KR20040107987A - Apparatus and method for manufacturing semiconductor devices - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An apparatus and method of manufacturing a semiconductor device are provided to reduce process-time by pre-heating a wafer using a heated inert gas supplied from a gas supply line. CONSTITUTION: An apparatus includes a process chamber, a lift pin assembly, a gas supply line, and a temperature controller. The process chamber(120) includes a heating plate(124) for loading a semiconductor substrate and a lid(122). The process chamber is connected with a vacuum pump(184) through an exhaust line(182). The lift pin assembly(140) is used for loading stably the substrate on the heating plate by moving itself up and down through predetermined holes of the heating plate. The gas supply line(160) is connected with the lid to supply an inert gas downward from the lid. The temperature controller(170) is used for keeping the temperature of the inert gas constant.

Description

Semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus and method {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES}

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and more particularly to a baking apparatus and a baking method of a spinner installation.

In general, in order to manufacture a semiconductor device, a plurality of processes such as an ion implantation process, a deposition process, a diffusion process, a photo process, and an etching process are required. Among these processes, the photo process is to form a desired pattern on the wafer, which is an essential step for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and is a hexamethyl disilazane (HMDS) process, a coating process, a soft baking process, an exposure process, a hard baking process, and It consists of various processes such as developing process.

Among these processes, the HMDS process is a process of applying a separate coating agent on a wafer in order to increase the application efficiency of the photoresist, and the baking process is a process of cooling or heating a wafer on which a certain process is completed.

The general apparatus in which the baking process is performed has a heating plate that supports the wafer therein and maintains the wafer at the process temperature. However, when the wafer is transferred into the chamber after the lid is opened, the heating plate maintains the process temperature, but the surface of the wafer has a temperature lower than the process temperature due to exposure to the outside. Therefore, even after the wafer is placed on the heating plate and the chamber cover is closed, it takes a long time for the entire upper and rear surfaces of the wafer to reach the process temperature, thereby reducing the throughput.

In addition, even in a general apparatus in which the HMDS treatment process is performed, it takes a long time for the entire upper and rear surfaces of the wafer to reach the process temperature after the chamber cover is closed after the wafer is seated on the heating plate in the apparatus. Since the gas is injected, the temperature in the chamber is lowered, and a long time is required for the wafer to reach the process temperature again.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus capable of shortening the time for which a wafer reaches a process temperature when an HMDS treatment process and a baking process are performed.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an HMDS processing apparatus and method which can prevent the process temperature from being changed when HMDS gas is injected.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a baking apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a flowchart sequentially showing a baking method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an HMDS processing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an HMDS processing apparatus showing a modified example of FIG. And

5 is a flowchart sequentially showing a HMDS processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

120, 220: process chamber 122, 222: cover

124, 224 plate 140, 240 lift pin assembly

142, 242: lift pins 160, 260: gas supply pipe

262a: first supply pipe 262b: second supply pipe

170, 270: temperature control unit 270a: first control unit

270b: second control unit 182, 282: exhaust pipe

In order to achieve the above object, the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention has a process chamber having a heating plate on which the semiconductor substrate is placed and a lid for opening and closing the upper surface of the heating plate. The process chamber is connected to an exhaust pipe connected to a vacuum pump. A lift pin assembly is provided that seats the semiconductor substrate on the heating plate and moves up and down through holes formed in the heating plate. The cover is connected to a gas supply pipe for supplying gas under the cover, and is provided with a temperature control unit for maintaining the gas flowing through the gas supply pipe at a constant temperature.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus is a device in which a baking process is performed, and the gas is heated to a process temperature and supplied onto the semiconductor substrate while the cover is lowered to close the process chamber.

According to another example of the present invention, the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus is a device in which an HMDS treatment process is performed, and the gas supply pipe has a first supply pipe for supplying HMDS gas and a second supply pipe for supplying an inert gas. The inert gas is heated to a process temperature and supplied onto the semiconductor substrate while the lid is lowered to close the process chamber.

In addition, the baking method according to the present invention comprises the steps of providing a heating plate heated to the process temperature, the cover is raised to open the process chamber, the semiconductor substrate is transferred onto the heating plate, the exhaust pipe connected to the process chamber is opened Step, the cover is lowered while the nitrogen gas heated through the gas supply pipe connected to the cover is injected downward, and the exhaust pipe is closed when the process chamber is blocked from the outside.

In addition, the method of performing the HMDS treatment process according to the present invention comprises the steps of providing a heating plate heated to a process temperature, the cover is raised to open the process chamber, the semiconductor substrate is transferred onto the heating plate, the heating plate When the exhaust pipe formed therein is opened, the cover is lowered and the nitrogen gas heated to the process temperature is injected downward through the second supply pipe connected to the cover, when the cover is lowered and the process chamber is cut off from the outside, Closing the exhaust pipe and providing HMDS gas heated to the process temperature through the first supply pipe connected to the cover onto the semiconductor.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

The embodiments of the present invention may be modified in various forms, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited by the embodiments described below. This embodiment is provided to more completely explain the present invention to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the shape of the elements in the drawings are exaggerated to emphasize a clearer description.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the baking apparatus 10 includes a process chamber 120, a lift pin assembly 140, a gas supply pipe 162, and a temperature control unit ( temperature controller).

The process chamber 120 is a portion that accommodates the wafer W and provides a space in which the baking process is performed, and has a heating plate 124 and a lid 122. The heating plate 124 is formed in a circular plate shape, and a heater (not shown) such as a heating wire for heating a wafer placed on the heating plate 124 to a process temperature may be disposed therein. An insertion hole 125, which is a passage through which the lift pin 142 is moved, is formed at an edge portion of the heating plate 124.

The lift pin assembly 140 is for seating the wafer transferred to the upper portion of the heating plate 124 by the arm (not shown) onto the heating plate 124. The lift pins 142, the pedestal 144, the drive shaft 146, and a drive cylinder 148. The lift pins 142 may be provided with three to four, and are coupled to the pedestal 144 disposed under the heating plate 124. The pedestal 144 is supported by the drive shaft 146, and the drive shaft 146 is lifted or lowered vertically by the drive cylinder 148. The drive shaft 146 is lifted so that the lift pins 142 protrude to the top of the heating plate 124, and the wafer carried by the arm is supported by the lift pins 142 on the rear side thereof. Thereafter, the lift pins 142 may be lowered and the wafer may be seated onto the heating plate 124.

Although not shown in the drawings, ceramic balls or wafer guides may be installed on the heating plate 124. The ceramic balls may be disposed evenly on the entire upper surface of the heating plate 124 to prevent the wafer from directly contacting the hot plate 124. The wafer guide is for guiding the wafer to be at the center of the heating plate 124 when the wafer is placed on the heating plate 124, and a plurality of wafer guides may be disposed at the edges of the heating plate 124 at uniform intervals.

The cover 122 is a portion for blocking the space in which the wafer is placed on the heating plate 124 from the outside. The cover 122 is lifted or lowered vertically by the elevator 210. The elevating device 210 includes a support body 114 for supporting the support arm 114, a support arm 114 to which the fixed body 112 is fixed to the upper surface of the cover 122, and the fixed body 112, and It may have a cylinder 118 for lifting the support 116 up and down. The structure of the elevating device described above is merely an example, and the cover may be moved up and down by various other structures. The cover 122 has an upper surface, a side wall, and an open lower portion, and has a cylindrical shape in which a predetermined space is formed. With the lid 122 raised and spaced apart from the heating plate 124, the transfer arm transfers the wafer to the top of the heating plate 124. When the transfer arm returns to its original position, the lid 122 is lowered to cover the lid 122. As the bottom surface of the side wall of the bottom surface contacts the edge of the heating plate 124, the space in which the wafer is placed is blocked from the outside.

A gas supply pipe 160 through which an inert gas is supplied is connected to the center of the upper surface of the cover 122, and a valve 162 is installed in the gas supply pipe 160 to open and close the passage. In addition, one end of the gas supply pipe 160 is connected to the gas storage unit 192 in which the inert gas is stored. The gas supply pipe 160 is disposed with a temperature control unit 170 for controlling the temperature of the gas flowing therein. Nitrogen gas (N ₂ ) may be used as the inert gas, and temperature control may be performed by allowing a high temperature fluid to flow around the gas supply pipe 160. Nitrogen gas is heated to the process temperature by the temperature control unit 170, is injected toward the wafer while the lid 122 is lowered, the supply is cut off after the lid 122 is closed. In general, before the cover 122 is opened, the inside of the heating plate 124 and the process chamber 120 maintains a constant temperature so that a process atmosphere is formed, but the wafer introduced from the outside is transferred at room temperature and thus is processed. Lower than temperature Therefore, it takes a long time for the wafer to be maintained at the process temperature after the lid 122 is closed. However, in the present invention, since the nitrogen gas heated to the process temperature is injected toward the wafer while the cover 122 is lowered, the surface of the wafer maintains the required process temperature when the cover 122 is closed, and the temperature inside the process chamber is also suitable. A process atmosphere with An exhaust pipe 182 is connected to the process chamber 120, and the exhaust pipe 182 forcibly sucks nitrogen gas injected from the cover 122 by the operation of the vacuum pump 184. The exhaust pipe 182 is opened before the nitrogen gas is injected and closed when the supply of the nitrogen gas is cut off. In this embodiment, the case in which the wafer is heated to a predetermined temperature is taken as an example, but the same may be applied to the case in which the wafer is cooled.

2 is a flowchart showing sequentially steps in which a baking process is performed. Referring to FIG. 2, the heating plate 124 is maintained in a heated state, the lift pins 142 are raised and protruded to the top of the heating plate 124, and the lid 122 is opened (step S10). The wafer is transferred to the upper portion of the heating plate 124 by the arm and placed on the lift pin 142 (step S11). Thereafter, the arm is returned to the outside of the process chamber 120, the exhaust pipe 182 is opened and the vacuum pump 184 is operated (step S12). The lift pin 142 is lowered, and the lid 122 is lowered while the heated nitrogen gas is injected from the gas supply pipe 160 coupled to the lid 122 (step S13). When the cover 122 is closed, the supply of nitrogen gas is cut off, and when the pressure inside the process chamber 120 is maintained at the process pressure, the operation of the vacuum pump 184 is stopped and the exhaust pipe 182 is closed (step S14). When the wafer is heated for a predetermined time and the process is completed, the wafer is lifted from the heating plate 124 by the lift pin 142 and the lid 122 is lifted (step S15). The wafer is then unloaded by the arm and the process proceeds to the next wafer.

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another example of the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, showing the HMDS processing apparatus 20. Referring to FIG. 3, the HMDS processing apparatus 20 includes a process chamber 220, a lift pin assembly 240, a gas supply pipe 262, and a temperature controller 270. In the HMDS processing apparatus 20, the process chamber 220 and the lift pin assembly 240 are similar to the baking apparatus 10 described above, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The gas supply pipe 262 has a first supply pipe 262a for supplying the HMDS gas and a second supply pipe 262b for supplying an inert gas such as nitrogen gas. Valves 263a and 263b for opening and closing the passages are respectively provided in the first supply pipe 262a and the second supply pipe 262b. One end of the first supply pipe 262a is connected to the first storage unit 292 in which the HMDS gas is stored, and one end of the second supply pipe 262b is connected to the second storage unit 294 in which the inert gas is stored. The first supply pipe 262a and the second supply pipe 262b are respectively coupled to the cover 222, and the temperature control unit 270 heats the HMDS gas flowing through the first supply pipe 262a. And a second control unit 270b for heating the nitrogen gas flowing through the second supply pipe 262b.

Unlike this, referring to FIG. 4, which shows a modified example of FIG. 3, the main supply pipe 261 is connected to the cover 222, and the first supply pipe 262a and the second supply pipe 262b are connected from the main supply pipe 261. Can be branched. At this time, valves 263a and 263b for opening and closing the passages are provided in the first supply pipe 262a and the second supply pipe 262b, respectively. The temperature controller 270 may be disposed in the main supply pipe 261, or may be disposed in the first supply pipe 262a and the second supply pipe 262b, respectively. Nitrogen gas is injected in the heated state while the lid 222 is closed as in the baking apparatus 10 described above, and HMDS gas is injected in the heated state on the wafer after the lid 222 is closed. This allows the temperature of the wafer to quickly reach the process temperature, it is possible to quickly maintain the inside of the process chamber 220 at a temperature suitable for the process atmosphere after the lid 222 is closed. The injected nitrogen gas is exhausted through the exhaust pipe 282 connected to the process chamber 220.

In a general HMDS processing apparatus, since the HMDS gas at room temperature is injected onto the wafer, the temperature of the wafer is momentarily lower than the process temperature. However, in this embodiment, since the HMDS gas is injected to the wafer while heated to room temperature, the process proceeds while the process temperature is maintained. When the HMDS process is completed, the exhaust pipe 282 is opened to exhaust the HMDS gas remaining in the process chamber 220, and the lid 222 is opened to unload the wafer from the heating plate 224.

5 is a flowchart sequentially showing steps in which an HMDS processing process is performed. Referring to FIG. 5, the heating plate 222 is maintained in a heated state and the lift pins 242 are raised and protruded to the top of the heating plate 222 (step S20). The wafer is transferred to the upper portion of the heating plate 222 by the arm and placed on the lift pin 242 (step S21). Thereafter, the arm is returned to the outside of the process chamber 220, the exhaust pipe 282 of the process chamber 220 is opened, and the vacuum pump 284 is operated (step S23). The lift pin 242 is lowered, and together with the heated nitrogen gas injected through the second supply pipe 263b coupled to the lid 222, the lid 222 is lowered (step S24). When the cover 222 is closed, the supply of nitrogen gas is cut off, and when the pressure inside the process chamber 220 is maintained at the process pressure, the operation of the vacuum pump 284 is stopped and the exhaust pipe 282 is closed. Thereafter, the heated HMDS gas is supplied onto the wafer through the first supply pipe 262a (step S25). When the process is completed, the exhaust pipe 282 is opened and the vacuum pump 284 is operated. As a result, the HMDS gas remaining in the process chamber 220 is exhausted (step S26). The lift pins 242 are then lifted from the heating plate 224 and the lid 222 is lifted by the lift pins 242. The wafer is then unloaded by the arm and the process proceeds to the next wafer.

In the present embodiment, the technical idea of the present invention, which is described by taking the apparatus 10 in which the baking process is performed and the apparatus 20 in which the HMDS treatment is performed as an example, is not limited thereto. It is applicable to all the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus which is moved to and heats a wafer to a constant process temperature.

According to the present invention, when the HMDS process and the bake process are performed, the wafer can quickly reach the process temperature, thereby improving the throughput.

In addition, according to the present invention there is an effect that can be prevented from changing the process temperature when the HMDS gas is injected.

Claims (10)

In the device for manufacturing a semiconductor device, A process chamber having a heating plate on which the semiconductor substrate is placed and a lid for opening and closing the upper surface of the heating plate, and connected to an exhaust pipe connected to the vacuum pump; A lift pin assembly that seats the semiconductor substrate on the heating plate and moves up and down through holes formed in the heating plate; A gas supply pipe connected to the cover and supplying gas to the cover; And And a temperature controller for maintaining the gas flowing through the gas supply pipe at a constant temperature. The method of claim 1, The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus is a device that the baking process is performed, And the gas is heated to a process temperature while the cover is lowered and supplied onto the semiconductor substrate. The method of claim 2, The gas is a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that the inert gas. The method of claim 1, The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus is a device that HMDS processing process is performed, The gas supply pipe comprises a first supply pipe for supplying HMDS gas and a second supply pipe for supplying an inert gas. The method of claim 4, wherein And the inert gas is heated to a process temperature and supplied onto the semiconductor substrate while the cover is lowered. In the baking method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, Providing a heating plate heated to a process temperature; The lid is raised to open the process chamber, and the semiconductor substrate is transferred onto the heating plate; And And the lid is lowered while heated nitrogen gas is injected downward through a gas supply pipe connected to the lid. The method of claim 6, The baking method, Opening an exhaust pipe formed in the heating plate before the cover is lowered; And when the cover is lowered and the process chamber is blocked from the outside, the exhaust pipe is closed. In the method of performing the HMDS processing on the semiconductor substrate in the semiconductor device manufacturing, Providing a heating plate heated to a process temperature; The lid is raised to open the process chamber, and the semiconductor substrate is transferred onto the heating plate; The cover is lowered to block the process chamber from the outside; And HMDS processing method comprising the step of providing the HMDS gas heated to the process temperature on the semiconductor through a first supply pipe connected to the cover. The method of claim 8, And when the cover is lowered, nitrogen gas heated to the process temperature is injected downward through a second supply pipe connected to the cover. The method of claim 9, The HMDS processing method, Opening an exhaust pipe formed in the heating plate before the cover is lowered; And the exhaust pipe is closed when the cover is lowered and the process chamber is blocked from the outside.