TW202407857A - Wafer transfer chamber and semiconductor processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a wafer transfer chamber and a semiconductor processing system. The wafer conveying cavity comprises a body, the body comprises an upper top and a lower bottom, the upper top is arranged above the lower bottom, and a conveying space used for conveying wafers on a conveying path is formed between the upper top and the lower bottom; the body further comprises an air inlet and at least one air blowing opening, and the air inlet is communicated with the air blowing opening and used for introducing blowing gas to blow and cool the wafer on the conveying path. The invention is used for solving the problems of many mechanical motion structures, complex transmission, large transmission cavity space, many cooling steps, long wafer cooling time, wafer back scratch and the like in the existing wafer cooling process.

Description

Wafer transfer chamber and semiconductor processing system

The invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, and in particular to a wafer transfer chamber and a semiconductor processing system.

Most current semiconductor wafer manufacturing equipment uses a vacuum transfer chamber as a transfer station between the vacuum load chamber and the process chamber. When the vacuum manipulator of the vacuum transfer chamber takes out the high-temperature wafer from the process chamber, it must be placed on a special cooling plate for a certain period of cooling before it can be transferred into the vacuum load chamber.

However, the cooling plate occupies a large space in the transfer chamber and requires cooling water. The cooling water pipes have the risk of aging and leakage. The wafer lifting mechanism on the cooling plate increases the cost of failure and maintenance. When the wafer is in contact with the cooling plate When the lifting pins (Pins) on the wafer come into contact, the backside of the wafer may be scratched, making it more likely to be broken or contaminated during the subsequent process. Moreover, it takes time to transfer the wafer to the cooling plate for cooling, which has a great impact on yield. big.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a wafer transfer chamber and a semiconductor processing system to solve the problems of multiple mechanical motion structures, complex transfer, large transfer cavity space, multiple cooling steps, and long time-consuming wafer cooling in the existing wafer cooling process. Problems such as scratches on the back of the wafer.

In order to achieve the above objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solutions:

A wafer transfer chamber includes: A body, the body includes an upper top and a lower bottom, the upper top is placed above the lower bottom, and a transfer space for transferring wafers on the transfer path is formed between the upper top and the lower bottom; The body further includes an air inlet and at least one air blowing port. The air inlet is connected with the air blowing port and is used to introduce purging gas to purge and cool down the wafer on the transfer path.

Optionally, the blowing port includes a first blowing port and a second blowing port, which are used to respectively purge and cool down the first area and the second area on the wafer on the transport path of the wafer.

Optionally, the purging and cooling are performed during the transfer process of the wafer on the transfer path.

Optionally, the purge gas flowing out of the first blow port and the second blow port is perpendicular to the surface of the wafer.

Optionally, the ontology also includes: A first air inlet connects the air inlet and the first blowing port; The second air inlet channel communicates with the first air inlet channel and the second air blowing port.

Optionally, the shape of the first air inlet at least partially corresponds to the transfer path.

Optionally, the first air inlet is annular, and the number of first air blowing ports is multiple and evenly distributed along the first air inlet.

Optionally, there are multiple second air inlets and they are evenly distributed along the first air inlet.

Optionally, the second air inlet is perpendicular to the first air inlet in the horizontal direction.

Optionally, the second air inlet extends in a horizontal direction toward the center of the body of the wafer transfer chamber, and the wafer transfer chamber further includes a guide plate located at the end of the second air inlet. , used to guide the purge gas to flow out through the second blow port in a vertical direction.

Optionally, the body further includes a third air inlet for connecting the air inlet and the first air inlet.

Optionally, the air inlet and at least one air blowing port are provided on the upper top or the lower bottom.

Optionally, the number of the air inlets is at least two, evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the body of the wafer transfer chamber.

Optionally, both the upper top and the lower bottom of the body are hexagonal or octagonal.

Optionally, a plurality of wafer transfer ports are provided between the upper top and the lower bottom of the body.

Optionally, the purge gas is nitrogen.

Optionally, the temperature and/or flow rate of the purge gas can be adjusted.

A semiconductor processing system, characterized by including a wafer transfer chamber as described in any one of the above.

Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

The wafer transfer chamber provided by the present invention does not require additional mechanical transfer mechanisms and does not need to transfer the wafer to a special cooling plate for cooling. Instead, it achieves rapid cooling during the transfer process after the wafer high-temperature process and reduces the cooling steps. , it is short in time and greatly improves the productivity output of the entire equipment. Not only that, the wafer can also be cleaned before the process to reduce particulate matter; in addition, since there is no need for a special lifting cooling plate, the volume of the transfer chamber will be greatly reduced, reducing the cost. Eliminates the risk of wafer scratches, saving material costs, cooling water loss and leakage risks.

The present invention uses purge gas from the top and/or bottom to rapidly reduce the wafer temperature in a non-contact manner with multiple nozzles, and the wafer surface will not be scratched; in the present invention, the purge gas can flow into the transfer chamber evenly, which can improve The internal environment of the entire transfer chamber; the present invention can improve the state of water vapor and particles on the wafer surface by changing the flow rate and temperature of the purge gas.

The solution proposed by the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings and specific implementation modes. The advantages and features of the present invention will become clearer from the following description. It should be noted that the drawings are in a very simplified form and use imprecise proportions, and are only used to conveniently and clearly assist in explaining the embodiments of the present invention. In order to make the objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent, please refer to the drawings. It should be noted that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc. shown in the drawings in this specification are only used to coordinate with the content disclosed in the specification for the understanding and reading of those familiar with this technology, and are not used to limit the implementation of the present invention. , so it has no technical substantive significance. Any structural modifications, changes in proportions, or adjustments in size, without affecting the effects that the present invention can produce and the purposes that can be achieved, should still fall within the scope of the disclosure of the present invention. The technical content can be covered within the scope.

The semiconductor processing system generally includes a wafer front end module (Equipment Front End Module, EFEM), a vacuum load chamber (Load Lock), a wafer transfer chamber (TM), and a process chamber (PM) connected in sequence; the wafer front end module will The wafer is transported to the vacuum load chamber, and the negative pressure is extracted. Then, under the action of the robot in the wafer transfer chamber, the wafer is moved into the wafer transfer chamber, and then transferred to the process chamber. The wafer is in the process chamber The process treatment is completed within the semiconductor process. According to the different semiconductor processes, it can be divided into etching, heat treatment, pre-cleaning, epitaxy and other processes. Different processes should use corresponding process chambers.

As shown in Figures 1 to 5, a wafer transfer chamber provided by an embodiment of the present invention includes a body 100. The body 100 includes an upper top and a lower bottom. The upper top is placed above the lower bottom. The upper top A transfer space for transferring the wafer 102 on the transfer path is formed between the wafer 102 and the lower bottom. The wafer transfer chamber is also equipped with a vacuum manipulator 101 for transferring the wafer 102 between the vacuum load chamber and the process chamber. The movement trajectory of the vacuum manipulator 101 when transferring the wafer 102 is the transfer. Path S, for the transfer path S, specifically, as shown in Figure 2, the wafer 102 is taken out from the vacuum load chamber by the vacuum manipulator 101 to the first position S1, and then the vacuum manipulator 101 rotates to drive the wafer 102 to move to the second position S1. At position S2, the wafer is sent into the process chamber. When the process is completed, the vacuum manipulator 101 takes the wafer 102 out of the process chamber to the second position S2, and then the vacuum manipulator 101 rotates to drive the wafer 102 to the first position. S1, the wafer is sent into the vacuum load chamber to form a complete transfer path S.

The body 100 also includes an air inlet 103 and at least one air blowing port. The air inlet 103 is connected with the air blowing port and is used to introduce purge gas to the wafer 102 on the transfer path S. Purge and cool down. Therefore, when the vacuum manipulator 101 carries the wafer 102 and moves on the transfer path S, the purge gas introduced from the air inlet 103 can flow out from the air purge port, and the wafer 102 is processed. Purging achieves the purpose of removing particulate matter on the wafer surface before process processing, and cooling the wafer and removing surface particles after process processing. That is, the present invention realizes purging and cooling during the wafer transfer process. There is no need to put the wafer into a special cooling plate for cooling, thereby solving the existing wafer cooling process that involves multiple mechanical motion structures, complex transmission, large transmission cavity space, multiple cooling steps, long wafer cooling, and wafer cooling. Problems such as scratches on the back.

The purging and cooling are performed during the transportation process of the wafer 102 on the transportation path S. Specifically, during the process of the wafer being transferred from the first position S1 to the second position S2 (or from the second position S2 to the first position S1), the number of times the wafer is transferred from the first position S1 to the second position S1 can be increased. The time at position S2 (or transferred from the second position S2 to the first position S1) can increase the effect of purging and cooling. The time is 40-70S, which can reduce the wafer temperature from 500-700°C to 60-80°C. ℃. Of course, optionally, you can first stop the wafer in the first position S1 (or the second position S2) to perform most of the purging and cooling work, and then transfer the wafer to the second position S2 (or the first position S1 ), complete the remaining purging and cooling work during the transfer process. This can reduce time costs to a minimum.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 , 4 , and 5 , the blowing ports include a first blowing port 105 and a second blowing port 108 , which are used to respectively blow the first blowing port on the wafer 102 on the transfer path S of the wafer 102 . The first and second zones are purged and cooled. Therefore, by arranging the first air blowing port 105 and the second air blowing port 108 , the area to be blown on the wafer 102 can be increased, thereby increasing the cooling rate of the wafer 102 and reducing particle contamination. Optionally, the purge gas flowing out of the first blow port 105 and the second blow port 108 is perpendicular to the surface of the wafer 102. Therefore, the purge gas can blow the wafer to the maximum extent. circle 102 to further increase the cooling rate of the wafer 102 and reduce particle contamination.

Further, as shown in Figures 1 to 5, the body 100 also includes: a first air inlet 106, connected to the air inlet 103 and the first blowing port 105; a second air inlet 107, connected to the air inlet 103 and the first blowing port 105; the first air inlet 106 and the second air blowing port 108. By arranging the first air inlet 106, the purge gas can flow from the air inlet 103 into the first blow port 105 to purge and cool down the first area on the surface of the wafer 102. By arranging the second air inlet 107, open The purge gas flows from the first air inlet 106 into the second purge port 108 to purge and cool down the second area on the surface of the wafer 102 . Optionally, the shape of the first air inlet 106 at least partially corresponds to the transfer path S.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the transmission path S is in the shape of multiple arcs with the vacuum manipulator 101 as the center. Based on this, the first air inlet 106 can be designed as an annular shape, which is different from the arc shape. The transmission path S corresponds. The first blowing port 105 is opened in the first air inlet 106, so that the purge gas in the first air inlet 106 can directly flow out from each first blowing port 105, and the wafer is The first area of 102 is purged and cooled. At the same time, there are multiple first blowing ports 105 , evenly distributed along the first air inlet 106 , so that the purge gas flowing out through the first blowing ports 105 is evenly distributed on the transmission path S. , so that the first area of the wafer 102 can be continuously purged on the transfer path. In addition, the number of the second air inlet passages 107 may also be multiple and evenly distributed along the first air inlet passage 106. Therefore, the first air inlet passages 107 may be evenly distributed. The purge gas in the air inlet 106 is introduced into the second blow port 108, so that the purge gas flowing out through the second blow port 108 is evenly distributed on the transmission path S, so that the purge gas can be distributed on the transmission path S. The second area of the wafer 102 is continuously purged and cooled, and the second air inlet 107 is arranged in an annular shape as a whole.

Further, the second air inlet 107 is perpendicular to the first air inlet 106 in the horizontal direction. As shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5, the second air inlet 107 extends in the horizontal direction toward the center of the body 100 of the wafer transfer chamber. The wafer transfer chamber also includes a guide plate 104, so The baffle 104 is annular as a whole and has an "L" shape in cross-section. It is provided at the end of the second air inlet 107 and is used to guide the purge gas through the second blow port in the vertical direction. 108 outflow. As a result, the horizontal direction of the purge gas flow in the second air inlet 107 is changed by the deflector 104, and the wafer 102 is purged in the vertical direction, so that the wafer 102 can be purged to the maximum extent. The cooling rate of the wafer 102 is increased to reduce particle contamination.

Furthermore, the body 100 further includes a third air inlet passage 109 for connecting the air inlet 103 and the first air inlet passage 106 . By providing the third air inlet 109, the purge gas from the air inlet 103 can flow into the first air inlet 106 evenly, thereby improving the uniformity of the air flow at each air blowing port.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the air inlet 103 and at least one blowing port are provided on the upper top, and the upper surface of the wafer 102 is purged and cooled through the blowing port located on the upper top. The effect is that the air blowing port can provide a downward pressure on the upper surface of the wafer to ensure the stability of the wafer and prevent it from slipping. In other embodiments, the air inlet 103 and at least one air blowing port can also be provided on the lower bottom or both on the upper top and the lower bottom, and the lower surface of the wafer 102 can be blown through the air blowing port on the lower top The surface is purged and cooled.

Further, the number of the air inlets 103 is at least two, preferably three, evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the body 100 of the wafer transfer chamber. Since the first air inlet 106 is annular, the air inlets 103 can be connected through the first air inlet 106. By arranging a plurality of evenly distributed air inlets 103 on the body 100, the number of air inlets 103 is reduced. The pressure drop in the air inlet 106 can ensure that the purge gas flow rate of each blow port in the wafer transfer chamber is consistent, so that the purge gas flows into the transfer chamber evenly, improving the cooling effect of the wafer, and at the same time improving the entire transfer chamber. internal environment.

Furthermore, a plurality of wafer transfer ports 201 can be provided between the upper top and the lower bottom of the body 100. The wafer transfer ports 201 are connected to the transfer space. Therefore, the wafer transfer chamber can connect multiple wafer transfer ports. Vacuum load chamber and process chamber improve wafer processing efficiency. Optionally, the top and bottom of the body 100 are pentagonal, hexagonal or octagonal. This structure facilitates the installation of the above-mentioned multiple wafer transfer ports and connection with the process chamber; as shown in Figure 1 , 5. There is a circular through hole in the middle of the upper top, and the through hole is sealed by the top cover. The top cover (not shown in the figure) is circular, and the top cover and the upper top are sealed by a sealing ring 200 , the deflector 104 is arranged around the edge of the through hole, and is fixed on the top through the top cover. The first air inlet 106 is formed by arranging a groove with an inverted "convex" cross-section, and then fixing a sealing cover plate on the groove. The first blowing port 105 is formed by opening a vertical hole in the bottom of the groove. The second air inlet 107 is formed by opening a horizontally extending channel in the side wall of the groove, and the channel finally penetrates the inner wall of the upper through hole.

Optionally, the purge gas is nitrogen. The temperature and/or flow rate of the purge gas can be adjusted. When the flow rate of the purge gas is increased, the purge efficiency and cooling speed of the wafer 102 can be improved; when the temperature of the purge gas is increased, the water mist on the surface of the wafer 102 can also be effectively reduced, improving the process. performance.

The wafer transfer chamber also includes a pump for pumping negative pressure and discharging the purge gas out of the wafer transfer chamber.

Based on the same inventive concept, the present invention also provides a semiconductor processing system, including the wafer transfer chamber as described above.

In summary, the wafer transfer chamber provided by the present invention does not require an additional mechanical transfer mechanism or transfer the wafer to a special cooling plate for cooling, but can achieve rapid cooling during the transfer process after the high-temperature wafer process. , reduces the cooling steps, takes a short time, and greatly improves the productivity output of the entire equipment. Not only that, the wafer can also be cleaned before the process to reduce particulate matter; in addition, since there is no need for a special lifting cooling plate, the volume of the transfer cavity is reduced It will be greatly reduced, reducing the risk of the wafer being scratched, saving material costs, cooling water loss and the risk of leakage.

The present invention uses purge gas from the top and/or bottom to rapidly reduce the wafer temperature in a non-contact manner with multiple nozzles, and the wafer surface will not be scratched; in the present invention, the purge gas can flow into the transfer chamber evenly, which can improve The internal environment of the entire transfer chamber; the present invention can improve the state of water vapor and particles on the wafer surface by changing the flow rate and temperature of the purge gas.

It should be noted that in this article, relational terms such as first and second are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply that these entities or operations are mutually exclusive. any such actual relationship or sequence exists between them. Furthermore, the terms "comprises," "comprises," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements includes not only those elements, but also those not expressly listed other elements, or elements inherent to the process, method, article or equipment. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "comprises a..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the stated element.

Although the content of the present invention has been described in detail through the above preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the above description should not be considered as limiting the present invention. Various modifications and substitutions to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the above. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be limited by the appended patent application scope. The above are only examples to illustrate the preferred implementation of this invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of implementation. All simple substitutions and equivalent changes made based on the patent scope of this invention and the content of the patent specification are all patents of this invention. Application scope.

100:Ontology 101: Vacuum manipulator 102:wafer 103:Air inlet 104:Deflector 105: First blowing port 106:First air inlet 107:Second air inlet 108: Second blowing port 109:Third air intake duct 200:Sealing ring 201: Wafer transfer port S: transmission path S1: first position S2: second position

In order to explain the technical solution of the present invention more clearly, the drawings needed to be used in the description will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are an embodiment of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, Generally speaking, without putting in any creative work, other schemas can be obtained based on these schemas:

Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a wafer transfer chamber provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a top view of a wafer transfer chamber provided by an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged view of a wafer transfer chamber provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a wafer transfer chamber provided by an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is an axial cross-sectional view of a wafer transfer chamber provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

100:Ontology

101: Vacuum manipulator

102:wafer

103:Air inlet

104:Deflector

105: First blowing port

106:First air inlet

201: Wafer transfer port

S: transmission path

Claims (18)

A wafer transfer chamber includes: A body, the body includes an upper top and a lower bottom, the upper top is placed above the lower bottom, and a transfer space for transferring wafers on the transfer path is formed between the upper top and the lower bottom; The body further includes an air inlet and at least one air blowing port. The air inlet is connected with the air blowing port and is used to introduce purging gas to purge and cool down the wafer on the transfer path. The wafer transfer chamber according to claim 1, wherein the blowing port includes a first blowing port and a second blowing port, used to respectively transfer the wafer on the wafer on the transport path of the wafer. The first area and the second area perform the purging and cooling. The wafer transfer chamber according to claim 1, wherein the purging and cooling are implemented during the transfer process of the wafer on the transfer path. The wafer transfer chamber according to claim 2, wherein the purge gas flowing out of the first blow port and the second blow port is perpendicular to the surface of the wafer. The wafer transfer chamber according to claim 2, wherein the body further includes: A first air inlet connects the air inlet and the first blowing port; The second air inlet channel communicates with the first air inlet channel and the second air blowing port. The wafer transfer chamber of claim 5, wherein the shape of the first air inlet at least partially corresponds to the transfer path. The wafer transfer chamber according to claim 6, wherein the first air inlet is annular, and the number of the first blowing ports is multiple and evenly distributed along the first air inlet. The wafer transfer chamber according to claim 7, wherein the number of the second air inlets is multiple and evenly distributed along the first air inlets. The wafer transfer chamber according to claim 8, wherein the second air inlet is perpendicular to the first air inlet in a horizontal direction. The wafer transfer chamber according to claim 8, wherein the second air inlet extends in a horizontal direction toward the center of the body of the wafer transfer chamber, and the wafer transfer chamber further includes a flow guide A plate is provided at the end of the second air inlet for guiding the purge gas to flow out through the second blow port in a vertical direction. The wafer transfer chamber according to claim 5, wherein the body further includes a third air inlet for connecting the air inlet and the first air inlet. The wafer transfer chamber according to claim 1, wherein the air inlet and the at least one air blowing port are provided on the upper top or the lower bottom. The wafer transfer chamber according to claim 1, wherein the number of the air inlets is at least two, evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the body of the wafer transfer chamber. The wafer transfer chamber according to claim 1, wherein the upper top and the lower bottom of the body are both hexagonal or octagonal. The wafer transfer chamber according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of wafer transfer ports are further provided between the upper top and the lower bottom of the body. The wafer transfer chamber according to claim 1, wherein the purge gas is nitrogen. The wafer transfer chamber according to claim 1, wherein the temperature and/or flow rate of the purge gas are adjustable. A semiconductor processing system, including the wafer transfer chamber as described in any one of claims 1 to 17.

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