TWI594356B - Load lock chamber, edge bevel removal device and semicondcutor manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

Loading chamber, wafer edge washer and semiconductor process equipment

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a loading chamber, and more particularly to a loading chamber for use in a wafer edge trimming process.

In the fabrication process of the integrated circuit, the multilayer film is deposited on the active surface of the wafer by, for example, physical vapor deposition (PVD) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). (active surface). After the wafer completes the deposition of the multilayer film, and the drying and baking steps, the edge of the active face of the wafer tends to have a residual photoresist layer. In addition, in the subsequent process, the peeling of the photoresist layer and the debris generated after the peeling off will affect the quality of the film. Therefore, the semiconductor wafer must be removed by edge bevel removal to remove the photoresist layer around the active face of the wafer and other unwanted deposited layers.

In the current edge-washing process, the photoresist layer around the wafer can be removed by plasma etching. During the etching of the plasma, the active surface of the wafer may be masked to shield the plasma, and at the same time a purge gas is introduced therein to cool the active surface of the wafer. Generally, the bottom of the upper cover of the cavity for loading the wafer has a positioning post and a spring directly sleeved on the positioning post. The spring provides resilient support to the shroud when the upper cover of the loading chamber is capped to its lower seat. However, during the process of ascending or descending the upper cover of the cavity relative to the lower body, the spring often has a horizontally transverse deformation or sway relative to the cavity due to its length being too long, resulting in the wall of the spring and the upper cover. Or the surface of the positioning post is in contact, friction or collision, so that the spring itself, the wall surface of the upper cover or the surface of the positioning post is spalled. Particles peeled off from the surface of the spring, cavity or locating post may fall on the wafer surface and adversely affect the wafer process quality. Therefore, how to avoid the generation of particles on the surface of the wafer during wafer edge cleaning has become an urgent problem to be overcome.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a loading cavity including: a cavity, a supporting carrier, a cushioning component, and a mask. The cavity includes an upper cover body and a lower seat body, and the upper cover body and the lower seat body are combined to form a chamber. The bottom of the upper cover has a positioning post that extends vertically in the direction of the lower base. The support carrier is disposed in the chamber and has a bearing surface, and the bearing surface is used to carry the workpiece. The buffer component is coupled to the positioning post. The cushioning member has a sleeve and an elastic member, and one end of the sleeve is coupled to the elastic member, and the other end of the sleeve has an opening. The sleeve is sleeved on the positioning post via the opening. The mask is disposed on the bearing surface of the support plate.

The embodiment of the invention further provides a wafer edge washing device, comprising: a loading cavity, a purge gas diffusion zone and a plasma diffusion zone. The loading cavity includes a cavity, a support carrier, a cushioning element, and a mask. The cavity includes an upper cover body and a lower seat body, and the upper cover body and the lower seat body are combined to form a chamber. The bottom of the upper cover has a positioning post that extends vertically in the direction of the lower base. The support carrier is disposed in the chamber and has a bearing surface, and the bearing surface is used to carry the workpiece. The buffer component is coupled to the positioning post. The cushioning member has a sleeve and an elastic member, and one end of the sleeve is coupled to the elastic member, and the other end of the sleeve has an opening. The sleeve is sleeved on the positioning post via the opening. The purge gas diffusion zone is located between the mask and the load bearing surface. The plasma diffusion zone is located on a portion of the bearing surface that is not obscured by the mask.

The embodiment of the invention further provides a semiconductor process equipment, comprising: the wafer edge washing device, the process cavity and the loading and unloading station as described above. The process chamber is disposed on one side of the wafer edge washing device. The loading and unloading station is disposed on the other side of the wafer edge washing device to accommodate the workpiece to be loaded or to be carried.

The above described features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different features of the subject matter provided. Specific examples of the components and configurations described below are for the purpose of conveying the disclosure in a simplified manner. Of course, these are merely examples and not intended to be limiting. In addition, the present disclosure may use the same component symbols and/or letters in the various examples to refer to the same or similar components. The repeated use of the component symbols is for simplicity and clarity and does not represent a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations themselves to be discussed.

In addition, in order to facilitate the description of the relationship between one component or feature illustrated in the drawings and another component or feature, for example, "under", "below", "lower", Spatial relative terms for "on", "above", "upper" and similar terms. In addition to the orientation depicted in the figures, the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the elements in use or operation. The device can be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations), while the spatially relative terms used herein are interpreted accordingly.

The embodiments disclosed herein are disclosed in specific terms. Other Embodiments In view of other applications, those skilled in the art can easily associate other applications after reading the disclosure. It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein do not necessarily describe all of the elements or features that are present in the structure. For example, a plural form of a single element may be omitted from the drawings, for example, a single element description will be sufficient to convey a dissimilarity in the various embodiments. Moreover, the method embodiments discussed herein can be performed in a particular order; however, other method embodiments can be performed in any logical order.

1 is a schematic diagram of a semiconductor process device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the present embodiment, the semiconductor processing apparatus 10 includes a loading station 300, loading chambers 100a, 100b, and a process chamber 200. The loading station 300 can be loaded into the wafer 50 from the wafer preset areas 312, 314 into the semiconductor process equipment 10 for processing. In addition, the robot arm 310 can be disposed in the loading and unloading station 300, and the wafer 50 in the loading and unloading station 300 can be loaded into the loading cavity 100b via the robot arm 310, or the wafer that completes the processing step via the loading cavity 100a. 50 removed.

2 is a schematic illustration of a loading chamber in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the present embodiment, the loading chamber 100a is a main component of the wafer edge washing apparatus. Further, the cavity of the loading cavity 100a may include an upper cover body 110 and a lower seat body 120, and the upper cover body 110 and the lower seat body 120 may be detachably coupled and together form the chamber 115. In addition, the bottom of the upper cover 110 has a plurality of positioning posts 112, and the positioning posts 112 extend vertically in the direction of the lower base 120. Moreover, the support carrier 130 of the loading cavity 100a is disposed in the chamber 115, and the support carrier 130 has a bearing surface 130a, and the bearing surface 130a can be used to carry a workpiece such as the wafer 50.

In the present embodiment, the loading cavity 100a may also include a plurality of cushioning elements 150. The buffering component 150 can be coupled to the positioning post 120 respectively. Specifically, the cushioning member 150 of the present embodiment has a sleeve 152 and an elastic member 154. As shown in FIG. 2, one end of the sleeve 152 and the elastic member 154 are connected to each other, and the other end of the sleeve 152 has an opening 152a. The sleeve 152 can be sleeved on the positioning post 112 via the opening 152a. In the present embodiment, the elastic member 154 may be a coil spring, and the natural length of the elastic member 154 when it is not subjected to an external force is about 13 mm to 16 mm. Of course, the length range of the foregoing elastic member 154 is only an example. The ratio of the length of the elastic member 154 and the length of the elastic member 154 relative to the length of the sleeve 152 may be according to the structural configuration of the actual machine and different process applications. Make the appropriate adjustments.

In addition to this, the loading cavity 100a includes a mask 140, and the mask 140 is disposed on the bearing surface 130a. In the present embodiment, the upper cover 110 has an air inlet 114 coupled to the plasma gas inlet pipe 162, and the plasma generated by, for example, a plasma source disposed at the distal end can be introduced through the air inlet 114. In the chamber 115. Referring to FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the projection of the mask 140 on the bearing surface 130a does not completely cover the bearing surface 130a, and exposes the edge of the bearing surface 130a. The plasma introduced by the air inlet 114 can reach the edge portion of the bearing surface 130a via the edge of the mask 140 after entering the chamber 115. Therefore, when a workpiece such as the wafer 50 is disposed on the carrying surface 130, the active surface of the central portion of the wafer 50 can be shielded under the mask 140, and the edge portion of the wafer 50 is exposed to the mask 140. outer. Therefore, the plasma introduced by the plasma source can etch the edge portion of the wafer 50 to remove the photoresist layer remaining on the upper surface of the wafer 50, that is, the active surface, in the thin film deposition process. The foregoing process can avoid adverse effects on the quality of the film deposited on the wafer 50 due to the peeling of the photoresist layer or the debris generated by the peeling of the photoresist layer in the subsequent process, thereby affecting Electronic components fabricated on the active surface of the wafer 50.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the photoresist layer remaining on the edge of the wafer 50 can also be etched by a chemical liquid. The present disclosure does not limit the etching manner of the photoresist layer.

In the present embodiment, when the wafer 50 is completed in the process of film deposition in the process chamber 200 and transferred to the loading chamber 100a, the upper cover 110 can be pushed up to load the wafer 50 into the chamber 115. The inner support plate 130 is supported on the bearing surface 130a. In addition, after the wafer 50 is loaded, the upper cover 110 can be lowered to the original height combined with the lower body 120. The cushioning member 150 of the present example can reduce the impact force generated when the upper cover 110 is covered by the lower base 120, and provide appropriate elastic support to the cover 140 after the upper cover 110 and the lower base are combined.

In detail, the elastic member 154 is, for example, a coil spring. When the upper cover 110 is closed on the lower base 120, the elastic member 154 can be detachably pressed against the cover 140 to provide cushion between the upper cover 110 and the cover 140 and provide elastic support to the cover 140. .

Further, the mask 140 of the present embodiment has the cantilever portions 142, 145, and as shown in FIG. 2, the elastic member 154 can be detachably pressed against the cantilever portion when the upper cover 110 and the lower base 120 are coupled up and down. On 142. Further, the lower body 120 has a stop portion 124, and the stop portion 124 can contact the cantilever portion 142 of the mask 140. When the upper cover 110 of the cavity is combined with the lower base 120, the cantilever portion 142 of the mask 140 can reduce the contact stress between the cantilever portion 142 and the stopper portion 124 by the support and cushioning of the elastic member 154, and The cover 140 is detachably fixed to the lower base 120.

In the present embodiment, the elastic member 154 can reduce the length of the configuration of the elastic member 154 by the configuration of the sleeve 152. In detail, in the present embodiment, if the elastic member 154 is directly sleeved on the positioning post 112 as described in the prior art, the bottom portion of the upper cover 110 and the cantilever portion 142 of the mask 140 are fixed to a certain extent. The effect of the support and cushioning, the configuration length of the elastic member 154 is inevitably required to increase. However, when the length of the elastic member 154 is increased, the elastic member 154 is more likely to be deformed or left and right and swayed in the horizontal direction during the displacement of the elastic member 154 as it rises and falls. When the elastic member 154 is swayed to the left and right and the front and rear, the elastic member 154 generates friction and collision with the wall surface of the upper cover 110 and the surface of the positioning post 112 at the inner edge thereof, thereby causing the elastic member 154 itself, the surface of the positioning post 112 or the upper cover. The material composition on the wall of the body 110 is spalled and forms particles. Particles generated by friction or collision between the aforementioned members may be scattered on the surface of the wafer 50, which adversely affects the process quality of the wafer 50.

3 is an enlarged schematic view of a portion of the components of the process chamber of FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, when the elastic member 154 is disposed with the sleeve 152, the arrangement length of the elastic member 154 can be effectively reduced. Therefore, the elastic member 154 is less likely to be deformed in the horizontal direction or left and right and swayed forward and backward, and there is no contact or collision between the elastic member 154 and the positioning post 112. Therefore, the chance of the particles being generated by the friction or collision between the elastic member 154 and the wall surface of the upper cover 110 and the positioning post 112 can be relatively reduced, and the elastic member 154 is also less likely to be deformed and broken by the impact of the external force because of the short length. .

Referring to FIG. 3 again, the bottom of the upper cover 110 may have a recess 117, and the recess 117 is recessed into the upper cover 110 from the bottom of the upper cover 110. Further, the positioning post 112 may be disposed in the groove 117, and the length of the sleeve 152 may be greater than or equal to the recess depth of the groove 117. In this embodiment, since the length of the sleeve 152 is greater than or equal to the depth of the groove 117, the positioning post 112 and the sleeve 152 sleeved thereon are positioned and disposed in the groove of the groove 117. At the same time, no contact is made between the elastic member 154 and the groove 117, thereby reducing the chance of particles being generated by the collision and friction between the elastic member 154 and the upper cover 110.

Referring to FIG. 2 again, in the present embodiment, the plasma can be introduced into the chamber 115 via the air inlet 114 to etch the photoresist remaining on the active surface edge of the wafer 50. In this embodiment, the plasma is, for example, an oxygen plasma, a nitrogen plasma, or a combination of the foregoing gas plasmas. Additionally, the mask 140 can be used to shield the plasma from the plasma entering the active surface of the wafer 50. In addition, the top end of the mask 140 may be provided with quartz glass 147, which may delay the positively charged particles in the plasma to recombination with the negatively charged particles to enhance the effect of plasma etching.

The edges of the mask 140 can be configured with lead angles to direct the plasma to the etched regions of the wafer 50. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the edge of the mask 140 can be spread by the plasma particles toward the active surface edge of the wafer 50 by the arrangement of the lead angles, so that the plasma can effectively etch the remaining edge of the wafer 50. Photoresist layer. In this embodiment, the inclination angle of the lead angle can be configured corresponding to the size of the etched area. For example, when the etching area of the edge of the wafer 50 is large, the inclination angle of the conduction angle with respect to the bearing surface 130a may be increased to increase the etching range of the plasma on the active surface of the wafer 50. In contrast, when the etched area of the edge of the wafer 50 is small, the mask 140 can guide the path of the plasma particles with respect to the bearing surface 130a at a relatively gentle lead angle so that the plasma particles are toward the edge of the wafer 50. The direction is diffused to reduce the etched area of the plasma on the active side of the wafer 50.

In the present embodiment, the mask 140 may be connected to the first intake pipe 164, and a purge gas such as argon (Ar) may be introduced into the active face of the wafer 50 via the first intake pipe 164. In addition, a shower head may be additionally disposed in the mask 140 of the embodiment to uniformly distribute the purge gas on the active surface of the wafer 50. In the present embodiment, the argon gas supplied from the first intake pipe 164 can provide a cooling effect on the portion of the wafer 50 that is shielded by the mask 140 when the photoresist residue at the edge of the wafer 50 is plasma etched. In addition, the loading chamber 100a may further fill an inert process gas such as nitrogen (N ₂ ) or helium (He) into the chamber 115 via the second intake pipe 126 to facilitate the application of the related process.

In summary, the cushioning member of the loading chamber and the wafer edge washing device of the multiple embodiments of the present disclosure has a sleeve and an elastic member, and the elastic member can be sleeved on the positioning post at the bottom of the upper cover body via the sleeve. . Therefore, the arrangement length of the elastic members in the various embodiments of the present disclosure can be effectively reduced, and the elastic members are deformed due to the length of the elastic members being too long due to the length of the upper cover body being raised and lowered relative to the lower seat body. Or the situation of swaying left and right and back and forth, thereby causing collision or friction between the elastic member and the cavity and the positioning post, and generating particles on the surface of the wafer or the workpiece, and adversely affecting the quality of the wafer processing. At the same time, due to the arrangement of the sleeve and the reduction of the length of the sleeve, the elastic member is less likely to be deformed and broken due to impact by an external force.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a loading cavity that includes a cavity, a support carrier, a cushioning member, and a mask. The cavity includes an upper cover body and a lower seat body, and the upper cover body and the lower seat body are combined to form a chamber. The bottom of the upper cover has a positioning post that extends vertically in the direction of the lower base. The support carrier is disposed in the chamber and has a bearing surface, and the bearing surface is used to carry the workpiece. The buffer component is coupled to the positioning post. The cushioning member has a sleeve and an elastic member, and one end of the sleeve is coupled to the elastic member, and the other end of the sleeve has an opening. The sleeve is sleeved on the positioning post via the opening. The mask is disposed on the bearing surface of the support plate.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a wafer edge washing apparatus including: a loading chamber, a purge gas diffusion region, and a plasma diffusion region. The loading cavity includes a cavity, a support carrier, a cushioning element, and a mask. The cavity includes an upper cover body and a lower seat body, and the upper cover body and the lower seat body are combined to form a chamber. The bottom of the upper cover has a positioning post that extends vertically in the direction of the lower base. The support carrier is disposed in the chamber and has a bearing surface, and the bearing surface is used to carry the workpiece. The buffer component is coupled to the positioning post. The cushioning member has a sleeve and an elastic member, and one end of the sleeve is coupled to the elastic member, and the other end of the sleeve has an opening. The sleeve is sleeved on the positioning post via the opening. The purge gas diffusion zone is located between the mask and the load bearing surface. The plasma diffusion zone is located on a portion of the bearing surface that is not obscured by the mask.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a semiconductor process apparatus including a wafer edge washing device, a process chamber, and a loading and unloading station. The process chamber is disposed on one side of the wafer edge washing device. The loading and unloading station is disposed on the other side of the wafer edge washing device to accommodate the workpiece to be loaded or to be carried.

The features of the various embodiments are summarized above, and those of ordinary skill in the art will be able to better understand the aspects of the disclosure. It should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the present disclosure may be used as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures to achieve the same objectives and/or the same advantages of the embodiments described herein. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that this equivalent configuration does not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, and those skilled in the art can do this without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Various changes, substitutions, and changes.

10‧‧‧Semiconductor process equipment
50‧‧‧ wafer
100a, 100b‧‧‧ loading chamber
110‧‧‧Upper cover
112‧‧‧Positioning column
114‧‧‧Air inlet
115‧‧‧ chamber
117‧‧ ‧ Groove
120‧‧‧ Lower body
122‧‧‧Exhaust port
124‧‧‧stop
126‧‧‧Second intake pipe
130‧‧‧Support carrier
130a‧‧‧ bearing surface
140‧‧‧ mask
142, 145‧‧‧ cantilever
147‧‧‧Quartz glass
150‧‧‧ cushioning element
152‧‧‧ sleeve
152a‧‧‧ openings
154‧‧‧Flexible parts
162‧‧‧Plastic gas intake pipe
164‧‧‧First intake pipe
200‧‧‧Processing cavity
300‧‧‧ loading and unloading station
310‧‧‧ Robotic arm
312, 314‧‧‧ wafer pre-positioning area

1 is a schematic diagram of a semiconductor process device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. 2 is a schematic illustration of a process chamber in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. 3 is an enlarged schematic view of a portion of the components of the process chamber of FIG. 2.

50‧‧‧ wafer

100a‧‧‧Loading cavity

110‧‧‧Upper cover

112‧‧‧Positioning column

114‧‧‧Air inlet

115‧‧‧ chamber

116‧‧‧stop

120‧‧‧ Lower body

122‧‧‧Exhaust port

126‧‧‧Second intake pipe

130‧‧‧Support carrier

130a‧‧‧ bearing surface

140‧‧‧ mask

142, 145‧‧‧ cantilever

147‧‧‧Quartz glass

150‧‧‧ cushioning element

152‧‧‧ sleeve

154‧‧‧Flexible parts

162‧‧‧Plastic gas intake pipe

164‧‧‧First intake pipe

Claims (10)

A loading chamber includes: a cavity including an upper cover body and a lower seat body, and the upper cover body and the lower seat body are detachably coupled to each other to form a chamber, wherein the bottom portion of the upper cover body has a plurality of positions a column, and the positioning rods extend perpendicularly to the lower body; a supporting carrier plate disposed in the chamber and having a bearing surface for carrying a workpiece; a plurality of buffering elements respectively coupled Fixed to the positioning posts, and the cushioning elements respectively have a sleeve and an elastic member, wherein one end of the sleeve and the elastic member are connected to each other, and the other end of the sleeve has an opening, and the sleeve The opening is sleeved on the positioning post; and a mask is disposed on the bearing surface of the supporting carrier. The loading chamber of claim 1, further comprising a first air inlet tube connected to the mask for guiding a purge gas to the bearing surface. The loading chamber of claim 1, wherein the projection of the mask on the bearing surface exposes a portion of the bearing surface. The loading chamber of claim 3, wherein the upper cover further comprises an air inlet, through which the plasma is guided into the chamber and reaches the portion through the air inlet. The bearing surface. The loading chamber of claim 1, wherein the upper cover further comprises at least one groove, the groove is recessed into the upper cover by the bottom of the upper cover, and the positioning posts are disposed in the concave In the groove, and the length of the sleeve is greater than or equal to the depth of the recess of the groove. The loading chamber of claim 1, wherein the elastic member is a coil spring. The loading chamber of claim 1, wherein the edge of the mask has a lead angle. The loading chamber of claim 1, further comprising a second intake pipe connected to the bottom of the lower seat to fill the chamber with an inert gas through the second intake pipe. A wafer edge washing apparatus comprising: a loading chamber comprising: a cavity comprising an upper cover body and a lower seat body, and the upper cover body and the lower base body detachably together form a chamber, wherein the upper cover The bottom of the body has a plurality of positioning posts, and the positioning posts extend perpendicularly toward the lower body; a supporting carrier plate is disposed in the cavity and has a bearing surface for carrying a workpiece; The buffering members are respectively coupled and fixed to the positioning posts, and the buffering members respectively have a sleeve and an elastic member, wherein one end of the sleeve and the elastic member are connected to each other, and the other end of the sleeve has An opening, the sleeve is sleeved on the positioning post; and a mask disposed on the bearing surface of the supporting carrier; a purge gas diffusion region located at the mask and the bearing surface And a plasma diffusion zone on a portion of the bearing surface that is not covered by the mask. A semiconductor processing apparatus comprising: the wafer edge washing apparatus according to claim 9; a process chamber disposed on one side of the wafer edge washing apparatus; and a loading station disposed on the crystal The other side of the round edge washing device accommodates the workpiece to be loaded or to be carried.