Vertical heat treatment apparatus

Abstract

The application discloses a vertical heat treatment equipment, comprising a process furnace and a furnace door used for sealing a furnace mouth of the process furnace; the furnace door comprises a heat insulation disc and a cooling disc, wherein: the heat insulation disc is a quartz structure member, the heat insulation disc has a sealing surface and a first mounting surface arranged oppositely, and the furnace door seals the furnace mouth through the sealing surface; the cooling disc has a second mounting surface; one of the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface is provided with a positioning convex part, and the other is provided with a positioning concave part, the positioning convex part can be positioned and matched with the positioning concave part, and the heat insulation disc is positioned and mounted on the cooling disc through the matching of the positioning convex part and the positioning concave part. The above scheme can prevent relative displacement between the heat insulation disc and the cooling disc.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and more particularly to a vertical heat treatment apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] In many semiconductor manufacturing processes (such as oxidation, diffusion, and annealing), the wafers to be processed all need to undergo heat treatment, which requires the use of vertical heat treatment equipment. Vertical heat treatment equipment includes a process furnace, a microenvironment chamber, and a furnace door. The process furnace has a process chamber, and the furnace door is used to isolate the process chamber from the microenvironment chamber.

[0003] In related technologies, furnace doors include a water-cooled plate and a quartz insulation plate. The insulation plate seals and isolates the process chamber, preventing heat from diffusing into the microenvironment chamber. However, due to the fragility of the quartz insulation plate, which is installed with screws, a receiving groove needs to be created in the middle of the water-cooled plate to house the entire insulation plate. In this structural layout, the insulation plate is prone to significant relative displacement with the water-cooled plate within the receiving groove. The friction between them generates particles, which can disrupt the equilibrium of the process environment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application discloses a vertical heat treatment device to prevent relative displacement between the heat insulation plate and the cooling plate.

[0005] To solve the above problems, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] This application provides a vertical heat treatment apparatus, including a process furnace and a furnace door, wherein the furnace door is used to seal the furnace opening; the furnace door includes a heat insulation plate and a cooling plate, wherein:

[0007] The heat insulation plate is a quartz structure, and the heat insulation plate has a sealing surface and a first mounting surface arranged opposite to each other. The furnace door seals the furnace opening through the sealing surface; the cooling plate has a second mounting surface.

[0008] In the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface, one is provided with a positioning protrusion and the other is provided with a positioning recess. The positioning protrusion can be positioned and engaged with the positioning recess. The heat insulation plate is positioned and installed on the cooling plate through the engagement of the positioning protrusion and the positioning recess.

[0009] The technical solution adopted in this application can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0010] In the vertical heat treatment equipment disclosed in this application, the heat insulation plate includes a first mounting surface opposite to the sealing surface, and the cooling plate includes a second mounting surface. By providing a positioning protrusion on one of the first mounting surface and a positioning recess on the other, the heat insulation plate can be positioned and installed on the cooling plate through the positioning cooperation of the positioning protrusion and the positioning recess.

[0011] Since the positioning protrusion and positioning recess can be positioned and matched, and no installation gap needs to be reserved between the positioning protrusion and positioning recess, the furnace door of this application can effectively prevent relative displacement between the heat insulation plate and the cooling plate, thereby avoiding the generation of particles due to friction between the two, so as to ensure that the process environment is maintained in a balanced state. Attached Figure Description

[0012] The accompanying drawings, which are provided to further illustrate this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments of this application and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application.

[0013] In the attached diagram:

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the vertical heat treatment equipment disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0015] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the furnace door disclosed in an embodiment of this application;

[0016] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between the furnace door and the process furnace as disclosed in an embodiment of this application.

[0017] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0018] 100 - Shell, 110 - Furnace chamber, 120 - Microenvironment chamber, 130 - Support plate

[0019] 200 - Process furnace, 210 - Process chamber, 220 - Furnace opening

[0020] 300-furnace door,

[0021] 310 - Insulation plate, 311 - Positioning recess,

[0022] 320-Cooling plate, 321-Plate body, 321a-Positioning protrusion, 321b-Stepped surface, 321c-Cooling channel, 322-Support frame, 323-Elastic element.

[0023] 330 - Separator, 331 - First annular separator, 332 - Second annular separator

[0024] 340 - Connector, 350 - Sealing ring

[0025] 400 - Process gate, 500 - Drive component, 600 - Crystal boat, 700 - Wafer. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0027] The technical solutions disclosed in the various embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] To address the technical problem of contamination particles easily generated by the friction between the heat insulation plate and cooling plate of the furnace door in vertical heat treatment equipment of related technologies, this application provides a vertical heat treatment device. The vertical heat treatment device is used to perform heat treatment on wafers to be processed in semiconductor manufacturing processes. This application does not limit the specific type of vertical heat treatment device, but the type of vertical heat treatment device corresponds to the specific process step it is applied to. For example, it can be applied to heat treatment-related processes such as oxidation, diffusion, annealing, thin film growth, and vapor deposition.

[0029] like Figures 1-3 As shown in the embodiments of this application, the vertical heat treatment equipment disclosed includes a process furnace 200 and a furnace door 300.

[0030] The process furnace 200 is the core component of the vertical heat treatment equipment. In the heat treatment process, the wafer 700 to be processed needs to be sent into the process chamber 210 of the process furnace 200 and placed in the corresponding process environment. Specifically, the process furnace 200 has a furnace opening 220 that communicates with its process chamber 210. The wafer 700 to be processed can be sent into the process chamber 210 through the furnace opening 220, and then the wafer 700 to be processed can be heat treated in the process chamber 210.

[0031] In this embodiment, the vertical heat treatment equipment may further include a housing 100, a crystal boat 600, and a drive assembly 500.

[0032] Typically, the wafer to be processed 700 can be transferred into the process chamber 210 by being placed on a crystal boat 600. The crystal boat 600 facilitates the maintenance of the state of the wafer to be processed 700 and can hold a large number of wafers to be processed 700, thus enabling convenient batch transfer and processing of the wafers to be processed 700. For details, please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 1For ease of writing, the following description will use the example of the chip 700 being carried by the crystal boat 600.

[0033] It should be understood that the heat treatment of the wafer 700 to be processed in the process furnace 200 (i.e., in the process chamber 210) refers to the process carried out on the wafer 700 to be processed in a certain temperature environment, which includes heating, holding and cooling. To be precise, the temperature control of the process chamber 210 needs to be carried out throughout the entire process, and the accuracy of temperature control will directly determine the yield of the wafer 700.

[0034] The shell 100 is the basic component of the vertical heat treatment equipment. It provides an installation base for other components of the vertical heat treatment equipment and also provides a certain degree of protection.

[0035] The housing 100 includes a connected furnace chamber 110 and a microenvironment chamber 120, with the process furnace 200 disposed in the furnace chamber 110. Specifically, the housing 100 may further include a support plate 130 disposed in its inner cavity. The support plate 130 divides the inner cavity of the housing 100 into the furnace chamber 110 and the microenvironment chamber 120. The support plate 130 is used to support the process furnace 200, and a clearance opening corresponding to the furnace opening 220 is provided on the support plate 130. Thus, at the connection between the furnace chamber 110 and the microenvironment chamber 120 (i.e., at the clearance opening), the process furnace 200 can communicate with the microenvironment chamber 120 through the furnace opening 220, and the wafer 700 to be processed can be sequentially transferred to the process chamber 210 through the clearance opening and the furnace opening 220. During the process, the process furnace 200 is placed in the furnace chamber 110, and the shell 100 can prevent the process furnace 200, which has an ultra-high temperature (the process temperature can be as high as 600~1000℃), from being directly exposed, thereby avoiding safety accidents.

[0036] The microenvironment chamber 120 is essentially a loading and unloading chamber. The wafer 700 to be processed needs to be loaded into the microenvironment chamber 120, and the processed wafer 700 is unloaded into the microenvironment chamber 120. The housing 100 can configure a normal-pressure sealed clean environment in the microenvironment chamber 120. Specifically, this can be achieved by setting up cleanroom devices such as high-efficiency filters and chemical filters in the microenvironment chamber 120, thereby providing a clean environment for the wafer 700 and optimizing the processing quality of the wafer 700.

[0037] The vertical heat treatment equipment of this application embodiment may further include a process door 400. Both the drive assembly 500 and the process door 400 are disposed within the microenvironment chamber 120. The process door 400 is used to support and fix the crystal boat 600. The drive assembly 500 is connected to the process door 400 and drives the process door 400 to rise and fall. The process door 400 can move between the loading / unloading station and the process position, thereby driving the crystal boat 600 to rise and fall. When the process door 400 is in the loading / unloading station, the loading and unloading operation of the crystal boat 600 can be realized. When the process door 400 is in the process position, the crystal boat 600 is transferred to the process chamber 210.

[0038] Specifically, the drive assembly 500 may include a first drive device, which drives the process door 400 to move up and down. This application does not limit the specific type of the first drive device; it may be a pneumatic telescopic component, a hydraulic telescopic component, a gear and rack mechanism, a transmission chain (belt) mechanism, etc. Of course, the drive assembly 500 may also include a first guide rail, which guides the lifting path of the process door 400.

[0039] The furnace door 300 is a functional component of the vertical heat treatment equipment. It is used to seal the furnace opening 220 of the process furnace 200, thereby preventing heat from the process chamber 210 from diffusing into the microenvironment chamber 120 and disrupting the equilibrium environment in the microenvironment chamber 120. Simultaneously, it also prevents air from the microenvironment chamber 120 from entering the process chamber 210 and disrupting the process environment. Specifically, during the process of the crystal boat 600 being moved into the process chamber 210 by the process door 400 or being moved out of the process chamber 210, the furnace door 300 needs to avoid the furnace opening 220 to prevent interference between the furnace door 300 and the crystal boat 600 and the process door 400. In other cases, the furnace door 300 needs to seal the furnace opening 220 to prevent heat from the process chamber 210 from diffusing into the microenvironment chamber 120 and to prevent air from the microenvironment chamber 120 from entering the process chamber 210.

[0040] In the embodiments of the application, the specific location of the furnace door 300 is not limited, and it can generally be located in the microenvironment chamber 120 (e.g., ...). Figure 1(As shown), it can also be installed in the furnace chamber 110. For ease of explanation, the following description will use the example of the furnace door 300 being installed in the microenvironment chamber 120. As mentioned above, during the heat treatment process, the temperature in the process chamber 210 is high. To prevent damage to the furnace door 300 when sealing the furnace opening 220, the furnace door 300 needs to be equipped with a quartz insulation plate 310. That is, the insulation plate 310 is a quartz structural component, and the furnace door 300 seals the furnace opening 220 through the insulation plate 310. It should be understood that quartz material has stable chemical properties and good heat resistance. Therefore, the quartz insulation plate 310 can withstand the high-temperature process environment within the process chamber 210, thereby preventing heat from diffusing into the microenvironment chamber 120.

[0041] Meanwhile, the furnace door 300 also includes a cooling plate 320, and a heat insulation plate 310 is set on the cooling plate 320, that is, the cooling plate 320 is the mounting base of the heat insulation plate 310; the cooling plate 320 is used to cool down the main body of the furnace door 300 to prevent the main body of the furnace door 300 from being damaged due to overheating.

[0042] The drive assembly 500 is connected to the cooling plate 320 and drives the cooling plate 320 to cause the heat insulation plate 310 to seal or avoid the furnace opening 220. When the drive assembly 500 is driving the cooling plate 320, it is equivalent to driving the entire furnace door 300, and the heat insulation plate 310 changes position as the cooling plate 320 moves. When it is necessary to transfer the crystal boat 600, controlling the drive assembly 500 to drive the furnace door 300 to avoid the furnace opening 220 will cause the heat insulation plate 310 to avoid the furnace opening 220. After the crystal boat 600 is transferred, controlling the drive assembly 500 to drive the furnace door 300 to align with the furnace opening 220 will cause the heat insulation plate 310 to seal the furnace opening 220. Specifically, the drive assembly 500 may include a second drive device, and the cooling plate 320 is moved through the second drive device.

[0043] In related technologies, in order to achieve reliable positioning and installation of the heat insulation plate 310 on the cooling plate 320, the two can be fixedly connected by fasteners (screws, pins, etc.). However, since the heat insulation plate 310 is made of quartz, and quartz is brittle, the heat insulation plate 310 is very easy to break during assembly. Even if the heat insulation plate 310 does not break during assembly, stress will be generated between the fasteners and the heat insulation plate 310 during the use of the furnace door 300, which will still cause the heat insulation plate 310 to break. In other words, the above-mentioned positioning and installation method has an extremely high damage rate of the heat insulation plate 310.

[0044] To address the aforementioned issues, the industry standard solution involves creating a receiving groove in the center of the cooling plate 320, and then placing the insulation plate 310 within this groove. Essentially, the insulation plate 310 is entirely placed inside the cooling plate 320, with the circumferential sidewalls of the receiving groove acting as a limiting element for the insulation plate 310. However, to facilitate the smooth placement of the insulation plate 310 into the receiving groove, an installation gap must be maintained between the insulation plate 310 and the sidewalls of the receiving groove. Under these circumstances, during the use of the furnace door 300, relative displacement inevitably occurs between the insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320. The friction between them generates particles, which can disrupt the equilibrium of the process environment.

[0045] Therefore, it is evident that the relevant technology suffers from a trade-off between balancing the ease of installation of the heat insulation plate 310 and preventing relative displacement between the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320. Specifically, if the installation gap between the heat insulation plate 310 and the side wall of the receiving groove is made too large in order to improve the ease of installation, the relative displacement between the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320 will increase, resulting in more friction-generated particles and causing the heat insulation plate 310 to collide with the groove wall and suffer severe damage. On the other hand, if the installation gap between the heat insulation plate 310 and the side wall of the receiving groove is made too small in order to reduce the relative displacement between the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320, the disassembly and assembly of the heat insulation plate 310 within the receiving groove will be difficult to achieve.

[0046] Based on this, in this embodiment, the heat insulation plate 310 has a sealing surface opposite to the equipment and a first mounting surface, and the furnace door 300 seals the furnace opening 220 of the process furnace 200 through the sealing surface; the cooling plate 320 has a second mounting surface; in the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface, one of them is provided with a positioning protrusion 321a, and the other is provided with a positioning recess 311. The positioning protrusion 321a can be positioned and engaged with the positioning recess 311, and the heat insulation plate 310 is positioned and installed on the cooling plate 320 through the engagement of the positioning protrusion 321a and the positioning recess 311.

[0047] It should be understood that the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface are the opposing end faces on the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320, respectively, which provide mounting areas for the positioning protrusion 321a and the positioning recess 311. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific location of the positioning protrusion 321a and the positioning recess 311, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the heat insulation plate 310 may be provided with a positioning recess 311, and the cooling plate 320 may be provided with a positioning protrusion 321a. Of course, the positioning recess 311 may also be provided on the cooling plate 320, and the positioning protrusion 321a may be provided on the heat insulation plate 310.

[0048] by Figure 2Taking the illustrated embodiment as an example, in this structural layout, the positioning recess 311 is arranged in a portion of the first mounting surface, and the positioning protrusion 321a is arranged in a portion of the second mounting surface. When the positioning protrusion 321a extends into the positioning recess 311 to achieve positioning engagement, the heat insulation plate 310 will not be entirely embedded in the cooling plate 320 as in related technologies. That is, after the heat insulation plate 310 is positioned and installed on the cooling plate 320, the main body of the heat insulation plate 310 is exposed, thus allowing for easy picking up and disassembly of the heat insulation plate 310. Simultaneously, when installing the heat insulation plate 310, it can be easily picked up from its edge, and after picking it up, the positioning protrusion 321a and the positioning recess 311 can be aligned to quickly complete the assembly. From the above analysis, it can be seen that the furnace door 300 of this embodiment can effectively reduce the difficulty of assembling and disassembling the heat insulation plate 310.

[0049] Because in the furnace door 300 of this application embodiment, the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320 are positioned and fitted by the positioning protrusion 321a and the positioning recess 311, rather than the heat insulation plate 310 being entirely embedded in the cooling plate 320, there is no need to reserve an installation gap between the positioning protrusion 321a and the positioning recess 311. After the two are positioned and fitted, there is almost no relative displacement between the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320, thus avoiding the generation of particles between the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320 due to friction.

[0050] As can be seen from the above description, in the vertical heat treatment equipment disclosed in the embodiments of this application, the heat insulation plate 310 includes a first mounting surface opposite to the sealing surface, and the cooling plate 320 includes a second mounting surface. By providing a positioning protrusion 321a on one of the first mounting surface and a positioning recess 311 on the other, the heat insulation plate 310 can be positioned and installed on the cooling plate 320 through the positioning cooperation of the positioning protrusion 321a and the positioning recess 311.

[0051] Since the positioning protrusion 321a and the positioning recess 311 can be positioned and fitted together, and no installation gap needs to be reserved between the positioning protrusion 321a and the positioning recess 311, the furnace door 300 of this application can undoubtedly effectively prevent relative displacement between the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320, thereby avoiding the generation of particles due to friction between the two, so as to ensure that the process environment maintains a balanced state.

[0052] In the semiconductor manufacturing field, the particle size control of the process environment is a crucial indicator affecting wafer processing quality. Since the furnace door 300 needs to switch between a sealed and a closed state during use, it requires actuation to change position. During this movement, the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320 experience slight relative motion. In this situation, because the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320 are in direct contact, there is still a risk of particle generation due to friction. Furthermore, the heat insulation plate 310, being a quartz structure, is easily damaged upon impact with the cooling plate 320.

[0053] Based on this, such as Figure 2 As shown, the furnace door 300 in this embodiment may further include a separator 330, which is disposed between the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320. The separator 330 is used to separate the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320 to avoid friction between the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320.

[0054] With this structural layout, due to the presence of the separator 330, the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320 are no longer in direct contact, thus preventing the generation of particles due to relative friction between them. At the same time, this arrangement also prevents damage to the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320 due to contact or impact.

[0055] It should be noted that the specific type of the separator 330 is not limited in the embodiments of this application. The separator 330 can be provided in a portion of the gap between the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320, or it can be provided throughout the entire gap between the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320. In the embodiment where the separator 330 is provided in a portion of the gap between the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320, the separator 330 needs to support the heat insulation plate 310, supporting it to the point of separation from the cooling plate 320, thereby preventing direct contact between the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320.

[0056] Meanwhile, with this configuration, the separator 330 can fill the gap between the positioning protrusion 321a and the positioning recess 311, which can also prevent the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320 from moving relative to each other through the gap. Therefore, it can further optimize the positioning and installation effect of the heat insulation plate 310 on the cooling plate 320, and can more effectively reduce the generation of particles.

[0057] In this embodiment, the specific material of the separator 330 is not limited. In optional embodiments, the separator 330 may be made of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene). PTFE has stable chemical properties and high-temperature resistance, thus preventing heat from diffusing to the cooling plate 320. Simultaneously, PTFE has a low coefficient of friction, preventing the generation of particles due to friction between the separator 330 and the heat insulation plate 310 and cooling plate 320. Of course, the separator 330 can also be made of aramid fiber, carbon fiber, flexible polymer materials, etc.

[0058] In this embodiment, the positioning protrusion 321a and positioning recess 311 can be of various types. In an optional embodiment, the positioning recess 311 can be a circular groove, and the positioning protrusion 321a can be a cylindrical boss. In this structural layout, the edges of both the positioning protrusion 321a and the positioning recess 311 are rounded, effectively reducing the probability of interference during assembly. This allows the positioning protrusion 321a to extend into the positioning recess 311 more quickly, thereby improving the efficiency of the positioning and assembly of the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320.

[0059] In another embodiment, the positioning protrusion 321a may be a square protrusion, a serrated protrusion, or an irregular shaped protrusion structure, etc. Correspondingly, the positioning recess 311 may be a square groove, a serrated groove, an irregular groove structure, etc.

[0060] Furthermore, the embodiments of this application do not limit the specific number of positioning protrusions 321a and positioning recesses 311, such as... Figure 2 As shown, there is one positioning protrusion 321a and one positioning recess 311; in another embodiment, there may be two or three positioning protrusions 321a and three positioning recesses.

[0061] As mentioned above, the embodiments of this application do not limit the specific types of the separator 330, the positioning protrusion 321a, and the positioning recess 311, but there is a suitable matching relationship between the three. In one specific embodiment, such as Figure 2 As shown, the positioning protrusion 321a is a positioning boss provided on the second mounting surface, and the positioning boss defines a stepped surface 321b in the circumferential direction of the cooling plate 320; the positioning recess 311 is a positioning groove provided on the first mounting surface; the separator 330 is an annular structural member, and in the height direction of the separator 330, the first end of the separator 330 is provided between the stepped surface 321b and the bottom surface of the heat insulation plate 310, and the second end of the separator 330 is bent and extended to the side wall of the positioning boss and the side wall of the positioning groove.

[0062] In this structural layout, based on the shape of the separator 330, its surrounding positioning bosses are arranged. For example... Figure 2As shown, the longitudinal section of the separator 330 is shown. In the height direction of the separator 330, its first end avoids direct contact between the bottom surface of the heat insulation plate 310 and the stepped surface 321b of the cooling plate 320, and the second end of the separator 330 avoids direct contact between the side wall of the positioning boss and the side wall of the positioning groove, thus completely separating the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320.

[0063] More specifically, such as Figure 2 As shown, the separator 330 in this embodiment includes a first annular separator 331 and a second annular separator 332 connected to each other. The first annular separator 331 is disposed between the stepped surface 321b and the bottom surface of the heat insulation plate 310, and the second annular separator 332 is disposed between the side wall of the positioning boss and the side wall of the positioning groove.

[0064] Specifically, the stepped surface 321b is the supporting surface of the first annular partition 331. The cooling plate 320 not only supports the partition 330 through the stepped surface 321b, but also indirectly supports the heat insulation plate 310 through the partition 330. Based on the existence of the first annular partition 331, the bottom surface of the heat insulation plate 310 and the stepped surface 321b of the cooling plate 320 are separated, thereby avoiding direct contact between the bottom surface of the heat insulation plate 310 and the stepped surface 321b of the cooling plate 320. At the same time, the first annular partition 331 supports the entire heat insulation plate 310, so that there is a gap between the bottom surface of the positioning groove and the top surface of the positioning boss, avoiding direct contact.

[0065] The second annular partition 332 is equivalent to being sleeved around the periphery of the positioning boss, that is, the second annular partition 332 is attached to the circumferential sidewall of the positioning boss; based on the existence of the second partition, the sidewall of the positioning boss and the sidewall of the positioning groove are separated, thereby avoiding direct contact between the sidewall of the positioning boss and the sidewall of the positioning groove; at the same time, the second annular partition 332 fills the gap between the sidewall of the positioning boss and the sidewall of the positioning groove, which undoubtedly prevents the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320 from moving relative to each other in the horizontal direction, thereby optimizing the positioning and installation effect of the heat insulation plate 310 on the cooling plate 320.

[0066] In another embodiment, in the height direction of the separator 330, the first end of the separator 330 can be disposed between the side wall of the positioning groove and the side wall of the positioning boss, while the second end of the separator 330 can be bent and extended to the bottom surface of the positioning groove and the top surface of the positioning boss.

[0067] Taking the furnace door 300 located in the microenvironment chamber 120 as an example, when controlling the movement of the furnace door 300 to switch position states, the heat insulation plate 310 moves along the lower surface of the support plate 130. If the heat insulation plate 310 is misaligned, the upwardly misaligned edge of the heat insulation plate 310 will experience severe wear with the lower surface of the support plate 130, which will not only damage the heat insulation plate 310 but also generate a lot of particles. At the same time, if the heat insulation plate 310 is misaligned, when the furnace door 300 seals the furnace opening 220 through the heat insulation plate 310, there will be a gap between the heat insulation plate 310 and the process furnace 200, making it difficult to effectively seal the furnace opening 220.

[0068] Based on this, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment of the application, the heat insulation plate 310 is configured such that when the positioning protrusion 321a and the positioning recess 311 are positioned and engaged, the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320 are coaxially arranged. It should be understood that, with this configuration, the shapes of the positioning protrusion 321a and the positioning recess 311 match, and there is a certain limiting engagement relationship between them, thereby enabling the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320 to be coaxially arranged.

[0069] In this embodiment, the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320 are coaxially arranged, that is, the central axes of the heat insulation plate 310 and the cooling plate 320 are (approximately) collinear. This can effectively avoid the problem of the heat insulation plate 310 being misaligned after being installed on the cooling plate 320, so that the heat insulation plate 310 is in close contact with the lower surface of the support plate 130, thereby avoiding severe wear between the heat insulation plate 310 and the lower surface of the support plate 130, and optimizing the sealing effect of the heat insulation plate 310 in the furnace opening 220 area of ​​the process furnace 200.

[0070] like Figure 1 As shown, when sealing the furnace opening 220, the furnace door 300 needs to extend into the clearance opening of the support plate 130. When the furnace door 300 needs to avoid the furnace opening 220, it needs to move out of the clearance opening of the support plate 130. In this embodiment, the drive assembly 500 may further include a third drive device, which is used to drive the furnace door 300 to perform lifting and lowering actions. When it is necessary to seal the furnace opening 220, the furnace door 300 can be driven to move relative to the furnace opening 220 by the second drive device. Then, the third drive device can drive the furnace door 300 to rise into the clearance opening, thereby successfully sealing the process furnace 200 at the furnace opening 220. When it is necessary to expose the furnace opening 220, the furnace door 300 can be driven to descend to a position that will not interfere with the support plate 130 by the third drive device. Then, the second drive device can drive the furnace door 300 to move away from the furnace opening 220.

[0071] This application does not limit the specific type of the third driving device, which can be a pneumatic telescopic component, a hydraulic telescopic component, a gear and rack mechanism, a transmission chain (belt) mechanism, etc. Of course, the driving assembly 500 may also include a second guide rail to guide the lifting path of the furnace door 300.

[0072] When the furnace door 300 seals the furnace opening 220, the heat insulation plate 310 will come into contact with part of the structure of the process furnace 200 surrounding the furnace opening 220. When the furnace door 300 avoids the furnace opening 220, the heat insulation plate 310 will usually come into contact with the lower surface of the support plate 130. Since the heat insulation plate 310 is made of quartz, it is easily damaged when subjected to rigid contact. Based on this, if Figure 2 As shown, the cooling tray 320 in this embodiment may include a tray body 321, a support frame 322, and an elastic element 323. Along the height direction of the cooling tray 320, the tray body 321, the support frame 322, and the elastic element 323 are arranged sequentially, and the elastic element 323 connects the tray body 321 and the support frame 322. The heat insulation tray 310 is positioned and installed on the tray body 321. The support frame 322 is connected to the drive assembly 500 of the vertical heat treatment equipment. The drive assembly 500 drives the cooling tray 320 through the support frame 322 to drive the heat insulation tray 310 to seal or avoid the furnace opening 220.

[0073] Specifically, the support frame 322 is the foundation of the cooling tray 320, providing an installation base for the tray body 321 and the elastic element 323. Therefore, when the drive assembly 500 drives the support frame 322, the entire cooling tray 320 can be driven, thereby moving the heat insulation tray 310 to switch the state of the furnace door 300. The tray body 321 is the main body of the cooling tray 320, which has a cooling function. In an optional embodiment, the tray body 321 can be provided with a cooling channel 321c, through which a cooling medium can be circulated to cool the main body of the cooling tray 320.

[0074] Because an elastic element 323 is provided between the plate body 321 and the support frame 322 in this embodiment, when the heat insulation plate 310 is pressed, the pressing force can be transmitted through the plate body 321 to the elastic element 323. Based on the characteristics of the elastic element 323, it will be compressed and store energy. This can undoubtedly reduce the interaction between the heat insulation plate 310 and the process furnace 200 or the support plate 130, thereby preventing the heat insulation plate 310 from being damaged. When the heat insulation plate 310 is released from the pressed state, the elastic element 323 will return to its original state and release energy, thereby rebounding the plate body 321 and causing the furnace door 300 to return to its original state.

[0075] In this embodiment, the elastic element 323 can be of various types, such as Figure 2As shown, the elastic element 323 can be a compression spring, and there can be multiple compression springs. In another embodiment, the elastic element 323 can also be foam, rubber, etc. In order to position the disk body 321 and optimize the internal telescopic function of the cooling disk 320, the disk body 321 and the support frame 322 can be respectively provided with guide posts and guide sleeves on their opposite surfaces. The guide posts and guide sleeves can guide and constrain the lifting and lowering movement of the disk body 321.

[0076] In this embodiment, the movement mode of the furnace door 300 is not limited. For example, the drive assembly 500 can drive the furnace door 300 to reciprocate in a straight line. Specifically, when it is necessary to seal the furnace opening 220, the drive assembly 500 drives the furnace door 300 to extend; when it is necessary to avoid the furnace opening 220, the drive assembly 500 drives the furnace door 300 to retract. In this embodiment, the second drive device can be a pneumatic telescopic component, a hydraulic telescopic component, a gear and rack mechanism, etc.

[0077] In another implementation, such as Figure 1 As shown, the furnace door 300 in this embodiment may further include a connector 340. One end of the connector 340 is connected to the drive assembly 500 of the vertical heat treatment equipment, and the other end of the connector 340 is connected to the cooling plate 320. The drive assembly 500 drives the cooling plate 320 to rotate via the connector 340, thereby causing the heat insulation plate 310 to seal or avoid the furnace opening 220. In this structural layout, the connection end between the connector 340 and the drive assembly 500 is the center of rotation, and the length of the connector 340 can characterize the radius of rotation. When the drive assembly 500 drives the connector 340 to rotate, the furnace door 300 can rotate on the circle of rotation where the other end of the connector 340 is located, thereby adjusting the position of the furnace door 300 to achieve the function of sealing or avoiding the furnace opening 220 by the heat insulation plate 310.

[0078] In this embodiment, the second drive device can be a conventional motor. Furthermore, a gearbox can be added to optimize transmission accuracy, thereby improving control accuracy.

[0079] In some semiconductor manufacturing processes, process gases are corrosive. When these corrosive process gases diffuse from the furnace opening 220 into the microenvironment chamber 120, they will inevitably corrode and damage the components in the microenvironment chamber 120, especially causing significant corrosion damage to metallic components. Therefore, this places higher demands on the sealing performance of the furnace door 300. Based on this, as... Figure 3 As shown, the furnace door 300 in this embodiment may also include a sealing ring 350. The sealing ring 350 is disposed on the sealing surface, and the heat insulation plate 310 is sealed to the process furnace 200 at the furnace opening 220 through the sealing ring 350.

[0080] It should be understood that the sealing ring 350 is a flexible structural component. When the furnace door 300 seals the furnace opening 220, the sealing ring 350 is compressed and deformed between the heat insulation plate 310 and the process furnace 200. The sealing ring 350 completely fills the gap between the sealing surface and the part of the process furnace 200 surrounding the furnace opening 220. This undoubtedly further optimizes the sealing effect of the furnace door 300 on the furnace opening 220, thereby effectively preventing the leakage of process gas.

[0081] In this embodiment, the specific type of sealing ring 350 is not limited. It can be an O-ring, Q-ring, Y-ring, etc., depending on the assembly requirements of sealing ring 350 and heat insulation plate 310.

[0082] To prevent process gases from diffusing out of the furnace opening 220 and corroding the main body of the furnace door 300, such as... Figure 2 As shown, in the height direction of the furnace door 300, the heat insulation plate 310 of this embodiment can cover the cooling plate 320. It should be understood that quartz material has excellent corrosion resistance. In this structural layout, when the process gas diffuses out of the furnace opening 220, the process gas will be completely blocked by the heat insulation plate 310 and will not be able to contact other components of the furnace body, thereby effectively preventing the main body of the furnace door 300 from being corroded. This undoubtedly improves the service life of the furnace door 300 of this embodiment.

[0083] The above embodiments of this application focus on describing the differences between the various embodiments. As long as the different optimization features between the various embodiments are not contradictory, they can be combined to form a better embodiment. For the sake of brevity, they will not be described in detail here.

[0084] The above description is merely an embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A vertical heat treatment apparatus, comprising a process furnace and a furnace door, wherein the furnace door is used to seal the furnace opening of the process furnace; characterized in that, The furnace door includes an insulation plate and a cooling plate, wherein: The heat insulation plate is a quartz structure, and the heat insulation plate has a sealing surface and a first mounting surface arranged opposite to each other. The furnace door seals the furnace opening through the sealing surface; the cooling plate has a second mounting surface. The first mounting surface is provided with a positioning recess, and the second mounting surface is provided with a positioning protrusion. The positioning protrusion can be positioned and engaged with the positioning recess. The heat insulation plate is positioned and installed on the cooling plate through the engagement of the positioning protrusion and the positioning recess. The positioning protrusion is a positioning boss provided on the second mounting surface, and the positioning boss defines a stepped surface in the circumferential direction of the cooling plate; the positioning recess is a positioning groove provided on the first mounting surface.

2. The vertical heat treatment equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The furnace door also includes a separator disposed between the heat insulation plate and the cooling plate. The separator is used to separate the heat insulation plate and the cooling plate to avoid friction between the heat insulation plate and the cooling plate.

3. The vertical heat treatment equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The separator is a ring-shaped structure. In the height direction of the separator, the first end of the separator is located between the stepped surface and the bottom surface of the heat insulation plate, and the second end of the separator is bent and extended to the side wall of the positioning boss and the side wall of the positioning groove.

4. The vertical heat treatment equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The positioning recess is a circular groove, and the positioning protrusion is a cylindrical protrusion.

5. The vertical heat treatment equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heat insulation plate is configured such that when the positioning protrusion and the positioning recess are positioned and engaged, the heat insulation plate and the cooling plate are coaxially arranged.

6. The vertical heat treatment equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cooling tray includes a tray body, a support frame, and an elastic element. Along the height direction of the cooling tray, the tray body, the elastic element, and the support frame are arranged sequentially, and the elastic element connects the tray body and the support frame. The heat insulation tray is positioned and installed on the tray body. The support frame is connected to the drive assembly of the vertical heat treatment equipment. The drive assembly drives the cooling plate through the support frame to cause the heat insulation plate to seal or avoid the furnace opening.

7. The vertical heat treatment equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The furnace door also includes a connector, one end of which is connected to the drive assembly of the vertical heat treatment equipment, and the other end of which is connected to the cooling plate. The drive assembly is used to drive the cooling plate to rotate through the connector, so as to cause the heat insulation plate to seal or avoid the furnace opening.

8. The vertical heat treatment equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heat insulation plate covers the cooling plate along the height of the furnace door.

9. The vertical heat treatment equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The furnace door also includes a sealing ring, which is disposed on the sealing surface, and the heat insulation plate is sealed to the process furnace at the furnace opening through the sealing ring.

10. The vertical heat treatment equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vertical heat treatment equipment also includes a shell, which includes a furnace body chamber and a microenvironment chamber that are connected. The process furnace is disposed in the furnace body chamber, and at the connection between the furnace body chamber and the microenvironment chamber, the process furnace is connected to the microenvironment chamber through a furnace opening.

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