Wafer position detection device and semiconductor equipment

Abstract

The first and second annular slide rails of the wafer position detection device of the present invention are provided facing each other on the upper and lower sides of the semiconductor chamber, the transmitting side of the linear sensor is slidably connected to the first annular slide rail, and the receiving side of the linear sensor is slidably connected to the second annular slide rail, and the orthographic projection of the transmitting side of the linear sensor on the wafer and the orthographic projection of the receiving side of the linear sensor on the wafer both partially overlap with the wafer, and the processor controls the driver to drive the transmitting side and the receiving side of the linear sensor to slide synchronously, and controls the transmitting side of the linear sensor to transmit a detection signal and the receiving side of the linear sensor to receive a detection signal that is not obstructed by the wafer, and is used to determine the center position of the wafer based on the detection signal received by the receiving side of the linear sensor, and the detection signal can pass through the semiconductor chamber.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application relates to the technology field of semiconductor manufacturing, and more specifically, to wafer position calibration detection devices and semiconductor equipment. [Background technology]

[0002] To prevent wafers from shifting excessively and causing the manipulator to lose grip on them during transport, wafer calibration, such as center calibration, is necessary before transport, and the wafer's position must be detected before calibration.

[0003] Conventional wafer position detection methods have drawbacks, such as the difficulty of sealing the process chamber and the need for a cooling system. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] In response to the technical challenges described above, this invention provides a wafer position detection device and semiconductor equipment that can improve upon the problems inherent in conventional detection methods, such as the difficulty of sealing the process chamber and the need for a cooling system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application is a wafer position detection device applied to a semiconductor chamber. In the semiconductor chamber, a placement portion for placing a wafer is provided. The wafer position detection device is provided outside the semiconductor chamber. The wafer position detection device includes a first annular slide rail, a second annular slide rail, a transmission side of a linear sensor, a reception side of the linear sensor, a driver, and a processor. The first annular slide rail and the second annular slide rail are provided opposite to the upper and lower sides of the semiconductor chamber. The transmission side of the linear sensor is slidably connected to the first annular slide rail. The reception side of the linear sensor is slidably connected to the second annular slide rail. And the orthographic projection of the transmission side of the linear sensor on the wafer and the orthographic projection of the reception side of the linear sensor on the wafer both partially overlap the wafer. The driver is used to drive the transmission side and the reception side of the linear sensor to slide along the annular slide rail where each is located. The processor controls the driver to drive the transmission side and the reception side of the linear sensor to slide synchronously along the annular slide rail where each is located, and controls the transmission side of the linear sensor to transmit a detection signal and the reception side of the linear sensor to receive a detection signal not blocked by the wafer, and is used to determine the center position of the wafer based on the detection signal received by the reception side of the linear sensor. The detection signal can penetrate the semiconductor chamber, and a wafer position detection device is provided.

[0006] In some embodiments, determining the center position of the wafer based on the detection signal received by the reception side of the linear sensor specifically includes determining the contour of the wafer based on the detection signal received by the reception side of the linear sensor, selecting at least three position points from the contour, and calculating the center position of the wafer based on the at least three position points.

[0007] In some embodiments, notch markers are provided at the edge of the wafer, and the central angle corresponding to the notch marker is θ0. Selecting at least three position points from the contour and calculating the central position of the wafer based on the at least three position points specifically includes: selecting three first position points from the contour and calculating the first central position of the wafer based on the three first position points, where the central angle between any two adjacent first position points among the three first position points is 120°; selecting three second position points from the contour and calculating the second central position of the wafer, where the three second position points correspond one-to-one to the three first position points, and the central angle between each second position point and the corresponding first position point is equal to a first preset angle θ1, and θ0 < θ1 ≤ 120° - θ0; selecting three third position points from the contour and calculating the third central position of the wafer, where the three third position points correspond one-to-one to the three first position points, and the central angle between each third position point and the corresponding first position point is equal to a second preset angle θ2, θ0 < θ2 ≤ 120° - θ0, and θ1 ≠ θ2; and calculating the central position of the wafer based on the two positions with the smallest difference among the first central position, the second central position, and the third central position.

[0008] In some embodiments, notch markers are provided at the edge of the wafer, and the processor is further used to calculate the azimuth angle of the notch marker with respect to the central position based on the contour.

[0009] In some embodiments, calculating the azimuth angle of the notch marker with respect to the central position based on the contour specifically includes: determining an ideal circle based on the central position and the radius of the wafer; comparing the ideal circle with the contour to determine the start position and the end position of the notch marker; and calculating the azimuth angle θ S of the start position with respect to the central position and the azimuth angle θ F of the end position with respect to the central position, and the θS and the θ F Based on this, the azimuth angle θ of the midpoint of the line connecting the start position and the end position with respect to the center position M This includes calculating and

[0010] In some embodiments, the processor is further used to determine the amount of deviation between the wafer's center position and the target position by comparing the determined wafer's center position with a pre-stored target position.

[0011] In some embodiments, controlling the receiving side of the linear sensor to receive a detection signal that is not obstructed by the wafer specifically includes controlling the receiving side of the linear sensor to receive the detection signal once each time it moves by a preset arc length, wherein the preset arc length is less than a preset calibration accuracy value.

[0012] In some embodiments, the transmitting side of the linear sensor extends along the radial direction of the first annular slide rail, with one signal transmission position provided at each predetermined length, and the receiving side of the linear sensor extends along the radial direction of the second annular slide rail, with one signal receiving position provided at each predetermined length, wherein the signal receiving position corresponds one-to-one with the signal transmission position, and the predetermined length is smaller than the predetermined calibration accuracy value.

[0013] In some embodiments, the transmitting side of the linear sensor is a linear light source, and the receiving side of the linear sensor is a light sensor.

[0014] In a second embodiment, the present invention provides a semiconductor device comprising a semiconductor chamber, a wafer transport device, and a wafer position detection device as described in each of the above embodiments, wherein the wafer position detection device is used to detect the position of a wafer in the semiconductor chamber, and the wafer transport device is used to transport the wafer and to calibrate the position of the wafer based on the detection result by the wafer position detection device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the wafer position detection device of the present invention, the transmitting side and receiving side of the linear sensor constitute opposing sensors and are located on both the upper and lower sides of the wafer, respectively. Since the orthographic projection of the transmitting side of the linear sensor on the wafer and the orthographic projection of the receiving side of the linear sensor on the wafer both partially overlap with the wafer, the wafer edge can be identified. The processor controls the driver to drive the transmitting side and receiving side of the linear sensor and slide them synchronously along the annular slide rail on which they are located, thereby scanning the entire wafer edge, determining the circumference of the wafer, and determining the center position of the wafer. In the wafer position detection device of the present invention, since the wafer is fixed in a semiconductor chamber, the problem of requiring sealing at the connection point between the rotation axis and the semiconductor chamber, as in conventional detection devices, does not arise. Since there is no motor in the components connected to the semiconductor chamber, support from a cooling system is not required even when used to transport wafers at high temperatures, and the difficulty of maintenance is reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] The drawings herein are incorporated herein, constitute part of this specification, illustrate embodiments conforming to this application, and are used together with this specification to illustrate the principles of this application. To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings that need to be used in the description of the embodiments are briefly described below, although it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that other drawings can be derived from these drawings without any creative effort. [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer position detection device in related technologies. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer position detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the control system of the wafer position detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart of the control of the processor according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart illustrating the method for determining the center position according to the embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between the projection positions on the wafer of the transmitting side and the receiving side of the linear sensor according to the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart of a preferred method for calculating the center position according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram of three positional points taken from the contour of an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram of the detection of the azimuth angle of a notch marker on a wafer according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 10] This is a flowchart for calculating the azimuth angle relative to the center position of the notch marker according to the embodiment of the present application. [Figure 11] This figure shows an application scenario for semiconductor equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] The achievement of the objectives, functional features, and advantages of this application will be further described with reference to the drawings in conjunction with the embodiments. Obvious embodiments of this application are shown in the drawings above and will be described in more detail below. These drawings and textual descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the concept of this application in any way, but rather to illustrate the concept of this application to those skilled in the art with reference to specific embodiments. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0018] Herein, exemplary embodiments will be described in detail, one example of which is shown in the drawings. In the following description, where relating to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings indicate the same or similar elements unless otherwise specified. The embodiments described below in the exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments conforming to the present application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods that correspond to some aspects of the present application, as described in detail in the appended claims.

[0019] In this specification, the terms “including,” “including,” or any other variation thereof are intended to include non-exclusive inclusion such that a process, method, article, or apparatus containing a set of elements includes not only these elements but also other elements not expressly described, or elements specific to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise limited, an element limited by the phrase “including one…” does not preclude the existence of other identical elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus containing that element. Furthermore, parts, features, and elements having the same name in different embodiments of this application may have the same meaning or different meanings, and their specific meanings must be determined in conjunction with the interpretation in that specific embodiment or the context in that even more specific embodiment.

[0020] Furthermore, it should be understood that the terms “includes” and “completion” indicate the presence of the aforementioned features, steps, operations, elements, components, items, types and / or groups, but do not exclude the presence, appearance, or addition of any other features, steps, operations, elements, components, items, types and / or groups. Terms used in this application such as “or,” “and / or,” and “include at least one of the following” may be interpreted comprehensively or mean any one or any combination thereof. For example, “includes at least one of A, B, and C” means “any of A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, A, B, and C,” and further, for example, “A, B or C,” or “A, B and / or C” means “any of A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, A, B, and C.” Exceptions to this definition arise only when the combination of elements, functions, steps, or operations is intrinsically mutually exclusive in a particular form.

[0021] In this specification, terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may be used to describe various types of information, but it should be understood that this information is not limited to these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, within the scope of this specification, first information may also be called second information, and similarly, second information may also be called first information. Depending on the context, the singular forms "one," "one," and "the" used herein are intended to include plural forms unless the context indicates otherwise.

[0022] The directions or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "peak," "low," "up," "down," "vertical," and "horizontal" are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings and are merely for the purpose of facilitating and simplifying the explanation of this application. They do not indicate or imply that the device has a specific direction, or that it must be composed and operate in a specific direction, and are not intended to be understood as limiting this application.

[0023] In the following embodiments, for the sake of explanation, the orthogonal space formed by the horizontal plane and the perpendicular direction will be described as an example; however, this premise should not be interpreted as limiting the present invention.

[0024] In the related technology, the wafer position detection device, as shown in Figure 1, includes a transparent process chamber 10a, a rotating platform 20a, a light source 30a, an optical receiver 40a, and a drive source 50a. The rotating platform 20a is located in the process chamber 10a and is rotated by an external drive source 50a. The rotating platform 20a is used to fix the wafer 101a and rotate it. The light source 30a and optical receiver 40a are located on the upper and lower sides of the process chamber 10a. The light source 30a projects the shadow of the wafer 101a towards the optical receiver 40a. The optical receiver 40a determines edge information (e.g., edge image information) of the wafer 101a and calculates the center of the wafer 101a based on the determined edge information.

[0025] Since the rotating platform 20a and the drive source 50a are located inside and outside the process chamber 10a, respectively, sealing is required at the connection point between the rotating shaft 21a of the rotating platform 20a and the process chamber 10a. Furthermore, when wafers are transported at high temperatures, the temperature of the wafer 101a reaches 800°C or higher, and as a result, the temperature of the process chamber 10a rises above 70°C, requiring a dedicated water cooling system, which increases the overall complexity of the equipment and the difficulty of maintenance.

[0026] To solve the above technical problems, referring to Figures 2 and 3, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer position detection device according to an embodiment of the present application, and Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a control system for a wafer position detection device according to an embodiment of the present application. The wafer position detection device according to an embodiment of the present application is applied to a semiconductor chamber 10 and is used to detect the position of a wafer 101 in the semiconductor chamber 10, where the wafer 101 is located in a mounting section 20 in the semiconductor chamber 10. The wafer position detection device may include a first annular slide rail 801, a second annular slide rail 802, a transmitting side 30 of a linear sensor, a receiving side 40 of a linear sensor, a driver 60, and a processing module 70.

[0027] The first annular slide rail 801 and the second annular slide rail 802 are provided facing each other on the upper and lower sides of the semiconductor chamber 10. For example, the first annular slide rail 801 may be located above the semiconductor chamber 10, and correspondingly, the second annular slide rail 802 may be located below the semiconductor chamber 10. The first annular slide rail 801 may be located below the semiconductor chamber 10, and correspondingly, the second annular slide rail 802 may be located above the semiconductor chamber 10.

[0028] The transmitting side 30 of the linear sensor is slidably connected to the first annular slide rail 801, and the receiving side 40 of the linear sensor is slidably connected to the second annular slide rail 802. The orthographic projection of the transmitting side 30 of the linear sensor on the wafer 101 and the orthographic projection of the receiving side 40 of the linear sensor on the wafer 101 both partially overlap with the wafer 101. It can be understood that the radii of the first annular slide rail 801 and the radii of the second annular slide rail 802 can be designed according to the size of the wafer 101.

[0029] The driver 60 is used to drive the transmitting side 30 and the receiving side 40 of the linear sensor, causing them to slide along the annular slide rail on which they are located.

[0030] The processor 70 is used to control the driver 60 to drive the transmitter 30 and receiver 40 of the linear sensor so that they slide synchronously along the annular slide rail on which they are located, and to control the transmitter 30 of the linear sensor to transmit a detection signal and the receiver 40 of the linear sensor to receive a detection signal that is not obstructed by the wafer 101. The processor 70 is also used to determine the center position of the wafer 101 based on the detection signal received by the receiver 40 of the linear sensor, and the detection signal can pass through the semiconductor chamber 10.

[0031] In some embodiments, the driver 60 may include one drive source that drives the transmitter 30 and receiver 40 of the linear sensor to slide synchronously along the annular slide rail on which they are located. In some other embodiments, the driver 60 may include two drive sources that drive the transmitter 30 and receiver 40 of the linear sensor to slide synchronously along the annular slide rail on which they are located. In this case, the two drive sources are controlled by the processor 70 to slide synchronously the transmitter 30 and receiver 40 of the linear sensor along the annular slide rail on which they are located. Furthermore, if it is necessary to adjust the relative positions of the transmitter 30 and receiver 40 of the linear sensor, each drive source may be controlled by the processor 70 to drive the transmitter 30 or receiver 40 individually to slide them along the annular slide rail on which they are located. By providing two drive sources, the relative positions of the linear sensor's transmitter 30 and receiver 40 can be adjusted, thereby reducing the mounting accuracy of the relative positions of the linear sensor's transmitter 30 and receiver 40, and ensuring that the signal transmitted by the linear sensor's transmitter 30 is projected onto the linear sensor's receiver 40 when it is not obstructed by the wafer.

[0032] The transmitting side 30 and receiving side 40 of the linear sensor are two parts of a one-dimensional sensor (linear sensor), and both constitute a face-type sensor. The transmitting side 30 of the linear sensor can transmit a detection signal over a fixed, unified length; that is, the detection signal has a fixed length in a predetermined linear direction, and this length extends, for example, in the radial direction of the mounting surface. In Figure 2, the detection signal transmitted by the transmitting side 30 of the linear sensor over a fixed length, both obstructed by the wafer 101 and the detection signal not obstructed by the wafer 101 (S1 and S2), are shown by only two arrows. When not obstructed by the wafer 101, the detection signal transmitted by the transmitting side 30 of the linear sensor can pass through the semiconductor chamber 10 and be received by the receiving side 40 of the linear sensor. As an example, the transmitting side 30 of the linear sensor may be a linear light source (one-dimensional light source), for example, a linear light source in which a plurality of LEDs or laser sensors are arranged in a straight line, but in this embodiment, it is preferably a laser sensor, as laser sensors are less affected by ambient light interference compared to LEDs. The linear light source can transmit an optical signal to the receiving side 40 of the linear sensor, and the bottom and top plates of the semiconductor chamber 10 may be made of a transparent material (for example, quartz) to allow the optical signal to pass through, and the receiving side 40 of the linear sensor may include a plurality of sensors arranged in a straight line, each of which may receive the above signal, and the sensor may be an optical sensor, for example, a CCD (Charge-coupled Device) lens. In order to reduce the mounting accuracy of the relative position of the transmitting side 30 and the receiving side 40 of the linear sensor and to ensure that the signal transmitted by the transmitting side 30 of the linear sensor is projected onto the receiving side 40 of the linear sensor when it is not obstructed by the wafer, the length of the receiving side 40 of the linear sensor may be greater than the length of the transmitting side 30 of the linear sensor. Furthermore, depending on the wafer size, the mounting position of the transmitting side 30 of the linear sensor may be configured as follows: A portion of the transmitted detection signal (signal S1) is blocked by the wafer 101, and the remaining portion (signal S2) passes through the semiconductor chamber 10 from the edge of the wafer 101 and is received by the receiving side 40 of the linear sensor.When the transmitting side 30 and receiving side 40 of the linear sensor move synchronously for one full rotation, it can be understood that one scan of the edge of the wafer 101 is completed.

[0033] As an example, referring to Figure 4, Figure 4 is a flowchart of the control of the processor according to an embodiment of the present invention. The processor 70 can detect the center position of the wafer 101 by executing steps S110 to S130.

[0034] S110: The driver drives the transmitter and receiver of the linear sensor, controlling them to slide synchronously along the annular slide rail in which they are located.

[0035] S120: The transmitting side of the linear sensor transmits a detection signal, and the receiving side of the linear sensor is controlled to receive the detection signal that is not obstructed by the wafer.

[0036] S130: The center position of the wafer is determined based on the detection signal received by the receiving end of the linear sensor.

[0037] In the wafer position detection device of this embodiment, the transmitting side 30 and receiving side 40 of the linear sensor constitute opposing sensors and are located on the upper and lower sides of the wafer 101, respectively. Since the orthographic projection of the transmitting side 30 and the receiving side 40 of the linear sensor on the wafer 101 both partially overlap with the wafer 101, the edges of the wafer 101 can be identified. The processor 70 controls the driver 60 to drive the transmitting side 30 and the receiving side 40 of the linear sensor to slide synchronously along the annular slide rail on which they are located, thereby scanning the entire edge of the wafer 101, determining the circumference of the wafer 101, and further determining the center position of the wafer 101. In the wafer position detection device of this embodiment, since the wafer 101 is fixed within the semiconductor chamber 10, the problem of requiring sealing at the connection point between the rotation axis and the semiconductor chamber, which is present in detection devices of related technologies, does not occur. Since the components connected to the semiconductor chamber 10 do not have motors, a cooling system is not required when transporting wafers at high temperatures, thus reducing the difficulty of maintenance.

[0038] For ease of understanding, steps S110 and S120 described above may be performed together to scan the entire edge of the wafer 101.

[0039] In one embodiment, after step S130, the processor 70 may be used to perform step S140.

[0040] S140: The determined center position of the wafer is compared with a pre-stored target position to determine the amount of deviation between the wafer's center position and the target position.

[0041] After calculating the center position of the wafer, the determined wafer center position is compared with a pre-stored target position to determine the amount of deviation between the wafer center position and the target position. If the center position is off from the target position, the center position can be calibrated to the target position during the subsequent wafer transport process.

[0042] In one embodiment, referring to Figure 5, Figure 5 is a flowchart of the method for determining the center position according to an embodiment of the present application, and specifically, step S130 may include the following S131 and S132.

[0043] S131: The wafer contour is determined based on the detection signal received by the receiving side 40 of the linear sensor.

[0044] For example, in areas obscured by wafer 101, the receiving side 40 of the linear sensor does not receive a signal, and this area can be fed back as 0. In areas not obscured by wafer 101, the receiving side 40 of the linear sensor can receive a signal, and this area can be fed back as 1. The boundary point between 1 and 0 can be determined as the edge of wafer 101. When the transmitting side 30 and the receiving side 40 of the linear sensor move synchronously and the edge of wafer 101 is scanned once, the contour of wafer 101 is obtained.

[0045] As an example, referring to Figure 6, which is a schematic diagram of the relationship between the projection positions on the wafer of the transmitting side and receiving side of the linear sensor according to the present invention, if the wafer position detection device needs to identify the contours of both 6-inch (radius D1 = 75 mm) and 8-inch (radius D2 = 100 mm) wafers, a linear sensor with a length of 55 mm (including the transmitting side 30 and receiving side 40 of the linear sensor) can be used. Taking the 6-inch diameter as an example, the projection of the linear sensor on the 6-inch wafer is such that the length overlapping the 6-inch wafer is L1 = 15 mm, and the length extending beyond the edge of the 6-inch wafer is L2 = 40 mm. In the case of an 8-inch wafer, the projection of the linear sensor on the 8-inch wafer is such that the length overlapping the 8-inch wafer is 40 mm, and the length extending beyond the edge of the 8-inch wafer is 15 mm. Thus, the linear sensor can scan and identify the edges of wafers of two sizes, 6-inch and 8-inch, and determine the wafer contour.

[0046] Of course, if necessary, the length of the linear sensor may be further increased or its position on the wafer in the radial direction may be adjusted to accommodate a wider range of wafer sizes.

[0047] To reduce the amount of data processing, the processor 70 may control the linear sensor receiver 40 to receive a detection signal once every time it moves a preset arc length when it moves synchronously around the circumference, where the preset arc length is less than a preset calibration accuracy value. In other words, the calibration accuracy is met while reducing the amount of data processing. For example, with an 8-inch wafer (circumference 628 mm) and a calibration accuracy of 0.1 mm, in the process of scanning one circumference, 8192 points (8192 signal receptions) can be obtained. In this case, the preset arc length is 628 / 8192 = 0.077 mm < 0.1 mm, thereby satisfying the calibration accuracy requirement. Here, the coordinates of the 8192 points on the edge of the wafer are sequentially (X1, Y1), (X2, Y2)...(X 8192 , Y 8192 ) is also acceptable.

[0048] To meet the requirements for identification accuracy (calibration accuracy) for the wafer edge, as an example, the transmitting side 30 of the linear sensor extends radially along the first annular slide rail 801, with one signal transmission position set at each preset length. The receiving side 40 of the linear sensor extends radially along the second annular slide rail 802, with one signal receiving position set at each preset length. The signal receiving positions correspond one-to-one with the signal transmission positions, and both of these form a facing sensor, where the preset length is smaller than a preset calibration accuracy value. For example, if the length of the receiving side 40 of the linear sensor is 55 mm and the calibration accuracy is 0.1 mm, then the receiving side 40 of the linear sensor has at least 550 signal receiving points, and the distance between two adjacent signal receiving points is 0.1 mm, thereby meeting the requirements for identification accuracy for the wafer edge.

[0049] S132: Select at least three position points from the contour and calculate the center position of the wafer based on the at least three position points.

[0050] For example, at the boundary between signal 0 and signal 1 described above, the center position of the wafer can be calculated by selecting three position points corresponding to signal 1. It can be understood that a circle is determined by three points that are not collinear. The calculation results can also be verified by additionally selecting multiple positions corresponding to signal 1. Similarly, the center position of the wafer can be calculated by selecting three position points corresponding to signal 0 at the boundary described above, or, to reduce calculation errors, the midpoint of the two center positions calculated above may be adopted as the final center position.

[0051] Generally, wafers have notch markers (flat or V-shaped notches), meaning the wafer's contour is not a perfect circle. Therefore, when randomly selecting three position points from the identified contour, points at the notch markers may be selected, resulting in a relatively large error in calculating the center position.

[0052] Referring to Figure 7 as one preferred embodiment, Figure 7 is a flowchart of a preferred method for calculating the center position according to an embodiment of the present application. Taking the case where the central angle corresponding to the notch marker is θ0 as an example, the method for calculating the center position in step S132 may include the following steps S1321 to S1324.

[0053] S1321: Select three first position points from the contour and calculate the first center position of the wafer, where the corresponding central angle between any two adjacent first position points is 120°.

[0054] Referring to Figure 8, which is a schematic diagram of three position points taken from the contour according to an embodiment of the present application. It can be understood that by selecting one first position point every 120° on the contour, the first center position can be calculated from the three first position points. Points are taken at 0°, 120° and 240°, respectively, and the coordinates of the three first position points are A1(X1 1, Y 1 1), A2(X 1 2, Y 1 2), A3(X 1 3, Y 1 3) is taken as the corresponding first center position A 1 0 coordinate is (X 1 0, Y 1 0). Then, the coordinates of the first center position A0 can be calculated according to the following equations (1) to (3). (X 1 1 - X 1 0) 2 +(Y 1 1 - Y 1 0) 2 = R 2 (1) (X 1 2 - X 1 0) 2 +(Y 1 2 - Y 1 0) 2 = R 2 (2) (X 1 3 - X 1 0) 2 +(Y 1 3 - Y 1 0) 2 = R 2 (3)

[0055] S1322: Select three second position points from the contour, calculate the second center position of the wafer. The three second position points correspond one-to-one to the three first position points, and the central angle between each second position point and the corresponding first position point is equal to the first preset angle θ1, and θ0 < θ1 ≤ 120° - θ = 0

[0056] The three second position points can be understood as the points taken after rotating the three first position points by a certain angle θ1. Since θ0 is generally less than 2°, usually, θ1 can be greater than 2° and less than 118°. For example, the first preset angle θ1 can be 45°. After rotating 45°, 165°, and 285° from the first position point A1 (origin, 0° position), three second position points are selected from the corresponding positions on the contour.

[0057] Based on the three second position points, the second central position A of the wafer is determined. 2 Calculate the coordinates of 0 (X 2 0,Y 2 It is also acceptable to use 0), and the specific calculation method can be found by referring to the above, so it will not be explained in detail here.

[0058] S1323: Select three third position points from the contour, calculate the third central position of the wafer, the three third position points correspond one-to-one with the three first position points, and the central angle between each third position point and its corresponding first position point is equal to a second preset angle θ2, such that θ0 < θ2 ≤ 120°-θ0 and θ1 ≠ θ2.

[0059] A specific example of step S1323 can be found by referring to the example of step S1322, but the magnitude of the second preset angle θ2 will differ. For example, if θ2 is 90°, and after rotating 90°, 210°, and 330° from the first position point A1 (origin, 0° position), three third position points are selected from the corresponding positions on the contour, and the third central position A of the wafer is selected. 3 Calculate the coordinates of 0 (X 3 0,Y 3 Let it be 0.

[0060] S1324: The center position of the wafer is calculated using the two positions with the smallest difference among the first, second, and third center positions.

[0061] In this embodiment, at the center calculated three times, the angle θ1 of rotation of the position point taken in the second calculation and the angle θ2 of rotation of the position point taken in the third calculation satisfy θ0 < (θ1, θ2) ≤ 120° - θ0 and θ1 ≠ θ2. Therefore, it can be understood that at least two of the three selected position points can avoid the wafer's notch marker, and the wafer's center position can be calculated using the two positions with the smallest difference, so that the results of these two calculations substantially coincide with the wafer's center.

[0062] Therefore, the distances of two points each for the first, second, and third center positions are calculated, and the center position of the wafer is calculated using the two positions with the smallest distances. For example, if the distance between the first and second center positions is smallest, the first center position may be used as the center position of the wafer, the second center position may be used as the center position of the wafer, or the midpoint between the first and second center positions may be used as the center position of the wafer. In this embodiment, by calculating the center position three times, it is possible to avoid calculation errors in the center position that are too large.

[0063] In one embodiment, the processor is further used to perform step S133.

[0064] S133: Calculate the azimuth angle relative to the center position of the notch marker based on the contour.

[0065] Taking a flat notch marker as an example, the intersection of the notch marker's axis of symmetry and its contour is used as the reference position for calculating the azimuth angle of the notch marker. Referring to Figure 9, Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the detection of the azimuth angle of a notch marker on a wafer according to an embodiment of the present application. In the case of a flat notch in Figure 9, the reference position of the notch marker is point E, and the azimuth angle with respect to the center position of the notch marker is θ. M θ M This may be calculated based on the identified contours.

[0066] As an example, referring to Figure 10, Figure 10 is a flowchart for calculating the azimuth angle with respect to the center position of a notch marker according to an embodiment of the present application, and step S133 may include the following steps S1331 to S1334.

[0067] S1331: Determine the ideal circle based on the center position and the wafer radius.

[0068] Since the wafer radius is known and the wafer's center position is calculated, an ideal circle corresponding to the wafer can be determined, and this ideal circle is a perfect circle (without wafer notches) corresponding to the contour. Based on the calculated center position and wafer radius, the arc corresponding to the notch marker can be recovered to obtain the coordinate data M0 of the perfect ideal circle.

[0069] S1332: The start and end positions of the notch markers are determined by comparing them to an ideal circle.

[0070] For example, by applying an "AND" operation (treating the boundary as "1") to the coordinate data M0 of an ideal circle and the coordinate data M1 of a contour, the start and end points of the notch marker can be determined based on the result of the operation, using a clockwise operation as an example.

[0071] In the case of position C, the presence of the notch marker changes the result of the "AND" operation from 1 to 0, and position C becomes the starting point of the notch marker (X 1c ,Y 1c It can be determined that this is the case.

[0072] In the case of position D, the presence of the notch marker changes the result of the "AND" operation from 0 to 1, and position D is the end point of the notch marker (X 1d ,Y 1d It can be determined that this is the case.

[0073] S1333: Azimuth angle θ relative to the center position of the starting position S and the azimuth angle θ with respect to the center position of the final position. F Calculate.

[0074] If we assume that the azimuth angle of position B with respect to center O in Figure 9 is 0°, then based on the coordinates of the starting point C and the ending point D, the azimuth angles θ of both centers O are calculated. S and θ F Each of these can be calculated.

[0075] S1334:θ S and θF Based on this, the azimuth angle θ with respect to the center position of the midpoint of the line connecting the start position and the end position. M Calculate.

[0076] Specifically, the azimuth angle with respect to the center position of the midpoint E of the line connecting the starting position C and the ending position D is θ M =(θ S +θ F ) / 2.

[0077] Determining the azimuth angle of the wafer notch makes it easier to transport the wafer accurately later on.

[0078] Embodiments of the present application further provide semiconductor equipment comprising a semiconductor chamber 10, a wafer transport device, and a wafer position detection device as described in each of the above embodiments. The wafer position detection device is used to detect the position of a wafer within the semiconductor chamber 10, and the wafer transport device transports the wafer and calibrates the wafer position based on the detection result by the wafer position detection device.

[0079] For example, referring to Figures 2 and 3, the wafer transfer device may include a manipulator 50, and the processor 70 can control the manipulator 50 to grasp the wafer 101 from the mounting section 20 of the semiconductor chamber 10.

[0080] In one embodiment, if the center position of the wafer calculated by the processor 70 deviates from a pre-stored target position by a preset position threshold, the processor 70 can control the manipulator 50 to calibrate the center position to the target position. For example, the manipulator can adjust the position of the wafer 101 in the X and Y directions within the XY horizontal plane.

[0081] In one embodiment, if the azimuth angle relative to the center position of the notch marker calculated by the processor 70 deviates from the target angle by more than a preset angle threshold, the processor 70 can control the manipulator 50 to calibrate the azimuth angle of the notch marker to the target angle. For example, if the target angle of the notch marker is 0° (see Figure 8), the manipulator 50 can be controlled to move the wafer to -θ M Rotate it, that is, counterclockwise by θ M The notch marker's azimuth angle can be calibrated by rotating it. In addition to being able to calibrate the center position by translating the wafer, the manipulator 50 can also calibrate the angle of the notch marker by rotating it.

[0082] Referring to Figure 11, which is a diagram showing an application scenario for semiconductor equipment according to an embodiment of the present application, the semiconductor equipment includes, in order, a cassette lifting system 100, an isolation chamber 200, a transport chamber 300, and a process chamber 400, and the semiconductor chamber 10 and wafer position detection device of the above embodiment are provided inside the isolation chamber 200.

[0083] The cassette lifting system 100 is used to transport wafer cassettes loaded with wafers, and the manipulator transports the wafers in the wafer cassette to the semiconductor chamber 10, and the wafer position detection device can detect the position and angle of the wafers. The manipulator 50 in the transport chamber 300 can grasp the wafers from the semiconductor chamber 10, calibrate the position and angle of the wafers based on the results detected by the wafer position detection device, and transport them sequentially to the transport chamber 300 and the process chamber 400. To improve efficiency, multiple process chambers 400 may be provided around the transport chamber 300.

[0084] Other operating principles and processes of the semiconductor equipment in this embodiment will not be described in detail here, but rather refer to the above-described explanation of the wafer position detection device in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0085] The wafer position detection apparatus and semiconductor equipment according to the present application have been described in detail above, and the principle and embodiments of the present application have been explained using specific examples. In this application, each embodiment is described with particular emphasis, and for parts that are not described or explained in detail in one embodiment, you can refer to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments.

[0086] Each technical feature of the technical solution of this application can be combined in any way, and for the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of each technical feature in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as these combinations of technical features are not contradictory, they should all be considered to fall within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A wafer position detection device applied to a semiconductor chamber, The semiconductor chamber is provided with a mounting section for placing wafers, and the wafer position detection device is provided outside the semiconductor chamber. The wafer position detection device includes a first annular slide rail, a second annular slide rail, a transmitting side of a linear sensor, a receiving side of a linear sensor, a driver, and a processor. The first annular slide rail and the second annular slide rail are provided facing each other on both the upper and lower sides of the semiconductor chamber. The transmitting side of the linear sensor is slidably connected to the first annular slide rail, and the receiving side of the linear sensor is slidably connected to the second annular slide rail, and the orthographic projection of the transmitting side of the linear sensor on the wafer and the orthographic projection of the receiving side of the linear sensor on the wafer both partially overlap with the wafer. The driver is used to drive the transmitting side and the receiving side of the linear sensor to slide along the annular slide rail on which they are located. The wafer position detection device is characterized in that the processor controls the driver to drive the transmitting side and the receiving side of the linear sensor so that they slide synchronously along the annular slide rail on which they are located, the transmitting side of the linear sensor transmits a detection signal, and the receiving side of the linear sensor receives a detection signal that is not obstructed by the wafer, and the processor is used to determine the center position of the wafer based on the detection signal received by the receiving side of the linear sensor, and the detection signal can pass through the semiconductor chamber.

2. Determining the center position of the wafer based on the detection signal received by the receiving side of the linear sensor means, specifically, Based on the detection signal received by the receiving side of the linear sensor, the contour of the wafer is determined. A wafer position detection device according to claim 1, characterized by comprising selecting at least three position points from the contour and calculating the center position of the wafer based on the at least three position points.

3. A notch marker is provided on the edge of the wafer, and the central angle corresponding to the notch marker is θ ０ Therefore, selecting at least three position points from the contour and calculating the center position of the wafer based on the at least three position points specifically involves, The method involves selecting three first position points from the contour and calculating the first center position of the wafer based on the three first position points, wherein the corresponding central angle between any two adjacent first position points is 120°. The method involves selecting three second position points from the contour and calculating the second center position of the wafer, wherein the three second position points correspond one-to-one with the three first position points, and the central angle between each second position point and its corresponding first position point is a first preset angle θ. １ Equal to and θ ０ <θ １ ≤120°-θ ０ That is, Select three third position points from the contour and calculate the third center position of the wafer, where the three third position points correspond one-to-one to the three first position points, and the central angle between each third position point and the corresponding first position point is a second preset angle θ ２ equal to θ ０ <θ ２ ≦120°−θ ０ and θ １ ≠θ ２ and that The wafer position detection device according to claim 2, characterized in that it includes calculating the center position of the wafer using the two positions with the smallest difference among the first center position, the second center position, and the third center position.

4. A notch marker is provided on the edge of the wafer, and the processor further, The wafer position detection device according to claim 2, characterized in that it is used to calculate the azimuth angle of the notch marker with respect to the center position based on the contour.

5. Calculating the azimuth angle of the notch marker relative to the center position based on the aforementioned contour is, specifically, Determining an ideal circle based on the aforementioned center position and the radius of the wafer, The start and end positions of the notch markers are determined by comparing the ideal circle with the contour. The azimuth angle θ of the starting position with respect to the center position Ｓ and the azimuth angle θ of the termination position with respect to the center position. Ｆ Calculating and Said θ Ｓ and the θ Ｆ Based on this, the azimuth angle θ of the midpoint of the line connecting the start position and the end position with respect to the center position Ｍ The wafer position detection apparatus according to claim 4, characterized by including the calculation of .

6. The wafer position detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further characterized in that the processor is used to determine the amount of deviation between the wafer center position and the target position by comparing the determined wafer center position with a pre-stored target position.

7. Controlling the receiving side of the linear sensor to receive detection signals that are not obstructed by the wafer means, specifically, A wafer position detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the receiving side of the linear sensor is controlled to receive the detection signal once each time it moves by a preset arc length, wherein the preset arc length is less than a preset calibration accuracy value.

8. The transmitting side of the linear sensor extends along the radial direction of the first annular slide rail, and one signal transmission position is provided at each predetermined length. The wafer position detection device according to claim 7, characterized in that the receiving side of the linear sensor extends along the radial direction of the second annular slide rail, and one signal receiving position is provided for each preset length, the signal receiving position corresponds one-to-one with the signal transmitting position, and the preset length is smaller than the preset calibration accuracy value.

9. The transmitting side of the linear sensor is a linear light source, The wafer position detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the receiving side of the linear sensor is an optical sensor.

10. The semiconductor chamber, wafer transport apparatus and wafer position detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, The wafer position detection device is used to detect the position of the wafer within the semiconductor chamber. The wafer transport device is used to transport the wafer and to calibrate the position of the wafer based on the detection result by the wafer position detection device, and is a semiconductor device.

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