WO2014109526A1

WO2014109526A1 - Apparatus and method for continuous processing of semiconductor wafer

Info

Publication number: WO2014109526A1
Application number: PCT/KR2014/000143
Authority: WO
Inventors: 이원구; 서현모; 안현환; 류수렬; 최우진
Original assignee: (주)에스티아이
Priority date: 2013-01-08
Filing date: 2014-01-07
Publication date: 2014-07-17
Also published as: CN104919583A; TWI555114B; KR101406172B1; TW201428882A

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for continuous processing of a semiconductor wafer, in which the apparatus comprises a plurality of chambers to process a wafer through multiple steps, one or more chambers from among the plurality of chambers comprising: a susceptor fixedly disposed to support the water during the execution of the steps; a lower housing fixedly disposed outside of the susceptor so as to form a segregated processing space on the lower part of the wafer; an upper housing moving vertically so as to create a segregated processing space on the upper part of the wafer; a turn-table provided between the upper and lower housings and having a hole for exposing the upper part of the susceptor, and rotating to transport the wafer from in between the plurality of chambers and to vertically move the wafer from the upper part of the susceptor; and a seating ring on which the wafer is seated by being inserted into the hole so as to allow a vertical removal thereof, and thus the present invention simplifies the structure of the apparatus and can reduce energy consumption.

Description

Continuous processing apparatus and method of semiconductor wafer

The present invention relates to a continuous processing apparatus and method for a semiconductor wafer, and more particularly, to a continuous processing apparatus and method for a semiconductor wafer that can reduce the number of chambers and simplify the structure for isolation of each chamber.

In general, a device that performs reflow in a post-semiconductor process has a plurality of separate chambers so as to differentiate between atmosphere and temperature at each process step, and semiconductor wafers are used to enable continuous processing between the chambers. Means for conveying are provided.

In particular, equipment using turntables passing through each chamber has been developed to arrange a plurality of chambers in a circle and to sequentially transfer loaded semiconductor wafers to each chamber.

Such equipment is described in detail in US Pat. No. 6,827,789.

A total of six chambers are shown in FIG. 1 of US Pat. No. 6,827,789, which includes a loading chamber and an unloading chamber. A turntable is used to sequentially move the loaded wafer to the next process chamber and finally free the wafer. It is configured to transfer to the loading chamber and unload the processed wafer by the robot.

In US Pat. No. 6,827,789, the process plate and the lower isolation chamber are configured to be movable up and down to isolate the wafer transferred by the turntable and proceed with the process.

The treatment plate is generally referred to as a susceptor, and includes a heater therein, and a structure for vacuum adsorption of the wafer is formed, which is a relatively heavy material, which requires a large amount of energy to move the device up and down, and increases the volume of the device. There was this.

In addition, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost is increased because the drive unit and the power transmission structure for moving the processing plate and the lower isolation chamber up and down are complicated.

In addition, US Pat. No. 6,827,789 uses the bellows to separate the outside of the drive unit for moving the treatment plate and the lower isolation chamber up and down, but the bellows is damaged or exhausted due to the stress caused by frequent vertical movement. There is a problem that can be corroded by being exposed to the gas, the gas used in the process can be re-introduced into the apparatus without being exhausted by the damage of the bellows, the defect may occur in the process.

In addition, the diameter of the turntable for rotating the wafers increases as the size of the wafer increases, causing the rotating plate to bend or partially sag, and thus fail to transfer the wafer to the correct position, thereby causing a process defect.

In addition, since the wafer is always seated on the processing plate in the closed state of each chamber, even if the process is completed in a specific chamber while the process is being performed in another chamber, the wafer is seated on the processing plate and continuously heated. There is a problem that can cause a process failure.

In the case of US Pat. No. 6,827,789, when the processing plate and the lower isolation chamber are moved downward together, the wafer seating ring is lowered together with the wafer and seated on the turntable so that the wafer is separated from the processing plate and the process is performed while the process is being performed in another chamber. It is possible to prevent the finished wafer from contacting the processing plate, thereby preventing the problem of process defects caused by continuous heating from the processing plate.

In this case, however, the wafer can no longer remain isolated and the wafer is exposed to the space outside the isolated chamber. Therefore, when the wafer is processed by a heating process and exposed to an external space until the process proceeds in the next chamber, there is a problem that a process defect may occur due to a drop in wafer temperature.

An object of the present invention for solving the above problems is to isolate the wafer in each chamber and to allow movement between the chambers, but to minimize the consumption of power and to simplify the structure of the semiconductor wafer continuous processing apparatus and In providing a method.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a continuous processing apparatus and method for a semiconductor wafer that can reduce the maintenance and repair cost by increasing the durability of the device.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a continuous processing apparatus and method for a semiconductor wafer capable of preventing the occurrence of partial deflection or warpage of the turntable that sequentially moves the wafer into each chamber.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a continuous processing apparatus and method for a semiconductor wafer capable of maintaining a state in which the wafer in a specific chamber in which the process is completed is separated from the susceptor until the process in another chamber is completed. In providing.

The continuous processing apparatus of the semiconductor wafer of the present invention for achieving the above object is a continuous processing apparatus of a semiconductor wafer comprising a plurality of chambers for processing the wafer by a plurality of processes, at least one of the plurality of chambers The chamber includes a susceptor fixedly installed to support the wafer during the process; A lower housing fixedly installed at an outer side of the susceptor to form an isolated process space under the wafer; An upper housing moving up and down to form an isolated process space on top of the wafer; A hole provided between the upper housing and the lower housing, the hole exposing the upper portion of the susceptor is formed, rotates to transfer the wafer between the plurality of chambers, and moves the wafer up and down on the susceptor. turntable; And a seating ring inserted into the hole so as to be detached upwardly to seat the wafer.

One of the plurality of chambers may include a loading and unloading chamber in which a wafer is loaded from the outside and the unloaded wafer is processed to the outside.

The lower housing provides a lower side of an isolated process space with the turntable in contact with an upper end thereof; The upper housing may have a lower end portion moving downward to provide an upper side of an isolated process space in contact with an upper portion of the turntable.

The lower housing provides a lower side of the isolated process space with the seating ring in contact with the upper end; The upper housing may have a lower end portion moved downward to provide an upper side of the isolated process space in contact with the upper portion of the seating ring.

The susceptor may be heated to a set process temperature in a state in which the wafer transferred by the turntable is positioned above by the downward movement of the turntable.

The chamber may be provided with a lift pin for supporting the bottom surface of the wafer to seat the wafer on the seating ring.

A process head in which a wafer is processed by a process gas among the plurality of chambers includes a shower head at an upper side of the process space; The shower head may be formed of a buffer space into which gas is introduced and a plurality of injection holes uniformly downward from the buffer space toward the wafer.

The seating ring may be formed in a stepped shape so that the wafer is seated inside.

The seating ring may have a plurality of gas through-holes through which the process gas passes along the outer circumference.

The process chamber in which the wafer is processed by the process gas among the plurality of chambers is movable up and down from the outside of the susceptor, and supports the bottom surface of the seating ring on which the wafer is seated so that the seating ring is removed from the hole. It may be provided with a lift pin for leaving upward.

A plurality of support pins protruding toward the center of the seating ring are formed inside the seating ring to support a bottom surface of the wafer; The upper surface of the susceptor may be a groove formed in a slot shape so that the support pin is inserted and movable up and down.

The seating ring may be made of a non-metallic material or made of a ceramic material.

The upper side of the process chamber of the process chamber may be provided with an upper heater for applying heat to the upper portion of the wafer during the process.

A lower portion of the upper heater includes a buffer space into which a process gas flows and a shower head having a plurality of injection holes uniformly downward from the buffer space toward the wafer; The upper heater may be to heat the process gas introduced into the buffer space.

When the turntable is rotated, it may further include a plurality of rollers in contact with the bottom edge portion of the turntable.

A bottom surface of the turntable may be formed with a receiving groove for receiving a portion of the roller when the turntable is moved downward.

A lower portion of the seating ring is provided with a ring-shaped baffle plate having a hole for uniformly passing the process gas along a circumference thereof; Process gas passing through the hole of the baffle plate may be exhausted through the exhaust port provided in the lower portion of the process chamber.

The upper housing may include a fixed part fixed to the upper plate and a moving part moved up and down under the fixing part to be in contact with the top surface of the turntable.

The upper housing may be formed in a bellows shape so that the lower end thereof is vertically moved by the driving unit to form the isolated process space.

A wafer continuous processing method of the present invention includes a semiconductor wafer continuous processing method using the semiconductor wafer continuous processing apparatus of claim 1, comprising: a first step of loading a wafer into a first chamber of the plurality of chambers; Process the wafer by sequentially transferring the wafer to the second to fifth chambers arranged in a circular shape together with the first chamber, wherein the second to fifth chambers are downward from the upper side of the wafer when processing the wafer. A second step of treating in a process space isolated by the upper housing moving to the upper surface; Processing the wafer in the fifth chamber and transferring the wafer to the next chamber and unloading the wafer outward; the wafer is moved up and down and rotates in the turntable in a state where it is seated on the seating ring. The transfer may be made between the first to fifth chambers.

The third step may be performed by transferring the wafer processed in the fifth chamber to the first chamber to cool the wafer, and then unloading the wafer from the first chamber to the outside.

In the second step, the wafer of the chamber in which the process is completed in the second to fourth chambers is performed in a process space in which the wafer is spaced apart from the top of the susceptor in a process space isolated by the upper housing. It may consist of waiting until the process of is completed.

The second step may include heating the process gas injected to the wafer by a heater provided above the process space in one or two or more chambers selected from the second to fifth chambers.

The present invention is configured to seal the process space by using an upper housing moving up and down from the upper side of the chamber without moving the susceptor, which is a heavy object, up and down, thereby simplifying the configuration of the apparatus and reducing power consumption. There is an effect that can be reduced.

In addition, the present invention has the effect of reducing the time and cost required for maintenance and repair by excluding the use of low-durability parts, such as conventional bellows.

In addition, the present invention is to prevent the sag of the turntable and the large diameter of the rotary body, to prevent the occurrence of process defects, it is possible to reduce the cost and to extend the maintenance and repair period of the device.

In addition, the present invention separates the wafer in the chamber where the process is completed from the susceptor and waits until the process of the other chamber is completed, thereby preventing the wafer from being further heated in the standby state, thereby improving process reliability. It has an effect.

In addition, when waiting until the process of the other chamber is completed as described above can keep the wafer in an isolated state can further improve the reliability of the process.

1 is a schematic plan view of a continuous processing apparatus for a semiconductor wafer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the A-A direction in FIG.

Figure 3 is a detailed cross-sectional configuration of the seating ring applied to the present invention

4 to 13 is a schematic cross-sectional configuration of the present invention shown in accordance with the movement and processing of the wafer

14 is a cross-sectional configuration of a first process chamber according to another embodiment of the present invention

15 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a turntable according to another embodiment of the present invention

16 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an apparatus for continuously processing a semiconductor wafer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

17 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the upper housing is raised in the state of FIG. 16.

18 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the turntable and the seating ring are raised in the state of FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is a plan view illustrating a wafer in a susceptor and a mounting ring provided in the continuous processing apparatus of FIG. 16. FIG.

Description of the sign

100:

first chamber

110, 210, 310: susceptor

120,220,330: lower housing 130,230,330: upper housing

140,240,340: Lift pin 150,250,350: Exhaust vent

160,260,360: Showerhead 200: Second chamber

370: upper heater 300: third chamber

400: fourth chamber 500: fifth chamber

600: the outer body 610: lower plate

620: upper plate 700: turntable

710: Hole 720: seat ring

721: gas through hole 722: upper seat

723: lower seating stage 730: receiving groove

740: roller 1100: susceptor

1200: lower housing 1300: upper housing

1202,1302: airtight member 1330: drive unit

1335: shaft 7000: turntable

7100; hole 7200: seating ring

7210: support pin

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

1 is a schematic plan view of a semiconductor wafer continuous processing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the AA direction in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a detailed cross-sectional configuration of the seating ring 720. .

1 and 2, the semiconductor wafer continuous processing apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first to fifth chambers (100, 200, 300) arranged in a circle with respect to the center of the

outer body

600 , 400, 500).

The outer body 600 is a disk-shaped lower plate 610, the disk-shaped upper plate 620 provided on the upper side of the lower plate 610, the edge and the upper plate of the lower plate (610) ( The upper and lower sides of the edge of the 620 is composed of a side housing 630 connected.

Although not shown in the drawing, the upper plate 620 includes components such as piping for supplying a process gas at an upper position of each

chamber

100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and a side housing 630 in which the first chamber 100 is located. Openings may be formed in the robot arm to allow entry / retraction of the robot arm for loading or unloading the wafer.

The first to

fifth chambers

100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 are connected to the connection space 800, which is an inner space surrounded by the lower plate 610, the upper plate 620, and the side housing 630. A turntable 700 having a rotation axis in the center is provided.

The turntable 700 is formed with the same number of openings 710 of the chamber (100, 200, 300, 400, 500).

The hole 710 is provided with a seating ring 720 on which a wafer is seated. The seating ring 720 may be separated from the turntable 700 together with the wafer in a state where the wafer is seated by the vertical movement of the lift pin 240 to be described later.

In addition, the seating ring 720 is a stepped shape, as shown in Figure 3, the inner seating end 722 formed around the inner diameter portion so that the wafer (W) is seated, and the seating ring 720 is the turntable 700 It consists of an outer seating end 723 formed around the outer diameter portion so as to be seated in the hole 710 of the through, and through the up and down to allow gas to pass between the inner seating end 722 and the outer seating end 723 A gas through hole 721 is formed.

Therefore, the gas evenly injected from the shower heads 160 and 260 described later to the upper front surface of the wafer W is exhausted to the

exhaust ports

150 and 250 through the gas through hole 721. As such, since the exhaust flow of the process gas flows from the top to the bottom of the wafer W, less residue of the process gas is generated in the chamber.

The seating ring 720 is in contact with the wafer (W), the seating ring 720 is in contact with the turntable 700. The turntable 700 is exposed to the connection space portion 800 outside the chamber, so that the temperature of the connection space portion 800 is transferred to the wafer W through the turntable 700 and the seating ring 720, and at a process temperature. Will be affected. Therefore, in order to block heat from being transferred to the wafer W, the seating ring 720 preferably uses a non-metallic material.

In addition, the seating ring 720 may be a ceramic having heat resistance because it is exposed to a high process temperature, and any other non-metallic material having low heat resistance and low conductivity may be applied.

The first to

fifth chambers

100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 define an isolated space in which the wafer is processed, and components for setting a temperature and pressure for processing the wafer are provided for each chamber. Each chamber may be isolated from the connection space 800 during the process so that the wafer may be processed under different conditions for each chamber.

The first chamber 100 is for loading the wafer by an external robot, and unloading the wafer to the external robot from the wafer which has been processed in the fifth chamber 500. The detailed configuration will be described with reference to 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first chamber 100 includes a susceptor 110 for supporting a bottom surface of the wafer, and a lower housing installed outside the susceptor 110 and fixed to the lower plate 610. 120, an upper housing 130 provided on the upper side of the lower housing 120 and fixed to the upper plate 620, a lift pin 140 that moves up and down to support a bottom surface of the wafer, and the lower plate. An exhaust port 150 formed at 610 and communicating with an inner space of the lower housing 120, and a shower head 160 provided inside the upper housing 130 to process gas by spraying the wafer. It is configured to include.

The susceptor 110 is provided with a configuration for vacuum adsorption in order to fix the wafer on its upper surface, and cooling means for cooling the wafer before unloading the wafer having been processed in the fifth chamber 500 to the outside ( Not shown) may be provided. In addition, since the susceptor 110 is fixed on the lower plate 610 instead of being moved up and down, the structure is simplified since the connection line for vacuum suction and the connection line for wafer cooling means are fixed. .

The lower housing 120 has a cylindrical shape, and the inner space 120a is insulated from the connection space 800 during the process to form a lower side of the isolated process space, and the inner space 120a is The exhaust port 150 is connected to an exhaust passage (not shown).

The upper housing 130 has an inner space (130a) is insulated from the connection space portion 800 during the process to form an upper side of the isolated process space, the gas through hole of the seating ring (720) It communicates with the inner space 120a of the lower housing 130 through 721.

The upper housing 130 is formed in a cylindrical shape in order to maintain the isolated state of the wafer during the process and to communicate with the connection space 800 when moving to the next chamber, the upper plate 620 It is composed of a fixed part 131 fixed to the moving part 132 provided on the lower side of the fixing part 131 to move up and down.

The moving part 132 moves the moving part 132 downward by the driving part 133 so that the lower end of the moving part 132 is in contact with the upper part of the turntable 700. In order to maintain the airtightness of the surface in contact with the moving part 132 and the turntable 700, a lower end of the moving part 132 may be provided with an airtight member (not shown) made of a material such as rubber, silicon. In addition, an airtight member (not shown) may be provided to maintain airtightness on a surface where the fixing part 131 and the moving part 132 contact each other.

The lift pin 140 is provided to penetrate the susceptor 710 up and down, and supports a bottom surface of the wafer loaded by the robot to mount the wafer on the top surface of the susceptor 110. Vertical movement is possible.

In addition, when the wafer is unloaded, the bottom surface of the wafer seated on the seating ring 720 is supported and separated from the seating ring 720, and then moved up and down to take over to the robot.

The shower head 160 uniformly injects gas for cooling or heated nitrogen gas onto the upper surface of the wafer, and includes a buffer space 161 in which the inflowed gas is collected, and the wafer in the buffer space 161. A plurality of injection holes are formed on the bottom of the shower head 160 at regular intervals so that the gas is injected downward in the direction of W).

The connection space 800 is a space surrounding the outside of each of the

chambers

100, 200, 300, 400, and 500, and an exhaust port 810 for exhausting gas remaining in the connection space 800 is provided.

According to this configuration, it is not necessary to have a bellows-like configuration to move the susceptor 110 and the lower housing 120 up and down to form an isolated process space, thereby improving durability of the apparatus and reducing maintenance costs. can do.

The second chamber 200 is the same configuration as the first chamber 100, the susceptor 210, the lower housing 220, the upper housing 230, the lift pin 240, the exhaust port 250 and the shower head And 260.

The susceptor 210 is provided with a heater (not shown) for applying heat to the wafer, and the wafer is vacuum adsorbed on the upper surface of the susceptor 210 to be fixed.

However, the lift pin 140 of the first chamber 100 directly supports the bottom of the wafer, but the lift pin 240 of the second chamber 200 supports the bottom of the seating ring 720 to seat the seat 720. ) And the wafer seated on the seating ring 720 can be moved up and down together. To this end, the lift pin 140 is positioned to move up and down on the outside of the susceptor 210.

Detailed configurations of the remaining lower housing 220, the upper housing 230, and the shower head 260 are the same as those of the first chamber 100, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, this configuration is the same configuration of the third to fifth chamber (300, 400, 500) of the other chamber.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the semiconductor wafer continuous processing apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described in detail according to the movement and processing of the wafer.

4 to 13 is a schematic cross-sectional configuration of the present invention shown in accordance with the movement and processing of the wafer.

First, referring to FIG. 4, a process in which the wafer W is loaded into the first chamber 100 by the robot 2 is shown. The turntable 700 moves downward, so that the bottom surface of the turntable 700 is moved. The upper surface of the susceptor 110 is exposed to an upper portion of the lower housing 120 through the hole 710 of the turntable 700.

The lift pin 140 moves upward to support the bottom surface of the wafer W while the wafer W is placed on the upper surface of the arm Arm.

In the above description, the lift pin 140 moves upward in the state in which the robot 2 moves the wafer W in the correct position. However, the robot 2 moves in the standby state. It is also possible to transfer the wafer (W) to load the wafer (W) on the lift pin (140).

As described above, the first chamber 100 is a chamber in which the wafer W is loaded from the outside. As described later, the first chamber 100 moves the wafer W moved from the fifth chamber 500 to the outside. Used as an unloading chamber. That is, the first chamber 100 becomes a loading and unloading chamber in which the wafer W is loaded and unloaded.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the robot 2 retreats with the wafer W mounted on the lift pin 140 to move out of the loading and unloading chamber 100. At this time, the robot 2 moves downward to retreat while the wafer W is completely placed on the lift pin 140. On the contrary, the robot 2 may retreat in a state in which the lift pin 140 moves upward while the wafer W is seated without moving downward.

If the robot 2 and the lift pin 140 is a relative motion of the robot (2) when the retreat back to the wafer (W) to prevent the displacement of the wafer (W) as long as it is applicable regardless of the method Shows that it can.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the turntable 700 moves upward while the robot 2 is completely moved to move the bottom edge of the bottom surface of the wafer W into an inner seating end 722 of the seating ring 720. Settle on

In this state, when the lift pin 140 moves downward so that the bottom surface of the wafer W and the upper end of the lift pin 140 are spaced apart, the turntable 700 rotates and is seated on the seating ring 720 as shown in FIG. 7. In the state, the wafer W is moved to the second chamber 200.

That is, the turntable 700 is rotated while the turntable 700 moves upward, and the rotation angle is determined according to the number of chambers.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the turntable 700 moves downward to seat the wafer W on the susceptor 210 of the second chamber 200, and the turntable 700 moves further downward. The bottom surface is in contact with the upper end of the lower housing 220.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the driving unit 233 is driven to move the moving unit 232 downward so that the lower end of the moving unit 232 contacts the upper surface of the turntable 700.

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

Process gas is supplied to the inner space 230a of the upper housing 230 through the shower head 260 to process the wafer W, and the susceptor 210 is vacuum-adsorbed on the wafer W. Heating to a specific temperature. After the process gas is processed on the wafer W, the internal space 220a of the lower housing 220 through the gas through hole 721 of the seating ring 720 inserted into the hole 710 of the turntable 700. After moving to the exhaust through the exhaust port 250.

In addition, in the case of the present invention, since the lift pin 240 does not penetrate the susceptor 210, there is no need to form a separate groove or hole for vertical movement of the lift pin 240 in the susceptor 210, Since the area of the susceptor 210 in contact with the wafer W is formed wide, the wafer W can be uniformly heated.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a state in which the wafer W waits when the process is not completed in the

other chambers

300, 400, and 500 while the process is completed in the second chamber 200. For example, when the process time of the second chamber 200 is 200 seconds and the process time of the third chamber 300 is 300 seconds, the wafer is waited for 100 seconds after the process in the second chamber 200 is completed. W) must be transferred to the third chamber 300.

That is, when the process time made in the third chamber 300 is longer than the process time made in the second chamber 200, the third chamber 300 may not be moved immediately to the third chamber 300. It may be understood that the process waits at 300 until the turntable 700 is in a rotatable state.

Since the wafer W is heated more than necessary when the wafer W is seated on the susceptor 210, the lift pin 240 is moved upward to move the lift ring 240 upward. At the same time, the wafer W seated on the seating ring 720 is lifted up, and the wafer W is separated from the susceptor 210 upward.

In addition, since the process is performed at a high temperature in the

process chambers

200, 300, 400, and 500 where the process is performed on the wafer W, the temperature inside the isolated process space becomes higher than the temperature of the connection space 800 outside the chamber. When the wafer W, which has been processed at a high temperature in the second chamber 200, is waiting, when the internal space 230a of the upper housing 230 communicates with the connection space 800, the connection space portion having a low temperature The thermal shock may be applied to the wafer W by being exposed to the 800.

Therefore, in the present invention, the process space surrounded by the upper housing 230, the turntable 700, and the lower housing 220 may be isolated from the connection space 800 even in the standby state of the wafer W. Therefore, the heated state of the wafer W can be maintained and the process quality of the wafer W can be improved.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the moving part 232 of the upper housing 230 moves upward to transfer the wafer W from the second chamber 200 to the third chamber 300.

Then, the turntable 700 is moved upward so that the seat ring 720 is inserted into the hole 710 of the turntable 700 together with the wafer W so that the outer seat end 723 of the seat ring 720 is moved. It is to be seated on the upper surface of the turntable (700).

Next, the lift pin 240 moves downward to space the bottom surface of the seating ring 720 from the top of the lift pin 240, and then the turntable 700 rotates to transfer the wafer to the third chamber 300. Done.

The subsequent mechanical process is repeated in the same manner as the operation after FIG. 7, which is an operation after the wafer W is transferred from the first chamber 100 to the second chamber 200. As described above, each of the second chamber 200, the third chamber 300, the fourth chamber 400, and the fifth chamber 500 is configured in the same manner so that the turntable 700 may be used to process the wafer W. In the downwardly moved state, the moving part 232 of the upper housing 230 is moved downward along the fixing part 231 to form an isolated process space, and the upper housing 230 is moved when the wafer W is moved. ) Moves upward to its original position, the turntable 700 has a structure that moves upward and rotate, omit the operation of the third to fifth chamber (300 to 500) to avoid repeated description, It will be described that the wafer W moves to the first chamber 100 in the state.

Different processes may be performed in each of the second to fifth chambers 200 to 500, and a non-reactive gas such as heated nitrogen for maintaining the temperature of the wafer may also be connected to the connection space 800 in which the wafer W moves. The process gas may be supplied, and the introduced process gas including the non-reactive gas may be exhausted through the exhaust unit 810.

12 illustrates that the turntable 700 rotates in the state shown in FIG. 11 to transfer the wafer W to the first chamber 100, and then the turntable 700 moves downward to susceptor the wafer W. The state seated at 110 is shown. The actual operation is moved to the first chamber 100 in order to unload the wafer W, which has been processed in the fifth chamber 500, out of the continuous processing apparatus.

The wafer W may be naturally cooled in the state moved to the first chamber 100 without any processing, and then unloaded to the outside by the robot 2 to be described later. W) may be forced to cool.

Such a cooling process is also performed in an isolated state of the

process spaces

120a and 130a. To this end, the turntable 700 first moves downward so that the bottom thereof is in contact with the upper end of the lower housing 120.

Next, after the moving part 132 of the upper housing 130 moves downward to form an isolated process space, the shower head 160 sprays cooling gas onto the wafer W to form the wafer W. Alternatively, the wafer W is placed on the susceptor 110 in which the coolant is circulated, and left in the other chambers until the process is completed.

Then, as shown in FIG. 13, the lift pin 140 moves upward to release the wafer W from the susceptor 110, and then the robot 2 enters and supports the bottom surface of the wafer W. As shown in FIG. In this state, the wafer W is unloaded. Then, as described above, a new wafer is loaded into the first chamber 100 to perform the same process.

In the same manner as the loading process of the wafer W described above, relative movement is performed so that no interference occurs between the robot 2 and the lift pin 140. That is, the lift pin 140 moves downward or the robot 2 moves upward before the robot 2 detaches, and unloads to the outside in a state in which the bottom surface of the wafer W is supported.

As described above, the present invention is fixed without having to move the lower housing 120 to form a lower side of the process space, which is separated from the plurality of susceptors, which are heavy materials provided in each chamber, and move the turntable 700 up and down. By configuring it so that the mechanical configuration can be simplified and the load of the driving part can be reduced, thereby reducing the power consumption.

14 is a cross-sectional view of a third chamber 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 14, the upper heater 370 is further provided on the upper side of the upper plate 620 in order to effectively control the process temperature.

When the upper heater 370 is provided on the upper side of the wafer W as described above, the lower surface of the wafer W is heated by the heat transferred from the susceptor 310, and the heat is transferred to the heat transferred through the upper heater 370. Since the upper surface of the wafer W is also heated at the same time, the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W can be heated to a uniform temperature.

In particular, in the reflow process, the shape of the solder ball is very important, and the upper and lower parts of the solder ball can be uniformly heated by the heater provided in the susceptor 310 and the upper heater 370 of the upper side, thereby maintaining the shape of the solder ball. To be advantageous.

The upper heater 370 may be selectively added to the second to fifth chambers 200 to 500, and may be variably installed according to the type of wafer processing process to which the present invention is applied.

In addition, the residue of the process gas is stuck to the inner wall surface of the upper housing 230 in the inner space 230a of the upper housing 230. When the heating is performed using the upper heater 370, the residue of the process gas is the upper housing ( 230) It can be prevented to stick to the inner wall surface can reduce the generation of particles.

In addition, when the shower head 360 having the buffer space 361 is formed below the upper heater 370, the process gas introduced into the buffer space 361 is heated by the heat of the upper heater 370, so that the shower The temperature of the process gas supplied through the head 360 may be quickly increased, and the stability of the process may be further improved.

The present invention can be used as equipment for performing a reflow, formic acid vapor used in the reflow process is heated to a high temperature and then supplied into the chamber. In this case, when the formic acid vapor is preheated and introduced into the chamber, the formic acid vaporizes when it reaches the wafer, resulting in a loss, thereby lowering uniformity of the process. In addition, by heating the heating jacket on the outer surface of the pipe provided on the outside of the reflow equipment to make the formic acid vapor at a high temperature, there is a problem that the formic acid vapor is stuck to the inner surface of the pipe.

Therefore, when the formic acid vapor is heated to the upper heater 370 while the formic acid is introduced into the buffer space 361 as in the present embodiment, it is heated just before being injected onto the wafer W, thereby preventing a loss due to vaporization of the formic acid. In addition, the problem that the formic acid vapor is stuck to the inner surface of the pipe can be prevented.

Meanwhile, although the upper heater 370 is illustrated as being positioned above the shower head 360 in the drawing, the upper heater 370 may be inserted into the shower head 360.

15 is a cross-sectional view of a turntable 700 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 15, an accommodation groove 730 is provided at a bottom of the turntable 700, and the roller 740 is accommodated when the turntable 700 moves downward for the process.

The roller 740 is separated from the receiving groove 730 in the state in which the turntable 700 moves upward for the transfer of the wafer, and the receiving groove 730 is not formed when the turntable 700 rotates. The bottom surface of the turntable 700 is supported.

When the turntable 700 rotates, the roller 740 allows the turntable 700 to rotate smoothly, and prevents deflection or bending from occurring due to the weight of the turntable 700. Do it.

Accordingly, the replacement of the turntable 700 or the maintenance cycle may be further extended to reduce the cost and improve the reliability of the apparatus.

Meanwhile, in the above embodiment, the

upper housings

130 and 230 are configured as the moving

parts

132 and 232 that slide while contacting the fixing

parts

131 and 231 and the fixing

parts

131 and 231, but instead of the moving

parts

132 and 232, the fixing

parts

131 and 231 are provided. The bellows shape may be modified to be integrally coupled in a state of being coupled to the lower end of the bellows, and instead of the fixing

parts

131 and 231 and the moving

parts

132 and 232, the upper end of the bellows is fixed to the upper plate 620 and the lower end of the bellows is fixed. It can also be modified in the configuration to move up and down.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the wafer W is loaded in the first chamber 100 and then moved to the second chamber 200 without any further processing. However, the wafer W is lifted in the first chamber 100. Lift pin 140 is lowered in the state loaded on the pin 140 to seat the wafer (W) on the susceptor 110, and then lower the moving part 132 of the upper housing 130, the upper housing 130 ) And the internal space consisting of the turntable 700 and the lower housing 120 may be isolated and then purged with nitrogen to remove particles.

16 is a cross-sectional view showing a continuous processing apparatus of a semiconductor wafer according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing an upper housing raised in the state of FIG. 16, FIG. 18 is a turntable and seating ring in the state of FIG. 19 is a plan view showing a state in which a wafer is seated in a susceptor and a mounting ring provided in the continuous processing apparatus of FIG. 16.

In the semiconductor wafer continuous processing apparatus of the present embodiment, the susceptor 1100 is fixedly installed to support the wafer W while the process is in progress, and is fixed to the outside of the susceptor 1100 so that the lower portion of the wafer W is fixed. A lower housing 1200 forming a process space 1200a isolated from the upper housing, an upper housing 1300 moving up and down to form an isolated process space 1300a on the upper portion of the wafer W, and the upper housing 1300. The turntable 7000 is provided between the lower housing 1200 and rotates to transfer the wafer W between a plurality of chambers and simultaneously moves the wafer W up and down on the susceptor 1100. It is composed of a seating ring 7200 is inserted into the hole 7100 of the turntable 7000 to be detached upwards to seat the wafer (W).

In the present embodiment, unlike the above-described embodiment, the upper housing 1300 is formed in a bellows shape, and the lower portion 1301 of the upper housing 1300 and the upper portion of the seating ring 7200 are simultaneously in contact with each other. The upper portion 1201 and the lower portion of the seating ring 7200 are in contact with each other, and there is a difference in that a support pin 7210 is formed inside the seating ring 7200 to support the bottom surface of the wafer W. .

The outer end 7201 of the seating ring 7200 is formed in a stepped shape with an upper part protruding, and the inner end 7001 of the turntable 7000 is formed in a stepped shape with a lower part protruding in the center direction. The outer end 7201 is engaged with the inner end 7001 and is seated to allow upward detachment.

The upper side of the upper plate 6200 is provided with a driving unit 1330 for providing a driving force to move the lower end 1301 of the upper housing 1300 up and down. A shaft 1335 that moves up and down is connected to the driving unit 1330, and a lower end 1301 of the upper housing 1300 is connected to a lower end of the shaft 1335.

The driving unit 1330 may be configured as a cylinder, and when the cylinder is driven, the lower end 1301 of the shaft 1335 and the upper housing 1300 may be moved up and down, and the lower end 1301 may be seated when moved downward. The upper side of the isolated process space 1300a can be formed by contacting the top of the ring 7200. In this case, the airtight member 1302 is interposed between the bottom surface of the lower end portion 1301 and the top surface of the seating ring 7200 to maintain airtightness.

Meanwhile, when the turntable 7000 moves downward, the upper end 1201 of the lower housing 1200 may contact the lower portion of the seating ring 7200 to form a lower side of the isolated process space 1200a. In this case, the airtight member 1202 is interposed between the top surface of the upper end portion 1201 and the bottom surface of the seating ring 7200 to maintain airtightness.

Inside the seating ring 7200, a plurality of support pins 7210 protruding toward the center of the seating ring 7200 to support the bottom surface of the wafer W. In FIG. 19, the number of the support pins 7210 is illustrated as three, but may be modified.

A groove 1110 having a slot shape is formed on the upper surface of the susceptor 1100 so that the support pin 7210 is inserted into the upper surface of the susceptor 1100, and the support pin 7210 is positioned inside the groove 1110. When moved in the direction, the bottom surface of the wafer W is supported by the support pins 7210 so that the wafers W move upward together.

The lower portion of the seating ring 7200 is provided with a ring-shaped baffle plate 6500 having holes 6510 uniformly formed along the circumference of the hole 6510 to uniformly pass the process gas, and the holes of the baffle plate 6500. The process gas passed through the 6510 is exhausted through the exhaust port 1500 provided in the lower portion of the process chamber.

The baffle plate 6500 is positioned at an outer circumference of the susceptor 1100, and an outer edge thereof is locked to the lower housing 1200.

While the process is in progress, as shown in FIG. 16, the upper housing 1300, the seating ring 7200, and the lower housing 1200 are in contact with each other, such that the upper space 1300a and the lower space 1200a of the wafer W are in contact with each other. ) Becomes isolated.

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

Then, as shown in FIG. 18, when the turntable 7000 is moved upward, the seating ring 7200 and the wafer W move upward with the turntable 7000, and the wafer is moved from the upper surface of the susceptor 1100. (W) is spaced apart.

When the turntable 7000 is rotated in the state of FIG. 18, the wafer W is transferred to the next chamber, and then the necessary wafer W is processed.

As described above, the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are made within the scope of the claims and the detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings. It is possible to carry out by this and this also belongs to the present invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention simplifies an apparatus for continuous processing of a semiconductor wafer, reduces the power consumption, and improves the durability of the apparatus.

Claims

In the continuous processing apparatus for a semiconductor wafer comprising a plurality of chambers for processing the wafer by a plurality of processes,

At least one of the plurality of chambers,

A susceptor fixedly installed to support the wafer during the process;

A lower housing fixedly installed at an outer side of the susceptor to form an isolated process space under the wafer;

An upper housing moving up and down to form an isolated process space on top of the wafer;

A hole provided between the upper housing and the lower housing, the hole exposing the upper portion of the susceptor is formed, rotates to transfer the wafer between the plurality of chambers, and moves the wafer up and down on the susceptor. turntable;

And a seating ring inserted into the hole so that the wafer is seated upwardly to allow the wafer to be seated therein.
The method of claim 1,

One of the plurality of chambers,

And a loading and unloading chamber for loading a wafer from the outside and unloading the finished wafer to the outside.
The method of claim 1,

The lower housing provides a lower side of an isolated process space with the turntable in contact with an upper end thereof;

And the upper housing has a lower end portion moving downward to provide an upper side of an isolated process space in contact with an upper portion of the turntable.
The method of claim 1,

The lower housing provides a lower side of the isolated process space with the seating ring in contact with the upper end;

And the upper housing has a lower end portion moving downward to provide an upper side of an isolated process space in contact with an upper portion of the seating ring.
The method of claim 1,

And the susceptor is heated to a set process temperature in a state where the wafer transferred by the turntable is positioned above by the downward movement of the turntable.
The method of claim 5,

The chamber is a continuous processing apparatus for a semiconductor wafer, characterized in that the lift pin for supporting the bottom surface of the wafer to seat the wafer on the seating ring.
The method of claim 5,

A process head in which a wafer is processed by a process gas among the plurality of chambers includes a shower head at an upper side of the process space;

The shower head is a continuous processing apparatus of a semiconductor wafer, characterized in that a plurality of injection holes are formed uniformly downward toward the wafer in the buffer space and the gas flows.
The method of claim 1,

The seating ring is a continuous processing apparatus of the semiconductor wafer, characterized in that formed in the stepped shape so that the wafer is seated on the inside.
The method of claim 8,

And a plurality of gas through-holes through which the process gas passes in the seating ring along an outer circumference thereof.
The method of claim 8,

The process chamber in which the wafer is processed by the process gas among the plurality of chambers is movable up and down from the outside of the susceptor, and supports the bottom surface of the seating ring on which the wafer is seated so that the seating ring is removed from the hole. A continuous processing apparatus for a semiconductor wafer, characterized in that it is provided with a lift pin to move upward.
The method of claim 1,

A plurality of support pins protruding toward the center of the seating ring are formed inside the seating ring to support a bottom surface of the wafer;

The upper surface of the susceptor is a continuous processing apparatus of the semiconductor wafer, characterized in that the groove is formed in the slot shape so that the support pin is inserted and movable up and down.
The method of claim 1,

The seating ring is a continuous processing apparatus of a semiconductor wafer, characterized in that made of a non-metal material.
The method of claim 12,

The seating ring is a continuous processing apparatus of a semiconductor wafer, characterized in that made of a ceramic material.
The method of claim 5,

And an upper heater on the upper side of the process space of the process chamber for applying heat to the upper portion of the wafer during the process.
The method of claim 14,

A lower portion of the upper heater includes a buffer space into which a process gas flows and a shower head having a plurality of injection holes uniformly downward from the buffer space toward the wafer;

And the upper heater heats the process gas introduced into the buffer space.
The method of claim 1,

And a plurality of rollers in contact with the bottom edge portion of the turntable when the turntable is rotated.
The method of claim 16,

And a receiving groove in the bottom surface of the turntable for receiving a portion of the roller when the turntable moves downward.
The method of claim 1,

A lower portion of the seating ring is provided with a ring-shaped baffle plate having a hole for uniformly passing the process gas along a circumference thereof;

The process gas passing through the hole of the baffle plate is exhausted through the exhaust port provided in the lower portion of the process chamber.
The method of claim 1,

The upper housing may include a fixing part fixed to an upper plate, and a moving part moving up and down under the fixing part to be in contact with an upper surface of the turntable.
The method of claim 1,

The upper housing has a bellows shape, and a lower end thereof is moved up and down by a driving unit to form the isolated process space.
A semiconductor wafer continuous processing method using the semiconductor wafer continuous processing apparatus according to claim 1,

A first step of loading a wafer into a first chamber of the plurality of chambers;

Process the wafer by sequentially transferring the wafer to the second to fifth chambers arranged in a circular shape together with the first chamber, wherein the second to fifth chambers are downward from the upper side of the wafer when processing the wafer. A second step of treating in a process space isolated by the upper housing moving to the upper surface;

A third step of processing the wafer in the fifth chamber, transferring the wafer to the next chamber, and unloading it to the outside;

And the wafer is transferred between the first to fifth chambers by vertical movement and rotation of the turntable in a state seated on the seating ring.
The method of claim 21,

In the third step, the wafer processed in the fifth chamber is transferred to the first chamber and cooled, and then the wafer is unloaded from the first chamber to the outside. .
The method of claim 21,

The second step,

The wafer of the chamber in which the process of the second to fourth chamber is completed,

In the process space isolated by the upper housing, the wafer is spaced apart from the top of the susceptor, the process of the semiconductor wafer, characterized in that waiting for the completion of the process of the chamber in progress.
The method of claim 21,

The second step,

And a process gas injected to the wafer is heated in one or two or more chambers selected from the second to fifth chambers by a heater provided above the process space.