TWI828498B - Process chamber assembly, semiconductor process equipment and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A process chamber assembly of semiconductor process equipment, a semiconductor process equipment and a method thereof. In the process chamber assembly, a first air inlet and a first air outlet communicated with the upper chamber are arranged between the upper chamber and the lower chamber, and the first air outlet is used for communicating with the air extraction device; A plurality of second exhaust ports are arranged at the bottom of the lower chamber; The process chamber assembly also includes a gas equalizing structure and a switching structure. The gas equalizing structure is located outside the lower chamber. The gas equalizing structure has a gas equalizing chamber, which is connected with the lower chamber through a second exhaust port. A third exhaust port which is connected with the gas equalizing chamber is arranged on the gas equalizing structure, and the third exhaust port is used to connect with the air extraction device; The switching structure is used for selectively communicating one of the first exhaust port and the third exhaust port with the air extraction device.

Description

Process chamber components, semiconductor processing equipment and methods

The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular, to a process chamber component of a semiconductor process equipment, a semiconductor process equipment and a method thereof.

With the development of semiconductor technology, integrated circuit silicon epitaxial wafers are developing to larger sizes, and integrated circuit feature sizes are developing to smaller sizes, accompanied by the emergence of many complex new process requirements. In order to meet the needs of new processes, decompression epitaxy technology emerged. Decompression epitaxy has great advantages in controlling self-doping and pattern distortion and drift.

The existing decompression epitaxy process chamber consists of upper and lower chambers forming a sealed space, and the sealed space is divided into upper and lower chambers with the bearing surface of the base as the dividing line, which is arranged in the upper chamber and connected with the upper chamber. The air inlet and exhaust port connected to the chamber are arranged oppositely in the horizontal direction. The process gas enters the upper chamber through the air inlet and is discharged from the exhaust port to the exhaust pipeline. Moreover, the upper and lower cavities are composed of transparent quartz. Infrared heating lamps outside the upper and lower cavities radiate energy toward the base through the upper and lower cavities, so that the base quickly heats up to provide the energy required for the epitaxial reaction.

However, under decompression conditions, the diffusion free path of the process gas entering the process chamber is larger, and the process gas can easily deposit on the lower chamber to form deposits. The existence of the deposits will absorb the thermal radiation of the heating lamp and cause The temperature of the lower chamber increases, making it easier for deposition to occur on the lower chamber, forming a vicious cycle. When the deposit reaches a certain thickness, it will affect the uniformity of the chamber temperature field. Moreover, the presence of sediment will also affect the accuracy of the pyrometer temperature measurement, causing the process results to drift. Currently, when a certain thickness of sediment appears in the lower chamber, the lower chamber must be replaced or cleaned through chamber maintenance. This will shorten the maintenance cycle of the process chamber, thereby shortening the equipment online time and increasing production costs.

The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and proposes a process chamber component of a semiconductor process equipment and a semiconductor process equipment and method, which can effectively remove deposits without performing chamber maintenance. , which can greatly save chamber maintenance time, extend equipment online time, and reduce production costs.

In order to achieve the purpose of the present invention, a process chamber assembly of a semiconductor processing equipment is provided, which includes an upper cavity, a lower cavity and a base for carrying a wafer provided between the upper cavity and the lower cavity. An upper chamber is formed between the upper cavity and the bearing surface of the base, and a lower chamber is formed between the lower cavity and the bearing surface. The upper chamber is connected with the lower chamber. Between the upper chamber and the lower chamber A first air inlet and a first exhaust port connected to the upper chamber are provided between the cavities. The first exhaust port is used to communicate with the air extraction device; a plurality of air inlets are provided at the bottom of the lower cavity. a second exhaust port; the process chamber assembly also includes an air equalization structure and a switching structure, wherein the air equalization structure is located outside the lower chamber, the air equalization structure has an air equalization chamber, and the air equalization chamber passes through the third The second exhaust port is connected to the lower chamber, and a third exhaust port connected to the air equalization chamber is provided on the air equalization structure. The third exhaust port is used to communicate with the air extraction device; the switching structure For selectively connecting one of the first exhaust port and the third exhaust port with the air extraction device.

Optionally, the switching structure includes a first exhaust pipe and a second exhaust pipe, wherein the air inlet end of the first exhaust pipe is connected to the first exhaust port, and the first exhaust pipe The air outlet end of the pipeline is used to communicate with the air extraction device, and a first on-off valve is provided on the first exhaust pipeline; the air inlet end of the second exhaust pipeline is connected to the third exhaust port, The air outlet end of the second exhaust pipe is used to communicate with the air extraction device, and a second on-off valve is provided on the second exhaust pipe.

Optionally, the gas leveling structure includes an air leveling outer wall, which is located outside the lower cavity and is fixedly connected to the lower cavity; the inner surface of the air leveling outer wall and the outer surface of the lower cavity are in contact with the lower cavity. Opposite areas of the air equalization outer wall form the air equalization chamber, and the third exhaust port is provided on the air equalization outer wall.

Optionally, the lower cavity includes a tapered cylinder part and a straight cylinder part, wherein the inner diameter of the tapered cylinder part decreases in a direction away from the upper chamber; the upper end of the straight cylinder part and the lower end of the tapered cylinder part Connection; a plurality of second exhaust ports are arranged on the tapered cylinder part and evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the tapered cylinder part; the air uniformizing outer wall is annular and is arranged around the tapered cylinder part At the connection point with the straight cylindrical portion, the inner surface of the air equalizing outer wall, the tapered cylindrical portion and the areas of the outer surfaces of the straight cylindrical portion that are opposite to the air equalizing outer wall together form the air equalizing chamber.

Optionally, the outer wall of the gas leveling wall is in the shape of a tapered cylinder, and the inner diameter of the gas leveling outer wall decreases in a direction away from the upper chamber.

Optionally, the process chamber assembly also includes a rotating shaft and a driving device for driving the rotating shaft to rotate, wherein one end of the rotating shaft is connected to the base, and the other end runs through the upper chamber in a direction away from the upper chamber. The bottom of the straight tube portion extends to the outside of the straight tube portion and is connected to the driving device; a second air inlet is also provided at the bottom of the straight tube portion for delivering blowing air to the lower chamber in a direction close to the upper chamber. Sweep gas.

Optionally, the ratio of the sum of the cross-sectional areas of all the second exhaust ports to the area of the outer surface of the chamber opposite to the uniform gas outer wall is greater than or equal to one-third and less than or equal to one-half.

Optionally, a flow control valve is also provided on the second exhaust pipeline, the first exhaust pipeline is connected with the second exhaust pipeline, and the outlet end of the second exhaust pipeline is connected to the third exhaust pipeline. A position between the downstream of the on-off valve and the upstream of the flow control valve.

As another technical solution, the present invention also provides a semiconductor processing equipment, including the above-mentioned process chamber assembly provided by the present invention.

As another technical solution, the present invention also provides a processing method of semiconductor processing equipment, which is applied to the above-mentioned process chamber assembly provided by the present invention. The method includes: when performing a deposition process, supplying air to the upper part through the first air inlet. The process gas is introduced into the chamber, and the first exhaust port is connected to the exhaust device; when performing the in-situ etching process of the deposit, the etching gas is introduced into the upper chamber through the first air inlet, And the third exhaust port is connected with the air extraction device.

The invention has the following beneficial effects:

The process chamber assembly of the semiconductor processing equipment provided by the present invention selectively connects one of the first exhaust port and the third exhaust port to the exhaust device through a switching structure. When performing the deposition process, it can be The first exhaust port is connected to the air extraction device, so that the process gas can flow into the upper chamber through the first air inlet, and after flowing through the wafer surface on the base, can be exhausted into the exhaust port through the first exhaust port. gas device; when etching is required to remove deposits on the inner surface of the lower chamber, the third exhaust port can be connected to the air extraction device so that the etching gas can flow into the upper chamber through the first air inlet, and It is discharged into the equalization chamber through each second exhaust port at the bottom of the lower chamber, and then discharged into the air extraction device through the third exhaust port. When the etching gas flows through the inner surface of the lower chamber, it will interact with the gas attached to it. A chemical reaction occurs with the deposits on the chamber, so that the deposits can be etched in situ without opening the chamber for maintenance. This can greatly save chamber maintenance time, extend the equipment online time, and reduce production costs.

The semiconductor processing equipment provided by the present invention, by using the above-mentioned process chamber assembly provided by the present invention, can achieve in-situ etching of deposits without performing chamber maintenance, thereby greatly saving chamber maintenance. time, extending the equipment online time and reducing production costs.

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples of different means for implementing the disclosure. Specific examples of components and configurations are described below to simplify the present disclosure. Of course, these are examples only and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the following description in which a first member is formed over or on a second member may include embodiments in which the first member and the second member are formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which additional members Embodiments may be formed between the first member and the second member such that the first member and the second member may not be in direct contact. Additionally, the present disclosure may repeat reference numbers and/or letters in various instances. This repetition is for simplicity and clarity and does not inherently indicate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

In addition, for ease of description, spatially relative terms such as “below,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like may be used herein to describe one element or component in relation to another(s). The relationship between components or components, as illustrated in the figure. Spatially relative terms are intended to cover different orientations of the device in use or operation other than the orientation depicted in the figures. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the disclosure are approximations, the values stated in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements. Furthermore, as used herein, the term "about" generally means within 10%, 5%, 1% or 0.5% of a given value or range. Alternatively, the term "approximately" means within one acceptable standard error of the mean when considered by one of ordinary skill in the art. Except in operating/working examples, or unless otherwise expressly specified, all numerical ranges such as quantities, durations of time, temperatures, operating conditions, ratios of quantities, and the like for materials disclosed herein, Quantities, values and percentages should be understood to be modified in all instances by the term "approximately". Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the patent claims of this disclosure and accompanying invention claims are approximations that may vary as necessary. At a minimum, each numerical parameter should be interpreted in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Ranges may be expressed herein as from one endpoint to the other endpoint or between two endpoints. All ranges disclosed herein include endpoints unless otherwise specified.

Referring to FIG. 1 , an embodiment of the present invention provides a process chamber assembly of a semiconductor processing equipment, which includes an upper cavity 11 , a lower cavity 12 , and a wafer disposed between the upper cavity 11 and the lower cavity 12 for carrying wafers. In the round base 5, an upper chamber 111 is formed between the upper cavity 11 and the bearing surface of the base 5, and a lower chamber 112 is formed between the lower cavity 12 and the bearing surface. The upper chamber 111 and the lower chamber 112 Connected. That is to say, the upper cavity 11 and the lower cavity 12 form a closed space, and the closed space is divided into an upper cavity 111 and a lower cavity 112 with the bearing surface of the base 5 as a dividing line.

Moreover, a first air inlet 3 and a first exhaust port 4 connected with the upper chamber 111 are provided between the upper cavity 11 and the lower cavity 12. The first air inlet 3 and the first exhaust port 4 are For example, set relative to each other in the horizontal direction. Among them, the first air inlet 3 is used to pass the process gas into the upper chamber 111, and the type of the process gas can be set according to the deposition process being performed; the first exhaust port 4 is used to communicate with the exhaust device 10, So that the gas in the upper chamber 111 can be discharged.

In some optional embodiments, an annular upper lining 22 and a lower lining 21 may be provided between the upper cavity 11 and the lower cavity 12 . The lining 22 and the lower lining 21 together form a sealed space. The area of the sealed space above the bearing surface of the base 5 is the upper chamber 111 , and the area below the bearing surface is the lower chamber 112 . Furthermore, a first air inlet 3 and a first exhaust port 4 are formed between the upper lining 22 and the lower lining 21 to face each other.

In some optional embodiments, the above-mentioned first air inlet 3 and the first exhaust port 4 are each, for example, one, and optionally, in order to increase the gas flow rate and improve the gas diffusion efficiency, thereby increasing the flow rate of the process gas in the upper chamber. To ensure uniform distribution in the chamber 111, the first air inlet 3 and the first exhaust port 4 are both arc-shaped and extend along the circumferential direction of the upper chamber 111. Of course, the number of the above-mentioned first air inlets 3 and first exhaust ports 4 can also be multiple, and other structures can be adopted. This embodiment of the present invention is not particularly limited.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2 , a plurality of second exhaust ports 123 communicating with the lower chamber 112 are also provided at the bottom of the lower chamber 12 for exhausting gas in the lower chamber 112 . For example, eight second exhaust ports 123 are shown in FIG. 2 . Optionally, multiple second exhaust ports 123 are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the lower cavity 12 . In this way, the gas in the lower chamber 112 can be discharged evenly, so that the etching gas entering the lower chamber 112 can flow through the inner surface of the lower chamber 12 evenly, so that the inner surface of the lower chamber 12 can be ensured. All positions have good etching effects.

It should be noted that in practical applications, the plurality of second exhaust ports 123 may be arranged in one or more circles around the circumference of the lower cavity 12 .

In some optional embodiments, the cross-sectional shape of each second exhaust port 123 includes an ellipse, a circle, a triangle, or any other shape. Preferably, the cross-sectional shape of each second exhaust port 123 is an ellipse. Or other shapes with an aspect ratio greater than 1, and the long axis of the shape is arranged along the radial direction of the lower cavity 12, which helps to improve the uniformity of gas distribution.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the above-mentioned process chamber assembly also includes an air equalization structure 9 and a switching structure. The air equalization structure 9 is located outside the lower chamber 12. The air equalization structure 9 has an air equalization chamber 113. The air equalization chamber 113 is connected with the lower cavity 12 through the second exhaust port 123. The air equalization structure 9 is provided with a third exhaust port (not shown in the figure) connected with the air equalization chamber 113. The third row The air port is used to communicate with the air extraction device 10 . The air equalization chamber 113 is connected to each second exhaust port 123 , and the third exhaust port is connected to both the air equalization chamber 113 and the air extraction device 10 . In this way, the gas discharged from each second exhaust port 123 will be discharged into the air extraction device 10 through the air equalization chamber 113 and the third exhaust port. With the help of the gas equalizing structure 9, the gas can be uniformly flowed, thereby improving the uniformity of gas distribution in the lower chamber 112.

The switching structure is used to selectively connect one of the first exhaust port 4 and the above-mentioned third exhaust port to the air extraction device 10, that is, when the first exhaust port 4 is connected to the air extraction device 10, the above-mentioned third exhaust port The third exhaust port is disconnected from the air extraction device 10 and cannot be exhausted; when the third exhaust port is connected to the air extraction device 10, the first exhaust port 4 is disconnected from the air extraction device 10 and cannot be exhausted.

When performing a deposition process, such as an epitaxial growth process, the above-mentioned switching structure can be used to connect the first exhaust port 4 with the air extraction device 10. At this time, the epitaxial growth gas flows into the upper chamber 111 through the first air inlet 3. After flowing through the wafer surface on the base 5, it can be discharged into the air extraction device 10 through the first exhaust port 4, thereby realizing the epitaxial growth process.

When a certain thickness of deposits (such as silicon) is generated on the lower cavity 12, an in-situ etching process needs to be performed to remove the deposits. In this case, the above-mentioned switching structure can be used to connect the above-mentioned third exhaust port with the exhaust port. The gas device 10 is connected. At this time, the etching gas (such as hydrogen chloride) flows into the upper chamber 111 through the first air inlet 3. Its flow path is shown by arrow A in Figure 4. The gas flow is divided into two parts, one of which flows After passing through the surface of the base 5, since the first exhaust port 4 is not connected to the exhaust device 10 and cannot be exhausted, the etching gas will flow from the right side of the base 5 through the annular gap between the base 5 and the preheating ring 18. In the chamber 112, another part will directly flow into the lower chamber 112 from the left side of the base 5 through the annular gap between the base 5 and the preheating ring 18. Then, the etching gas entering the lower chamber 112 will flow along the lower chamber. The inner surface of the lower chamber 12 flows toward the second exhaust port 123. During this process, the etching gas will chemically react with the deposits attached to the inner surface of the lower chamber 12, so that the chamber can be opened and maintained without performing maintenance. , realizing in-situ etching of deposits, which can greatly save chamber maintenance time, extend equipment online time, and reduce production costs.

In some optional embodiments, as shown in Figure 1, the above-mentioned switching structure includes a first exhaust pipe 7 and a second exhaust pipe 8, wherein the air inlet end of the first exhaust pipe 7 is connected to the above-mentioned The first exhaust port 4 is connected, and the air outlet end of the first exhaust pipe 7 is used to communicate with the air extraction device 10 , and a first on-off valve 71 is provided on the first exhaust pipe 7 for connecting. Or disconnect the first exhaust pipe 7. The air inlet end of the second exhaust pipe 8 is connected to the above-mentioned third exhaust port, and the air outlet end of the second exhaust pipe 8 is used to communicate with the air extraction device 10 and is provided on the second exhaust pipe 8 There is a second on-off valve 81.

When the deposition process is performed, the first on-off valve 71 can be opened and the second on-off valve 81 can be closed to connect the first exhaust port 4 with the air extraction device 10 and connect the third exhaust port with the air extraction device. The device 10 is disconnected; during the in-situ etching process, the second on-off valve 81 can be opened and the first on-off valve 71 can be closed to connect the above-mentioned third exhaust port with the air extraction device 10 and connect the first row The air port 4 is disconnected from the air extraction device 10 .

In some optional embodiments, a flow control valve 72 is also provided on the first exhaust pipe 7 for adjusting the gas flow in the first exhaust pipe 7 so as to control the pressure in the cavity 1 .

In some optional embodiments, in order to simplify the equipment structure and reduce equipment costs, the air extraction device 10 includes an air extraction pump, and the first exhaust pipeline 7 and the second exhaust pipeline 8 share the air extraction pump. In this case In this case, the first exhaust pipe 7 and the second exhaust pipe 8 are connected, and the outlet end of the second exhaust pipe 8 is connected between the downstream of the first on-off valve 71 and the upstream of the flow control valve 72 location. In this way, whether the first exhaust pipe 7 is connected or the second exhaust pipe 8 is connected, the flow control valve 72 can control the pressure of the cavity 1 and the gas flow rate in the cavity 1 and other parameters. for precise control. Of course, in practical applications, the air extraction device 10 may also include two air extraction pumps. The first exhaust pipeline 7 and the second exhaust pipeline 8 are respectively connected with the two air extraction pumps, and in the first exhaust pipe Flow control valves are provided on both line 7 and the second exhaust line 8.

In some optional embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3 , the gas leveling structure 9 includes a gas leveling outer wall, which is located outside the lower cavity 12 and is fixedly connected to the lower cavity 12 . In addition, the inner surface of the air equalization outer wall and the area of the outer surface of the lower cavity 12 opposite to the air equalization outer wall form an air equalization chamber 113, and the above-mentioned third exhaust port is provided on the air equalization outer wall. The outer wall of the uniform gas can be fixedly connected to the lower cavity 12 by welding, for example.

In some optional embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2 , the sum of the cross-sectional areas of all the second exhaust ports 123 is equal to the area of the outer surface of the lower cavity 12 opposite to the above-mentioned uniform outer wall (for example, FIG. 2 The ratio of the area of area C in ) is greater than or equal to one-third and less than or equal to one-half. By setting the above ratio within this numerical range, it is possible to prevent the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the second exhaust port 123 from being too large, ensure that the lower cavity 12 has better mechanical properties, and avoid the second exhaust port 123 from being damaged. The sum of the cross-sectional areas is too small to ensure that the in-situ etching process of the deposits on the lower cavity 12 has a good etching effect.

The process chamber component provided by the embodiment of the present invention can be an epitaxial growth process chamber component, for example. In this case, as shown in FIG. 1 , the upper cavity 11 and the lower cavity 12 are both made of transparent materials, such as transparent materials. quartz. An infrared heating lamp 6 is also provided above the upper cavity 11 and below the lower cavity 12 to radiate heat toward the base 5 through the upper cavity 11 and the lower cavity 12 so that the base 5 can quickly heat up to provide epitaxy. The energy required for the reaction. Optionally, the material of the base 5 is, for example, a graphite base, and the outer surface of the graphite base is covered with a silicon carbide layer. In addition, an upper pyrometer 16 and a lower pyrometer 17 are respectively provided above the upper cavity 11 and below the lower cavity 12 to measure the temperature and base of the wafer surface through the upper cavity 11 and the lower cavity 12 respectively. The temperature of the lower surface of the base 5 is detected to accurately control the heating temperature of the infrared heating lamp 6. By using transparent quartz, the cavity 1 can provide favorable conditions for the infrared radiation of the infrared heating lamp 6 to heat the base 5, the upper pyrometer 16 to measure the wafer surface temperature, and the lower pyrometer 17 to measure the base temperature.

In some optional embodiments, the upper end of the lower cavity 12 is provided with an annular support part 13 for supporting the above-mentioned upper lining 22 and lower lining 21. Optionally, the annular support part 13 is made of foamed quartz. The foamed quartz can provide higher mechanical strength and good thermal isolation properties.

In some optional embodiments, a preheating ring 18 is provided around the base 5 , which can be made of the same material as the base 5 , and is used to control the air entering the upper chamber 111 through the first air inlet 3 The process gas plays a preheating role, thereby improving the reaction efficiency of the process gas. Furthermore, there is an annular gap between the preheating ring 18 and the base 5 , through which the gas in the upper chamber 111 can flow into the lower chamber 112 .

In some optional embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3 , the lower cavity 12 includes a tapered barrel portion 121 and a straight barrel portion 122 , wherein the inner diameter of the tapered barrel portion 121 is along a direction away from the upper chamber 111 (for example, ) decreases from top to bottom, and is, for example, funnel-shaped, so that the lower cavity 12 as a whole can have better pressure resistance. The upper end of the straight cylindrical portion 122 is connected to the lower end of the tapered cylindrical portion 121 , for example, integrated into one body; a plurality of second exhaust ports 123 are provided on the tapered cylindrical portion 121 and evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the tapered cylindrical portion 121 , in this way, when performing an in-situ etching process on the deposits on the lower cavity 12, it helps to enable the etching gas to flow through various positions on the inner surface of the lower cavity 12, thereby ensuring that each position on the inner surface of the lower cavity 12 is There are good etching effects in all positions. Optionally, the plurality of second exhaust ports 123 are located near the lower end of the tapered barrel 121 so that the etching gas can flow through various positions on the inner surface of the lower cavity 12 .

In some optional embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3 , in the air leveling structure 9 , the air leveling outer wall is annular and is arranged around the connection between the tapered tube part 121 and the straight tube part 122 . The inner surface, the tapered cylindrical portion 121 and the straight cylindrical portion 122 have areas on their respective outer surfaces that are opposite to the gas uniformizing outer wall and together form the above-mentioned gas uniformizing chamber 113 . Optionally, the above-mentioned outer wall of the air equalizer is in the shape of a tapered cylinder, and the inner diameter of the outer wall of the air equalizer decreases along the direction away from the upper chamber 111 (for example, from top to bottom). This can reduce the space occupied by the air equalization structure 9. Simplifying the air equalizing structure 9 can prevent the air equalizing structure 9 from interfering with the radiation of the infrared heating lamp 6 . Of course, the structure of the above-mentioned air-levelling outer wall is not limited to this. In practical applications, the above-mentioned air-leveling outer wall can also be in the shape of a straight cylinder (with a closed bottom), an arc-shaped cylindrical shape, an irregular cylindrical shape, or other arbitrary shapes. The present invention The embodiments are not particularly limited.

In some optional embodiments, as shown in Figure 1 , the process chamber assembly also includes a rotating shaft 14 and a driving device 15 for driving the rotating shaft 14 to rotate, wherein one end of the rotating shaft 14 is connected to the base 5 , the other end passes through the bottom of the straight tube portion 122 in a direction away from the upper chamber 111 (for example, vertically downward), and extends to the outside of the straight tube portion 122 to be connected to the driving device 15 . During the deposition process, driven by the driving device 15, the rotating shaft 14 can drive the base 5 to rotate, thereby making the temperature field and air flow field of the upper chamber 111 more uniform.

In some optional embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 , a second air inlet (not shown in the figure) is also provided at the bottom of the straight portion 122 for moving in a direction close to the upper chamber 111 (for example, by Bottom to top) delivers purge gas to the lower chamber 112. When performing a deposition process, such as an epitaxial growth process, by delivering the purge gas from bottom to top to the lower chamber 112 through the second air inlet, the portion of the rotating shaft 14 located in the straight portion 122 (generally made of metal) can be protected. Material) is not corroded by the process gas, thereby improving the service life of the rotating shaft 14.

When the deposition process is performed, the purge gas enters the lower chamber 112 , enters the upper chamber 111 through the annular gap between the preheating ring 18 and the base 5 , and is then discharged from the first exhaust port 4 . When the in-situ etching process is performed on the deposits on the lower cavity 12 , the purge gas still needs to be passed into the straight portion 122 to protect the portion of the rotating shaft 14 located in the straight portion 122 . However, due to the respective second exhaust ports 123 are located close to the lower end of the tapered barrel portion 121, which allows the purge gas flowing out of the straight barrel portion 122 to be directly discharged through each second exhaust port 123 without causing any interference to the flow of the etching gas. The flow path of the purge gas is shown by arrow B in Figure 4. It should be noted that the above-mentioned straight cylindrical portion 122 surrounds the rotating shaft 14, which helps the purge gas protect the rotating shaft 14.

To sum up, the process chamber assembly of the semiconductor processing equipment provided by the embodiment of the present invention selectively connects one of the first exhaust port and the third exhaust port to the exhaust device through the switching structure. During the deposition process, the first exhaust port can be connected to the air extraction device, so that the deposition process gas can flow into the upper chamber through the first air inlet, and after flowing through the wafer surface on the base, can pass through The first exhaust port is discharged into the air extraction device; when etching is required to remove deposits on the inner surface of the lower cavity, the third exhaust port can be connected to the air extraction device so that the etching gas can pass through the first air inlet The outlet flows into the upper chamber, and is discharged into the equalization chamber through each second exhaust port at the bottom of the lower chamber, and then discharged into the air extraction device through the third exhaust port. The etching gas flows through the lower chamber. During the surface process, a chemical reaction will occur with the sediments attached to it, so that the sediments can be etched in situ without opening the chamber for maintenance, which can greatly save the maintenance time of the chamber and extend the equipment life. Online time, reduce production costs.

As another technical solution, an embodiment of the present invention also provides a semiconductor processing equipment, which includes the above-mentioned process chamber assembly provided by the embodiment of the present invention. The process chamber assembly, for example, adopts the process chamber assembly shown in Figure 1. Due to the The structure and function of the process chamber components have been described in detail above and will not be described again here.

The semiconductor processing equipment provided by the embodiments of the present invention, by using the above-mentioned process chamber components provided by the embodiments of the present invention, can achieve in-situ etching of deposits without performing chamber maintenance, thereby greatly saving money. Chamber maintenance time is extended, equipment online time is extended, and production costs are reduced.

As another technical solution, an embodiment of the present invention also provides a manufacturing method for semiconductor processing equipment, which is applied to the above-mentioned process chamber assembly provided by the embodiment of the present invention. Taking the process chamber assembly shown in FIG. 1 as an example, the semiconductor Process methods include:

When performing a deposition process, such as an epitaxial growth process, the process gas is introduced into the upper chamber 111 through the first air inlet 3, and the first exhaust port 4 is connected to the exhaust device 10; at this time, the process gas passes through the An air inlet 3 flows into the upper chamber 111, and after flowing through the wafer surface on the base 5, can be discharged into the air extraction device 10 through the first exhaust port 4, thereby realizing the epitaxial growth process.

When performing the in-situ etching process of the deposit, the etching gas (eg, hydrogen chloride) is introduced into the upper chamber 111 through the first air inlet 3 , and the third exhaust port is connected to the exhaust device 10 . At this time, the etching gas flows into the upper chamber 111 through the first air inlet 3, and its flow path is shown by arrow A in Figure 4. The gas flow is divided into two parts. After one part flows through the surface of the base 5, due to the An exhaust port 4 is not connected to the exhaust device 10 and cannot be exhausted. The etching gas will flow into the lower chamber 112 from the right side of the base 5 through the annular gap between the base 5 and the preheating ring 18, and the other part will flow from the right side of the base 5 to the lower chamber 112. The left side of the base 5 directly flows into the lower chamber 112 through the annular gap between the base 5 and the preheating ring 18. Then, the etching gas entering the lower chamber 112 will be exhausted toward the second exhaust along the inner surface of the lower chamber 12. The etching gas flows through the port 123. During this process, the etching gas will chemically react with the deposits attached to the inner surface of the lower chamber 12, so that the deposits can be etched in situ without opening the chamber for maintenance. , which can greatly save chamber maintenance time, extend equipment online time, and reduce production costs.

The manufacturing method of semiconductor processing equipment provided by the embodiment of the present invention, by using the above-mentioned process chamber assembly provided by the present invention, can achieve in-situ etching of deposits without performing chamber maintenance, thereby greatly improving the efficiency of the process. Save chamber maintenance time, extend equipment online time, and reduce production costs.

The foregoing content summarizes the features of several embodiments so that those skilled in the art may better understand the aspects of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they may readily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/or achieving the same advantages of the embodiments described herein. Those skilled in the art should also understand that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, and that they can be variously changed, replaced, and altered herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

3: First air inlet 4: First exhaust port 5: base 6: Infrared heating lamp 7: First exhaust pipe 8: Second exhaust pipe 9: Uniform air structure 10: Air extraction device 11: Upper cavity 12:Lower cavity 13: Ring support part 14:Rotation axis 15:Driving device 16: Put on the pyrometer 17: Lower the pyrometer 18: Preheating ring 21:Lower lining 22: Upper lining 71: First on-off valve 72:Flow control valve 81: Second on-off valve 111: Upper chamber 112:Lower chamber 113: Uniform air chamber 121:Tapered barrel 122:Straight section 123: Second exhaust port

The present disclosure is best understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that in accordance with standard practice in the industry, the various components are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of the various components may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion. Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a process chamber assembly provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a top view of the lower cavity used in the embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a side view of the lower cavity used in the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a gas flow path diagram of a process chamber assembly provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

3: First air inlet

4: First exhaust port

5: base

6: Infrared heating lamp

7: First exhaust pipe

8: Second exhaust pipe

9: Uniform air structure

10: Air extraction device

11: Upper cavity

12:Lower cavity

13: Ring support part

14:Rotation axis

15:Driving device

16: Put on the pyrometer

17: Lower the pyrometer

18: Preheating ring

21:Lower lining

22: Upper lining

71: First on-off valve

72:Flow control valve

81: Second on-off valve

111: Upper chamber

112:Lower chamber

113: Uniform air chamber

Claims (10)

A process chamber assembly of semiconductor processing equipment, including an upper cavity, a lower cavity and a base disposed between the upper cavity and the lower cavity for carrying a wafer, the upper cavity and the lower cavity An upper chamber is formed between the bearing surfaces of the base, and a lower chamber is formed between the lower chamber and the bearing surface. The upper chamber is connected with the lower chamber, wherein the upper chamber and the lower chamber A first air inlet and a first exhaust port are provided in communication with the upper chamber. The first exhaust port is used to communicate with an air extraction device; a plurality of air inlets are provided at the bottom of the lower chamber. a second exhaust port; the process chamber assembly also includes an air equalization structure and a switching structure, wherein the air equalization structure is located outside the lower chamber, the air equalization structure has an air equalization chamber, and the air equalization structure The chamber is connected to the lower chamber through the second exhaust port, and a third exhaust port connected to the air equalization chamber is provided on the air equalization structure. The third exhaust port is used to communicate with the air extraction device. connected; the switching structure is used to selectively communicate one of the first exhaust port and the third exhaust port with the air extraction device; wherein the switching structure includes a first exhaust pipe, the third The air inlet end of an exhaust pipe is connected to the first exhaust port, the air outlet end of the first exhaust pipe is used to communicate with the air extraction device, and a first exhaust pipe is provided on the first exhaust pipe. On-off valve. The process chamber assembly of claim 1, wherein the switching structure further includes a second exhaust pipeline; the air inlet end of the second exhaust pipeline is connected to the third exhaust port, and the second exhaust pipeline The air outlet end of the exhaust pipe is used to communicate with the air extraction device, and a second on-off valve is provided on the second exhaust pipe. A process chamber assembly of semiconductor processing equipment, including an upper cavity, a lower cavity and a base disposed between the upper cavity and the lower cavity for carrying a wafer, the upper cavity and the lower cavity An upper chamber is formed between the bearing surfaces of the base, and a lower chamber is formed between the lower chamber and the bearing surface. The upper chamber is connected with the lower chamber, wherein the upper chamber and the lower chamber is provided in communication with the upper chamber A first air inlet and a first exhaust port, the first exhaust port is used to communicate with an air extraction device; a plurality of second exhaust ports are provided at the bottom of the lower cavity; the process chamber The chamber assembly also includes an air equalization structure and a switching structure, wherein the air equalization structure is located outside the lower cavity, the air equalization structure has an air equalization chamber, and the air equalization chamber communicates with the second exhaust port through the second exhaust port. The lower chamber is connected, and a third exhaust port connected to the air equalization chamber is provided on the air equalization structure. The third exhaust port is used to communicate with the air extraction device; the switching structure is used to selectively One of the first exhaust port and the third exhaust port is connected to the air extraction device; wherein, the air equalization structure includes an air equalization outer wall, and the air equalization outer wall is located outside the lower cavity and connected with The lower cavity is fixedly connected; the inner surface of the air equalization outer wall and the area of the outer surface of the lower cavity opposite to the air equalization outer wall form the air equalization chamber, and the third exhaust port is provided on the air equalization outer wall. The process chamber assembly of claim 3, wherein the lower chamber includes a tapered cylindrical portion and a straight cylindrical portion, wherein the inner diameter of the tapered cylindrical portion decreases in a direction away from the upper chamber; The upper end of the straight tube portion is connected to the lower end of the tapered tube portion; a plurality of second exhaust ports are provided on the tapered tube portion and evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the tapered tube portion; the air-leveling outer wall is in the shape of Ring-shaped, and is arranged around the connection between the tapered tube part and the straight tube part. The inner surface of the air-levelling outer wall, the outer surfaces of the tapered tube part and the straight tube part have the same area opposite to the air-leveling outer wall. Surround the equalization chamber. The process chamber assembly of claim 4, wherein the outer wall of the gas leveling outer wall is in the shape of a tapered cylinder, and the inner diameter of the gas leveling outer wall decreases in a direction away from the upper chamber. The process chamber assembly of claim 4, wherein the process chamber assembly further includes a rotating shaft and a driving device for driving the rotating shaft to rotate, wherein one end of the rotating shaft is connected to the base, The other end penetrates the bottom of the straight tube part in a direction away from the upper chamber and extends to the straight tube part The outside is connected to the driving device; a second air inlet is also provided at the bottom of the straight portion for delivering purge gas to the lower chamber in a direction close to the upper chamber. The process chamber assembly of claim 3, wherein the ratio of the sum of the cross-sectional areas of all the second exhaust ports to the area of the outer surface of the chamber opposite to the uniform gas outer wall is greater than or equal to one-third. One, and less than or equal to one half. The process chamber assembly of claim 2, wherein a flow control valve is further provided on the second exhaust line, the first exhaust line is connected to the second exhaust line, and the second exhaust line The air outlet end of the air pipeline is connected at a position between the downstream of the first on-off valve and the upstream of the flow control valve. A semiconductor processing equipment, which includes the process chamber assembly described in any one of claims 1-8. A process method for semiconductor process equipment, which is applied to the process chamber assembly described in any one of claims 1 to 8. The method includes: during a deposition process, injecting air into the upper chamber through the first air inlet. A process gas is introduced, and the first exhaust port is connected to the exhaust device; when the in-situ etching process of the deposit is performed, the etching gas is introduced into the upper chamber through the first air inlet, and Connect the third exhaust port to the air extraction device.