TWI531017B - Continuous treatment method of semiconductor wafer - Google Patents

Description

Continuous processing method for semiconductor wafers

The present invention relates to a continuous processing method for semiconductor wafers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a continuous processing method for semiconductor wafers that reduces process steps and prevents solder ball cracking.

Generally, a semiconductor wafer forms a solder bump for connection of a wire, a conductor, or the like. One of the reflow processes in the manufacturing process of such a welded portion is a process in which a molten solder ball, a solder paste, or the like is adhered to a wafer to have an appropriate profile.

In the reflow soldering process, depending on the specific temperature environment and atmospheric conditions and process time, the desired profile of the solder joint can be made. In order to maintain the temperature environment or other conditions, the processed wafer is not extracted into the atmosphere. The treatment is carried out in a continuous process using a device having a continuous chamber.

In the same manner, as an example of the reflow soldering method, a description can be made of U.S. Patent No. 7,358,175 (Traditional Technology 1), and U.S. Patent No. 6,827,789 (Traditional Technology 2).

Fig. 1 is a view showing the configuration of a reflow soldering apparatus of the conventional art 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the processing is performed by the processing device 10, which includes first to sixth workstations #1 to #6, and a turntable 12 for rotating and transferring the wafer W at each of the workstations.

In the detailed description of the conventional technique 1, etc., the processes performed on the first to sixth workstations #1 to #6, respectively, are described as follows.

First, after the wafer W is loaded on the sixth workstation #6, the inside of the sixth workstation #6 is purged with nitrogen, and the turntable 12 is rotated to move the wafer W to the first workstation #1. At this time, at the first station #1, nitrogen gas, formic acid vapor, and nitrogen gas are supplied under atmospheric pressure, and moisture, organic contaminants, and surface oxides on the wafer are removed by heating.

Thereafter, the wafer W of the first station #1 of the turntable 12 is moved to the second job. Station #2 supplies and heats nitrogen or formic acid vapor and nitrogen at atmospheric pressure to dissolve the solder on the wafer W.

After that, the wafer W of the second station #2 of the turntable 12 is transferred to the third station #3, and then heated at a temperature of 200 to 400 ° C in an atmosphere of 1 torr or less to exclude voids included in the soldering on the wafer. (void).

Thereafter, in the fourth station #4, the wafer W is heated to form a weld unevenness in a state where a mixed gas of formic acid vapor and nitrogen gas or nitrogen gas is supplied in an atmospheric pressure environment, and the roughness of the welded surface is alleviated.

Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the fifth station #5, and nitrogen gas is supplied and heated in an atmospheric pressure environment to control the formation of the weld graffiti.

Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the sixth workstation #6, which unloads the wafer W to the outside after cooling the solder bumps in an atmospheric pressure environment.

The reflow soldering method of the conventional wafer W is performed in a total of six steps in order, and in addition to the elapsed time of the respective process steps, there is a problem that the wafer W is transferred, and there is a problem that the productivity is relatively lowered.

Further, as described above, in the pressure environment of 1 torr or less, the welding crack is eliminated in the process of welding the inner void, and this also has a problem that the surface cannot be uniformly recovered according to the subsequent processing at the fourth station #4.

On the other hand, FIG. 1 of the conventional art 2 shows a total of six chambers including a loading chamber and an unloading chamber, and is configured to sequentially move the loaded wafer to the next processing chamber using a turntable. Finally, the wafer is transferred to the unloading chamber, and the processed wafer is unloaded by the robot.

The turntable of the conventional technique 1 is used in the same meaning as the chamber of the conventional technique 2, and the same applies to the following description.

In the conventional technique 2, the processing plate member and the lower isolation chamber can be moved up and down, and the wafer transferred by the turntable is isolated to perform the process.

The processing plate members are generally collectively referred to as a susceptor, and include a heater inside to form a structure for vacuum-adsorbing the wafer, and thus are relatively heavy and heavy, and there is a large power consumption for moving up and down, the volume of the device. Big problem.

At the same time, in order to move the processing plate member and the lower isolation chamber up and down, the driving portion and the power transmission structure are complicated, and there is a problem that the manufacturing cost increases.

In addition, the conventional technique 2 is that a plurality of chambers are respectively in a sealed state, and the wafer is often loaded in the configuration of the processing plate member, so that the process is performed in other chambers, even in the case where the specific chamber completes the process, the crystal The circle is loaded on the processing plate and is continuously heated, and there is a problem that a process failure may occur.

In the case of the conventional technique 2, if the processing board moves downward together with the lower isolation chamber, the wafer ring is lowered and loaded on the turntable together with the wafer, and the wafer is isolated from the processing board, and the other chambers are being processed during the process. Therefore, the wafer on which the process is completed does not contact the processing board, and therefore, the problem of poor process generation due to continuous heating from the processing board can be prevented.

However, the wafer in this case can no longer maintain the isolated state, and the wafer is exposed to the outside of the isolated chamber. Therefore, if the wafer is processed according to the heating process, it is exposed to the external space until the other chamber is processed, and there is a problem that the wafer temperature is lowered and the process is defective.

In addition, in the case of the conventional technique 2, a groove for accommodating the wafer support pin is formed on the processing plate member, and if the state of supporting the wafer on the processing plate member heats the wafer, the groove will be transmitted to the wafer. The heat on the bottom surface is uneven, and process defects may occur.

Further, in the case of the conventional technique 2, the wafer cannot be maintained at a desired temperature while being transported from one chamber to the next chamber, which is equivalent to a thermal shock applied to the wafer, and there is a problem that the quality is lowered.

In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a continuous processing method for a semiconductor wafer which can reduce a process step.

Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a continuous processing method for a semiconductor wafer which can improve soldering cracking in a process of eliminating voids and improve process stability.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a continuous processing method of a semiconductor wafer in which a wafer in a specific chamber in which a process is completed is isolated from a susceptor while maintaining a state of isolation until completion of a process of another chamber.

Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a continuous processing method for a semiconductor wafer which can heat a process gas before ejecting a wafer and further ensure uniformity of process processing.

Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a step of forming a solder ball while simultaneously The upper surface and the lower surface of the wafer are heated, and the continuous processing method of the semiconductor wafer in the form of a solder ball can be stably formed.

In order to achieve the above-described problems, a continuous processing method for a semiconductor wafer of the present invention has a plurality of chambers, and has a semiconductor wafer continuous processing method for processing a wafer around a device of an external body outside the chamber, comprising: In the first step, the plurality of chambers are constituted by the first to fifth chambers, and after the wafer is loaded in the first chamber, an inert gas is injected for purification; and in the second step, the first step is performed by transferring the first step. The wafer is transferred to the second chamber, and after the process gas is injected into the second chamber, the wafer is heated; and in the third step, the wafer in the second step is transferred to the third chamber. After injecting the process gas into the third chamber, the wafer is heated; in the fourth step, the wafer in the third step is transferred to the fourth chamber, and the inside of the fourth chamber is below atmospheric pressure. a step of heating the wafer in a pressure state; in a fifth step, transferring the wafer to the fifth chamber in the fourth step, and injecting a process gas into the fifth chamber to heat the wafer; 6, transferring the wafer of the fifth step to the first chamber, cooling the Circularly unloaded to the outside, so that other wafers loaded in the first chamber.

The process gas injected in the second step to the fifth step may be composed of formic acid vapor and nitrogen gas.

The process space isolated inside the chamber and the connection space portion inside the external body supply heated nitrogen during the process of transferring the wafer to minimize temperature variation of the wafer.

The heated nitrogen gas may be higher than the ambient temperature supply of the connecting space portion in which the process is performed in a state in which the chamber is isolated.

The pressure in the fourth step may be 100 to 760 torr.

In the fourth step, the nitrogen gas is used to convey the gas to the formic acid vapor at a temperature of 100 to 500 ° C, and the wafer can be processed during a period of 1 to 300 seconds.

In the fifth step, the nitrogen gas is used as a conveying gas to supply formic acid vapor at atmospheric pressure and a temperature environment of 20 to 400 ° C, and the wafer can be processed during a period of 1 to 300 seconds.

In the fourth step and the fifth step, heating is performed by a heater provided on a susceptor supporting the underside of the wafer, and heated by an upper heater provided on an upper portion of the wafer, thereby uniformly heating the wafer. Above and below.

The formic acid sprayed on the wafer can be heated by the upper heater.

a lower portion of the upper heater forms a buffer space into which the formic acid flows, and a lower portion of the buffer space includes a plurality of shower heads for forming an injection port for uniformly spraying the formic acid on the upper surface of the wafer. The formic acid can be heated in the buffer space.

In the first step, the inert gas injected into the first chamber is injected in a heated state in order to evaporate water in the internal space.

The first to fifth chambers include: a base disposed to support and fix the wafer and apply heat to the wafer; and a lower casing fixed and disposed outside the base, The lower portion of the wafer forms an isolated process space; the upper casing is configured to form an isolated process space that can move up and down on the upper portion of the wafer; and a turntable is disposed between the upper casing and the lower casing to form a hole exposing an upper portion of the susceptor for rotating the wafer between the plurality of chambers, and moving the wafer up and down in an upper portion of the pedestal; Inserting the hole upwardly to load the wafer, the lower end portion of the upper casing moves downward, forming an isolated process space in an upper portion and a lower portion of the wafer, and the wafer can be performed Processing.

The wafers of the chambers in the first to fifth chambers in the process chamber are in a process space separated by the upper casing, and the wafers are in a state of being isolated from the upper surface of the susceptor Until the process of the chamber in the process is completed.

The lower casing, the turntable is in a state of contacting the upper end of the lower casing, providing a lower side of the isolated process space, and the upper casing has a lower end portion that moves downward to contact the upper portion of the turntable, The upper side of the isolated process space.

The lower casing, the seating ring provides a lower side of the isolated process space in a state of contacting the upper end of the lower casing, and the lower casing has a lower end portion that moves downward to contact the upper portion of the seating ring Provides the upper side of the isolated process space.

The upper casing is configured by a fixing portion fixed to an upper plate, and a moving portion that moves up and down according to a driving portion on a lower side of the fixing portion. The moving portion moves downward according to driving of the driving portion, thereby forming the isolated process space.

The upper casing is formed in the form of a bellows, and the lower end portion is moved up and down according to the driving portion, thereby forming the isolated process space.

In order to reduce the number of chambers of the semiconductor continuous processing device, the process steps are simple. The effect of reducing the process time, increasing productivity, and reducing the size of the device and reducing the cost.

In addition, the present invention can prevent the solder ball from being broken, and can effectively eliminate organic pollutants, and has an effect of improving process stability.

In addition, until the process of other chambers is completed, the wafer in the specific chamber of the completed process can be isolated from the pedestal while maintaining the isolation state, preventing the wafer from being additionally heated in the standby state, and further improving the reliability of the process. Improve; Standby until the completion of the process of other chambers, the wafer can maintain isolation, which can improve the reliability of the process.

In addition, before the wafer is sprayed, the process gas of the sprayed wafer is heated, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the process, and the step of forming the solder ball simultaneously heats the upper surface and the lower surface of the wafer, thereby stably forming the shape of the solder ball.

100‧‧‧1st chamber

110, 1100, 210, 310‧‧‧ base

120, 1200, 220, 330‧‧‧ lower case

130, 1300, 230, 330‧‧‧ upper case

1201‧‧‧Upper end

1301‧‧‧Bottom

131, 231‧‧ ‧ fixed department

132, 232‧‧‧moving department

133, 1330, 233‧ ‧ drive department

1335‧‧‧Axis

1202, 1302‧‧‧ airtight components

120a, 130a, 220a, 230a‧‧‧ internal space

1200a, 1300a‧‧‧Process space

140, 240, 340‧‧ ‧ promotion pin

150, 1500, 250, 350, 810 ‧ ‧ exhaust

160, 260, 360‧‧‧ nozzles

161, 261‧‧‧ buffer space

200‧‧‧2nd chamber

370‧‧‧Upper heater

300‧‧‧3rd chamber

400‧‧‧4th chamber

500‧‧‧5th chamber

600‧‧‧External subject

610‧‧‧lower board

620, 6200‧‧‧ upper board

630‧‧‧ side case

6500‧‧‧Baffle

6510, 710, 7100‧ ‧ holes

700, 7000‧‧‧ turntable

720, 7200‧‧‧After the ring

721‧‧‧ gas through hole

7210‧‧‧Support pin

722‧‧‧Internal placement

723‧‧‧External placement

730‧‧‧ Reception trough

740‧‧‧Roller

800‧‧‧Connected Space Department

2‧‧‧Robot

W‧‧‧ wafer

1 is a configuration diagram of a conventional reflow soldering apparatus; FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an apparatus for a semiconductor wafer continuous processing method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 3 is a schematic cross section of the AA direction of FIG. Figure 4 is a detailed cross-sectional structural view of a mounting ring of the present invention; Figures 5 to 14 are schematic cross-sectional structural views of the present invention according to the movement and processing of the wafer; FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a continuous processing apparatus for a semiconductor wafer according to another embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 17 is a view showing a state of FIG. 16 according to another embodiment of the present invention; A cross-sectional view of the upper casing ascending state; Fig. 18 is a sectional view showing the state in which the turntable and the mounting ring are raised in the state of Fig. 17; and Fig. 19 is a view showing the pedestal and the mounting of the continuous processing apparatus provided in Fig. 16. Ring, a plan view of the state of the wafer being loaded.

Hereinafter, a method of continuously processing a semiconductor wafer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 2 is a view showing the configuration of an apparatus for a continuous processing method of a semiconductor wafer in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 2, a configuration of a semiconductor wafer continuous processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied includes first to fifth chambers 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500, based on the center of the external body 600, first to fifth. The chambers 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 are arranged in a circular shape; the turntable 700 transfers the wafer W between the first to fifth chambers 100, 200, 300, 400, 500.

The same configuration as in the first embodiment reduces the number of steps of transferring the wafer W, and the reduction in the number of steps of the process can increase the productivity. Further, since the size of the device can be reduced, an effect of reducing the manufacturing cost of the device can be expected.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the wafer reflow soldering method will be described in more detail as an example of the continuous processing method of the semiconductor wafer of the present invention performed in each of the first to fifth chambers 100 to 500.

First, when the wafer W is placed in the first chamber 100, nitrogen gas of an inert gas is supplied to the inside of the first chamber 100 in an atmospheric pressure environment to purify, thereby reducing the amount of oxygen remaining inside.

In the first chamber 100, the moisture particles generated by the formic acid vapor in the previous process may adhere to the inner wall of the chamber due to the difference in temperature inside and outside the chamber. If such water particles adhere to other process particles or foreign substances, Particles occur on the walls of the chamber.

In order to prevent such a problem, the nitrogen gas is a nitrogen gas heated at a temperature at which the moisture particles can be vaporized, and water particles on the wall surface of the chamber are evaporated to prevent generation of particles.

When the cleaning of the wafer W is completed, the wafer W is moved to the second chamber 200 by the turntable 700, and the inside of the second chamber 200 is maintained at a pressure of 760 torr at an atmospheric pressure and a temperature of 100 to 400 ° C, and formic acid and nitrogen are supplied. The treatment is performed during a period of 1 to 300 seconds to exclude moisture, organic contaminants, and surface oxides present on the wafer W.

Thereafter, after the wafer W is transferred to the third chamber 300 by the turntable 700, formic acid vapor and nitrogen gas are supplied at a pressure of 760 torr and a temperature of 100 to 500 ° C, and processed for 1 to 300 seconds to dissolve the wafer. Welding.

In this case, the turntable 700 is rotated, and heated nitrogen gas is supplied during the transfer of the wafer W, so that the temperature of the solder ball of the wafer W is prevented from being lowered, and the shape of the solder ball can be stably maintained.

Next, after the wafer W is transferred to the fourth chamber 400 in the third chamber 300 by the turntable 700, nitrogen gas and formic acid vapor are supplied at a pressure of 100 to 760 torr and a temperature of 100 to 500 ° C for 1 to 300 seconds. Processing during the period.

With this treatment, voids in the solder balls can be eliminated. Exclusion gaps and transmissions at this time The difference is that the pressure is between 100 and 760 torr, and the void elimination rate can be reduced compared to the conventional voiding process under the pressure of 1 torr. However, in order to eliminate the pores for the vacuum process, the problem of cracking of the solder balls may occur, and although the void removal rate in the present invention is relatively low, in order to carry out the process stably, the process is performed under a pressure of 100 to 760 torr, and the process can be performed. Increased security. In addition, on the side of the void exclusion rate, compared with the case of the pressure below the conventional 1 torr, only the difference does not affect the degree of product quality.

In the state where the processing of the fourth chamber 400 is completed, in the case where the wafer supplied before the fifth chamber 500 is being processed, the crystal is lifted from the surface of the susceptor provided on the fourth chamber 400 and supporting the wafer W. The circle W makes it in a standby state. The standby state is that after the completion of the process, the base having the heater inside is also continued to be contacted to avoid a process abnormality. In the same atmospheric state as this, the fourth chamber 400 maintains an isolated state, and the standby state can be applied to all the chambers.

Thereafter, in the fifth chamber 500, at a temperature of 760 torr and a temperature of 20 to 400 ° C, in an environment in which a mixed gas of formic acid vapor and nitrogen gas is supplied, the wafer W is processed during a period of 1 to 300 seconds to form a welded bump to alleviate The roughness of the welded surface.

The fourth chamber 400 and the fifth chamber 500 include an upper heater 370 which will be described later on the upper side in addition to the heater for supporting the wafer W base, and the temperature can be easily adjusted and the wafer can be uniformly heated. The upper part and the lower part can form a shape of a solder ball stably.

Thereafter, the wafer transferred to the first chamber 100 is processed at a pressure of 760 torr and a temperature of 20 to 30 ° C in an environment of supplying air or nitrogen for a period of 1 to 300 seconds to form and cool the welded bumps. Texture (grain). The cooled wafer W is unloaded to the outside in the first chamber 100.

That is, in the first chamber 100, a space in which the wafer W can be loaded and unloaded can be provided together.

As described above, in order to eliminate voids in the weld, the present invention does not use a vacuum environment, and has an effect of improving the stability of the process, and the number of workstations used can be reduced, and the structure of the apparatus can be simplified.

Hereinafter, an example of a semiconductor wafer continuous processing apparatus for realizing the above method will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 15.

Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a detailed sectional structural view of a mounting ring to which the present invention is applied.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, respectively, the outer body 600 is constructed to include a disc-shaped lower plate 610, a disc-shaped upper plate 620 disposed on the upper side of the lower plate 610, and a side outer casing 630 having an upper end thereof. The lower end is connected to the edge position of the lower plate 610 and the edge position of the upper plate 620, respectively.

Although not shown, the upper plate 620 is provided at an upper position of the chambers 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500, and a side case 630 in which the first chamber 100 is located, in order to supply a discharge pipe of a process gas or the like. In order to load or unload the wafer, an opening portion for advancing and retracting the arm (Arm) can be formed.

The internal space surrounded by the lower plate 610, the upper plate 620, and the side outer casing 630 is the connection space portion 800, and includes first to fifth chambers 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500, and a rotating shaft turntable 700 at the center.

An opening 710 having the same number of openings as the chambers 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 is formed in the turntable 700.

Hole 710 has a mounting ring 720 on which the wafer is placed. The mounting ring 720 can be separated from the turntable 700 together with the wafer in a state where the wafer is placed by the vertical movement of the lift pin 240 to be described later.

In addition, the mounting ring 720 is a stepped shape as illustrated in FIG. 4, and includes an inner seating end 722 formed around the inner diameter portion to provide the mounting wafer W, and an outer mounting end 723 formed around the outer diameter portion for providing the mounting. Ring 720 is placed into bore 710 of turntable 700. A gas through hole 721 penetrating vertically is formed between the inner seating end 722 and the outer seating end 723.

Therefore, the gas that is uniformly and uniformly injected into the upper portion of the wafer W in the heads 160 and 260 to be described later passes through the gas through hole 721 and is exhausted toward the exhaust ports 150 and 250. Similarly, the exhaust gas flow of the process gas is from the upper portion to the lower portion with respect to the wafer W, so that a residue of the process gas is rarely generated inside the chamber.

The mounting ring 720 is in contact with the wafer W, and the mounting ring 720 is in contact with the turntable 700. The turntable 700 is exposed to the connection space portion 800 outside the chamber, and the temperature of the connection space portion 800 is transmitted to the wafer W by the turntable 700 and the set ring 720, thereby affecting the process temperature. Therefore, in order to block the transfer of heat to the wafer W, the mounting ring 720 is preferably made of a non-metallic material.

Further, since the mounting ring 720 is exposed to a high-temperature process, ceramics having heat resistance can be used, and any non-metallic material having low heat resistance or thermal conductivity can be used.

The first to fifth chambers 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 are set as the isolated space for processing the wafer, and each chamber has a structure for processing the temperature of the wafer and setting the pressure, and can be used for each chamber. The wafer is processed under different conditions, and each chamber maintains a state of being isolated from the connection space portion 800 during the process.

The first chamber 100 unloads the wafer processed in the fifth chamber 500 to the external robot according to the loading of the external robot, and the mechanism is described in detail with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first chamber 100 includes a base 110 to provide a bottom surface for supporting the wafer, and a lower casing 120 disposed on the outer side of the base 110 and fixedly disposed on the lower plate 610; the upper casing 130 The upper side of the lower casing 120 is fixedly disposed on the upper plate 620; the lifting pin 140 is supported to support the bottom surface of the wafer by moving up and down; the exhaust port 150 is formed on the lower plate 610, and the lower casing 120 is formed. The inner space is connected to the inside; the showerhead 160 sprays gas onto the wafer and processes it, and is located inside the upper casing 130.

The susceptor 110 has a vacuum adsorption structure for fixing the wafer thereon, and may further include a cooling means (not shown) for cooling the wafer before the wafer in the fifth chamber 500 is discharged to the outside. . Further, since the susceptor 110 does not move up and down but remains fixed to the lower plate 610, the structure is simplified as long as the connection line for completing the vacuum suction and the connection line for completing the wafer cooling means are provided.

The lower casing 120 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the internal space 120a is isolated from the connecting space portion 800 during the manufacturing process to form a lower side of the isolated process space, and the inner space 120a is provided by the exhaust port 150 and the exhaust passage (not shown). Show) connection.

The upper casing 130 is separated from the connecting space portion 800 during the manufacturing process to form an upper side of the isolated process space, and is connected to the inner space 120a of the lower casing 130 by a gas through hole 721 of the mounting ring 720. .

The upper casing 130 maintains the isolation state of the wafer during the process. When moving to the next chamber, in order to present the state of communication with the connection space portion 800, the upper casing 130 includes a fixing portion 131 which is formed in a cylindrical shape and is fixed at the upper portion. The moving portion 132 is located on the lower side of the fixing portion 131 and is movable up and down.

The moving portion 132 is moved downward by the driving portion 133, and the lower end of the moving portion 132 is in contact with the upper portion of the turntable 700. In order to maintain the airtightness of the surface of the moving portion 132 in contact with the turntable 700, the lower end of the moving portion 132 may have an airtight member (not shown) formed of a material such as rubber or silicone. Further, the surface of the fixing portion 131 that is in contact with the moving portion 132 may have an airtight member (not shown) that maintains airtightness.

The lift pin 140 is vertically penetrated from the susceptor 110 to support the bottom surface of the wafer loaded by the robot, and can be moved up and down by a driving portion (not shown) in order to mount the wafer on the upper surface of the susceptor 110.

When the wafer is unloaded, the bottom surface of the wafer supported on the mounting ring 720 is separated from the mounting ring 720, and then transferred to the robot to move up and down.

The shower head 160 is uniformly sprayed on the upper surface of the wafer for cooling gas or heated nitrogen gas to form a buffer space 161 in which the inflowing gas gathers, in order to eject from the buffer space 161 toward the wafer W (ie, downward) The gas forms a plurality of injection ports at regular intervals on the bottom surface of the shower head 160.

The connection space portion 800 is a space that surrounds the outside of each of the chambers 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500, and has an exhaust port 810 that discharges gas remaining inside the connection space portion 800.

According to this configuration, in order to form the isolated process space, the moving base 110 and the lower casing 120 need not have a structure like a bellows, so that the durability of the apparatus can be improved and the maintenance cost can be reduced.

The second chamber 200 has the same structure as the first chamber 100 and includes a base 210, a lower casing 220, an upper casing 230, a lift pin 240, an exhaust port 250, and a showerhead 260.

The susceptor 210 has a heater (not shown) for heating the wafer, and the wafer is vacuum-adsorbed to the upper surface of the susceptor 210 and fixed.

However, the difference is that although the lifting pin 140 of the first chamber 100 directly supports the bottom surface of the wafer, the lifting pin 240 of the second chamber 200 supports the bottom surface of the mounting ring 720, so that the mounting ring 720 and the mounting ring 720 are placed on the mounting ring 720. The wafers move up and down together. To this end, the lift pin 140 should be located at a position that can be moved up and down on the outside of the base 210.

The detailed structure of the lower casing 220, the upper casing 230, and the head 260 is the same as that of the first chamber 100, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Also, this structure is the same as that of the other chambers (i.e., the third to fifth chambers 300, 400, 500).

Next, the structure and function of the continuous processing apparatus of the semiconductor wafer according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention having the above structure will be described in detail with reference to the movement and processing of the wafer.

Figures 5 through 14 are diagrams illustrating the invention in accordance with the movement and processing of the wafer. A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram.

First, referring to Fig. 5, the process of loading the wafer W into the first chamber 100 by the robot 2 is shown. Since the turntable 700 is moved downward, the bottom surface of the turntable 700 is in contact with the upper portion of the lower casing 120, and the base is The upper surface of 110 is exposed upward by the hole 710 of the turntable 700.

In a state where the wafer W is positioned above the arm (Arm) of the robot 2, the lift pin 140 moves upward to support the bottom surface of the wafer W.

As described above, the robot 2 moves the lift pin 140 upward in a state where the wafer W is placed at a predetermined position, or the robot 2 transfers the wafer W and loads the wafer W to the lift when the lift pin 140 moves upward and stands by. Pin 140.

Therefore, the first chamber 100 is a chamber in which the wafer W is externally loaded. As will be described later, the first chamber 100 can serve as a chamber for unloading the wafer W transferred from the fifth chamber 500 to the outside. That is, the first chamber 100 serves as a loading and unloading chamber for loading and unloading the wafer W.

Next, as shown in Fig. 6, in a state where the wafer W is placed on the lift pin 140, the robot 2 retreats and moves to the outside of the loading and unloading chamber 100. At this time, the robot 2 moves downward and retreats in a state where the wafer W is completely placed on the lift pin 140. Conversely, the robot 2 may not move downward, and the lift pin 140 moves upward in a state where the wafer W is placed, and the robot 2 moves backward.

This means that when the robot 2 is retracted due to the relative movement of the robot 2 and the lift pin 140, any displacement can be applied as long as it can prevent the wafer W from being rubbed against the wafer W.

Next, as shown in Fig. 7, in a state where the robot 2 is completely moved, the turntable 700 is moved upward, and the bottom edge of the wafer W is placed on the inner seating end 722 of the mounting ring 720.

In this state, the lift pin 140 is moved downward, the bottom surface of the wafer W is isolated from the upper end of the lift pin 140, and the turntable 700 is rotated. As shown in FIG. 8, the wafer W is moved while being placed in the set ring 720. Go to the second chamber 200.

That is, the rotation of the turntable 700 is completed in a state where the turntable 700 is moved upward, and the rotation angle thereof is determined according to the number of the chambers.

Next, as shown in Fig. 9, the turntable 700 is moved downward to place the wafer W on the base 210 of the second chamber 200, and the turntable 700 is moved downward again, and the bottom surface thereof is in contact with the upper end of the lower casing 220.

Next, as shown in Fig. 10, the driving portion 233 is actuated to move the moving portion 232 downward. Moving, the lower end of the moving portion 232 is in contact with the upper surface of the turntable 700.

Therefore, the inner space 230a surrounded by the upper casing 230 and the turntable 700 forms the upper side of the isolated process space, and the inner space 220a surrounded by the lower casing 220 and the turntable 700 forms the lower side of the isolated process space. The necessary processing of the wafer W is completed in the isolated process space.

For the processing of the wafer W, the process gas is supplied to the internal space 230a of the upper casing 230 by the shower head 260, and the susceptor 210 vacuum-adsorbs the wafer W in a state of being heated at a certain temperature by being inserted into the hole 710 of the turntable 700. The gas through hole 721 of the seating ring 720 moves to the internal space 220a of the lower casing 220 and is discharged through the exhaust port 250.

Moreover, the structure of the present invention is that the lifting pin 240 does not penetrate the base 210, and the base 210 does not need to form another slot or hole to move the lifting pin 240 up and down, so the area of the base 210 contacting the wafer W is large. The wafer W can be uniformly heated.

11 is a cross-sectional structural view showing a state in which the other chambers 300, 400, and 500 are not completed in the state in which the wafer W process in the second chamber 200 is completed. For example, when the processing time of the second chamber 200 is 200 seconds and the processing time of the third chamber 300 is 300 seconds, the processing of the second chamber 200 is completed, and after waiting for 100 seconds, it is transferred to the third chamber 300.

That is, when the processing time in the third chamber 300 is longer than the processing time in the second chamber 200, the wafer W cannot be moved to the third chamber 300 immediately, so the standby room is waited until the third chamber. After the process in 300 ends, the turntable 700 can be rotated.

When the wafer W is placed in the state of the susceptor 210, the wafer W is heated beyond the necessary limit, so that the lift pin 240 is moved upward while lifting the mounting ring 720 and the wafer placed on the mounting ring 720. W, wait for the necessary time after the wafer W is lifted off the susceptor 210.

Further, in the process chambers 200, 300, 400, and 500 that process the wafer W, the processing is performed at a high temperature, and the temperature inside the isolated process space is higher than the temperature of the connection space portion 800 outside the chamber. When the wafer W that has been processed at a high temperature in the second chamber 200 is in standby, if the internal space 230a of the upper casing 230 communicates with the connection space portion 800, it is exposed to the low-temperature connection space portion 800, and thermal shock is applied to the wafer W. .

Therefore, in the present invention, in the standby state of the wafer W, the process space surrounded by the upper casing 230, the turntable 700, and the lower casing 220 is maintained in an isolated state with respect to the connection space portion 800, thereby Can maintain the state in which the wafer W is heated, and can improve the wafer W process quality.

Then, as shown in FIG. 12, in order to transfer the wafer W from the second chamber 200 to the third chamber 300, the moving portion 232 of the upper casing 230 moves upward.

Thereafter, the turntable 700 is moved upward, and the wafer W is inserted into the hole 710 of the turntable 700 together with the setting ring 720, so that the external seating end 723 of the mounting ring 720 is located above the turntable 700.

Thereafter, the lift pin 240 is moved downward, the upper end of the lift pin 240 is isolated from the bottom surface of the set ring 720, and the turntable 700 is rotated to transfer the wafer W to the third chamber 300.

The subsequent mechanical process and the operation after the wafer W is transferred from the first chamber 100 to the second chamber 200, that is, the operation after the eighth drawing, are repeated in the same manner as described above, and the second chamber 200 and the third chamber are as described above. The chambers 300, 4, and 5 are all of the same structure. When the wafer W is processed, the moving portion 232 of the upper casing 230 is moved toward the fixed portion 231. Moving downward to form an isolated process space, when the wafer W is moved, the upper casing 230 is moved upward to the original position, and the turntable 700 has an upward movement and rotation structure. To avoid repetition of the description, the third to fifth chambers 300 are omitted. The operation of ~500 is only described as the movement of the wafer W to the first chamber 100 in the state of Fig. 12.

Each of the second to fifth chambers 200 to 500 may be subjected to a different process, and a non-reactive gas such as heated nitrogen gas for maintaining the wafer temperature may be supplied to the connection space portion 800 in which the wafer W moves, including the non-reactive gas. The inflowing process gas can be discharged through the exhaust port 810.

Fig. 13 shows a state in which the turntable 700 is rotated and the wafer W is transferred to the first chamber 100 in the state shown in Fig. 12, and the turntable 700 is moved downward to place the wafer W on the susceptor 110. The actual operation is to move the wafer W which has completed the process in the fifth chamber 500 to the outside of the continuous processing apparatus, and move to the first chamber 100.

When the wafer W is moved to the first chamber 100, it can be naturally cooled without additional processing, and then unloaded to the outside by the robot 2 to be described later, and the wafer W can be forcibly cooled by the cooling gas.

This cooling process is also completed in a state where the process spaces 120a, 130a are isolated. For this reason, first, the turntable 700 is moved downward, and the bottom surface thereof is in contact with the upper end of the lower casing 120.

Thereafter, the moving portion 132 of the upper casing 130 moves downward to form an isolated process space, and the head 160 sprays cooling gas onto the wafer W to cool the wafer W, or places the wafer on the susceptor 110 of the cooling water circulation, and cools Go to other chambers to end the process.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 14, the lift pin 140 moves upward to disengage the wafer W. After leaving the susceptor 110, the robot 2 enters and unloads the wafer W in a state of supporting the wafer W. Thereafter, as described above, a new wafer is loaded into the first chamber 100 to complete the same process.

As in the loading process of the wafer W described earlier, the robot 2 and the lift pin 140 perform relative motion without mutual interference. That is, before the robot 2 is disengaged, the lift pin 140 moves downward, or the robot 2 moves upward, and the bottom surface of the wafer W is unloaded to the outside.

Therefore, the structure of the present invention is such that a plurality of pedestals and a lower casing 120 forming a lower side of the isolated process space can fix the weights of the respective chambers without moving up and down, and the turntable 700 can be rotated and moved up and down, thereby simplifying The tool structure reduces the load on the drive unit and has the effect of reducing power consumption.

Figure 15 is a cross-sectional structural view showing a third chamber 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 15, in order to effectively adjust the process temperature, the upper side of the upper plate 620 is further provided with an upper heater 370.

As described above, the upper heater 370 is provided on the upper side of the wafer W, and the heat transmitted from the susceptor 310 heats the lower surface of the wafer W, and the heat transmitted by the upper heater 370 simultaneously heats the upper surface of the wafer W. The upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W can be heated at a uniform temperature.

Especially in the reflow process, the shape of the solder ball is particularly important, and the upper and lower portions of the solder ball can be uniformly heated by the heater of the susceptor 310 and the upper heater 370 of the upper side, which is advantageous for maintaining the shape of the solder ball. .

The upper heater 370 is selectively attachable to the second chamber to the fifth chambers 200 to 500, and can be variably provided according to the type of wafer processing engineering to which the present invention is applicable.

Moreover, the residue of the process gas in the inner space 230a of the upper casing 230 adheres to the inner side wall of the upper casing 230, and if heated by the upper heater 370, the residue of the process gas can be prevented from adhering to the upper casing 230. The inner side wall reduces the occurrence of particles.

Further, when the head 360 forming the buffer space 361 is located at the lower portion of the upper heater 370, the process gas flowing into the buffer space 361 is heated by the heat of the upper heater 370, so that the temperature of the process gas supplied through the head 360 is rapidly increased. Can improve the stability of the process.

The present invention can be used to perform reflow, and the formic acid vapor used in the reflow process is heated to a high temperature and supplied to the inside of the chamber. At this time, after the formic acid vapor is heated in advance, it flows into the chamber, and when the formic acid reaches the wafer, it is vaporized to cause loss, and the uniformity of the process treatment is lowered. Further, in order to heat the formic acid vapor at a high temperature, the outside of the discharge pipe located outside the reflow apparatus is surrounded by the heating jacket and heated in advance, which causes a problem that the formic acid vapor adheres to the inner surface of the discharge pipe.

Therefore, as in the present embodiment, during the process in which the formic acid vapor flows into the buffer space 361, it is heated by the upper heater 370, and is heated before being sprayed onto the wafer W, thereby preventing loss due to vaporization of formic acid and preventing adhesion of formic acid vapor. The problem with the inside of the discharge pipe.

Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a continuous processing apparatus for a semiconductor wafer in accordance with other embodiments of the present invention. Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the upper casing is raised in the state of Fig. 16. Figure 18 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the turntable and the setting ring of the state of Fig. 17 are raised. Fig. 19 is a plan view showing the state in which the wafer is mounted on the susceptor and the mounting ring provided in the continuous processing apparatus of Fig. 16.

A continuous processing apparatus for a semiconductor wafer according to the present invention includes: a susceptor 1100 that is fixedly disposed while supporting a wafer W during a process; and a lower casing 1200 that forms an isolated process space 1200a at a lower portion of the wafer W; The casing 1300 forms an isolated process space 1300a on the upper portion of the wafer W. The turntable 7000 is located between the upper casing 1300 and the lower casing 1200, and transfers the wafer W between the plurality of chambers for rotation. The wafer W is moved up and down on the upper portion of the susceptor 1100; the mounting ring 7200 is inserted over the hole 7100 of the turntable 7000 and can be detached for mounting the wafer W.

The present embodiment is different from the previously described embodiment in that the upper casing 1300 is formed of a bellows shape, and the lower end portion 1301 of the upper casing 1300 is in contact with the upper portion of the seating ring 7200, and the upper end portion of the lower casing 1200 is at the same time. The 1201 is in contact with the lower portion of the mounting ring 7200, and the inner side of the mounting ring 7200 forms a support pin 7210 that supports the bottom surface of the wafer W.

The outer end 7201 of the seating ring 7200 is formed in a stepped shape in which the upper portion protrudes, and the inner end 7001 of the turntable 7000 is formed in a stepped shape in which the lower portion protrudes in the center direction, and the outer end 7201 is caught by the inner end 7001 so as to be detachable upward.

The upper side of the upper plate 6200 has a driving portion 1330 to provide a driving force for the vertical movement of the lower end portion 1301 of the upper casing 1300. The driving portion 1330 is connected to the shaft 1335 that moves up and down, and the lower end portion of the shaft 1335 is connected to the lower end portion 1301 of the upper casing 1300.

The driving portion 1330 can be constituted by a cylinder. When the cylinder is driven, the shaft 1335 and the lower end portion 1301 of the upper casing 1300 can be moved up and down. When moving downward, the lower end portion 1301 is in contact with the upper portion of the seating ring 7200 to form the isolated process space 1300a. Upper side. At this time, the airtight member 1302 is interposed between the lower surface of the lower end portion 1301 and the upper surface of the seating ring 7200 to maintain airtightness.

Further, when the turntable 7000 is moved downward, the upper end portion 1201 of the lower casing 1200 contacts the lower portion of the seating ring 7200 to form the lower side of the isolated process space 1200a. At this time, the airtight member 1202 is interposed between the upper surface of the upper end portion 1201 and the lower surface of the seating ring 7200 to maintain airtightness.

Inside the ring 7200, a plurality of support pins 7210 supporting the bottom surface of the wafer W are formed to protrude in the center direction of the mounting ring 7200. In Fig. 19, the number of the support pins 7210 is three, but it is deformable.

A slit-shaped groove 1110 is formed on the upper surface of the susceptor 1100. When the support pin 7210 is moved upward in the state of the groove 1110, the bottom surface of the wafer W is supported by the support pin 7210 to move upward together with the wafer W.

A baffle 6500 is disposed at a lower portion of the mounting ring 7200. The baffle 6500 has a hole 6510 uniformly formed along the circumference of the circumference to uniformly pass the process gas, and a process gas passing through the hole 6510 of the baffle 6500 passes through the process chamber. The exhaust port 1500 at the lower portion of the chamber is discharged.

The baffle 6500 is located around the outside of the base 1100 and is hung by the lower casing 1200 to the outer edge.

During the process, as shown in FIG. 16, the upper casing 1300 is in contact with the seating ring 7200 and the lower casing 1200 to isolate the upper space 1300a and the lower space 1200a of the wafer W.

In this state, as shown in Fig. 17, when the driving unit 1330 is actuated, the upper casing 1300 having a bellows shape together with the shaft 1335 is compressed, and the lower end portion 1301 is moved upward.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 18, when the turntable 7000 is moved upward, the mounting ring 7200 and the wafer W move upward together with the turntable 7000, and the wafer W is isolated from the upper surface of the susceptor 1100.

In the state of Fig. 18, the turntable 7000 is rotated to transfer the wafer W to the next chamber, and the necessary processing for the wafer W is completed.

The present invention has been described in detail by way of preferred embodiments, and the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments, and may be modified into various forms within the scope of the claims and the detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings. Implementation is within the scope of the invention.

100‧‧‧1st chamber

200‧‧‧2nd chamber

300‧‧‧3rd chamber

400‧‧‧4th chamber

500‧‧‧5th chamber

600‧‧‧External subject

700‧‧‧ Turntable

Claims (17)

A continuous processing method for a semiconductor wafer, according to a device having a plurality of chambers and having an external body surrounding the outside of the chamber, a method for processing a semiconductor wafer of a wafer, comprising: a first step, The plurality of chambers are composed of the first to fifth chambers, and after the wafer is loaded in the first chamber, an inert gas is injected for purification; and in the second step, the wafer in the first step is transferred to the first step. a chamber for heating a wafer after injecting a process gas into the second chamber; and a third step of transferring the wafer to the third chamber to the third chamber, in the third chamber After injecting the process gas, the wafer is heated; in the fourth step, the wafer in the third step is transferred to the fourth chamber, and the inside of the fourth chamber is heated under a pressure of atmospheric pressure or less. Round; in the fifth step, transferring the wafer to the fifth chamber in the fourth step, injecting a process gas into the fifth chamber, heating the wafer; and in the sixth step, transferring the completed Discharging the wafer of the fifth step to the first chamber, cooling the wafer, and then unloading Externally, loading other wafers in the first chamber; wherein the first to fifth chambers include: a base disposed to support and fix the wafer, and applying heat to the wafer; a shell, fixed and disposed on an outer side of the pedestal, forming an isolated process space at a lower portion of the wafer; and an upper casing for forming an isolated process space movable up and down on an upper portion of the wafer; Between the upper casing and the lower casing, forming a hole for exposing an upper portion of the pedestal, rotating for transferring the wafer between the plurality of chambers, and at the base The upper portion of the seat moves the wafer up and down; and the ring is inserted into the hole to be detachably inserted to load the wafer, and the lower end portion of the upper casing moves downwardly at the wafer The processing of the wafer can be performed in a state in which the upper and lower portions form an isolated process space. According to the method of claim 1, wherein in the second step to the fifth step The process gases entering are formic acid vapor and nitrogen. The method of claim 1, wherein the isolated process space inside the chamber and the connection space portion inside the external body supply heated nitrogen during transfer of the wafer, Minimize temperature variations in the wafer. The method according to claim 3, wherein the heated nitrogen gas supplies a temperature higher than an ambient temperature of the connection space portion in which the process is performed, in a state in which the chamber is isolated. The method according to claim 3, wherein the heated nitrogen gas is supplied at a temperature at which the wafer is heated in the second step to the fifth step. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pressure in the fourth step is 100 to 760 torr. The method according to claim 6, wherein in the fourth step, at a temperature of 100 to 500 ° C, nitrogen is used as a conveying gas to supply formic acid vapor, and the treatment is performed during a time of 1 to 300 seconds. Wafer. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the fifth step, nitrogen gas is used as a conveying gas to supply formic acid vapor at a temperature of 20 to 400 ° C in a temperature environment, for a period of 1 to 300 seconds. Processing the wafer. The method of claim 1, wherein the fourth step and the fifth step are performed by a heater provided on a susceptor supporting the underside of the wafer, and are disposed on the wafer The upper upper heater is heated to uniformly heat the top and bottom of the wafer. The method of claim 9, wherein the formic acid sprayed on the wafer is heated by the upper heater. The method according to claim 10, wherein a lower portion of the upper heater forms a buffer space into which the formic acid flows, and a lower portion of the buffer space is provided on the upper surface of the wafer. A plurality of shower heads that uniformly jet the formic acid to form an injection port heat the formic acid in the buffer space. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the first step, the inert gas injected into the first chamber is injected in a heated state in order to evaporate water in the internal space. The method of claim 1, wherein the wafers in the first to fifth chambers are completed in the process space according to the upper casing isolation The circle is in a state of being isolated from the upper surface of the susceptor until the process of the chamber in the process is completed. The method according to claim 1, wherein the turntable provides a lower side of the isolated process space in a state of contacting the upper end of the lower casing, and the upper casing has a lower end portion moving downwardly. The upper portion of the turntable provides an upper side of the isolated process space. The method of claim 1, wherein the seating ring provides a lower side of the isolated process space in a state of contacting the upper end of the lower casing, and the lower casing has a lower end portion moving downward Contacting the upper portion of the seating ring provides an upper side of the isolated process space. The method according to claim 1, wherein the upper casing is configured to: a fixing portion fixed to an upper plate; and a moving portion that moves up and down according to a driving portion on a lower side of the fixing portion, The moving portion moves downward according to driving of the driving portion, thereby forming the isolated process space. The method according to claim 1, wherein the upper casing is formed in the form of a bellows, and the lower end portion is moved up and down according to a driving portion to form the isolated process space.