TWI790138B - Control method of a substrate holder of deposition equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a control method of a substrate holder of a deposition equipment. The deposition equipment includes a chamber, a substrate holder, a blocking member and a cover ring. The cover ring is arranged on the blocking member. The substrate holder carries a wafer, and is moveable relative to the blocking member. A position where the blocking member initially contacts the cover ring is defined as a contact position, and first and second positions are defined below and above the contact position, respectively. As the substrate holder contacts the first position, the speed of the substrate holder begins to decrease. Thereafter, the substrate holder drives the cover ring away from the blocking member. As the substrate holder contacts the second position, the speed of the substrate holder begins to increase. Through the control method of the present invention, the collision force between the wafer and each device can be reduced, so as to reduce the generation of particles during the collision and prevent the wafer from being damaged.

Description

Carrying plate control method of deposition machine

The invention provides a method for controlling a carrier plate of a deposition machine, which can reduce the collision force between a wafer and various mechanisms, so as to reduce particles generated during the collision and prevent damage to the wafer.

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) and Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) are commonly used thin film deposition equipment, and are widely used in the manufacturing processes of integrated circuits, light-emitting diodes and displays.

The deposition equipment mainly includes a cavity and a wafer carrier. The wafer carrying tray is located in the chamber and is used to carry at least one wafer. Taking physical vapor deposition as an example, a target needs to be set in the cavity, and the target faces the wafer on the wafer carrier. During physical vapor deposition, the inert gas and/or reaction gas can be delivered into the chamber to apply bias voltage to the target material and the wafer carrier plate respectively, and heat the wafer carried by the wafer carrier plate. The inert gas in the cavity forms ionized inert gas due to the action of high-voltage electric field, and the ionized inert gas will be attracted by the bias voltage on the target and bombard the target. Target atoms or molecules sputtered from the target are attracted by the bias voltage on the wafer carrier plate and deposited on the surface of the heated wafer to form a thin film on the surface of the wafer.

The atomic layer deposition process is a technology that coats substances layer by layer on the surface of a substrate in the form of single atoms. The main reactants of atomic layer deposition are two chemical substances, usually called precursors, and the two precursors are used according to Sequentially sent to the reaction space.

However, regardless of the type of thin film deposition equipment, if there are particles inside the cavity, the wafer will be polluted, thereby affecting the process yield of the wafer.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems faced by the prior art, the present invention proposes a method for controlling the susceptor of the deposition machine, which can effectively reduce the pollution generated during the displacement of the susceptor, and avoid the abrasion of the wafer during contact with other devices. Improve process yield.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling a carrier plate of a deposition machine. The deposition machine includes a cavity, a carrier plate, a stopper and a covering ring. The carrying plate, the stopper and the cover ring are located in the accommodation space of the cavity, wherein the stopper is used for carrying the cover ring, and the carrying plate is used for carrying at least one wafer and can be displaced relative to the stopper and the cover ring.

When the carrying tray is located below the stopper and the distance between the carrying tray and the stopper is less than a threshold value, the displacement speed of the carrying tray starts to be reduced. When the susceptor and/or wafer contact the cover ring, the displacement speed of the susceptor is minimized to reduce the collision force when the susceptor and/or wafer contact, and reduce particle contamination during the collision process, and avoid coverage The ring causes damage to the wafer during contact with the wafer.

In addition, after the bearing disc touches the cover ring, the bearing cover ring will leave the stopper and move to the top of the stopper. When the distance between the carrying tray and the stopper is greater than the threshold value, the speed at which the carrying tray leaves the stopper can be increased.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling the susceptor of a deposition machine, wherein when the susceptor carries the wafer and the cover ring approaches the stopper from above, the cover ring will contact the stopper, and the cover ring will contact the stopper The location is defined as the contact location.

When the carrier tray, the covering ring and the wafer are located above the stopper, and the distance between the carrier tray and the stopper is less than a threshold value, the displacement speed of the carrier tray starts to be reduced. When the cover ring touches the stopper, the displacement speed of the carrier plate is reduced to the minimum, so as to reduce the collision force when the cover ring contacts the stopper, and prevent particle pollution generated during the collision.

After the cover ring touches the stopper, the carrying plate will be displaced toward the bottom of the stopper, and the cover ring will be placed on the stopper. When the distance between the carrier disc and the contact position is greater than the threshold value, start to increase the speed at which the carrier disc leaves the stopper.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention proposes a method for controlling the carrier plate of a deposition machine, which is suitable for a deposition machine. The deposition machine includes a cavity, a carrier plate, a stopper and a covering ring. The part and the cover ring are located in a housing space of the cavity, and the cover ring is carried by the stopper. The control method of the carrier plate includes: carrying a wafer on the carrier plate, and approaching the stopper and the cover ring from below, and the carrier plate starts to contact The position of the cover ring is defined as a contact position; a first position is defined below the contact position, and a second position is defined above the contact position; after the carrier tray touches the first position, lower the carrier tray towards the stopper and cover The speed of the ring displacement; the bearing disc contacts the cover ring placed on the stopper at the contact position; the bearing disc drives the cover ring away from the stopper; and after the bearing disc touches the second position, the speed at which the bearing disc leaves the stopper is increased.

The present invention proposes another method for controlling the carrier plate of a deposition machine, which is suitable for a deposition machine. The deposition machine includes a cavity, a carrier plate, a stopper, and a covering ring. The carrier plate, the stopper, and the cover ring are located at In an accommodating space of the cavity, the cover ring is carried by the stopper. The control method of the carrier plate includes: the carrier plate carries a wafer and the cover ring, and approaches the stopper from above, wherein the cover ring starts to contact the stopper. It is defined as a contact position; a first position is defined below the contact position, and a second position is defined above the contact position; after the carrier plate touches the second position, the speed of the carrier plate’s displacement towards the stopper is reduced; the cover ring Contacting the stopper at the contact position; the bearing plate places the cover ring on the stopper and displaces toward the first position; and after the bearing plate touches the first position, increases the speed of the bearing plate leaving the stopper.

In the method for controlling the carrier plate of the deposition machine, the distance between the first position and the contact position is less than 1 cm.

In the method for controlling the carrier plate of the deposition machine, the distance between the second position and the contact position is less than 1 cm.

The method for controlling the carrier plate of the deposition machine includes: the carrier plate is located under the stopper and the cover ring, and is located at a wafer in and out position; and the carrier plate drives the wafer from the wafer in and out position toward the stopper and the cover ring The displacement in the direction of , the speed of the susceptor between the wafer in-out position and the first position is greater than the speed of the susceptor between the first position and the contact position.

The method for controlling the carrier plate of the deposition machine includes a target located on the top of the cavity, including: the carrier plate drives the wafer and the cover ring away from the stopper, and moves towards the direction of the target.

The method for controlling the carrier plate of the deposition machine includes: the carrier plate carries the wafer and the cover ring, and approaches the stopper from above; after the carrier plate touches the second position, reduces the displacement speed of the carrier plate toward the stopper; the cover ring Contact the stopper at the contact position; the cover ring is placed on the stopper, and the susceptor drives the wafer away from the stopper and the cover ring; and after the susceptor leaves the stopper and contacts the first position, the speed at which the susceptor leaves the stopper is increased .

The method for controlling the carrier of the deposition machine includes a target located on the top of the chamber, including: the carrier drives the wafer and the covering ring to move from the target to the stopper.

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , which are respectively a structural schematic view of an embodiment of a deposition machine and a flow chart of steps of an embodiment of a method for controlling a carrier plate of a deposition machine according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the deposition machine 10 mainly includes a cavity 11 , a carrier plate 13 , a stopper 15 and a covering ring 17 . The cavity 11 includes an accommodating space 110 for accommodating the carrier plate 13 , the blocking member 15 and the covering ring 17 .

One end of the blocking member 15 is connected to the cavity 11 , and the other end forms an opening 152 in the accommodating space 110 . Specifically, the blocking member 15 may include an annular protruding portion 151 , an annular bottom portion 153 , an annular shielding portion 155 and an annular connecting portion 157 . The annular protrusion 151 is connected to the annular shielding portion 155 via the annular bottom 153 , and the annular shielding portion 155 is connected to the cavity 11 via the annular connecting portion 157 .

The annular protruding portion 151 and the annular shielding portion 155 can be hollow cylinders. The perimeter and height of the annular protrusion 151 are smaller than the annular shielding portion 155 , for example, the annular protrusion 151 and the annular shielding portion 155 are coaxial and disposed inside the annular shielding portion 155 . The annular bottom 153 is annular, and the bottom of the annular protrusion 151 is connected to the bottom of the annular shielding portion 155 via the annular bottom 153 , and an opening 152 is formed inside the annular protrusion 151 .

The annular connecting portion 157 is annular, and the radially inner side of the annular connecting portion 157 is connected to the top end of the annular shielding portion 155, while the radially outer side of the annular connecting portion 157 is connected to the cavity 11 to fix the stopper 15 on the cavity 11 . The cover ring 17 is of annular configuration. The covering ring 17 has a diameter larger than the opening 152 and is intended to be placed on the annular raised portion 151 of the stopper 15 .

The carrier plate 13 is located on the vertical projection of the opening 152 formed by the blocking member 15 . The carrying surface 131 of the carrier plate 13 is used to carry a wafer 12 and drive the wafer 12 to move relative to the blocking member 15 . In an embodiment of the present invention, the carrying plate 13 can be connected with a lifting unit 14, and the lifting unit 14 drives the carrying plate 13 to move relative to the stopper 15, for example, the lifting unit 14 can be a linear actuator.

A wafer entry and exit gate 112 can be provided on the cavity 11 , and the extended position of the wafer entry and exit gate 112 can be defined as a wafer entry and exit position 167 . In actual application, the wafer 12 can be transported to the carrier plate 13 at the wafer in and out position 167 through a robot arm through the wafer in and out gate 112, or the carrier plate 13 at the wafer in and out position 167 can be transported by a robot arm. The wafer 12 is taken out of the chamber 11 .

In actual application, the lifting unit 14 can drive the carrier tray 13 located under the stopper 15 and the cover ring 17, and approach the stopper 15 and the cover ring 17 from below. The circle 12 is displaced from the wafer entry and exit position 167 toward the stopper 15 and the covering ring 17 . The displacement speed of the susceptor 13 between the wafer in-out position 167 and the first position 163 is greater than the displacement speed of the susceptor 13 between the first position 163 and the contact position 161 . The lifting unit 14 can drive the supporting plate 13 to pass through the opening 152 formed by the stopper 15 and move to the top of the stopper 15 .

When the carrier tray 13 passes through the opening 152 on the stopper 15, the carrier tray 13 and the carried wafer 12 will contact the cover ring 17 on the stopper 15, and the carrier tray 13 and/or the wafer 12 can be initially The position where the cover ring 17 starts to contact is defined as a contact position 161 , as shown in step 21 . Specifically, the contact position 161 may also be a position where the covering ring 17 is placed on the blocking member 15 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the present invention defines a first position 163 below the contact position 161 , and defines a second position 165 above the contact position 161 , as shown in step 23 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , after the carrier tray 13 approaches the stopper 15 and the cover ring 17 from below and touches the first position 163, the lifting unit 14 will start to reduce the displacement speed of the carrier tray 13 toward the stopper 15 and the cover ring 17, as shown in FIG. Step 25 shows.

The distance between the first position 163 and the contact position 161 may be less than 1 cm, and the distance between the second position 165 and the contact position 161 may also be less than 1 cm. Specifically, the distance between the first position 163 and the second position 165 and the contact position 161 is relatively large, which is more conducive to the lifting unit 14 to control the speed of the susceptor 13, and to reduce the distance between the susceptor 13 and the wafer 12 and the cover ring 17. friction or collision. However, when the distance between the first position 163 and the second position 165 and the contact position 161 is relatively large, it will also increase the time it takes for the carrier plate 13 to move to the preset position, thereby reducing the efficiency of the process.

After many experiments, the inventor thinks that the distance between the first position 163 and the contact position 161 can be between 5 mm and 2 mm, and the distance between the second position 165 and the contact position 161 can also be Between 5mm and 2mm. In this way, the purpose of reducing the friction or collision between the susceptor 13 and the wafer 12 and the cover ring 17 can be achieved without greatly affecting the process efficiency.

As shown in Figure 4, the carrier plate 13 and the wafer 12 will contact the covering ring 17 on the stopper 15 at the contact position 161, and then the lifting unit 14 will continue to drive the carrier plate 13 and the wafer 12 to move upwards, so that the carrier plate 13 drives The cover ring 17 leaves the stop 15 as shown in step 27 . At this moment, the susceptor 13 carries the cover ring 17 , and the pressing portion 171 inside the cover ring 17 contacts the edge of the wafer 12 to fix the wafer 12 on the susceptor 13 .

Specifically, after the carrier plate 13 and the wafer 12 are displaced to the first position 163, they start to decelerate, and reach the minimum speed at the contact position 161, so as to reduce the collision force between the carrier plate 13, the wafer 12 and the cover ring 17, and The impact force of the cover ring 17 against the wafer 12 can be reduced.

In actual application, the carrier tray 13 may include an annular member 133 . The ring member 133 is disposed around the carrying surface 131 for carrying the wafer 12 . A first alignment portion 135 may be disposed on the ring member 133 , and a second alignment portion 173 may be disposed on the covering ring 17 . For example, the first alignment portion 135 is an inclined surface disposed on the radially outer side of the ring member 133 , while the second alignment portion 173 is an inclined surface disposed on the radially inner side of the covering ring 17 . The inclination angles of the first alignment portion 135 and the second alignment portion 173 are similar.

When the carrier tray 13 approaches the cover ring 17, the second alignment portion 173 of the cover ring 17 will contact the first alignment portion 135 of the carrier tray 13, so as to guide the cover ring 17 to the fixed position of the carrier tray 13, so that the covering The pressing portion 171 of the ring 17 can fix the wafer 12 on the susceptor 13 . When the cover ring 17 and the carrier plate 13 are aligned through the first alignment portion 135 and the second alignment portion 173 , the first alignment portion 135 and the second alignment portion 173 will rub against each other, and particle contamination may occur.

If the displacement speed of the carrier plate 13 is fast, the friction force between the first alignment part 135 and the second alignment part 173 will be increased, and the particles generated by the friction will increase, thereby contaminating the accommodating space 110 of the cavity 11 The inner wafer 12, the carrier plate 13 and/or the stopper 15 and other components.

In addition, when the cover ring 17 and the carrier plate 13 are aligned, the cover ring 17 may be displaced laterally, for example, in a direction parallel to the bearing surface 131 of the carrier plate 13 . If the cover ring 17 is displaced laterally when contacting the wafer 12 , it may rub against the wafer 12 , thereby causing damage to the surface of the wafer 12 .

In view of the above-mentioned problems that may increase particles or damage the wafer 12, after the carrier plate 13 of the present invention contacts the first position 163, it will start to reduce the speed close to the stopper 15 and the cover ring 17. At position 161 the speed will be reduced to a minimum. In this way, it is possible to greatly reduce the particle contamination generated by the cover ring 17 and the carrier plate 13 during the alignment process, and also reduce the friction of the cover ring 17 on the surface of the wafer 12, so as to reduce the damage caused to the surface of the wafer 12 .

The aforementioned ring member 133 is not a necessary component of the carrier tray 13 , and the carrier tray 13 may not be provided with the ring member 133 in practical applications, and the first alignment portion 135 may be provided directly around the carrier surface 131 of the carrier tray 13 .

As shown in FIG. 5 , the lifting unit 14 can continue to drive the carrier plate 13 to move upwards, so that the carrier plate 13 drives the covering ring 17 away from the stopper 15 . Since the stopper 15 may not be aligned with the carrier tray 13 , the lifting unit 14 still drives the carrier tray 13 away from the stopper 15 at a slower speed between the contact position 161 and the second position 165 . The lifting unit 14 will not start to increase the speed at which the carrier tray 13 leaves the stopper 15 until the carrier tray 13 touches the second position 165 above the stopper 15 , as shown in step 29 .

Specifically, when the deposition machine 10 is a physical vapor deposition machine, a target 19 can be disposed on the top of the cavity 11 , and the target 19 is located above the stopper 15 and the covering ring 17 . Through the lifting unit 14, the wafer 12 and the cover ring 17 carried by the carrier tray 13 are driven away from the stopper 15, and are displaced toward the direction of the target material 19, so as to change the distance between the wafer 12 carried by the carrier tray 13 and the target material 19, And adjust the parameters of the deposition process.

Please refer to FIG. 6 , which is a flow chart of the steps of another embodiment of the method for controlling the carrier plate of the deposition machine according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, when the carrier plate 13, the wafer 12, and the cover ring 17 are displaced to between the second position 165 and the target 19, and the deposition process is completed, the lifting unit 14 will drive the carrier plate 13 and the wafers it carries. The circle 12 and the cover ring 17 approach the stopper 15 from above, for example, the carrier plate 13 drives the wafer 12 and the cover ring 17 to move from the target 19 toward the stopper 15 , as shown in step 31 . Step 31 in this embodiment of the present invention may be a step following step 29 in FIG. 2 .

In an embodiment of the present invention, the position where the cover ring 17 starts to contact the stopper 15 is defined as a contact position 161 , and a first position 163 and a second position 165 can be defined below and above the contact position 161 , respectively.

As shown in FIG. 5 , after the carrier tray 13 touches the second position 165 above the blocking member 15 , the lifting unit 14 will start to reduce the displacement speed of the carrier tray 13 toward the stop member 15 , as shown in step 33 .

As shown in Figure 4. The carrier plate 13 will continue to drive the wafer 12 and the covering ring 17 to continue to move towards the blocking member 15 , so that the covering ring 17 contacts the blocking member 15 at the contact position 161 . Then the carrier plate 13 will be displaced toward the first position 163 , and the wafer 12 carried on it will be moved away from the stopper 15 , and the covering ring 17 will be placed on the stopper 15 , as shown in step 35 . Specifically, when the carrier plate 13 drives the wafer 12 and the covering ring 17 to move to the contact position 161 , it has the lowest displacement speed.

As shown in Figure 3, the carrier tray 13 leaves the stopper 15 and continues to move downward. When the carrier tray 13 touches the first position 163 below the stopper 15, the lifting unit 14 will start to increase the speed at which the carrier tray 13 leaves the stopper 15. , as shown in step 37.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the lifting unit 14 drives the carrier plate 13 to move from the first position 163 to the wafer in-out position 167 , and takes out the deposited wafer 12 from the carrier plate 13 through the robot arm.

The above is only one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and is not used to limit the scope of the present invention, that is, all changes and equal changes made according to the shape, structure, characteristics and spirit described in the patent scope of the present invention Modifications should be included in the patent application scope of the present invention.

10: deposition machine 11: Cavity 110:Accommodating space 112: Wafer entry and exit gate 12:Wafer 13: carrying plate 131: bearing surface 133: ring member 135: The first alignment department 14: Lifting unit 15: block 151: Annular raised part 152: opening 153: ring bottom 155: ring shielding part 157: ring connection part 161: contact position 163: First position 165: second position 167:Wafer in and out position 17: Cover ring 171: Pressing part 173: The second alignment department 19: target

[ Fig. 1 ] is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the deposition machine of the present invention.

[ FIG. 2 ] is a flow chart of the steps of an embodiment of the method for controlling the carrier plate of the deposition machine according to the present invention.

[ FIG. 3 ] is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first contact position of the carrier plate of the deposition machine of the present invention.

[ Fig. 4 ] is a schematic diagram of the structure of the carrier plate contacting the cover ring of the deposition machine of the present invention.

[ FIG. 5 ] is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second position where the carrier plate contacts the deposition machine of the present invention.

[ FIG. 6 ] is a flow chart of the steps of another embodiment of the method for controlling the carrier plate of the deposition machine according to the present invention.

[ FIG. 7 ] is a schematic diagram of the structure of the deposition machine of the present invention, where the carrier plate is located above the second position.

Claims (10)

A method for controlling a carrier plate of a deposition machine, suitable for a deposition machine, wherein the deposition machine includes a cavity, a carrier plate, a stopper and a covering ring, the carrier plate, the stopper and the cover ring It is located in an accommodating space of the cavity, and the covering ring is carried by the stopper, and the control method of the carrying plate includes: The susceptor carries a wafer and approaches the stopper and the cover ring from below, wherein the position where the susceptor begins to contact the cover ring is defined as a contact position; defining a first location below the contact location and defining a second location above the contact location; After the bearing plate touches the first position, reduce the displacement speed of the bearing plate towards the stopper and the covering ring; the carrier tray contacts the covering ring placed on the stopper at the contact position; the carrier plate drives the covering ring away from the stopper; and After the carrying tray touches the second position, the speed at which the carrying tray leaves the stopper is increased. The method for controlling the carrier plate of the deposition machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the distance between the first position and the contact position is less than 1 cm. The method for controlling the carrier plate of the deposition machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the distance between the second position and the contact position is less than 1 cm. The method for controlling the carrying plate of the deposition machine as described in claim 1, comprising: The susceptor is located below the stopper and the covering ring, and is located at a wafer in and out position; and The carrying plate drives the wafer to move from the wafer in-out position toward the stopper and the covering ring, wherein the speed of the carrying plate between the wafer in-out position and the first position is greater than that of the carrying plate in A velocity between the first position and the contact position. The method for controlling the carrier plate of the deposition machine as described in claim 1, including a target located on the top of the cavity, including: The carrier plate drives the wafer and the covering ring away from the stopper and moves toward the target. The method for controlling the carrying plate of the deposition machine as described in claim 1, comprising: The carrying tray carries the wafer and the covering ring, and approaches the stopper from above; After the bearing tray contacts the second position, reduce the displacement speed of the bearing tray toward the stopper; the cover ring contacts the stopper at the contact position; the cover ring is placed on the stop and the susceptor drives the wafer away from the stop and cover ring; and After the carrier tray leaves the stopper and contacts the first position, the speed at which the carrier tray leaves the stopper is increased. A method for controlling a carrier plate of a deposition machine, suitable for a deposition machine, wherein the deposition machine includes a cavity, a carrier plate, a stopper and a covering ring, the carrier plate, the stopper and the cover ring It is located in an accommodating space of the cavity, and the covering ring is carried by the stopper, and the control method of the carrying plate includes: The carrier tray carries a wafer and the cover ring, and approaches the stopper from above, wherein the position where the cover ring starts to contact the stopper is defined as a contact position; defining a first location below the contact location and defining a second location above the contact location; After the bearing tray contacts the second position, reduce the displacement speed of the bearing tray toward the stopper; the cover ring contacts the stopper at the contact position; placing the cover ring on the stopper by the carrier plate, and displacing towards the first position; and After the carrying tray touches the first position, the speed at which the carrying tray leaves the stopper is increased. The method for controlling the carrier plate of the deposition machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein the distance between the first position and the contact position is less than 1 cm. The method for controlling the carrier plate of the deposition machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein the distance between the second position and the contact position is less than 1 cm. The method for controlling the carrier plate of the deposition machine as described in claim 7, comprising a target located on the top of the chamber, comprising: The carrying plate drives the wafer and the covering ring to move from the target to the direction of the stopper.

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