TWI413153B - Semiconductor processing chamber - Google Patents

Abstract

A semiconductor processing system comprising load lock, transfer chamber and one or several processing chambers. The transfer chamber is between load lock and processing chambers, and processing chambers can be placed around the transfer chamber. The transfer chamber is equipped with transferring apparatus. This invention can complete the loading and exchanging job of workpieces only by the movements of transferring apparatus, and without the vertical movements of lad lock or processing chambers. Thus the loading and exchanging of workpieces can be faster and cheaper, and the throughput can be raised. In this invention, a processing chamber with specially designed intake and exhaust system is published. With reactant gas screens forming among the processing stations in the processing chamber, the uniformity of the processing stations can be improved, thus the cross-interference of reactant gases between different processing stations can be avoided.

Description

Semiconductor processing chamber

The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and more particularly to a semiconductor processing system and a processing method thereof.

There are currently two commonly used semiconductor process processing systems, one for batch processing of workpieces and the other for single piece processing of workpieces. In a batch processing system, multiple pieces of workpiece are placed and processed horizontally or vertically simultaneously.

Since multiple pieces of workpiece are processed simultaneously in the device, the spacing between the workpieces is extremely limited. This requires low pressure treatment to eliminate the gas pressure gradient. In general, where the workpiece spacing is greater than one quarter of its thickness, the pressure should be less than 500 mTorr, and the deposition rate at this time will be less than 100 A/min. This means that longer processing time is required.

While monolithic processing systems have advantages in product handling uniformity, thermal effects, and single batch processing speeds, their low throughput and costly production costs are clearly fatal defects that are difficult to overcome.

In order to solve the above problem, the background portion of U.S. Patent No. 5,855,681 provides a system for batch processing. As shown in FIG. 12, such a batch processing system 101 has a processing chamber 102 having a plurality of processing platforms 103 in the processing chamber, such that the processing chamber 102 can simultaneously process a plurality of workpieces without having to consider between workpieces. The spacing problem.

However, such systems also have certain problems, which affect the processing speed and quality of the workpiece, and cannot effectively process large batches of workpieces at the same time. Among them, the main problem affecting the processing quality lies in the uniformity of the processing conditions of each processing platform. The homogeneity of the treatment conditions has two main effects, namely the reaction gas and temperature. Generally, if the processing platforms are sealed, heat isolation between the platforms is formed, and the temperature uniformity between the processing platforms is difficult to control; if the processing platforms are not sealed, the reaction gases between the processing platforms may form mutual interference. , affecting the uniformity of the processing atmosphere between the processing platforms.

Therefore, the current processing chambers including multiple processing platforms are still unable to uniformly process large batches of workpieces at the same time.

In addition, U.S. Patent No. 6,860,965 provides another workpiece batch processing system. As shown in Figure 13, the system simplifies the transfer chamber 111 to achieve a smaller footprint. However, the system loading system 112 is complicated, the workpiece loading speed is slow, and it is necessary to leave a period of time in the process for waiting for the loading and unloading of the workpiece, which affects the production efficiency. There is a need to provide a fast workpiece handling device and method to reduce the waiting time of the loading and unloading process and speed up workpiece processing efficiency.

At the same time, the workpiece processing apparatus of this patent can only have one processing chamber 113. Therefore, the number of workpieces that can be processed simultaneously by each machine is reduced, and the production cost is increased.

In addition, the existing workpiece batch processing device also has a common problem, that is, the mechanical structure is complicated and difficult to maintain, and when the conveying device is loaded or unloaded or exchanged, the transmission cost is high, and the unit productivity is lowered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor process processing system that solves the problems of low reliability and complicated mechanical structure of current mass production devices.

The invention is achieved by the following technical method: a semiconductor process processing system comprising a transfer chamber and a processing chamber, the transfer chamber being provided with a transfer device, the processing chamber having a loading and unloading port, the transfer device having at least two separately retractable transports The arm can be simultaneously pointed to the same loading and unloading port of the processing chamber, and can be respectively adjusted in the vertical direction to the position of the same loading and unloading port to complete the pick-and-place of the workpiece.

The two transfer arms are located above and below the loading and unloading port. The two transfer arms are rotatable on a horizontal plane between the transfer chamber and the processing chamber, and the two transfer arms of the transfer device can move up and down with the spindle of the transfer device; each transfer arm of the transfer device can be freely moved back and forth Telescopic.

The semiconductor process processing system also includes at least one vacuum lock, the vacuum lock is provided with a plurality of workpiece holders, and the transfer arms can simultaneously point to different workpiece holder positions of the vacuum lock to complete the pick-and-place of the workpiece. Each vacuum lock is provided with two or four workpiece holders. The vacuum lock is divided into upper and lower layers, and the workpiece rack in the lower layer is provided with a gasket which is easy to dissipate heat to enhance the heat dissipation effect.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor process processing system that solves the problem that the current workpiece mass production apparatus is not uniform in processing and can not perform batch processing of workpieces with high quality.

The present invention achieves the above object by the following technical method: a semiconductor processing chamber comprising a plurality of processing platforms, a radial groove for exhausting around the processing platform, an exhaust passage around the processing chamber, and a processing chamber The exhaust passage communicates with the radial grooves of the processing platform to form an exhaust system.

Wherein, the processing chamber comprises a chamber top cover and a chamber base plate, and a suction isolation plate is disposed between the chamber top cover and the chamber base plate, wherein the chamber top cover has a plurality of raised shower heads The gas separation plate has a plurality of suction isolation holes corresponding to the shower head, and a heating base corresponding to each suction isolation hole in the chamber base below the suction insulation plate, the corresponding shower head The suction isolation hole and the heating base form a processing platform. A plurality of radial grooves are provided around the suction isolation plate. The radial groove is distributed near the side of the suction isolation plate on the side closer to the center of the suction isolation plate. A plurality of exhaust ports corresponding to the extensions of the recesses of the chamber cover are also disposed around the suction partition.

At least one exhaust groove for exhausting is provided on the chamber base, and the exhaust groove is in communication with the exhaust port of the suction partition. The bottom of the chamber base is provided with an exhaust passage communicating with the exhaust passage, and the exhaust passage is connected to the exhaust device.

The air curtain forming process formed by the airflow discharged around the processing platform is: gas is sent to each processing platform by the sprinkler of the present invention, and the gas is extracted from each processing platform due to the air pressure of the intake system and the extraction of the gas by the exhaust device. The radial flow out of the tank, due to the action of air pressure, the flow rate of the gas can be very fast, forming a gas curtain around the treatment platform. An inert gas curtain is sprayed around the heating base.

Another technical solution is: a semiconductor processing chamber, including a plurality of processing platforms, and a gas isolating plate disposed on the processing platform, the pumping insulating plate having a plurality of pumping isolation holes corresponding to the processing platform. In the semiconductor processing process, the reaction environments of the processing platforms are isolated from each other by evacuating the isolation holes.

Wherein, the semiconductor processing chamber also includes a chamber top cover and a chamber base, the processing platform is disposed in the chamber base, and the suction isolation plate is disposed between the chamber top cover and the chamber base. The chamber top cover has a plurality of raised showerheads with fine holes. The suction isolation hole on the air separation spacer corresponds to the shower head, and during the processing of the semiconductor workpiece, the shower head abuts against the suction isolation hole of the air separation spacer. A heating base corresponding to each of the suction isolation holes is formed in the chamber base below the suction isolation plate, and the corresponding shower head, the suction isolation hole and the heating base form a processing platform. A plurality of radial grooves are arranged around the suction isolation hole, and the radial grooves are distributed near a side of the periphery of the suction isolation plate and closer to the center of the suction insulation plate. A plurality of exhaust ports corresponding to the extensions of the recesses of the chamber cover are also disposed around the suction partition. A plurality of symmetrical exhaust ports are arranged around the suction isolation plate. At least one exhaust groove for exhausting is provided on the chamber base adjacent to the suction partition. The bottom of the chamber base is provided with an exhaust passage communicating with the exhaust passage, and the exhaust passage is connected to the exhaust device.

The flow direction of the gas in the processing chamber is: the reaction gas is sent from the shower head to each processing platform, and the semiconductor workpiece placed on the heating base is processed, due to the gas pressure of the intake system and the reaction gas to the exhaust gas Extracting, the reaction gas flows out from the radial groove of the suction isolation plate of each processing platform, enters the concave portion of the top cover of the chamber, and flows to the extension portion of the concave portion, and the exhaust port around the suction isolation plate It flows into the exhaust groove of the chamber base and enters the exhaust device through an exhaust passage communicating with the exhaust groove.

The chamber base is provided with a loading and unloading port for loading and unloading the workpiece on the side of the transfer chamber. An inert gas is passed through the bottom of the heated base to prevent particulate dust from depositing under the heated base and film growth.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a processing system that solves the problems of slow loading and unloading of workpieces in a workpiece mass production apparatus and low processing efficiency of workpieces.

The present invention achieves the above object by the following technical method: a method of transferring a workpiece of a semiconductor process processing system, the semiconductor process processing system comprising a transfer chamber and a processing chamber, the transfer chamber being provided with a transfer device having at least two a transfer arm that is vertically movable and retractable in a horizontal direction, the method comprising: (1) one of the transfer devices transporting a piece of the workpiece from a workpiece loading and unloading opening in the processing chamber; (2) following the completion of the step (1) Another transfer arm of the transfer device places another piece of workpiece into the processing chamber through the workpiece loading and unloading port.

Wherein the transfer device is rotatable on a horizontal plane within the transfer chamber. The two transfer arms of the conveyor can move up and down with the spindle of the conveyor. The transfer device loads or unloads a piece of workpiece each time through the loading and unloading port of the workpiece. The semiconductor process processing system also includes a vacuum lock, and the transfer device can take two pieces of the workpiece each time in the vacuum lock.

Another technical solution of the present invention is: a workpiece loading method of a semiconductor process processing system, the semiconductor process processing system includes a vacuum lock, a transfer chamber, a processing chamber having n processing platforms, and a workpiece exchange platform is disposed in the processing chamber. Where the transfer chamber has transfer means for at least two transfer arms pointing in the same direction and in the up and down position, the steps of loading the workpiece without the workpiece in the processing chamber are as follows: (1) The transfer device utilizes its two transfer arms from the vacuum lock Two pieces of workpiece are taken out; (2) two transfer arms are rotated to the loading and unloading port of the processing chamber, wherein the first transfer arm faces the loading and unloading port, and the workpiece held by the first transfer arm is placed on the workpiece exchange platform , the workpiece exchange platform rotates n minutes; (3) the second transfer arm of the transfer device is adjusted to the front loading and unloading port, and the workpiece held by the second transfer arm is placed on the workpiece exchange platform; (4) two The transfer arm returns to the vacuum lock and takes two pieces of workpiece, and the workpiece exchange platform rotates n minutes; (5) repeat the above steps (2), (3), (4) until the processing chamber is full.

Among them, the number n of processing platforms is a natural number. The number of processing chambers is two or three. The vacuum lock is provided with two upper and lower layers, wherein the upper layer is an exchange layer for the transfer and exchange of workpieces, and the lower layer is provided with a gasket for easy heat dissipation for heat dissipation. The vacuum lock contains two or four pieces of workpiece.

After the completion of the step (5) and waiting for all the workpieces to be processed, the workpiece exchange step further includes: a. the transfer device returns to the vacuum lock, and the first transfer arm is taken out from the vacuum lock. Processing the workpiece; b. rotating the conveyor to return to the processing chamber position and causing the second transfer arm to face the loading and unloading port of the processing chamber; c. transferring the second transfer arm to the workpiece by the loading and unloading port The platform takes out a piece of processed workpiece; d. adjusts the position of the conveying device so that the first conveying arm faces the loading and unloading port, and the conveying device uses the first conveying arm to insert an unprocessed workpiece into the workpiece exchange platform through the loading and unloading port; e. The second transfer arm of the transfer device returns to the vacuum lock, and the processed workpiece obtained by the second transfer arm is placed in the vacuum lock.

The workpiece exchange platform is provided with n pairs of transfer arms, wherein the workpiece exchange platform is rotatable such that each pair of transfer arms corresponds to a processing platform.

A workpiece unloading method for a semiconductor process processing system, the semiconductor process processing system comprising a vacuum lock, a transfer chamber, a processing chamber having n processing platforms, and a processing unit having a workpiece exchange platform, wherein the transfer chamber has a pointing direction and is located The conveying device of the at least two transfer arms in the upper and lower positions, when the processing chamber is full, the steps of unloading the workpiece are as follows: (1) the conveying device uses the first transfer arm to take out a piece of workpiece from the workpiece exchange platform through the loading and unloading port; 2) The workpiece exchange platform rotates n minutes, adjusts the position of the second transfer arm to face the loading and unloading port; (3) the conveyor uses the second transfer arm to take out a piece of workpiece from the workpiece exchange platform through the loading and unloading port; (4) The second transfer arm of the transfer device returns the vacuum lock and places the two pieces of the workpiece into the vacuum lock; (5) repeats the above steps until the process chamber is unloaded.

Among them, the number n of processing platforms is 4 natural numbers. The number of processing chambers is two or three. The vacuum lock is provided with two upper and lower layers, wherein the upper layer is an exchange layer for the transfer and exchange of workpieces, and the lower layer is provided with a gasket for easy heat dissipation for heat dissipation. The workpiece exchange platform is provided with n pairs of transfer arms, wherein the workpiece exchange platform is rotatable such that each pair of transfer arms corresponds to a processing platform.

A workpiece exchange method for a semiconductor process processing system, the semiconductor process processing system comprising a vacuum lock, a transfer chamber, a processing chamber having n processing platforms, and a processing unit having a workpiece exchange platform, wherein the transfer chamber has the same direction and is located The transfer device for at least two transfer arms in the upper and lower positions, the steps of exchanging the workpiece in the case where the processing chamber has a workpiece are as follows: (1) the transfer device returns to the vacuum lock, and the unloaded one piece is taken out from the vacuum lock by the first transfer arm (2) rotating the transfer device to return to the processing chamber position, and the second transfer arm is facing the loading and unloading port of the processing chamber; (3) the second transfer arm of the transfer device is attached to the workpiece by the loading and unloading port The exchange platform takes out a piece of the processed workpiece; (4) adjusts the position of the conveying device so that the first conveying arm faces the loading and unloading port, and the conveying device uses the first conveying arm to insert an unprocessed workpiece into the workpiece exchange platform through the loading and unloading port; (5) The second transfer arm of the transfer device returns to the vacuum lock, and the processed workpiece obtained by the second transfer arm is placed in the vacuum lock.

Among them, the number n of processing platforms is 4 natural numbers. The number of processing chambers is two or three. The vacuum lock is provided with two upper and lower layers, wherein the upper layer is an exchange layer for the transfer and exchange of workpieces, and the lower layer is provided with a gasket for easy heat dissipation for heat dissipation. The vacuum lock contains two or four pieces of workpiece. The workpiece exchange platform is provided with n pairs of transfer arms, wherein the workpiece exchange platform is rotatable such that each pair of transfer arms corresponds to a processing platform.

The invention adopts a unique conveying device workpiece conveying structure, which can load and unload workpieces more quickly and improve productivity. The processing chamber of the invention adopts a specially designed intake and exhaust system, so that a reaction gas curtain is formed between the processing platforms, which can improve the uniformity between the platforms and avoid the reaction gas interaction between different processing platforms.

Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a semiconductor process processing system according to the present invention. The invention consists of a standard factory interface 1, two vacuum locks 2, a transfer chamber 3, and one or more processing chambers 4. Among them, the factory interface 1 is adjacent to the vacuum lock 2. The transfer chamber 3 is located between the vacuum lock 2 and the processing chamber 4. A plurality of processing chambers 4 can be disposed around the transfer chamber 3. Each processing chamber 4 contains a plurality of processing platforms 5, each of which can process a semiconductor workpiece. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor process processing system includes two processing chambers 4, two process chambers 4 disposed about the transfer chamber 3. A chamber top cover 8 is disposed above each of the processing chambers 4. For ease of description of the present invention, the chamber top cover 8 of one of the processing chambers 4 is in a closed state and the other chamber top cover 8 is in an open state. As can be seen from the chamber top cover 8 of the self-closing state, a reaction gas supply device 6 is disposed on the chamber top cover 8 of the processing chamber 4, and the reaction gas supply device 6 can be opened from the chamber by the intake pipe. The top of 8 inputs the reaction gases to different processing platforms 5 in the processing chamber 4. As can be seen in the open top cover 8 of the chamber, the interior of the chamber cover 8 has a recess 9 with an extension 10 around each other. In the recessed portion 9, there are a plurality of raised shower heads 11 having the same number as the processing platform 1, and the shower head 11 is provided with a plurality of uniformly dense pores 12 for the reaction gas supplied from the reaction gas supply device 6. Input into the processing platform 5. In addition, the control, exhaust, and power unit 7 required for processing the workpiece are also provided on the side of the holder of the processing chamber 4, which will not be described in detail herein for the sake of brevity. Each of the processing chambers 4 of the present invention can share a set of cleaning sources and reactive gas supply devices, exhaust pumps, and terminal detectors. In the case of plasma chemical vapor deposition, a set of RF energy input devices can also be shared between the processing platforms 5 of the same processing chamber 4.

Please refer to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the semiconductor process processing system of the present invention when the processing chamber top cover is omitted. In the embodiment of Fig. 2, the transfer chamber 3 is pentagonal, and up to three processing chambers 4 can be disposed around it. In the embodiment of Fig. 2, two are provided, and of course, only one processing chamber 4 is provided. . In other embodiments, the transfer chamber 3 can also have other different shapes, such as a hexagon. Correspondingly, the number of processing chambers 4 that can be placed around the transfer chamber 3 can also be different. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the processing chamber 4 has a quadrilateral shape with four chamfers, and four processing platforms 5 are disposed inside. Of course, in some other embodiments, the processing chamber 4 can also have other different shapes and a different number of processing platforms 5.

Please refer to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic exploded view of the processing chamber in the semiconductor process processing system of the present invention. In FIG. 3, the processing chamber includes a chamber top cover 8, a suction isolation panel 13, a workpiece exchange platform 25, a heating base 19, and a chamber base 18. Wherein, the heating base 19 is mounted in the shaft hole 31' of the chamber base plate 18 by its central shaft 31, and the suction separating plate 13, the workpiece exchange platform 25 and the chamber base plate 18 are along the common axis as shown. Mounted together under the line, the chamber top cover 8 is mechanically coupled to the chamber base 18 and can be opened or closed. When the chamber top cover 8 is placed over the chamber base 18, a closed workpiece processing chamber is formed within the chamber top cover 8 and the chamber base 18. It should be noted that, in the processing chamber of the present invention, a plurality of workpiece processing platforms may be disposed. For convenience of description, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, only four workpiece processing platforms are taken as an example.

The chamber top cover 8 is recessed inwardly to form a recess 9 having a projecting extension 10 extending around it. When the semiconductor workpiece is processed, the chamber top cover 8 is closed with the chamber top cover, and a closed reaction chamber is formed inside, and the reaction gas flows in the recessed portion 9 and finally exits the processing chamber (described later in detail). Four recesses 11 projecting from the recessed portion 9 are disposed in the recessed portion 9 of the chamber top cover 8. The fine holes 12 for the input of the reaction gas are evenly distributed on the shower head 11.

The suction isolation panel 13 is provided with a plurality of suction isolation holes 16 corresponding to the number and position of the shower heads 11. The diameter of the suction isolation hole 16 is wider and narrower. Correspondingly, the diameter of the shower head 11 on the chamber top cover 8 is smaller than the diameter of the upper end of the suction isolation hole 16, which is larger than the diameter of the lower end of the suction isolation hole 16. The arrangement is such that when the chamber top cover 8 is placed over the chamber base 18, the shower head 11 and the suction isolation aperture 16 are in closer contact. Further, four exhaust ports 14 communicating with the extending portion 10 of the recessed portion 9 of the chamber top cover 8 are also provided around the air suction partitioning plate 13.

The workpiece exchange platform 25 is configured to transfer a workpiece between the processing platforms 5, and has a rotating shaft hole 33 and a transfer arm 37 which is uniformly disposed along the periphery of the rotating shaft hole 33 and which is opposite to the number of workpiece platforms. The transfer arm 37 is used to place a workpiece. The workpiece exchange platform 25 is rotatable and allows each pair of transfer arms 37 to be positioned just above a processing platform 5. In the present embodiment, the suction isolation plate exhaust port workpiece exchange platform 25 has four pairs of openable transfer arms 37 corresponding to the suction isolation holes 16 of the suction insulation plate 13.

The heating base 19 has a circular heating platform, and a support rod 31 is disposed at a central position below the heating platform, and can be lifted up and down along the shaft hole 31' in the chamber base 18. A workpiece for processing is placed on the heating platform. In order to cooperate with the workpiece exchange platform 25 to pick up and place the workpiece on the heating base 19, the heating base 19 is also provided with a plurality of ejector pins 20 movable up and down along the shaft hole 20' of the chamber base plate 18. The number and arrangement of the thimbles 20 can be various. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, each of the heating bases 19 has three thimbles 20 distributed in a triangular shape.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, a shaft hole 33' coaxial with the shaft hole 33 of the workpiece exchange platform 25 is disposed in the middle of the chamber base 18. The workpiece exchange platform 25 is mounted in the chamber by a rotating mechanism (not shown). On the shaft hole 33' in the chamber base 18. Four workpiece processing platforms 5 are disposed in the chamber base 18, and each of the workpiece processing platforms is provided with a shaft hole 31' and three shaft holes 20'. The support rod 31 of the heating base 19 can be lifted up and down in the shaft hole 31'. The thimble 20 can be raised and lowered in the shaft hole 20'. The chamber base plate 18 is provided with a workpiece loading and unloading port 23 for the workpiece to enter and exit on one side of a workpiece processing platform 5. An exhaust groove 17 for exhausting is provided on the chamber base 18 on opposite sides of the workpiece loading and unloading port 23. The bottom of the chamber base 18 is also provided with an exhaust device 22 that communicates with the exhaust passage 21. Referring again to FIG. 7, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the chamber base 18 shown in FIG. 4 taken along line I-I. As can be seen from Fig. 7, the exhaust groove 17 and the exhaust passage 21 are connected to each other by a connecting groove 27. Therefore, the exhaust groove 17, the exhaust passage 21, and the exhaust device 22 communicate with each other.

6 is a schematic structural view of the air separation panel 13 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of radial slots 24 are formed around the air separation barrier 16 of the air separation panel 13, and the air separation panel 13 is also surrounded. A plurality of exhaust ports 14 are provided in communication with the extensions 10 of the recesses 9 of the chamber top cover 8.

Referring to FIG. 3, in the processing of the workpiece, the chamber cover 8 covers a processing chamber on the chamber base 18, and in the processing chamber, the air separation panel 13 is placed on the chamber base 18, and the air is pumped. Each of the suction isolation holes 16 of the insulation plate 13 is located just above the heating base 19, and the shower head 11 of the chamber top cover 8 abuts against the suction isolation hole 16 of the air separation insulation plate 13, and the heating base 19 is The suction isolation plate 13 is abutted, and the workpiece to be processed is placed between the heating base 19 and the suction insulation plate 13. The transfer arm 37 of the workpiece exchange platform 25 can be arranged in various ways so that the transfer arm 37 is not blocked. The position of the susceptor 19 is such that the reaction gas ejected from the shower head 11 is not directly sprayed onto the workpiece on the heating susceptor 19. Thereby, the shower head 11, the suction partitioning plate 13, and the heating base 19 form a processing platform 5. The reaction gas supply means 6 inputs the reaction gas from the top of the chamber top cover 8 to the processing platform 5 through the fine holes 12 in the shower head 11. The reaction gas is ejected from the shower head 11, and the semiconductor workpiece placed on the heating base 19 is processed. Since the exhaust spacer 13 is provided with a radial groove 24, the shower on the chamber top cover 8 is sprayed. The head 11 and the air separation panel 13 are not completely sealed, and the reaction gas entering the processing platform 5 from the fine pores 12 on the shower head 11 is subjected to the evacuation of the radial grooves 24 after the processing of the workpiece. The pores of the separator plate leak out, enter the recessed portion 9 recessed inwardly of the chamber top cover 8 , and flow toward the extension portion 10 of the recess portion 9 , because the extension portion 10 communicates with the plurality of exhaust ports 14 of the air suction partition plate 13 , Further, due to the action of the exhaust device 22, the leaked gas automatically flows to the plurality of exhaust ports 14 on the suction partitioning plate 13 because of the plurality of exhaust ports 14 and the exhaust slots 17 provided on the chamber base plate 18. In communication, and because the exhaust slot 17 and the exhaust passage 21 are in communication, the gas thus enters the exhaust passage 21 and is finally withdrawn by the exhaust unit 22 to form a complete intake and exhaust system. Due to the gas pressure of the reaction gas supply device 6 and the extraction of the reaction gas by the exhaust device 22, the flow rate of the reaction gas of the entire intake and exhaust system can be fast, forming a gas curtain around the treatment platform 5, so that the reaction between the various platforms The gases do not interfere with each other.

Further, considering the influence of the difference in the internal pressure of the processing chamber 4 on the flow velocity of the reaction gas, the present invention sets the distribution of the radial grooves 24 to be close to the suction side of one side of the suction isolation plate 13 One side of the central shaft hole 35 of the plate 13 is sparse. Thus, the ease with which the reaction gas flowing out of each of the radial grooves 24 flows to the exhaust device 22 is uniform, and thus the air flow is more uniform.

Since the processing platforms 5 in the processing chamber 4 are symmetrically disposed, the reaction gases discharged from each of the processing platforms 5 are consistently blocked. The present invention allows the discharged gas to be uniformly and rapidly extracted by the exhaust groove 17 provided on the chamber base 18 near the suction partitioning plate 13, thereby ensuring uniformity of processing between the plurality of workpieces. Moreover, the present invention adopts the aperture formed by the radial groove 14 between the shower head 11 and the suction partitioning plate 13 as the exhaust port of the processing platform 5, so that the airflow in the processing platform 5 is more uniform and discharged. The gas forms a gas curtain, and the air curtain isolation is formed under the condition that the chamber is open, so that the processing environment of each processing platform is relatively independent. Further, an inert reaction gas curtain which is sprayed upward may be provided around the heating base 19 to further prevent the reaction gas from leaking or entering from the gap between the heating base 19 and the suction partitioning plate 13. By such measures, mutual interference of the reaction gases between the processing platforms 5 can be effectively avoided.

Please refer to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the semiconductor process processing system of the present invention when the processing chamber top cover is omitted. The workpiece is fed from the workpiece through the assembly line to the semiconductor process processing system of the present invention, and the factory interface 1 takes the workpiece from the workpiece and places it into the vacuum lock 2. A transfer device 15 is provided in the transfer chamber 3, and the transfer device 15 has at least two transfer arms that can be respectively telescoped (described in detail later). In the embodiment shown in the figures, the conveyor 15 is a two-arm robot having two transfer arms, and of course a robot comprising two or more transfer arms. The transfer device 15 takes the workpiece out of the vacuum lock 2 and places it in the processing platform 5 in the processing chamber 4. When all of the processing platforms 5 of a processing chamber 4 have built-in workpieces, the processing chamber 4 can perform workpiece processing. After the treatment, the processed workpiece is taken out by the conveying device 15 in the transfer chamber 3, while the unprocessed workpiece is placed in the original position and the next batch is processed. The removed workpiece is placed in the vacuum lock 2 for cooling. After cooling, it is placed in the workpiece 匣 of the assembly line through the factory interface 1 and sent to the next process step for processing.

Please refer to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a schematic structural view of the vacuum lock 2 and the transfer chamber 3 of the present invention. The invention has two vacuum locks 2 located in the pentagon transfer chamber 3 adjacent to two adjacent sides of the factory interface 1. Each of the vacuum locks 2 is divided into four slots, each of which can accommodate a workpiece. The vacuum lock 2 and each of its slots can be evacuated. The factory interface 1 can load or remove the workpieces in the four slots of the vacuum lock 2 one or more times. In still other embodiments, the vacuum lock 2 can be divided into an exchange layer for transferring the workpiece between the vacuum lock 2 and the processing chamber 4, and a cooling layer for cooling the finished workpiece, and Take it to a non-vacuum environment for removal from factory interface 1.

The transfer chamber 3 in Fig. 8 is a pentagonal vacuum chamber. There is a transfer device 15 in the transfer chamber 3, and the two transfer arms of the transfer device 15 can rotate synchronously or independently rotate the respective angles on a horizontal plane (for example, the two transfer arms can be rotated 180 degrees to each other), and in the vertical direction Each moves up and down along the main axis and can be stretched back and forth in the horizontal direction. In operation, the factory interface 1 extracts the workpiece from the workpiece transfer cassette into the vacuum lock 2, and the workpiece is loaded into the processing chamber 4 by the transfer device 15 in the transfer chamber 3.

Figure 9 is a top plan view of the transfer apparatus of the present invention in a processing chamber having two transfer arms 151, 152 positioned above and below the same spindle. The two transfer arms 151, 152 of the transfer device 15 can be rotated synchronously or independently on a horizontal plane between the vacuum lock 2 (Fig. 2) and the processing chamber 4 (Fig. 2). The transfer device 15 loads or unloads a workpiece by a transfer arm (transfer arm 151 or transfer arm 152) to a processing chamber through its workpiece loading and unloading port 23, and the transfer device 15 is one or more at a time. Two pieces of workpiece can be taken out in the vacuum lock 2. Each of the arms 151, 152 of the conveyor 15 can be moved up and down in the vertical direction with the spindle of the conveyor 15, and each arm 151, 152 of the conveyor 15 can freely expand and contract in the horizontal direction. The two transfer arms 151, 152 of the conveying device 15 can be pointed in a certain direction at the same time, for example, simultaneously pointing to the same vacuum lock or the same processing chamber, or can be individually rotated to point in different directions, for example, the two transfer arms respectively point to the same Two different process racks of vacuum locks, or respectively directed to different two vacuum lock process racks; or one transfer arm pointing to a vacuum lock for taking or placing semiconductor workpieces into the vacuum lock, and another transfer The arm is directed to a processing chamber for taking or placing a semiconductor workpiece into the processing chamber; or the two transfer arms are respectively directed to two different processing chambers disposed on the side of the transfer chamber for respectively processing The semiconductor workpiece is taken or placed in the chamber. Therefore, the plurality of transfer arms of the transfer device of the present invention can flexibly perform the pick-and-place operation of the semiconductor workpiece separately, and can simultaneously load or unload two semiconductor workpieces from one or more vacuum locks, or continuously without waiting time. Loading, unloading or swapping of semiconductor workpieces into one or more processing chambers, particularly for semiconductor process processing systems incorporating multiple vacuum locks or processing chambers, thus throughput of the entire semiconductor process processing system (throughput) ) was greatly improved. Therefore, the transfer device 15 of the present invention only needs to adjust the vertical position of the transfer arms 151, 152 of the transfer device 15 during the workpiece exchange or loading and unloading process, the workpiece holder of the vacuum lock 2 and the workpiece exchange platform in the processing chamber 4. 25 is fixed in the vertical position, and the workpiece exchange is completed only by the movement of the conveying device 15.

Referring to FIG. 10, a workpiece exchange platform 25 corresponding to each of the suction isolation holes 16 is provided between the suction separation plate 13 and the heating base 19. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the workpiece exchange platform 25 has a total of four pairs of transfer arms 37 corresponding to the four suction isolation holes 16. The workpiece exchange platform 25 is rotatable such that each pair of transfer arms 37 is located above the processing platform 5, and above the transfer arm 37 is used for placing a semiconductor workpiece, which can be easily assembled by the action of the ejector pin 19 in FIG. The semiconductor workpiece is placed onto the heating base 19 from the transfer arm 37 of the workpiece exchange platform 25, or conversely, the semiconductor workpiece is placed on the transfer arm 37 of the workpiece exchange platform 25 from the heating base 19, such a workpiece The transfer action is very common in the prior art, and there are many ways, which are not detailed here. The workpiece exchange platform 25 can also be rotated such that one of the pair faces the loading and unloading port 23 to fit the transfer device 15 in the transfer chamber 3 to one of the transfer arms 37 of the workpiece exchange platform 25 or from the transfer arm 37. Unload the workpiece.

After the treatment is completed, the workpiece is taken out of the chamber. First, in conjunction with the action of the ejector pin 19 in Fig. 3, the workpiece is placed on the four pairs of transfer arms 37 on the workpiece exchange platform 25. By rotating the workpiece exchange platform 25, each pair of transfer arms 37 on the workpiece exchange platform 25 is sequentially moved to one side of the workpiece loading and unloading port 23, and then the transfer arm of the transfer device 15 is driven by the workpiece loading and unloading port 23 The processed workpiece is taken out from a pair of transfer arms 37 and transferred to the vacuum lock 2.

The flow of loading and unloading the workpiece by the conveyor will be described below in conjunction with the drawings. As shown in Fig. 11, here, the structure of two vacuum locks 201, 202, a transfer chamber 3 containing the transfer device 15, and two processing chambers 401, 402 is taken as an example. In the present embodiment, the two vacuum locks 201, 202 each have four slots (not shown). The conveying device 15 has two conveying arms 151, 152; the two processing chambers 401 and 402 respectively have a loading and unloading port 231, 232 facing the transfer chamber 3, and the processing chambers 401, 402 respectively have four processing platforms, that is, processing Platforms 511, 512, 513, 514 and processing platforms 521, 522, 523, 524.

Initially, there are four workpieces in each of the vacuum locks 201, 202, and there are no workpieces in the two processing chambers 401, 402. The conveying device 15 takes out one piece of the workpiece from the two slots of the vacuum lock 201 by its two transfer arms 151, 152, respectively, and the two transfer arms 151, 152 are in the up and down vertical positions. The two transfer arms 151, 152 are further rotated in the horizontal direction to the loading and unloading opening 231 facing the processing chamber 401, and then the vertical position of the transfer arm 151 is adjusted so as to face the loading and unloading port 231, and the front and rear telescopic transfer arms are 151, the workpiece held by the transfer arm 151 is placed on a pair of transfer arms 37 on the workpiece exchange platform 25, and the workpiece exchange platform 25 is rotated by a quarter turn; then the other transfer arm 152 of the transfer device 15 is adjusted in the vertical direction. Up to the loading and unloading port 231, the workpiece held by the transfer arm 152 is placed on the next pair of transfer arms 37 on the workpiece exchange platform 25, and the workpiece exchange platform 25 is rotated a quarter turn. Then, the conveying device 15 returns to the original position, and two pieces of the workpiece are taken out from the other two grooves of the vacuum lock 201, and the conveying arms 151, 152 are rotated to face the loading and unloading port 231. The foregoing process is repeated, and the workpieces are successively placed on the workpiece exchange platform 25. After the workpiece exchange platform 25 is rotated one week, the four pairs of transfer arms 37 are loaded with the workpieces, and then the workpiece exchange platform 25 is lifted up and down and the ejector pins 20 are engaged. The workpieces are placed together on the processing platforms 511, 512, 513, 514. The workpiece loading work of a processing chamber 401 is thus completed. The conveyor 15 is then retracted to the position of the vacuum lock 202, and the above steps are repeated to complete the workpiece loading operation of the processing chamber 402.

After the loading is completed, the vacuum locks 201, 202 can be reloaded from the workpiece by requiring the workpiece to be reloaded. In the above embodiment, the order of picking and placing the workpieces in the vacuum locks 201, 202 is free, and does not necessarily need to be from top to bottom or bottom to top.

After the processing chambers 401, 402 are processed, the processed workpieces in the processing chambers 401, 402 need to be removed and replaced with unprocessed workpieces. The specific process is as follows: The conveying device 15 takes out an unprocessed workpiece from a slot in the vacuum lock 201 from the vacuum lock 201 with its transfer arm 152, and rotates the conveying device 15 to the loading and unloading port 231 of the processing chamber 401. At this time, it is assumed that the transfer arm 152 is below the transfer arm 151, and the transfer arm 151 is facing the loading and unloading port 231. The transfer arm 151 takes out a piece of processed workpiece from the transfer arm 37 on the workpiece exchange platform 25 opposite to the loading and unloading port 231. After being removed, there is no workpiece on the transfer arm 37 of the pair of loading and unloading ports 231, and can be waited for A new unprocessed workpiece is inserted, and then the transfer arm 152 is raised to the position facing the loading and unloading port 231, and a new unprocessed workpiece is taken out from the vacuum lock and placed on the workpiece exchange platform 25. One of the processed workpieces is placed on the transfer arm 37 so that a new unprocessed workpiece can be used on the same pair of transfer arms 37 of the workpiece exchange platform 25 by only the action of the transfer arms 151, 152 above and below the transfer device 15. Replace it with a piece of processed workpiece. The workpiece exchange platform 25 is then rotated a quarter turn. The conveying device 15 returns to the original position, and its conveying arm 151 places the workpiece taken from the workpiece exchange platform 25 in the groove in the vacuum lock 201, and the conveying arm 152 takes out a workpiece from the other groove in the vacuum lock 201. . The above steps are repeated until the four pieces of workpieces in one processing chamber are all exchanged, and the workpiece exchange platform 25 unifies the workpiece on the processing platform. The workpiece exchange operation of the processing chamber 402 is then performed.

Another preferred embodiment of the vacuum lock design is to design the vacuum lock into two layers, wherein the upper layer is an exchange layer for workpiece transfer and exchange, and the lower layer is provided with a quartz pad that is easy to dissipate heat, so that the design can accelerate the workpiece. Cooling rate. It is assumed that there are 4 workpieces processed in the processing chamber. The factory interface 1 places an unprocessed workpiece in the exchange layer, and the transfer device 15 removes the unprocessed workpiece from the vacuum lock exchange layer by the transfer arm 152 and rotates to the position of the loading and unloading port 231 of the processing chamber 401. The transfer arm 151 faces the loading and unloading port 231, and the transfer arm 152 is below the transfer arm 151. The transfer arm 151 takes out the processed workpiece on the workpiece exchange platform 25, and then the transfer arm 152 rises to the position facing the loading and unloading port 231, and places the workpiece taken out from the vacuum lock on the workpiece exchange platform 25, and the workpiece exchange platform 25 Turn a quarter. The transfer device 15 is rotated to a vacuum lock 202 which places the processed workpiece into its cooling layer and the transfer arm 152 picks up a new unprocessed workpiece from the exchange layer of the vacuum lock 202. The exchange layers of the vacuum locks 201 and 202 take new unprocessed workpieces from the factory interface 1. The cooling layer of the vacuum lock 202 cools the workpiece and sends it to a non-vacuum environment for picking up by the factory interface 1. The above completed the exchange of a piece of work. The conveyor 15 then returns to the vacuum lock 201 after the exchange is completed. The same steps are repeated until the exchange of workpieces in the processing chamber 401 is completed, and the workpiece exchange process of the processing chamber 402 is performed.

In the above embodiment, only the processing chambers with four processing platforms are introduced. For the semiconductor processing system with other processing platforms for each processing chamber, the loading and unloading method can also be introduced according to the simple example of the above.

Since the conveying device of the present invention has at least two transfer arms in an up and down positional relationship, and the transfer arm can adjust its up and down position in the vertical direction along the transfer device main shaft, when the transfer device picks up the workpiece from the vacuum lock or the processing chamber The workpiece loading and unloading or exchange action can be completed only by the movement of the conveying device without the need of a vacuum lock or a vertical adjustment of the processing chamber. In particular, the semiconductor process processing system only needs to adjust the position of the plurality of transfer arms of the transfer device in the vertical direction during the loading or unloading or exchange of the workpiece, without the need to adjust the vacuum lock or the semiconductor process processing system as in the prior art. The position of the processing chamber in the vertical direction. Moreover, it is easy to use a new unprocessed on the same pair of transfer arms of the workpiece exchange platform in the processing chamber by merely aligning the upper and lower transfer arms of the transfer device to the loading and unloading ports of the processing chamber. The workpiece is replaced with a piece of processed workpiece, so that the workpiece can be loaded and unloaded and exchanged more quickly and at low cost, thereby increasing productivity.

The present invention has a number of advantages in utilizing the above-described transfer device in a semiconductor process processing system: compared to a dual blade dual arms transfer device disclosed in the prior art (U.S. Patent No. 5,855, 568), the present invention The transfer device is less expensive to manufacture, and the positioning is more flexible and more accurate during the transfer of the semiconductor workpiece; in addition, at least two transfer arms of the transfer device of the present invention are disposed above and below the main axis, different from the prior art The arms of the conveyor are arranged in a horizontal direction, so that the transfer chamber of the present invention can be set small, which not only facilitates the design of the transfer chamber, but also reduces the footprint of the entire semiconductor process processing system, greatly reducing the manufacturing cost. And maintenance costs. Furthermore, the plurality of transfer arms of the transfer device of the present invention can flexibly perform the pick-and-place operation of the semiconductor workpiece separately, and can simultaneously load or unload two semiconductor workpieces from one or more vacuum locks, or continuously without waiting time. Loading, unloading or exchanging semiconductor workpieces into one or more processing chambers, especially for semiconductor process processing systems incorporating multiple vacuum locks or processing chambers, so that the throughput of the entire semiconductor process processing system is Greatly improve.

The above description is only based on several preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Any alterations, combinations, and variations of the components of the present invention which are well-known in the art may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the scope of the invention.

1. . . Factory interface

2. . . Vacuum lock

3. . . Transfer room

4. . . Processing chamber

5. . . Processing platform

6. . . Reaction gas supply device

7. . . Control, exhaust and powerplant

8. . . Chamber cover

9. . . Depression

10. . . Extension

11. . . Sprinkler

12. . . Fine hole

13. . . Pumping insulation board

14. . . exhaust vent

15. . . Conveyor

16. . . Pumping isolation hole

17. . . Exhaust tank

18. . . Chamber base

19. . . Heating base

20. . . thimble

20'. . . Shaft hole

twenty one. . . Exhaust passage

twenty two. . . Exhaust

twenty three. . . Loading and unloading port

twenty four. . . Radial slot

25. . . Exchange platform

27. . . Connection slot

31. . . The central axis

31'. . . Shaft hole

33. . . Shaft hole

33'. . . Shaft hole

37. . . Transfer arm

101. . . Batch processing system

102. . . Processing chamber

103. . . Processing platform

111. . . Transfer room

112. . . system

113. . . Processing chamber

151. . . Transfer arm

152. . . Transfer arm

201. . . Vacuum lock

202. . . Vacuum lock

231. . . Loading and unloading port

232. . . Loading and unloading port

401. . . Processing chamber

402. . . Processing chamber

511. . . Processing platform

512. . . Processing platform

513. . . Processing platform

514. . . Processing platform

521. . . Processing platform

522. . . Processing platform

523. . . Processing platform

524. . . Processing platform

1 is a schematic perspective view of a semiconductor process processing system of the present invention.

2 is a top plan view of the semiconductor process processing system of the present invention with the processing chamber top cover omitted.

3 is a schematic exploded view showing the structure of a processing chamber of a semiconductor process processing system of the present invention.

4 is a schematic view of a processing chamber of one of the semiconductor process processing systems of the present invention in a state in which the chamber top cover is open.

5 is a schematic bottom view of a chamber base of a semiconductor process processing system of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a schematic view showing the structure of the suction partitioning plate of the processing chamber of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the chamber base shown in Figure 4 taken along line I-I.

Figure 8 is a schematic view showing the structure of a vacuum lock and a transfer chamber of the present invention.

Figure 9 is a top plan view of the transfer device of the present invention positioned within the processing chamber.

Figure 10 is a top plan view of the workpiece exchange platform of the present invention located within the processing chamber.

Figure 11 is a schematic view showing the loading process of the semiconductor workpiece of the present invention.

12 is a schematic diagram of a conventional semiconductor process processing system.

Figure 13 is a schematic illustration of another prior art semiconductor process processing system.

1. . . Factory interface

2. . . Vacuum lock

3. . . Transfer room

4. . . Processing chamber

5. . . Processing platform

6. . . Reaction gas supply device

7. . . Control, exhaust and powerplant

8. . . Chamber cover

9. . . Depression

10. . . Extension

11. . . Sprinkler

12. . . Fine hole

13. . . Pumping insulation board

15. . . Conveyor

twenty four. . . Radial slot

Claims (13)

A semiconductor processing chamber includes a plurality of processing platforms, and further includes a pumping isolation plate disposed on the processing platform, the pumping spacer having a plurality of pumping isolation holes corresponding to the processing platform during semiconductor processing The reaction environments of the processing platforms are isolated from each other by evacuating the isolation holes. The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the processing chamber further comprises a chamber top cover and a chamber base, the processing platform is disposed in the chamber base, and the suction isolation plate is disposed between the chamber top cover and the chamber base . The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 2, wherein the chamber top cover has a plurality of raised showerheads with fine holes. The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 3, wherein the suction isolation hole on the suction isolation plate corresponds to the shower head, and in the process of processing the semiconductor workpiece, the shower head abuts against the suction isolation plate Isolation hole. The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 4, wherein the chamber base below the suction isolation panel has a heating base corresponding to each of the suction isolation holes, the corresponding shower head, the suction isolation hole, and the heating The pedestal forms a processing platform. The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the periphery of the suction isolation hole is provided with a plurality of radial grooves, and the radial grooves are distributed near one of the peripheral sides of the suction isolation plate and closer to the center of the suction insulation plate. Side sparse. The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 2, wherein the chamber top cover is provided with a recessed portion, and the recessed portion is provided with an extension portion. The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 7, wherein the pumping separator is surrounded An exhaust port is also provided in communication with the extension of the recess of the chamber top cover. A semiconductor processing chamber according to claim 8 wherein a plurality of symmetrical exhaust ports are provided around the evacuation barrier. A semiconductor processing chamber according to claim 2, wherein at least one venting groove for exhausting is provided on the chamber base adjacent to the venting partition. The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 10, wherein the bottom of the chamber base is provided with an exhaust passage communicating with the exhaust passage, the exhaust passage being connected to the exhaust. The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 11, wherein the flow of the gas in the processing chamber is: the reaction gas is sent from the shower head to each processing platform, and the semiconductor workpiece placed on the heating base is processed due to the intake air. The air pressure of the system and the extraction of the reaction gas by the exhaust device, the reaction gas flows out from the radial groove of the suction isolation plate of each processing platform, enters the concave portion of the top cover of the chamber, and flows to the extension portion of the concave portion, The exhaust port around the suction isolation plate flows into the exhaust groove of the chamber base, and then enters the exhaust device through the exhaust passage communicating with the exhaust groove. The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 12, wherein the bottom of the heated susceptor is filled with an inert gas to prevent particulate dust from depositing under the heated pedestal and film growth.