Wafer heater and chemical vapor deposition system

Abstract

A wafer heater and a chemical vapor deposition system, which are used for solving the technical problem of uneven heat distribution on the surfaces of wafer heaters. The wafer heater comprises: a heating part, comprising: a lower heating plate, an upper heating plate stacked on the lower heating plate for placement of a wafer, and a ceramic heating member embedded between the upper heating plate and the lower heating plate, the cross section of the ceramic heating member being rectangular; and an interface part arranged at the bottom of the heating part, the ceramic heating member being configured to electrically connect to an external power supply by means of a heating member wire passing through the interface part.

Description

Wafer heater and chemical vapor deposition system

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202422016283.0, filed on August 19, 2024, and entitled “Wafer heater and chemical vapor deposition system”, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of chemical vapor deposition, in particular, to a wafer heater and a chemical vapor deposition system. BACKGROUND

[0004] Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a process that uses gaseous substances to produce chemical reactions and transport reactions on a solid surface to produce solid deposits, which can help improve the performance of crystals or crystal thin films. The most common use is to generate new epitaxial single crystal layers on a certain crystal substrate through a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system for the manufacture of various microelectronic devices.

[0005] A chemical vapor deposition system generally includes a reaction chamber and a wafer heater disposed in the reaction chamber, which is used to support, fix and heat a wafer (crystal substrate). Achieving a consistent temperature curve on the surface of the wafer heater is crucial for high-quality thin film deposition.

[0006] In related technologies, the wafer heater is usually heated by resistance wires, which not only easily breaks, resulting in a significant increase in maintenance and replacement costs, but also causes uneven heat distribution on the surface of the wafer heater, thereby affecting the quality of the thin film generated on the wafer. SUMMARY

[0007] The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a wafer heater and a chemical vapor deposition system to solve the technical problem of uneven heat distribution on the surface of the wafer heater.

[0008] To achieve the above purpose, the present disclosure provides a wafer heater, comprising: a heating portion, comprising: a lower heating plate, an upper heating plate, which is stacked on the lower heating plate for placing a wafer, and a ceramic heating element, which is embedded between the upper heating plate and the lower heating plate, the cross section of the ceramic heating element is rectangular, and an interface portion, which is provided at the bottom of the heating portion, the ceramic heating element is configured to be electrically connected to an external power supply through a heating element lead wire that passes through the interface portion.

[0009] Optionally, the outer surface of the ceramic heating element is coated with an anti-wear coating.

[0010] Optionally, the protective coating is an amorphous carbon layer.

[0011] Optionally, the heating part further comprises a brazing preform arranged between the periphery of the upper heating plate and the periphery of the lower heating plate, and the upper heating plate and the lower heating plate are fixedly connected by the brazing preform.

[0012] Optionally, the ceramic heating element is connected with the heating element wire through a high-melting-point terminal.

[0013] Optionally, the ceramic heating element is configured to have a structure of multiple concentric circles.

[0014] Optionally, the ceramic heating element is coiled in a serpentine shape between the upper heating plate and the lower heating plate.

[0015] Optionally, the heating part further comprises a bottom plate, the lower heating plate is stacked on the bottom plate, the interface part is configured to have a vertically extending sleeve structure, the upper end of the interface part is fixedly connected with the bottom plate, and the end of the ceramic heating element penetrates through the lower heating plate and the bottom plate and extends into the interface part to be connected with the heating element wire.

[0016] Optionally, a ceramic shaft is further arranged in the interface part, and the ceramic shaft can thermally insulate the heating element wire.

[0017] On the basis of the above technical solution, the disclosure further provides a chemical vapor deposition system, comprising a reaction chamber and the wafer heater in the above technical solution, wherein the heating part is accommodated in the reaction chamber, and the interface part extends out of the reaction chamber.

[0018] In the wafer heater provided by the disclosure, the ceramic heating element with a rectangular cross section not only is not easy to break and has good durability, but also has a larger contact area with the upper heating plate and the lower heating plate, which can significantly reduce the thermal resistance between the ceramic heating element and the upper heating plate and the lower heating plate, so that the heat conduction of the wafer surface is more efficient and more uniform. In addition, the ceramic heating element with a rectangular cross section does not have an air gap at the periphery, which can improve the heat transfer efficiency of the ceramic heating element, improve the heat transfer consistency, and minimize the risk of local hot spots or cold spots, improve the uneven heat distribution on the heating part, and improve the quality of the film generated on the wafer. The chemical vapor deposition system provided by the disclosure has the same technical effects as the wafer heater in the above technical solution, and unnecessary repetition is avoided here.

[0019] Other features and advantages of the disclosure will be described in detail in the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate the present disclosure and, together with the specific embodiments described below, serve to explain the present disclosure, but do not limit the present disclosure. In the drawings:

[0021] Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a structure of a chemical vapor deposition system in the specific embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] Fig. 2 is an exploded view of Fig. 1;

[0023] Fig. 3 is a sectional view of one angle of a wafer heater in the specific embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] Fig. 4 is a sectional view of another angle of a wafer heater in the specific embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] Fig. 5 is a schematic view of a distribution of an inner heating zone and an annular outer heating zone of a heating section in the specific embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 100 - wafer, 200 - reaction chamber, 1 - heating section, 101 - inner heating zone, 102 - annular outer heating zone, 11 - lower heating plate, 12 - upper heating plate, 13 - ceramic heating element, 131 - first heating element, 132 - second heating element, 14 - brazing preform, 15 - base plate, 2 - interface section, 21 - heating element lead wire, 22 - ceramic shaft. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The specific embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely intended to illustrate and explain the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0028] In the present disclosure, the orientation words such as "upper" and "lower" used herein generally refer to the upper and lower of the wafer heater in the normal use state, with reference to the drawing surface direction of Figs. 1 to 4. "Inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer relative to the outline of the respective components. In addition, in the following description, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated.

[0029] According to the specific embodiments of the present disclosure, a wafer heater is provided, which can include a heating portion 1 and an interface portion 2, as shown in FIGS. 1-4. The heating portion 1 is configured to support and heat a wafer 100. The heating portion 1 can include a lower heating plate 11, an upper heating plate 12, and a ceramic heating element 13. The upper heating plate 12 can be stacked on the lower heating plate 11 to support the wafer 100, i.e., the wafer 100 is supported on the upper surface of the upper heating plate 12. The ceramic heating element 13 can be embedded between the upper heating plate 12 and the lower heating plate 11. The ceramic heating element 13 can have a rectangular cross-section. The interface portion 2 can be disposed at the bottom of the heating portion 1. The ceramic heating element 13 can be electrically connected to an external power source (not shown) and / or a control module (not shown) through a heating element wire 21 that extends out of the interface portion 2, so as to control the heating power of the ceramic heating element 13.

[0030] According to the above technical solution, in the wafer heater provided by the present disclosure, the ceramic heating element 13 with a rectangular cross-section not only has good durability and is not prone to breaking, but also has a larger contact area with the upper heating plate 12 and the lower heating plate 11, which can significantly reduce the thermal resistance between the ceramic heating element 13 and the upper heating plate 12 and the lower heating plate 11, thereby making the heat conduction on the surface of the wafer 100 more efficient and uniform. In addition, the ceramic heating element 13 with a rectangular cross-section does not have air gaps around its periphery, which can improve the heat transfer efficiency of the ceramic heating element 13, improve the consistency of heat transfer, and minimize the risk of hot or cold spots, thereby improving the uneven distribution of heat on the heating portion 1 and improving the quality of the film formed on the wafer 100.

[0031] In order to further improve the uneven distribution of heat on the heating portion 1, as shown in FIG. 5, the heating portion 1 can include an inner heating zone 101 and an annular outer heating zone 102. The inner heating zone 101 can be disposed at a position corresponding to the central region of the wafer 100. The annular outer heating zone 102 can be generally annular in shape and disposed concentrically with the inner heating zone 101. The temperature of the inner heating zone 101 and the annular outer heating zone 102 can be controlled separately through the interface portion 2, so as to accurately control the temperature curve of different regions on the heating portion 1, thereby making the heat distribution on the surface of the heating portion 1 uniform and ensuring that the film formed on the surface of the wafer 100 has good uniformity and deposition characteristics.

[0032] In order to enable the inner heating zone 101 and the annular outer heating zone 102 to generate heat, referring to FIG. 5, the ceramic heating element 13 can include a first heating element 131 and a second heating element 132, wherein the first heating element 131 can be arranged in the inner heating zone 101, and the second heating element 132 can be arranged in the annular outer heating zone 102. The first heating element 131 and the second heating element 132 can be respectively connected in communication with the control module through the heating element wire 21 passing through the interface portion 2, so as to respectively control the temperature of the inner heating zone 101 and the annular outer heating zone 102.

[0033] In order to further improve the durability of the ceramic heating element 13, the outer surface of the ceramic heating element 13 can be coated with an anti-wear coating. Specifically, the anti-wear coating can be an amorphous carbon layer, which not only has high hardness, high wear resistance and good toughness to improve the anti-wear ability of the ceramic heating element 13, but also has high thermal conductivity to improve the heat transfer efficiency of the ceramic heating element 13.

[0034] In order to make the connection between the upper heating plate 12 and the lower heating plate 11 reliable, referring to FIG. 3, the heating portion 1 can further include a brazing preform 14 arranged between the periphery of the upper heating plate 12 and the periphery of the lower heating plate 11. The upper heating plate 12 and the lower heating plate 11 can be welded and fixed through the brazing preform 14, so as to form a permanent and reliable seal between the upper heating plate 12 and the lower heating plate 11.

[0035] In order to ensure reliable electrical connection between the ceramic heating element 13 and the heating element wire 21, the ceramic heating element 13 can be connected with the heating element wire 21 through a high-melting-point terminal (not shown). The high-melting-point terminal can be made of a material with a high melting point, so as to withstand the high temperature from the ceramic heating element 13 and reduce the risk of failure of the connection point with the heating element wire 21.

[0036] Further, the high-melting-point terminal can be provided with a terminal protection cover (not shown) to avoid damage to the high-melting-point terminal from the outside.

[0037] In order to make the ceramic heating element 13 evenly distributed between the upper heating plate 12 and the lower heating plate 11, the ceramic heating element 13 can be configured to have a structure with multiple concentric circles. Specifically, referring to FIG. 2, the ceramic heating element 13 can be coiled between the upper heating plate 12 and the lower heating plate 11 in a serpentine shape, and one side wall of the ceramic heating element 13 is parallel to the upper surface of the upper heating plate 12. In this way, the ceramic heating element 13 can be evenly distributed between the upper heating plate 12 and the lower heating plate 11, and the contact area between the ceramic heating element 13 and the upper heating plate 12 is maximized, thereby further improving the uniformity of heat distribution on the upper surface of the upper heating plate 12.

[0038] Since the wafer 100 is a circular sheet structure, the heating part 1 can also be correspondingly configured as a disc structure, i.e., the upper heating plate 12 and the lower heating plate 11 can both be disc structures, and the interface part 2 can be arranged at the center of the bottom of the heating part 1, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0039] In order to facilitate the control of the temperature of the annular outer heating area 102 through the interface part 2, a radially extending avoiding notch can be formed on the inner heating area 101, and a part of the annular outer heating area 102 can be inserted into the avoiding notch to approach the center of the heating part 1, as shown in FIG. 5.

[0040] Correspondingly, the first heating element 131 can be coiled in a serpentine shape in the inner heating area 101 to fill the inner heating area 101, so that the heating area of the first heating element 131 in the inner heating area 101 is maximized, and the second heating element 132 can be coiled in a serpentine shape in the annular outer heating area 102 to fill the annular outer heating area 102, so that the heating area of the second heating element 132 in the annular outer heating area 102 is maximized.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the heating part 1 can further include a bottom plate 15, the lower heating plate 11 can be stacked on the bottom plate 15, the interface part 2 can be configured as a vertically extending sleeve structure to facilitate the passage of wires, the upper end of the interface part 2 can be fixedly connected with the bottom plate 15, the bottom plate 15 can separate the interface part 2 from the lower heating plate 11 to reduce the heat transfer from the lower heating plate 11 to the interface part 2, thereby avoiding the failure and damage of the interface part 2 due to high temperature, and the end of the ceramic heating element 13 can pass through the lower heating plate 11 and the bottom plate 15 and extend into the interface part 2 to be connected with the heating element wire 21.

[0042] In order to avoid the heat transfer of the heating element wire 21 to the wires of other surrounding components, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a ceramic shaft 22 can be further arranged in the interface part 2, the heating element wire 21 passes through the ceramic shaft 22, and the ceramic shaft 22 can thermally insulate the heating element wire 21. The ceramic shaft 22 can be fixed to the inner wall of the interface part 2 by high-melting-point and high-strength plastic.

[0043] On the basis of the above technical solutions, the present disclosure further provides a chemical vapor deposition system, as shown in FIG. 1, which can include a reaction chamber 200 and the wafer heater in the above technical solutions. The heating part 1 can be accommodated in the reaction chamber 200, and the external power supply and / or control module can be arranged outside the reaction chamber 200 to avoid the influence of the high temperature in the reaction chamber 200 on the working of the control module. The interface part 2 can extend out of the reaction chamber 200 to facilitate the wires of various components in the heating part 1 to pass through the interface part 2 and be connected with the external power supply and / or control module.

[0044] Through the technical solution, the chemical vapor deposition system has the same technical effect as the wafer heater in the technical solution, and in order to avoid unnecessary repetition, details are not described here.

[0045] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail above in combination with the drawings, but the present disclosure is not limited to the specific details in the above-described embodiments. Within the technical concept range of the present disclosure, various simple modifications can be made to the technical solutions of the present disclosure, and these simple modifications all belong to the protection range of the present disclosure.

[0046] In addition, it should be noted that each specific technical feature described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any appropriate manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present disclosure will not further describe various possible combinations.

[0047] In addition, various different embodiments of the present disclosure can also be combined in any manner, as long as they do not deviate from the idea of the present disclosure, and they should also be considered as disclosed by the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A wafer heater, comprising: The utility model relates to a wafer heater, comprising: a heating part (1), comprising: a lower heating plate (11), an upper heating plate (12) stacked on the lower heating plate (11) for placing a wafer (100), and a ceramic heating element (13) embedded between the upper heating plate (12) and the lower heating plate (11), the ceramic heating element (13) having a rectangular cross section, and an interface part (2) provided at the bottom of the heating part (1), the ceramic heating element (13) being configured to be electrically connected to an external power source through a heating element wire (21) that passes out of the interface part (2).

2. The wafer heater of claim 1, wherein, An outer surface of the ceramic heating element (13) is coated with a protective coating.

3. The wafer heater of claim 2, wherein, The protective coating is an amorphous carbon layer.

4. The wafer heater of any of claims 1-3, wherein, The heating part (1) further comprises a brazing preform (14) provided between the periphery of the upper heating plate (12) and the periphery of the lower heating plate (11), the upper heating plate (12) and the lower heating plate (11) being fixedly connected by the brazing preform (14).

5. The wafer heater of any of claims 1-4, wherein, The ceramic heating element (13) is connected to the heating element wire (21) by a high-melting-point terminal.

6. The wafer heater of any of claims 1-5, wherein, The ceramic heating element (13) is configured to have a structure with multiple concentric circles.

7. The wafer heater of any of claims 1-6, wherein, The ceramic heating element (13) is coiled in a serpentine shape between the upper heating plate (12) and the lower heating plate (11).

8. The wafer heater of any of claims 1-7, wherein, The heating part (1) further comprises a base plate (15), the lower heating plate (11) being stacked on the base plate (15), The interface part (2) is configured to have a vertically extending sleeve-like structure, the upper end of the interface part (2) being fixedly connected to the base plate (15), the end of the ceramic heating element (13) passing through the lower heating plate (11) and the base plate (15) and extending into the interface part (2) to be connected to the heating element wire (21).

9. The wafer heater of any of claims 1-8, wherein, The interface part (2) further comprises a ceramic shaft (22) that can thermally insulate the heating element wire (21).

10. A chemical vapor deposition system, characterized by, The utility model relates to a wafer processing system, comprising: a reaction chamber (200), and a wafer heater according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the heating part (1) being accommodated in the reaction chamber (200), and the interface part (2) extending out of the reaction chamber (200).

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