TW201506981A - In-vacuum high speed pre-chill and post-heat stations - Google Patents

Abstract

An ion implantation system provides ions to a workpiece positioned in a vacuum environment of a process chamber on a cooled chuck. A pre-chill station within the process chamber has a chilled workpiece support configured to cool the workpiece to a first temperature, and a post-heat station within the process chamber, has a heated workpiece support configured to heat the workpiece to a second temperature. The first temperature is lower than a process temperature, and the second temperature is greater than an external temperature. A workpiece transfer arm is further configured to concurrently transfer two or more workpieces between two or more of the chuck, a load lock chamber, the pre-chill station, and the post-heat station.

Description

High-speed pre-cooling and post-heating station in vacuum

The present invention is generally directed to ion implantation systems and, more particularly, to preventing condensation from forming on workpieces in ion implantation systems.

Electrostatic clips or electrostatic chucks (ESC) are often used in the semiconductor industry to hold workpieces or substrates during plasma-based or vacuum-based semiconductor methods such as ion implantation, etching, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and the like. material. The clamping capability of the ESC, as well as the temperature control of the workpiece, has proven to be quite valuable in the processing of semiconductor substrates or wafers such as germanium wafers. A typical ESC includes, for example, a dielectric layer positioned over a conductive electrode, wherein the semiconductor wafer is disposed on a surface of the ESC (eg, the wafer is disposed on a surface of the dielectric layer). During semiconductor processing (e.g., ion implantation), a clamping voltage is typically applied between the wafer and the electrode, wherein the wafer is held on the surface of the chuck by electrostatic force.

For some ion implantation methods, it is desirable to cool the workpiece via cooling the ESC. However, when the workpiece is transferred from a cold ESC in a process environment (eg, a vacuum environment) to an external environment (eg, a higher pressure, temperature, and humidity environment), condensation may form on the workpiece at a cooler temperature, or Solidification of atmospheric water can occur even on the surface of the workpiece. For example, after ion implantation of a workpiece, the workpiece is typically transferred to a load lock chamber and the load lock chamber is subsequently vented. When the load lock chamber is opened to remove the workpiece from it, the workpiece is typically exposed to the ambient atmosphere (eg at atmospheric pressure) In the warm "wet" air, where condensation can occur on the workpiece. Coagulation can deposit particles on the workpiece and/or leave a residue on the workpiece that can adversely affect the front side particles (e.g., on the active area) and can cause defects and production losses.

The workpiece can be heated to attempt to mitigate the adverse effects of condensation; however, this heating often causes the workpiece to "soak" on the ESC for a period of time to reach a predetermined temperature prior to transporting the wafer. Long soak times often adversely affect the throughput of the workpiece in the ion implantation system.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for devices, systems, and methods for transferring cold workpieces between a "dry" or vacuum environment and a "wet" or atmospheric environment. Reduces the condensation on the workpiece while increasing the throughput of the workpiece.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art by providing a system, apparatus and method for reducing condensation on a workpiece and maintaining a reasonable method throughput in a cooled ion implantation system. Accordingly, the following presents a simplified summary of the present disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or the scope of the invention. The intention is to present some concepts of the invention in the form of a

In accordance with the present disclosure, an ion implantation system for implanting ions into a cold workpiece is provided. The ion implantation system, for example, includes an ion implantation device configured to provide a plurality of ions to a workpiece positioned in a processing chamber, wherein the processing chamber has a processing environment associated therewith. In one embodiment, a suction cup below ambient temperature, such as a cryogenically cooled electrostatic chuck, is constructed to support the workpiece during exposure of the workpiece to a plurality of ions within the processing chamber. The cryogenic chuck is further configured to cool the workpiece to a processing temperature where the The temperature is lower than the dew point of the external environment.

According to one aspect, a load lock chamber is provided, wherein the load lock chamber is operatively coupled to the processing chamber and constructed to isolate the processing environment from the external environment. The load lock chamber further includes a workpiece support configured to support the workpiece during transfer between the process chamber and the intermediate chamber.

A pre-cooling station is further positioned within the processing chamber, wherein the pre-cooling station includes a workpiece support configured to cool the workpiece to a first temperature. In one embodiment, the first temperature is significantly lower than the processing temperature. The pre-cooling station includes, for example, a cooling plate constructed to support the workpiece and to cool the workpiece to the first temperature. In another embodiment, the pre-cooling station further comprises: a pre-cooling gas seal ring constructed to support the periphery of the workpiece; and a pre-cooling clip configured to hold the workpiece on the cooled workpiece support And a pre-cooling gas source configured to provide a pre-cooling gas in a gas cooling space defined between the workpiece and a surface of the cooled workpiece support. The pressure of the pre-cooling gas, for example, generally determines the cooling of the workpiece.

A post heating station is also positioned within the processing chamber, wherein the post heating station includes a workpiece support that is configured to heat the workpiece to one of the second temperatures. The post-heating station, for example, comprises a heating station support comprising a heating plate constructed to support the workpiece and to heat the workpiece to the second temperature. In another embodiment, the post-heating station further comprises: a post-heating gas seal ring constructed to support the periphery of the workpiece; a post-heating clip configured to hold the workpiece on the heated workpiece support And a post-heating gas source configured to provide a post-heating gas in a gas heating space defined between the workpiece and a surface of the heated workpiece support. Therefore, the pressure of the post-heating gas generally determines the heating of the workpiece.

In one embodiment, the suction cup is diametrically opposed to the load lock chamber in the vacuum chamber, and the pre-cooling station is diametrically opposed to the rear heating station in the vacuum chamber.

In another exemplary aspect, the cooled workpiece holding station is positioned within the processing chamber, wherein the cooled workpiece holding station includes a workpiece support that is configured to support a cold of the workpiece when the workpiece is at the first temperature. A heated workpiece holding station can be further positioned within the processing chamber, wherein the heated workpiece holding station includes a workpiece support that is configured to support a heat of the workpiece when the workpiece is at the second temperature. In another embodiment, in the vacuum chamber, the suction cup is diametrically opposed to the loading lock chamber, the pre-cooling station is opposite to the rear heating station in a diametrical direction, and the cooled workpiece holding station and the heated workpiece The holding station is diametrically opposed.

According to another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, a workpiece transfer arm is constructed to simultaneously transfer two or more workpieces between two or more of a chuck, a load lock chamber, a pre-cooling station, and a rear heating station. . The workpiece transfer arm includes, for example, two pairs of workpiece transfer clips positioned at about 90 degrees to each other, wherein each pair of workpiece transfer clips are diametrically opposed to each other. Each pair of workpiece transfer clips is constructed based on the rotational position of the workpiece transfer arm, and from the chuck and load lock chamber, from the pre-cooling station and the post-heating station, and/or the cooled workpiece holding station and the heated workpiece holding The station grasps or releases a workpiece.

A controller can be further configured to determine the first temperature and the second temperature based at least in part on the desired method throughput. A temperature monitoring system, for example, is configured to measure the temperature of the workpiece at the pre-cooling station and the post-heating station. Accordingly, the controller is further configured to control the workpiece to be cooled to the first temperature and to heat the workpiece to the second temperature based at least in part on the measured temperature of the workpiece.

According to another embodiment of the disclosure, a method is provided for use below A method of implanting ions into a workpiece at a temperature of temperature. A workpiece is provided and transferred from the external environment to the load lock chamber at an external temperature and an external pressure in the external environment. The pressure in the load lock chamber is reduced to a substantial vacuum and the workpiece is transferred from the load lock chamber to the pre-cooling for cooling. The pre-cooling station is, for example, cooled to a first temperature below the processing temperature, thereby rapidly cooling the workpiece. The workpiece is then transferred from the pre-cooling station to a suction cup that is cooled to the processing temperature.

Ions are implanted into the workpiece via an ion implantation device and the workpiece is then transferred from the suction cup to the post heating station in a vacuum environment. The workpiece is heated at the subsequent heating station, wherein the post heating station is heated to a second temperature above the external temperature where the workpiece is rapidly heated. The workpiece is then transferred from the post heating station to the load lock chamber, the pressure within the load lock chamber is increased to an external pressure, and the workpiece is removed from the load lock chamber.

In one embodiment, transferring the workpiece from the load lock chamber to the pre-cooling station and simultaneously transferring another workpiece from the suction cup to the rear heating station. Likewise, in another embodiment, transferring the workpiece from the pre-cooling station to the chuck and transferring another workpiece from the post-heating station to the loading chamber simultaneously.

In another embodiment, transferring the workpiece from the pre-cooling station to the chuck comprises transferring the workpiece from the pre-cooling station to the cooled workpiece holding station, and subsequently transferring the workpiece from the cooled workpiece holding station To the chuck, transferring the workpiece from the post-heating station to the load lock chamber includes transferring the workpiece from the post-heating station to the heated workpiece holding station, and subsequently transferring the workpiece from the heated workpiece holding station To the loading lock chamber. These transfers allow simultaneous transfer of four workpieces in a logical and throughput sensitive manner via the workpiece transfer arm.

The above summary is merely intended to provide a brief overview of some of the features of some embodiments of the present invention, and other embodiments may include additional and/or no The same characteristics. In particular, this summary is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the application. Accordingly, the present invention includes the features described below and the features particularly pointed out in the scope of the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail However, these embodiments are indicative of several of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed. Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the Detailed Description.

1 is a block diagram of an exemplary vacuum system including an ion implantation system in accordance with several aspects of the present disclosure.

2 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary pre-cooling station in accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure.

3 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary rear heating station in accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure.

4 illustrates a processing chamber in accordance with another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure.

5A and 5B illustrate an exemplary workpiece transfer arm in a respective open and closed position in accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure.

6 is a schematic illustration of another exemplary processing chamber in accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure.

7 illustrates an exemplary flow of a workpiece via a cooled ion implantation system in accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure.

Figure 8 illustrates a method for implanting ions into a workpiece at a temperature below ambient temperature, according to yet another aspect.

The disclosure is generally directed to a method for reducing condensation on a workpiece and Systems, devices, and methods for maintaining a reasonable method throughput in a cooled ion implantation system. The present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, in which like reference numerals It is to be understood that the description of such aspects is merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without the specific details. In addition, the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited by the embodiments or the embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is also to be understood that the drawings are provided to illustrate some of the aspects of the embodiments of the invention In particular, the elements shown in the drawings are not necessarily to scale to each other, and the positions of the various elements in the drawings are selected to provide a clear understanding of the corresponding embodiments and should not be construed as necessarily The representation of the actual relative position of the various components in the implementation. In addition, the various embodiments and features of the embodiments described herein can be combined with each other unless specifically stated otherwise.

It is also to be understood that in the following description, any direct connection or coupling between the functional blocks, devices, components, circuit elements or other physical units or functional units shown in the drawings or described herein may also be Implemented by indirect or indirect coupling. In addition, it is to be understood that the functional blocks or functional units shown in the figures may be implemented as a separate feature or circuit in one embodiment, and in another embodiment, or alternatively in a common feature or circuit. Implemented in whole or in part. For example, several functional blocks may be implemented as software running on a shared processor such as a signal processor. It is further understood that any connection described as a line-based in the following description may also be implemented in wireless communication unless stated to the contrary.

1 illustrates an exemplary vacuum system 100 in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure. The vacuum system 100 in this embodiment includes an ion implantation system 101, although various other types of vacuum systems, such as plasma processing systems or other semiconductor processing systems, are also contemplated. The ion implantation system 101 includes, for example, a terminal 102, a wire harness assembly 104, and a terminal station 106.

In general, ion source 108 in terminal 102 is coupled to power source 110 to ionize dopant gases into a plurality of ions and form ion beam 112. The ion beam 112 in this embodiment is directed via the beam steering device 114 and projects toward the aperture 116 of the terminal station 106. In terminal station 106, ion beam 112 bombards workpiece 118 (e.g., a semiconductor such as a germanium wafer, display panel, etc.) that is selectively clamped or mounted to suction cup 120 (e.g., electrostatic chuck or ESC). Once embedded in the crystal lattice of the workpiece 118, the implanted ions alter the physical and/or chemical properties of the workpiece. Therefore, ion implantation is used in various applications in the manufacture of semiconductor devices and in metal surface treatment, as well as in materials science.

The ion beam 112 of the present disclosure may take any form, such as a pencil or spot beam, a ribbon beam, a scanning beam, or any other form that directs ions toward the end station 106, and encompassing all such forms are within the scope of the present disclosure.

According to an exemplary aspect, terminal station 106 includes a processing chamber 122, such as vacuum chamber 124, with processing environment 126 associated with the processing chamber. Processing environment 126 is typically present within processing chamber 122 and, in one embodiment, includes a vacuum generated by a vacuum source 128 (e.g., a vacuum pump) coupled to the processing chamber and configured to substantially evacuate the processing chamber.

During implantation with the ion implantation system 101, energy can accumulate on the workpiece 118 in the form of heat as the charged ions collide with the workpiece. In the absence of countermeasures, this heat can potentially deform or crack the workpiece 118, which can cause the workpiece to become in some implementations. No value (or significantly less value). This heat can further cause the ion dose delivered to the workpiece 118 to be different than the desired dose, which can change the desired functionality. Moreover, in some cases, it is desirable not only to cool the workpiece 118 during implantation to prevent heat buildup, but it may be further desirable to implant ions at temperatures below or above ambient temperature, such as to allow surface of the workpiece 118 to occur. The desired amorphization enables the formation of ultra-shallow junctions and others in the fabrication of advanced CMOS integrated circuit devices.

Thus, in accordance with another embodiment, the suction cup 120 includes a suction cup 130 that is below ambient temperature, wherein the lower temperature ambient suction cup is configured to support and cool or otherwise retain the workpiece during processing of the workpiece to the ion beam 112 within the processing chamber 122. The predetermined temperature on 118. It should be noted that although the suction cup 120 is referred to as a suction cup 130 below ambient temperature in this embodiment, the suction cup 120 may also include a suction cup (not shown) above ambient temperature, wherein the suction cup is constructed above the ambient temperature. The workpiece 118 is supported and heated within the processing chamber 122.

The suction cup 130 below ambient temperature is, for example, an electrostatic chuck constructed to cool or chill the workpiece 118 to a processing temperature that is substantially lower than the ambient or external environment 132 (eg, also referred to as "the atmosphere" Ambient temperature or atmospheric temperature. Similarly, where the suction cup 120 comprises the above-mentioned suction cup above ambient temperature, the suction cup above ambient temperature may comprise an electrostatic chuck constructed to heat the workpiece 118 to the processing temperature, the processing temperature being substantially higher than the surrounding environment or Ambient temperature or atmospheric temperature of external environment 132. A cooling system 134 may be further provided, wherein in another embodiment, the cooling system is constructed to cool or chill the suction cup 130 below the ambient temperature and the workpiece 118 thereby resident thereon. temperature. In another embodiment, and in a similar manner, a heating system (not shown) may be further provided in the case of a suction cup above ambient temperature, wherein the heating system is constructed to constitute the suction cup above the ambient temperature And the workpiece 118 residing thereon is heated to a processing temperature.

In some exemplary operations of vacuum system 100, the processing temperature is lower than the ambient dew point of external environment 132 (e.g., 8 degrees Celsius, also known as dew point temperature), such as a processing temperature of about minus 40 degrees Celsius. In such an operation, since the processing temperature is significantly lower than the dew point temperature of the external environment 132, condensation may be formed on the workpiece without causing the workpiece 118 to warm up before being exposed to the external environment, thereby potentially adversely affecting the workpiece. As discussed in more detail below.

However, the inventors have appreciated that cooling of the workpiece 118 can adversely affect the cycle time through the vacuum system 100, where the workpiece is typically allowed to "soak" on the suction cup 120 until the desired temperature is reached. To increase the method throughput, the present disclosure therefore provides a pre-cooling station 136 positioned within the vacuum environment 126 of the processing chamber 120. The pre-cooling station 136 includes, for example, a cooled workpiece support 138, as further shown in FIG. 2, wherein the cooled workpiece support 138 is configured to cool the workpiece to a first temperature.

The cooled workpiece support 138 includes, for example, a heat sink pad 140, such as a cooling plate 142, wherein the heat sink pad is configured to support the workpiece and cool the workpiece to a first temperature. The heat sink 140 includes, for example, a cooling plate 142 that includes one or more of a peltier cooler, an expansion chamber, a cryogenic head, and a circulating refrigeration circuit.

In another exemplary aspect, the pre-cooling station 136 of FIG. 1 further includes a pre-cooling gas seal ring 144, again as shown in FIG. 2, wherein the pre-cooling gas seal ring is typically disposed outside of the cooled workpiece support 138. Near the edge. The pre-cooling gas seal ring 144 is, for example, constructed to support the perimeter 146 of the workpiece 118 and typically provides a seal between the workpiece and the cooled workpiece support 138. According to another embodiment, a pre-cooling clip 148 is further provided, wherein the pre-cooling clip constitutes a position to hold the workpiece 118 on the cooled workpiece support 138. Again as shown in Figure 1, further provision is provided Cooling gas source 150, wherein the pre-cooling gas source is constructed to provide pre-cooling gas 152 in gas cooling space 154 as shown in FIG. 2, wherein the gas cooling space is defined on surface of workpiece 118 and cooled workpiece support 138 Between 156. Thus, the pressure of the pre-cooling gas 152 within the gas cooling space 154 is configured to generally determine the cooling of the workpiece 118.

The rate of heat transfer between the workpiece 118 and the cooled workpiece support 138 is generally proportional to the temperature difference between the workpiece and the cooled workpiece support. In general, T(t) = T _∞ + (T ₀ - T _∞ )e ^(-t/τ) (1)

Where T (t) as a function of time-based temperature of the cooling or heating of the workpiece 118, T _∞ temperature-based cooling or heating of the object, the object in this case is located on the workpiece support 138 is cooled, T ₀ The initial temperature of the workpiece, e is the Euler value (2.71828...), t is the time, and τ depends on the heat transfer coefficient and the time constant of other factors. As will be understood from equation (1), when the temperature of the cooled workpiece support 138 is overdriven to a first temperature below the processing temperature, the workpiece 118 will reach the predetermined temperature substantially more rapidly. In one embodiment, the first temperature is at least about a magnitude below the processing temperature. For example, if the processing temperature is required to be minus 40C, if the cooled workpiece support 138 is maintained at minus 40C, then achieving an acceptable near-zero 40C would take a lot of time constants. However, for example, if the cooled workpiece support 138 is driven to a first temperature of minus 100 C, the desired processing temperature of minus 40 C can be achieved in only a time constant of more than half. Thus, the cooled workpiece support 138 is configured to cool at a first temperature, wherein the first temperature is significantly lower than the desired processing temperature.

In yet another exemplary aspect, the heating station 158 is further positioned within the vacuum environment 126 of the processing chamber 122 after FIG. 1, wherein the post heating station further includes a workpiece support 160 that is configured to heat the workpiece 118 to a second temperature. , as shown in Figure 3. Heated workpiece support 160 For example, another heat sink pad 140, such as a heater plate 161, is included, wherein the heat sink pad is configured to support the workpiece and heat the workpiece to a second temperature. The post-heating station 158, for example, further includes a post-heating gas seal ring 162, wherein the post-heating gas seal ring is typically disposed adjacent the outer edge 164 of the heated workpiece support 160. The post-heating gas seal ring 162 is, for example, constructed to support the perimeter 146 of the workpiece 118 and typically provides a seal between the workpiece and the heated workpiece support 160.

According to another embodiment, a post heating clip 166 is further provided, wherein the post heating clip is configured to maintain the workpiece 118 in position on the heated workpiece support 160. Again, as shown in FIG. 1, a post-heating gas source 168 is further provided, wherein the post-heating gas source is constructed to provide a post-heating gas 170 in the gas heating space 172 shown in FIG. 3, wherein the gas heating space is defined The workpiece 118 is between the surface 174 of the heated workpiece support 138. Therefore, the pressure of the heated gas 170 after the gas heating space 172 is constructed to substantially determine the heating of the workpiece 118.

Similar to the cooling described above, the heating of the workpiece 118 in the heating station 158 after FIG. 1 can be overdriven, wherein the second temperature is significantly higher than the processing temperature. Therefore, the time required to reheat the workpiece to the external temperature of the external environment 132 can be significantly reduced by the present disclosure. In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, in the processing chamber 122, the post heating station 158 and the pre-cooling station 136 are typically isolated from one another, wherein heat transfer between the post heating station and the pre-cooling station is minimized. In one embodiment, the second temperature is no higher than 100 C to about 150 C, at which the stability of the conventional photoresist begins to decay.

According to another embodiment, a temperature monitoring system 176 is further provided and constructed to measure the temperature of the workpiece 118 at the pre-cooling station 136 and the post-heating station 158, as shown in FIG. The temperature monitoring system 176 includes, for example, one or more workpiece temperature monitoring devices 178A, 178B that are configured to measure the temperature of the workpiece 118 residing on the respective pre-cooling station 136 and the post-heating station 125, thereby The workpiece temperature during workpiece cooling and heating is monitored and the process efficiency is improved. The controller 180 shown in FIG. 1 is, for example, further configured to control the temperature of the workpiece 118 to a first temperature and to heat the workpiece to a second temperature based at least in part on the measured temperature of the workpiece.

According to another aspect, referring again to FIG. 1, the load lock chamber 182 is further operatively coupled to the process chamber 122, wherein the load lock chamber is configured to isolate the processing environment 126 from the external environment 132. The load lock chamber 182 further includes a workpiece support 184 that is configured to support the workpiece 118 during transfer of the workpiece between the process chamber 122 and the external environment 132. A plurality of loading gates 186A, 186B operatively couple the load lock chamber 182 to the respective processing chamber 122 and the external environment 132.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a workpiece transfer arm 188 is provided, wherein the workpiece transfer arm is constructed between two or more of the suction cup 120, the load lock chamber 182, the pre-cooling station 136, and the rear heating station 158. Two or more workpieces 118 are simultaneously transferred. According to another embodiment, one or more auxiliary transfer arms 189 may be further provided to assist in the transfer of the workpiece. As illustrated in greater detail in FIG. 4, the workpiece transfer arm 188 includes two pairs 190A, 190B of workpiece transfer clips 192A, 192B positioned about 90 degrees from each other, wherein each pair of workpiece transfer clips are diametrically opposed to each other. Each pair of 190A, 190B workpiece transfer clips 192A, 192B is constructed based on the rotational position of the workpiece transfer arm 188, while the self-suction disc 120 and the load lock chamber 182, or the self-pre-cooling station 136 and the rear heating station 158 grasp or release the workpiece. 118.

The workpiece transfer arm 188 has, for example, the ability to rotate (eg, θ) and move in and out (eg, in the Z direction). The workpiece transfer arm 188 is, for example, a portion of a component (not shown) that includes two arms that rotate together and can be opened and closed like a scissors to effect gripping and release of the workpiece 118. For example, Figure 5A illustrates two pairs of 190A, 190B workpiece transfer clips in an open position 193A. 192A, 192B, wherein the workpiece transfer clips are operable to substantially surround but are not in contact with two or more workpieces 118. In the embodiment of FIG. 5B, the workpiece transfer clips 192A, 192B are in the closed position 193B, wherein the workpiece transfer clips are positioned to contact and simultaneously grasp two or more workpieces 118.

According to yet another aspect, as illustrated schematically in FIG. 6, the cooled workpiece holding station 194 is positioned within the processing chamber 122, wherein the cooled workpiece holding station includes a cold workpiece support 196 that is constructed The workpiece 118 is supported while the workpiece is in the first greenhouse in the pre-cooling station 136. The cold workpiece support 196 is, for example, further constructed to maintain the temperature of the workpiece 118 as the workpiece resides on the cold workpiece support 196. The heated workpiece holding station 198 is further positioned within the processing chamber 122, wherein the heated workpiece holding station includes a workpiece support 199 that is configured to support the heat of the workpiece 118 when the workpiece is at the second temperature. The hot workpiece support 199 is for example further constructed to maintain the temperature of the workpiece 118 when the workpiece resides on the hot workpiece support 199.

As shown in the embodiment of Fig. 6, in the processing chamber 122, the suction cup 120 is diametrically opposed to the load lock chamber 182, the pre-cooling station 136 and the rear heating station 158 are diametrically opposed, and the cooled workpiece holding station 194 is The heated workpiece holding stations 198 are diametrically opposed. It should be noted that various other configurations and locations encompassing the suction cup 120, the load lock chamber 182, the pre-cooling station 136, the rear heating station 158, the cooled workpiece holding station 194, and the heated workpiece holding station 198 within the processing chamber 122 are within the scope of the disclosure. The scope. For example, the cooled workpiece holding station 194 can be positioned opposite the pre-cooling station 136 and the heated workpiece holder 198 can be positioned opposite the rear heating station 158. Such a configuration can provide an advantageous flow of workpiece 118, depending on the configuration of workpiece transfer arm 188. Moreover, for simplicity, the load lock chamber 182 is illustrated as being within the process chamber 122; however, it should be understood that the load gate 186A of FIG. 4 operatively couples the load lock chamber 182 to the process chamber.

An exemplary flow diagram or transfer of workpiece 118 associated with vacuum system 100 of FIG. 1 will now be briefly discussed to provide one of many operational embodiments of vacuum system operation. It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary processes provided, and encompasses that the entry of workpiece 118 into vacuum system 100, removal of vacuum system 100, and various other transfers within vacuum system 100 are within the scope of the present disclosure.

In an exemplary workpiece flow 200, as shown in FIG. 7, within the processing chamber 122, the workpiece 118 of FIG. 6 is transferred, for example, from the load lock chamber 182 to one of the pre-cooling station 136 and the pre-heating station 158, as viewed in FIG. It requires implants below ambient temperature or implants above ambient temperature. For example, in an implant below ambient temperature (eg, implantation at a temperature below ambient temperature), workpiece 118 is transferred to pre-cooling station 136 where the workpiece is pre-cooled to near processing temperature. Once cooled (or heated via preheating station 158) to near processing temperature via pre-cooling station 136, workpiece 118 is transferred to suction cup 120 for proper implantation of ions according to method requirements, or to cooled workpiece holding station 194. Wait for subsequent transfer to the suction cup.

Once the implantation is complete, the workpiece 118 is removed from the suction cup 120 and transferred to one of the pre-cooling station 136 and the pre-heating station 158, again depending on the implantation below ambient temperature or the implantation above ambient temperature. In the above implanted embodiment below ambient temperature, the workpiece 118 is transferred to the preheating station 158, wherein in the present embodiment, the workpiece is heated to a temperature above the dew point temperature of the external environment 132, as described above. Once properly heated, the workpiece 118 is transferred back to the load lock chamber 182 or to the heated workpiece holding station 198. It should be noted that the workpiece transfer arms 188 of Figures 1, 4, 5A-5B, and 6 are constructed to simultaneously transfer two or two between the load lock chamber 182, the suction cup 120, the pre-cooling station 136, and the preheating station 158. The above workpiece 118 is as described above.

In accordance with another exemplary aspect of the present invention, FIG. 8 is exemplified for providing below An exemplary method 300 of processing a workpiece at ambient temperature. It should be noted that although the exemplary methods are illustrated and described herein as a series of acts or events, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited by the ordering of such acts or events, as some steps may be The different sequences are performed and/or performed concurrently with other steps than those illustrated and described herein. In addition, not all illustrated steps are required to practice the methods of the invention. Moreover, it is to be understood that the methods can be implemented in conjunction with the systems illustrated and described herein and in conjunction with other systems not illustrated.

The method 300 of Figure 8 begins at act 302 in which a first workpiece is provided at an external temperature and an external pressure in an external environment. In act 304, the first workpiece is transferred from the external environment to the load lock chamber, and in act 306, the pressure within the load lock chamber is reduced to a substantial vacuum. In act 308, the first workpiece is transferred from the load lock chamber to the pre-cooling station in a vacuum environment of the processing chamber in the cold implanted ion implantation system, and in act 310, the first workpiece is at the pre-cooling station Cool down. The pre-cooling station is, for example, cooled to a first temperature below the processing temperature. Cooling of the workpiece in act 310 includes, for example, clamping the workpiece to the cooled workpiece support and providing backside gas at the first temperature to the back side of the workpiece.

In act 312, the first workpiece is transferred from the pre-cooling station to a chuck that is cooled to a processing temperature, and the workpiece is processed in act 314, such as with ions implanted therein. According to one embodiment, transferring the workpiece from the pre-cooling station to the suction cup in act 312 further includes transferring the workpiece from the pre-cooling station to the cooled workpiece holding station, and further transferring the workpiece from the cooled workpiece holding station to the suction cup.

In act 316, the first workpiece is subsequently transferred from the suction cup to the post heating station in a vacuum environment, and the first workpiece is heated at the post heating station in act 318, wherein the post is added The heat station is heated to a second temperature above the external temperature. Heating the workpiece in act 318 includes, for example, clamping the workpiece to the heated workpiece support and providing backside gas at the second temperature to the back side of the workpiece.

In act 320, the first workpiece is then transferred from the post heating station to the load lock chamber, and in act 322 the pressure within the load lock chamber is increased to an external pressure. According to one other embodiment, transferring the workpiece from the post-heating station to the load lock chamber further comprises transferring the workpiece from the post-heating station to the heated workpiece holding station, and further transferring the workpiece from the heated workpiece holding station to the loading Lock chamber. In act 324, the workpiece can then be removed from the load lock chamber.

According to one embodiment, the first workpiece in act 308 is transferred from the load lock chamber to the pre-cooling station and the second workpiece in act 318 is transferred from the suction cup to the rear heating station. Similarly, the workpiece in act 312 is transferred from the pre-cooling station to the chuck and the third workpiece is transferred from the post-heating station to the load lock chamber, and so on. Thus, the continuous transfer of the workpiece from the load lock chamber to the pre-cooling station, to the cooled workpiece holding station, to the suction cup, to the subsequent heating station, to the heated workpiece holding station, and back to the load lock chamber can be achieved by the present disclosure. In addition, the workpiece transfer arms 188 of FIGS. 1, 4, 5A-5B, and 6 can advantageously simultaneously transfer two or two between the load lock chamber 182, the suction cup 120, the pre-cooling station 136, and the preheating station 158. The above workpiece 118 is as shown in FIGS. 4, 5A and 5B. In an additional embodiment, the workpiece transfer arm 188 can additionally transfer the workpiece between the cooled workpiece holding station 194 of FIGS. 6 and 7 and the heated workpiece holding station 198, as described above, wherein the workpiece is optimally provided. Appropriate heating and cooling to prevent condensation while advantageously increasing throughput.

Although the present invention has been shown and described with respect to a certain embodiment or embodiments, it should be noted that the embodiments described above are only used as some embodiments of the present invention. Embodiments of the embodiments are implemented, and the application of the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. With respect to the various functions performed by the above-described components (components, devices, circuits, etc.), the terms used to describe such components (including the reference to "mechanism") are intended to correspond to the execution of the description, unless otherwise specified. Any component of a particular function of the component (i.e., a functionally equivalent component), although not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure that performs the functions of the exemplary embodiments of the invention as illustrated herein. In addition, although a particular feature of the invention may be disclosed with respect to only one of several embodiments, such features may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments and facilitate any specified or particular application. . Therefore, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (26)

An ion implantation system comprising: a vacuum chamber having a processing environment associated with the vacuum chamber; an ion implantation device configured to provide a plurality of ions to a workpiece positioned in the vacuum chamber a suction cup configured to support the workpiece during exposure of the workpiece to the plurality of ions in the vacuum chamber, wherein the suction cup is configured to cool the workpiece to a processing temperature; a load lock chamber operatively coupled Connecting to the vacuum chamber, wherein the loading chamber is configured to isolate the processing environment from an external environment, and wherein the loading chamber includes a structure that supports the workpiece during transfer between the processing chamber and the external environment a workpiece support; and a pre-cooling station positioned within the processing chamber, wherein the pre-cooling station includes a workpiece support configured to cool the workpiece to a first temperature; a post-heating station Positioning in the processing chamber, wherein the rear heating station includes a workpiece support configured to heat the workpiece to a second temperature; and a workpiece transfer arm, wherein the workpiece In this configuration the transfer arm built chuck, simultaneous transmission between two or more workpieces load lock chamber, the pre-cooling station and the heating station of the two or more. The ion implantation system of claim 1, wherein the suction cup comprises an electrostatic chuck configured to cool the workpiece to the processing temperature. The ion implantation system of claim 1, wherein the workpiece transfer arm comprises two pairs of workpiece transfer clips positioned at about 90 degrees to each other, wherein each pair of workpiece transfer clips are diametrically opposed to each other, and wherein each pair The workpiece transfer clips are constructed based on one of the workpiece transfer arms And grasping or releasing a workpiece from the suction cup and the loading lock chamber, or from the pre-cooling station and the rear heating station. The ion implantation system of claim 1, wherein the first temperature is lower than the processing temperature. The ion implantation system of claim 1, wherein the pre-cooling station comprises a cooling plate constructed to support the workpiece and to cool the workpiece to the first temperature. An ion implantation system according to claim 5, wherein the cooling plate comprises one or more of the following elements: a peltier cooler, an expansion chamber, a cryogenic head, and a circulation refrigeration circuit. The ion implantation system of claim 5, wherein the pre-cooling station further comprises: a pre-cooling gas sealing ring disposed adjacent an outer edge of the cooled workpiece support, wherein the pre-cooling gas seal The ring is configured to support a periphery of the workpiece; a pre-cooling clip configured to maintain the workpiece at a position on the cooled workpiece support; and a pre-cooling gas source configured to be defined in the workpiece and the A pre-cooling gas is provided in a gas cooling space between one of the surfaces of the cooled workpiece support, wherein the pressure of the pre-cooling gas substantially determines the cooling of the workpiece. The ion implantation system of claim 1, wherein the post heating station comprises a heating station support, the heating station support comprising a structure for supporting the workpiece and heating the workpiece to the second temperature board. Such as the ion implantation system of claim 8 of the patent scope, wherein the post heating station further includes The method comprises: a post-heating gas sealing ring disposed adjacent to an outer edge of the heated workpiece support, wherein the rear heating gas sealing ring is constructed to support a periphery of the workpiece; and a heating clip is constructed to maintain a position of the workpiece on the heated workpiece support; and a post-heating gas source configured to be provided in a gas heating space defined between the workpiece and a surface of the heated workpiece support The gas is heated, wherein the pressure of the post-heating gas generally determines the heating of the workpiece. The ion implantation system of claim 1, further comprising: a cooled workpiece holding station positioned in the processing chamber, wherein the cooled workpiece holding station comprises a structure when the workpiece is at the first temperature Supporting one of the cold workpiece holders of the workpiece; a heated workpiece holding station positioned in the processing chamber, wherein the heated workpiece holding station comprises one of the workpieces configured to support the workpiece when the workpiece is at the second temperature Hot workpiece support. An ion implantation system according to claim 10, wherein in the vacuum chamber, the suction cup is diametrically opposed to the loading chamber, the pre-cooling station is opposite to the rear heating station in a diametrical direction, and the cooled workpiece The holding station is diametrically opposed to the heated workpiece holding station. The ion implantation system of claim 11, wherein the workpiece transfer arm comprises two pairs of workpiece transfer clips positioned at about 90 degrees to each other, wherein each pair of workpiece transfer clips are diametrically opposed to each other, and wherein each pair The workpiece transfer clips are each constructed based on a rotational position of the workpiece transfer arm, and are gripped from the suction cup and the load lock chamber, from the pre-cooling station and the post-heating station, or the cooled workpiece holding station and the heated workpiece holding station. Or release a workpiece. An ion implantation system according to claim 1, wherein in the vacuum chamber, the suction The disk is diametrically opposed to the load lock chamber, and the pre-cooling station is diametrically opposed to the rear heating station. The ion implantation system of claim 1, wherein the workpiece transfer arm comprises a pair of workpiece transfer clips diametrically opposite each other, and wherein the pair of workpiece transfer clips are formed based on a rotational position of the workpiece transfer arm, At the same time, a workpiece is grasped or released from the suction cup and the loading lock chamber, or from the pre-cooling station and the rear heating station. The ion implantation system of claim 1, wherein the post heating station and the pre-cooling station are generally isolated from each other within the processing chamber. The ion implantation system of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to determine the first temperature and the second temperature based at least in part on a desired method throughput. The ion implantation system of claim 16, further comprising a temperature monitoring system configured to measure a temperature of the workpiece at the pre-cooling station and the post-heating station, wherein the controller Further constructing controls the cooling of the workpiece to the first temperature and the heating of the workpiece to the second temperature based at least in part on the measured temperature of the workpiece. A method for implanting ions into a workpiece at a temperature below ambient temperature, the method comprising: providing a workpiece at an external temperature and an external pressure in an external environment; transferring the workpiece from the external environment to a loading chamber; reducing the pressure in the loading chamber to a substantial vacuum; transferring the workpiece from the loading chamber to a pre-vacuum in a processing chamber in a cold implanted ion implantation system Cooling station Cooling the workpiece at the pre-cooling station, wherein the pre-cooling station is cooled to a first temperature below a processing temperature; transferring the workpiece from the pre-cooling station to a suction cup cooled to the processing temperature; Ion implanting the workpiece; transferring the workpiece from the chuck to a post heating station in the vacuum environment; heating the workpiece at the post heating station, wherein the post heating station is heated to a temperature higher than the external temperature Temperature; transferring the workpiece from the post heating station to the load lock chamber; increasing the pressure in the load lock chamber to the external pressure; and removing the workpiece from the load lock chamber. The method of claim 18, wherein cooling the workpiece comprises clamping the workpiece to a cooled workpiece support and providing a backside gas to the back of the workpiece at the first temperature. The method of claim 18, wherein heating the workpiece comprises clamping the workpiece to a heated workpiece support and providing a backside gas to the back of the workpiece at the second temperature. The method of claim 18, wherein the first temperature is at least about the magnitude of the processing temperature and the second temperature does not exceed about 150C. The method of claim 18, wherein transferring the workpiece from the load lock chamber to the pre-cooling station and transferring another workpiece from the suction cup to the rear heating station are performed simultaneously. The method of claim 22, wherein transferring the workpiece from the pre-cooling station to the suction cup and transferring another workpiece from the rear heating station to the loading lock chamber are performed simultaneously. The method of claim 18, wherein the transferring the workpiece from the pre-cooling station to the suction cup comprises: transferring the workpiece from the pre-cooling station to a cooled workpiece holding station; and cooling the workpiece from the cooling The workpiece holding station is transferred to the suction cup. The method of claim 18, wherein the transferring the workpiece from the post-heating station to the loading lock chamber comprises: transferring the workpiece from the post-heating station to a heated workpiece holding station; and A heated workpiece holding station is transferred to the loading lock chamber. The method of claim 18, wherein transferring the workpiece comprises transferring two or more workpieces simultaneously.