KR200297281Y1 - Apparatus for arraying the edge ring of a rapid thermal processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an edge ring center alignment device of the RTP device, one end of which three or more guide members 110 for guiding the outer circumferential surface of the edge ring 20; The other end of the guide member 110 is fitted to the upper side of the process chamber 10 so that the edge ring 20 is located inside, and the guide member 110 slides in the centripetal or centrifugal direction toward the outer circumferential surface of the edge ring 20. A cylindrical body 120 having the respective slide support portions 122 coupled to each other at regular intervals along an inner circumferential surface thereof; An elastic member 130 for providing an elastic force to each of the guide members 110 such that the guide members 110 slide in the centripetal direction; As the guide member 110 includes a lever 140 through which the ends of the wires 150 respectively connected to the other end of the guide member 110 through the body 120 so as to slide in the centrifugal direction, RTP By aligning the center of the edge ring of the device with the center of the support ring, the wafer loaded / unloaded by the wafer transfer robot is seated in the center of the edge ring, improving the uniformity of the wafer during the RTP process. In addition, when the support ring rotates, the wafer and the edge ring are prevented from being separated from the support ring, thereby improving the operation rate of the RTP apparatus.

Description

Centering device for edge ring of RTP device {APPARATUS FOR ARRAYING THE EDGE RING OF A RAPID THERMAL PROCESSING SYSTEM}

The present invention relates to an edge ring center alignment device of the RTP device, and more particularly, to an edge ring center alignment device of the RTP device for aligning the center of the edge ring provided in the RTP device to exactly match the center of the support ring. .

The manufacturing process of the semiconductor device consists of repetition of heat treatment, and as an apparatus for performing the heat treatment process, a rapid thermal processing (RTP) apparatus in addition to a furnace is used.

RTP device is used in high heat treatment process because it can achieve the desired effect by using high temperature and at the same time, heat treatment process is carried out for a short time (usually tens of seconds to several minutes). have.

The RTP apparatus includes a process chamber for performing the RTP process of the wafer, a cooldown chamber for cooling the wafer having completed the RTP process from the process chamber, and a wafer transfer robot for transferring the wafer to each chamber. The installed loadlock chamber is included.

Referring to the process chamber of the conventional RTP apparatus with reference to the accompanying drawings as follows.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a process chamber of a conventional RTP apparatus. As shown, the process chamber 10 is provided with an edge ring 20 for supporting the wafer W therein, and rapidly moves the wafer W to a constant temperature on the upper side of the edge ring 20. The heating member 30 for heating is installed.

The process chamber 10 forms a slit 11 on one side, and a slit valve 12 for opening and closing the slit 11 is installed outside the slit 11, and both sides of the reaction gas and a purge are provided for the process. A gas supply port 13 for supplying gas and a gas exhaust port 14 for exhausting the reaction gas and purge gas supplied inward are respectively formed, and the slit 11 opened by the slit valve 12 inside. Through the wafer transport robot (not shown) of the load lock chamber through which the edge ring 20 is mounted is installed.

Edge ring 20 is a guide jaw 21 for guiding the edge of the wafer (W) is formed on the upper surface, as shown in the cross-sectional view showing the support state of the edge ring provided in the conventional RTP apparatus of FIG. It is placed and supported on top of a support ring 40 which is rotatably installed at the center of the inner bottom surface of the chamber 10.

The heating member 30 includes a plurality of lamps 31 arranged in a plurality of radial zones, and a quartz window assembly 32 is provided below.

The conventional RTP device is formed such that the edge ring 20 has a diameter of about 4 mm larger than the diameter of the support ring 40 and is placed on the top of the support ring 40, and the center of the edge ring 20 is It should coincide with the center of the support ring 40 placed in the center of the inner bottom surface of the process chamber 10.

However, it is very difficult for an operator to exactly match the center of the edge ring 20 and the center of the support ring 40, if the edge ring 20 is not centered on the bottom surface inside the process chamber 10, ie If the center of the edge ring 20 and the center of the support ring 40 do not coincide with each other, the guide jaw 21 of the edge ring 20 is loaded with the wafer W loaded / unloaded by a wafer transfer robot (not shown). It is not properly seated on the inside, which not only impairs the uniformity of the wafer during the RTP process, but also causes the wafer W or the edge ring 20 to be separated from the support ring 40 when the support ring 40 is rotated, thereby causing the process chamber 10 to fail. The inside of the process chamber 10 is contaminated by debris generated by a collision or colliding with an inner wall of the c), thereby significantly reducing the operation rate of the RTP apparatus.

The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, an object of the present invention is to align the center of the edge ring provided in the RTP device to exactly match the center of the support ring to the wafer loaded / unloaded by the wafer transfer robot Edge of RTP device to improve wafer uniformity during RTP process and prevent wafer and edge ring from releasing from support ring during rotation of support ring. It is to provide a ring center alignment device.

The present invention for realizing the above object, the device for aligning the center of the edge ring provided in the process chamber of the RTP apparatus, one or more guide members for guiding the outer peripheral surface of the edge ring; Slider is inserted into the upper side of the process chamber so that the edge ring is located on the inside, and the slide support is coupled to the other end of the guide member so as to slide in the centripetal or centrifugal direction toward the outer circumferential surface of the edge ring at regular intervals along the inner circumferential surface. A cylindrical body; An elastic member for providing an elastic force to each of the guide members such that the guide members slide in the centripetal direction; It characterized in that it comprises a lever is connected to the end of the wire connected to the other end of the guide member respectively through the body so that the guide member can slide in the centrifugal direction.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a process chamber of a conventional RTP apparatus,

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a support state of the edge ring provided in the conventional RTP device,

3 is a perspective view illustrating an edge ring center alignment device of the RTP device according to the present invention;

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ of FIG. 3, and FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the guide member is slid in the centrifugal direction by pulling a lever, and FIG. 4B is a center portion of the guide member by an elastic member. Is a cross-sectional view showing a sliding state,

5 is a plan view showing the center of the edge ring is aligned by the edge ring center alignment device of the RTP apparatus according to the present invention.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

110; Guide member 111; roller

112; Support surface 113; Protruding jaw

120; Body 121; Insert

122; Slide support portion 122a; Hollow part

122b; Locking step 130; Elastic member

140; Lever 150; wire

160; Lever support member 161; center

162; Branch

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the most preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail so that those skilled in the art can easily practice.

3 is a perspective view illustrating an edge ring center alignment device of the RTP apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ of FIG. 3, and FIG. 4A is a guide member sliding in a centrifugal direction by pulling a lever. Figure 4b is a cross-sectional view showing the state, Figure 4b is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the guide member is slid in the centripetal direction by the elastic member, Figure 5 is the edge ring of the edge ring center alignment device of the RTP apparatus according to the present invention This is a plan view showing the center aligned.

As shown, the edge ring center alignment device 100 of the RTP apparatus according to the present invention is three or more guide members 110 for guiding the outer peripheral surface of the edge ring 20, the guide member 110 is centripetal or centrifugal A cylindrical body 120 installed at regular intervals along the inner circumferential surface to slide in a direction, an elastic member 130 providing elastic force to each of the guide members 110, and a lever sliding the guide member 110 in a centrifugal direction 140.

Guide member 110 is formed in a substantially "??" shape, one end is made of at least three or more to stably support the outer peripheral surface of the edge ring 20, in the embodiment 3 to 5 As shown, it consists of three.

On the other hand, the guide member 110 is provided with a roller 111 in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the edge ring 20 at one end supporting the outer circumferential surface of the edge ring 20 is rolled when the edge ring 20 is rotated. Therefore, in the state where the guide member 110 is slid in the centripetal direction by the elastic member 130 to elastically support the outer circumferential surface of the edge ring 20, the center of the edge ring 20 is further at the center of the support ring 40. When the edge ring 20 is rotated together with the support ring 40 to accurately match, the edge ring 20 is smoothly rotated from the guide member 110 by the roller 111.

In addition, the guide member 110 has a support surface 112 having the same radius of curvature as the outer circumferential surface of the edge ring 20 at one end of the roller 111 is installed, the roller 111 is supported on the support surface 112 It is preferable that a plurality of pieces are installed at a predetermined interval along the curvature forming direction of the surface 112, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, two rollers 111 are provided for each support surface 112 in the present embodiment. It was. Accordingly, the plurality of rollers 112 support the plurality of points along the outer circumferential surface of the edge ring 20 so that the edge ring 20 is accurately aligned with the center of the body 120.

Then, the guide member 110 is formed at the one end that is slidingly coupled to the slide support 122 of the body 120, the protruding jaw 113 is formed so as not to be separated from the slide support 122 after a certain distance sliding.

As shown in FIG. 4, the body 120 is formed in a cylindrical shape fitted to the upper side of the process chamber 10 so that the edge ring 20 is located inside, and is fixed to a predetermined depth above the process chamber 10. The insertion portion 121 is formed along the outer circumferential surface of the lower outer surface so that the three or more guide members 110 slide in the centripetal direction or the opposite centrifugal direction toward the outer circumferential surface of the edge ring 20. Slide ends 122, to which the other ends are coupled, are formed at regular intervals along the inner circumferential surface.

The slide support part 122 is formed to protrude toward the center of the body 120 on the inner circumferential surface of the body 120, and the hollow part 122a is formed on the inner side so that the other end of the guide member 110 is inserted and slides, and the guide member ( The locking jaw 122b is formed at the inlet side of the hollow portion 122a to be caught by the protruding jaw 113 of the 110.

The elastic member 130 is a guide member 120 is slid in the centripetal direction so that one end thereof elastically supports the outer circumferential surface of the edge ring 20 so that the center of the edge ring 20 is located in the center of the body 110. Provide an elastic force to each of the 110.

On the other hand, the elastic member 130 is formed of a compression coil spring and is mounted on the hollow portion 122a of the slide support portion 122 of the body 120 to provide an elastic force to the other end of the guide member 110.

The lever 140 is connected to the ends of the wires 150 respectively connected to the other ends of the guide members 110 through the bodies 120 so that the guide members 110 can slide in the centrifugal direction. Therefore, by pulling the lever 140, the guide member 110 connected to the wire 150 is slid in the centrifugal direction.

On the other hand, the lever 140 may be stably installed on the upper side of the body 120 by the lever support member 160.

The lever support member 160 has branch portions 162 branched outward from the central portion 161 by the same number as the guide member 110, and the ends of the branch portions 162 are formed above the guide member 110. 120 are respectively connected to the inner circumferential surface, the wire 150 penetrates the inside of the branch portion 162, and the lever 140 is positioned on the upper portion of the central portion 161.

The operation of the edge ring center alignment device of the RTP device having such a structure is performed as follows.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the guide member 110 connected to the lever 140 and the wire 150 slides in the centrifugal direction by pulling the lever 140, and then the insertion portion 121 of the body 120 is provided. To the upper side of the process chamber 10 of the RTP apparatus so that the edge ring 20 is located inside the body 120.

When the body 120 is inserted above the process chamber 10 and the lever 140 is released, the guide members 110 are slid in the centripetal direction as shown in FIG. 5 by the elastic member 130 so that each end thereof is edged. By guiding the outer circumferential surface of the ring 20, the center O of the edge ring 20 coincides with the center O of the body 120, that is, the center O of the support ring 40.

When the support ring 40 is rotated to more accurately align the center of the edge ring 20, the edge ring 20 rotates together with the support ring 40, and at this time, the support surface of the guide member 110 is rotated. The edge ring 20 is accurately supported by the plurality of rollers 111 installed in the 112 and smoothly rotates from the guide member 110.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention as described above, by aligning the center of the edge ring provided in the RTP device to exactly match the center of the support ring, the wafer loaded / unloaded by the wafer transfer robot is seated in the center of the edge ring And prevent the wafer and the edge ring from deviating from the support ring when the support ring rotates.

As described above, the edge ring center aligning device of the RTP device according to the present invention aligns the center of the edge ring provided in the RTP device to be exactly coincident with the center of the support ring so that the wafer loaded / unloaded by the wafer transfer robot is It is to be placed in the center of the edge ring to improve the uniformity of the wafer during the RTP process progress, and to prevent the separation of the wafer and the edge ring from the support ring when the support ring rotates to improve the operation rate of the RTP device.

What has been described above is just one embodiment for implementing the edge ring center alignment device of the RTP device according to the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, which is claimed in the utility model registration claims below As will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from the gist of the present invention, there is a technical spirit of the present invention to the extent that various modifications can be made.

Claims (4)

In the device for aligning the center of the edge ring provided in the process chamber of the RTP device, Three or more guide members, one end of which guides the outer circumferential surface of the edge ring; A slide support part fitted to the upper side of the process chamber so that the edge ring is located inward, and the other end of the guide member coupled to the guide member is slid in the centripetal direction or the centrifugal direction toward the outer circumferential surface of the edge ring, respectively. A cylindrical body formed at regular intervals; An elastic member for providing an elastic force to each of the guide members such that the guide members slide in the centripetal direction; A lever connected to an end of a wire respectively connected to the other end of the guide member through the body so that the guide member can slide in the centrifugal direction; Edge ring center alignment device of the RTP device comprising a. The edge ring center aligning device of an RTP apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one end of the guide member is provided with a roller which is in contact with an outer circumferential surface of the edge ring and is rolled when the edge ring rotates. According to claim 2, wherein one end of the guide member is formed with a support surface having the same radius of curvature as the outer circumferential surface of the edge ring, the plurality of rollers on the support surface at regular intervals along the curvature forming direction of the support surface Edge centering device of the RTP device characterized in that it is installed. The method of claim 1, wherein the branching portion is formed to branch outward from the central portion by the same number as the guide member, the ends of the branching portion are respectively connected to the inner circumferential surface of the upper body of the guide member, the wire inside the branching portion And a lever support member installed through and at the top of the central portion, wherein the lever is positioned.