Wafer loading chamber structure

Abstract

The present invention discloses a wafer loading chamber structure, comprising a chamber, a front door and a rear door are arranged on the chamber, an air inlet is arranged at the bottom of the chamber and a one-way air outlet is arranged at the top, the air inlet is connected to a gas filter, the front door is equipped with a front door driving member, and the rear door is equipped with a rear door driving member. The present invention is conducive to maintaining a low oxygen content level in the loading chamber, and gas cleaning can be performed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor material production equipment, and in particular to a wafer loading chamber structure, which is mainly used in a silicon carbide high-temperature activation / oxidation furnace requiring the loading chamber to maintain a low oxygen content. Background Art

[0002] Before each process in a silicon carbide high-temperature activation / oxidation furnace, the furnace tubes need to be purged with inert gas to ensure an oxygen-free atmosphere inside the furnace tubes. Therefore, the loadlock needs to maintain a low-oxygen atmosphere to achieve better process results. To maintain a low oxygen content level in the loadlock, the atmosphere between the wafer loading chamber (loadport) and the loading chamber needs to be isolated during each feeding and unloading process, and the wafer loading chamber can be purged with inert gas. In addition, the current six-inch furnace tubes of the equipment sometimes need to be compatible with the four-inch wafer process. Therefore, the wafer loading chamber is required to be compatible with the installation of four- and six-inch wafer cassettes and have the necessary detection functions to distinguish between four- and six-inch wafers to ensure the accuracy and stability of the equipment's automated feeding and unloading. This puts new demands on the wafer loading chamber. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and provide a wafer loading chamber structure which is conducive to maintaining a lower oxygen content level in the loading chamber and can perform gas cleaning.

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] A wafer loading chamber structure comprises a chamber body, wherein the chamber body is provided with a front door and a rear door, an air inlet is provided at the bottom of the chamber and a one-way air outlet is provided at the top, the air inlet is connected to a gas filter, the front door is equipped with a front door drive, and the rear door is equipped with a rear door drive.

[0006] As a further improvement of the above technical solution: a measuring port for measuring oxygen content is further provided on the top of the cavity.

[0007] As a further improvement of the above technical solution: the front door is hinged to the cavity, the front door driving member is a telescopic driving member, one end of the front door driving member is hinged to the cavity, and the other end is hinged to the front door.

[0008] As a further improvement of the above technical solution: the lower part of the front door extends to below the cavity, the lower part of the front door is equipped with a telescopic stopper, and the telescopic stopper is provided with a stop wheel.

[0009] As a further improvement of the above technical solution: lifting guide rails are provided on both sides of the rear door, and lifting pulleys cooperating with the lifting guide rails are installed on the rear door, and the rear door driving member is a telescopic driving member.

[0010] As a further improvement of the above technical solution: the rear door is provided with guide pins arranged along the front-to-back direction, the rear door driving member is movably connected to the guide pins, and the rear door is equipped with a clamping driving member.

[0011] As a further improvement of the above technical solution: a first chip box base is provided on the inner side of the front door, and a detachable second chip box base is provided on the first chip box base, the center lines of the first chip box base and the second chip box base in the left and right directions are aligned up and down, the height difference between the first chip box base and the second chip box base is a, the radius difference between the chip corresponding to the first chip box base and the chip corresponding to the second chip box base is b, then a=b.

[0012] As a further improvement of the above technical solution: the front door and the rear door are both equipped with a first detection member for detecting the switch status.

[0013] As a further improvement of the above technical solution: the rear door is also equipped with a second detection member for detecting the manipulator.

[0014] As a further improvement of the above technical solution: a third detection member for detecting the size of the wafer box and a fourth detection member for detecting the position of the wafer in the wafer box are provided on the inner wall of the cavity.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: the wafer loading chamber structure disclosed in the present invention is equipped with a front door and a rear door, each equipped with a front door driver and a rear door driver. The front door is opened only when the rear door is closed. After the front door is closed, purge gas is filtered and purified by a gas filter before entering the chamber through the air inlet, reducing the oxygen content within the chamber. The gas within the chamber can then be discharged through the one-way air outlet at the top, maintaining a constant positive pressure within the chamber. After the purge gas has been introduced into the chamber for a period of time, the rear door is opened, which helps maintain a low oxygen content in the loading chamber and ensures the best process results. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the wafer loading chamber structure of the present invention in use.

[0017] Figure 2 It is a schematic front view of the wafer loading chamber structure of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the rear side of the wafer loading chamber structure of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the back door in the present invention.

[0020] The numbers in the figure represent: 1. Cavity; 11. Air inlet; 12. One-way air outlet; 13. Measuring port; 2. Front door; 21. Front door drive; 22. Telescopic stop; 23. Stop wheel; 3. Rear door; 31. Rear door drive; 32. Lifting guide rail; 33. Lifting pulley; 34. Guide pin; 35. Clamping drive; 4. Gas filter; 51. First cassette base; 52. Second cassette base; 61. First detection part; 62. Second detection part; 63. Third detection part; 64. Fourth detection part; 7. Cassette; 8. Wafer; 9. Loading chamber. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0022] Figures 1 to 4 The figure shows an embodiment of the wafer loading chamber structure of the present invention. The wafer loading chamber structure of this embodiment includes a chamber 1, a front door 2 and a rear door 3 are provided on the chamber 1, an air inlet 11 is provided at the bottom of the chamber 1 and a one-way air outlet 12 is provided at the top, the air inlet 11 is connected to a gas filter 4, the front door 2 is equipped with a front door driver 21, and the rear door 3 is equipped with a rear door driver 31. For details, see Figure 1 , wherein the rear side is the side of the cavity 1 close to the loading chamber 9, and the corresponding front side is the side of the cavity 1 away from the loading chamber 9.

[0023] The wafer loading chamber structure comprises a chamber 1 with a front door 2 and a rear door 3, each equipped with a front door driver 21 and a rear door driver 31. The front door 2 is opened only when the rear door 3 is closed. After the front door 2 is closed, a purge gas (e.g., a stable gas such as nitrogen) is filtered and purified by a gas filter 4 and then enters the chamber 1 through the air inlet 11, thereby reducing the oxygen content within the chamber 1. The gas within the chamber 1 can then be discharged through the one-way air outlet 12 at the top (i.e., gas from the external environment cannot enter the chamber 1 through this outlet), thereby maintaining a certain positive pressure within the chamber 1. After the purge gas is introduced into the chamber 1 for a period of time, the rear door 3 is opened, which helps maintain a low oxygen content in the loading chamber 9 and ensures the process effect.

[0024] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a measuring port 13 for measuring oxygen content is provided on the top of the cavity 1. The oxygen analyzer can detect the oxygen content in the cavity 1 in real time through the measuring port 13, and has a simple structure and convenient detection.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the front door 2 is hingedly connected to the housing 1, and the front door driver 21 is a telescopic driver. One end of the front door driver 21 is hingedly connected to the housing 1, and the other end is hingedly connected to the front door 2. The telescopic movement of the telescopic driver drives the front door 2 to flip and open and close, resulting in a compact structure and minimal vertical space occupation. The telescopic driver can be, for example, an electric cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, or an electric push rod.

[0026] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the lower portion of the front door 2 extends below the cavity 1 and is equipped with a telescopic stopper 22, which is equipped with a stopper wheel 23. When the front door 2 is closed, the telescopic stopper 22 extends, driving the stopper wheel 23 upward. The stopper wheel 23 then abuts against the lower portion of the front door 2, thereby compressing and retaining the front door 2, and ensuring a seal between the front door 2 and the cavity 1. When the front door 2 is to be opened, the telescopic stopper 22 retracts, driving the stopper wheel 23 downward to make room, resulting in a simple and reliable structure. The telescopic stopper 22 may be, for example, an electric cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, or an electric push rod.

[0027] As a preferred embodiment, the rear door 3 is provided with lifting rails 32 on both sides. Lifting pulleys 33 are mounted on the rear door 3 to cooperate with the lifting rails 32. This allows the rear door 3 to be opened and closed by lifting, thereby reducing the space occupied in the front-to-back direction. The lifting pulleys 33 cooperate with the lifting rails 32 to ensure smooth and stable movement of the rear door 3. The rear door driver 31 is a telescopic driver. Extending the rear door driver 31 drives the rear door 3 upward to open, and retracting the rear door driver 31 drives the rear door 3 downward to close, resulting in a simple and reliable structure. The telescopic driver can be, for example, an electric cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, or an electric push rod.

[0028] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rear door 3 is provided with guide pins 34 arranged along the front-to-back direction. The rear door driver 31 is movably connected to the guide pins 34, and the rear door 3 is equipped with a clamping driver 35. The rear door driver 31 can drive the rear door 3 up and down via the guide pins 34 without interfering with the short-distance movement of the guide pins 34 and the rear door 3 along the front-to-back direction. After the rear door 3 is lowered into position, the clamping driver 35 causes the rear door 3 to move forward a short distance, thereby abutting against the cavity 1, thereby ensuring a tight seal between the rear door 3 and the cavity 1. The clamping driver 35 can be, for example, an electric cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, or an electric push rod.

[0029] Furthermore, a first cassette base 51 is provided on the inner side of the front door 2, and a removable second cassette base 52 is provided on the first cassette base 51 (for example, a removable connection is achieved by means of bolts, latches, snaps, etc.). The center lines of the first cassette base 51 and the second cassette base 52 in the left-right direction are aligned vertically. The height difference between the first cassette base 51 and the second cassette base 52 is a, and the radius difference between the wafer 8 corresponding to the first cassette base 51 and the wafer 8 corresponding to the second cassette base 52 is b, then a=b. In this embodiment, the first cassette base 51 is a six-inch cassette base, and the corresponding cassette 7 is a six-inch cassette 7 and a six-inch wafer 8, while the second cassette base 52 is a four-inch cassette base, and the corresponding cassette 7 is a four-inch cassette 7 and a four-inch wafer 8. For details, see Figure 3 For a four-inch wafer cassette 7, it can be placed on the second wafer cassette base 52; for a six-inch wafer cassette 7, the second wafer cassette base 52 can be removed and then placed on the first wafer cassette base 51 to eliminate the height difference. The center of the six-inch wafer 8 and the four-inch wafer 8 can be kept in the same position, thereby ensuring the consistency of the wafer taking position of the robot arm, which is conducive to improving debugging efficiency.

[0030] Furthermore, in this embodiment, both front door 2 and rear door 3 are equipped with a first detection element 61 for detecting their switch status (e.g., an inductive proximity switch, which determines their switch status by detecting their positions). By detecting their respective switch statuses, the first detection elements 61 of front door 2 and rear door 3 enable the linkage of front door 2 and rear door 3. Specifically, front door 2 can only be opened after rear door 3 is closed; after front door 2 is closed, nitrogen purge is required for a period of time before rear door 3 is allowed to open, thereby improving the intelligence, automation, and reliability of the equipment.

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rear door 3 is also equipped with a second detection component 62 for detecting the robot (for example, a through-type optical fiber sensor, which determines whether the robot has passed through the rear door 3 by detecting whether there is any obstruction) to detect whether the robot has taken the film during the period when the rear door 3 is open, or in other words, when the robot is taking the film, the rear door 3 needs to remain open, thereby improving the intelligence, automation and reliability of the equipment.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a third detection member 63 for detecting the size of the cassette 7 and a fourth detection member 64 for detecting the position of the wafer 8 within the cassette 7 are provided on the inner wall of the cavity 1. The third detection member 63 and the fourth detection member 64 may be, for example, optical fiber sensors. The third detection member 63 determines whether the cassette 7 is a six-inch cassette 7 or a four-inch cassette 7 by detecting the distance between the cassette 7 and the sidewall. The fourth detection member 64 detects the flatness of the wafer 8 and adjusts the light beam to illuminate just in front of the flatness of the wafer 8. If the wafer 8 protrudes, the light beam will illuminate the wafer 8, indicating that the position of the wafer 8 within the cassette 7 is abnormal, thereby improving the intelligence, automation, and reliability of the equipment.

[0033] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, this is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can, without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention, utilize the technical content disclosed above to make many possible changes and modifications to the technical solution of the present invention, or modify it into an equivalent embodiment with equivalent changes. Therefore, any simple modification, equivalent change, and modification made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer loading chamber structure, comprising a chamber (1), characterized in that: The cavity (1) is provided with a front door (2) and a rear door (3); the cavity (1) is provided with an air inlet (11) at the bottom and a one-way air outlet (12) at the top; the air inlet (11) is connected to a gas filter (4); the front door (2) is provided with a front door driving component (21); the rear door (3) is provided with a rear door driving component (31); the front door (2) is opened only when the rear door (3) is in a closed state; after the front door (2) is closed, the cleaning gas is filtered and purified by the gas filter (4) and then enters the cavity (1) through the air inlet (11); the gas in the cavity (1) can be discharged through the one-way air outlet (12) at the top; the cleaning gas is introduced into the cavity (1); After the body is cleaned for a period of time, the rear door (3) is opened; the front door (2) is hinged to the cavity (1); the front door driving member (21) is a telescopic driving member; one end of the front door driving member (21) is hinged to the cavity (1) and the other end is hinged to the front door (2); the lower part of the front door (2) extends to the bottom of the cavity (1); the lower part of the front door (2) is provided with a telescopic stop member (22); the telescopic stop member (22) is provided with a stop wheel (23); after the front door (2) is closed, the telescopic stop member (22) extends out, driving the stop wheel (23) to rise, and the stop wheel (23) is in close contact with the lower part of the front door (2), thereby achieving compression of the front door (2).

2. The wafer loading chamber structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top of the cavity (1) is also provided with a measuring port (13) for measuring the oxygen content.

3. The wafer loading chamber structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: Lifting guide rails (32) are provided on both sides of the rear door (3), and lifting pulleys (33) matched with the lifting guide rails (32) are installed on the rear door (3).

4. The wafer loading chamber structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The rear door (3) is provided with a guide pin (34) arranged along the front-rear direction, the rear door driving member (31) is movably connected to the guide pin (34), and the rear door (3) is equipped with a clamping driving member (35).

5. The wafer loading chamber structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: A first chip box base (51) is provided on the inner side of the front door (2), and a detachable second chip box base (52) is provided on the first chip box base (51). The center lines of the first chip box base (51) and the second chip box base (52) in the left-right direction are aligned vertically, the height difference between the first chip box base (51) and the second chip box base (52) is a, and the radius difference between the chip (8) corresponding to the first chip box base (51) and the chip (8) corresponding to the second chip box base (52) is b, then a=b.

6. The wafer loading chamber structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The front door (2) and the rear door (3) are both provided with a first detection member (61) for detecting a switch state.

7. The wafer loading chamber structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: The rear door (3) is also provided with a second detection member (62) for detecting the robot.

8. The wafer loading chamber structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: A third detection member (63) for detecting the size of the wafer box (7) and a fourth detection member (64) for detecting the position of the wafer (8) in the wafer box (7) are provided on the inner wall of the cavity (1).

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