharge chamber 130.

Thereafter, before the outer door 135b of the discharge chamber 130 is opened, a fan 147c formed in the exhaust pipe 147 of the second load lock chamber 140 may be formed into the second load lock chamber 140. The remaining toxic gas and corrosive gas are taken into the exhaust pipe 147.

As such, the corrosive gas and the toxic gas are sucked into the exhaust pipe 147, and the wafer which is finished with the process is inserted into the slot of the empty wafer cassette which is waiting by the robot arm.

At this time, the nitrogen gas is injected into the wafer inserted into the wafer cassette slot in the nitrogen gas injection nozzle 150a positioned at the rear of the slot of the wafer cassette 145 into which the wafer is completed and deposited on the surface of the wafer. De-wafer the trace amount of the reaction gas to corrode.

The corrosive reaction gases separated from the wafer by the nitrogen gas injection nozzles 150a are also intaken into the exhaust pipe 147 and transported to the exhaust duct, and the reaction gas transported to the exhaust duct is further purified and neutralized by various gas treatment facilities. Exhaust to the outside.

Corrosion and toxic reaction gas introduced from the discharge chamber 130 into the second load lock chamber 140 and the reaction gas deposited on the back surface of the wafer are removed at a time to actively prevent contamination and corrosion in the semiconductor manufacturing equipment. It is effective.

As described in detail above, by forcibly evacuating the reaction gas leaking when the unprocessed wafer is unloaded to corrode the surroundings, it is possible to prevent a shortening of the service life due to contamination and corrosion of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

Claims (6)

A first load lock chamber loaded with a wafer cassette having a plurality of wafers having finished the preceding process, a processor chamber for reloading the wafer from the first load lock chamber to perform a semiconductor manufacturing process, and from the processor chamber A second load lock chamber in which a wafer cassette for receiving the wafer at which the process is completed is installed; The second load lock chamber includes an inert gas injection unit for de-wafering the reaction gas contained in the wafer after the process is completed from the processor chamber; And a residual gas exhaust unit for exhausting the reactive gas leaked from the processor chamber to the second load lock chamber. The inert gas injection unit of claim 1, wherein the inert gas injection unit comprises a nozzle unit for injecting the inert gas between the wafer and the wafer inserted into the slot of the wafer cassette; And an inert gas supply unit for supplying an inert gas to the inert gas pipe. 3. The residual gas exhaust system according to claim 2, wherein the inert gas injection unit is at least two. 4. The residual gas exhaust system according to claim 3, wherein the direction of the inert gas injected by the inert gas injector is in the direction of the residual gas exhaust pipe. The residual gas exhaust system according to claim 4, wherein the residual gas exhaust pipe is provided with an exhaust fan. The residual gas exhaust system according to claim 5, wherein the inert gas injection unit injects nitrogen gas.