Crystal boat chassis, crystal boat and diffusion furnace

Abstract

This application belongs to the field of semiconductor technology, specifically relating to a crystal boat chassis, a crystal boat, and a diffusion furnace. The crystal boat chassis includes a body and a fixing member. The fixing member is connected to the side of the body facing the wafer, and the fixing member and the body are an integral structure. The fixing member is configured to fix a thermocouple. According to the embodiment of this application, the fixing member and the body are an integral structure. Even if the thermocouple is tilted, the fixing member will not move relative to the body, solving the problem of powder generation from body wear, avoiding the influence of powder on the processing technology, and improving the wafer processing effect. By placing the fixing member on the side of the body facing the wafer, during pre-process preparation, only the fixing member needs to be engaged with the thermocouple. After processing, the thermocouple is removed without disassembling the fixing member, simplifying the operation and reducing the workload of the staff.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of semiconductor technology, specifically relating to a crystal boat chassis, a crystal boat, and a diffusion furnace. Background Technology

[0002] This section provides only background information relevant to this disclosure and is not necessarily prior art.

[0003] The manufacturing of semiconductor devices and integrated circuits involves a series of complex chemical and physical operations on silicon wafers. Furnace equipment plays a crucial role in this process. Furnaces are typically used for thermal growth of oxides, such as gate oxide formation; thermal annealing of the silicon surface after ion implantation; and thin film deposition. Furnaces are generally classified as horizontal furnaces, vertical furnaces, and rapid thermal processing furnaces. Vertical furnaces are easier to automate, improve operator safety, reduce particle contamination, and offer better temperature and uniformity control. They are primarily used for diffusion, oxidation, annealing, alloying, and sintering processes on silicon wafers. The main control system of a diffusion furnace consists of five parts: the process chamber, the wafer transport system, the gas distribution system, the exhaust gas system, and the temperature control system. For the aforementioned processes, precise temperature control of the furnace tubes is critical throughout the entire process.

[0004] For the temperature control system of the diffusion furnace, thermocouples installed inside the chamber are used to detect the temperature inside the chamber and transmit it to the temperature controller. When the temperature is too low, the temperature controller controls the heater to start; when the temperature is too high, the temperature controller controls the heater to stop, thereby regulating the temperature inside the chamber.

[0005] In existing technology, a through-hole is provided on the bell-shaped jar. A thermocouple is inserted into the bell-shaped jar through the through-hole to detect the temperature inside the chamber. One end of the thermocouple is fixed through the through-hole, and the other end passes through the crystal boat chassis and protrudes from the chassis, and is fixed to the bottom of the chassis by a fixing component. When the thermocouple tilts, a gap will appear between the thermocouple, the through-hole, and the fixing component, allowing communication between the external environment and the internal environment of the bell-shaped jar. Gas leakage will affect the wafer processing effect. Furthermore, the relative movement of the fixing component with respect to the crystal boat chassis will cause wear on the crystal boat chassis, generating powder, which will affect the processing. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The first aspect of this application proposes a crystal boat chassis, comprising:

[0007] ontology;

[0008] A fixing member is connected to the side of the body facing the wafer, and the fixing member is an integral structure with the body. The fixing member is configured to fix a thermocouple.

[0009] A second aspect of this application proposes a crystal boat, comprising:

[0010] Multiple support frames, each of which is provided with at least one support portion, the support portion being configured to carry a wafer;

[0011] A crystal boat chassis, wherein the support frames are spaced apart on the crystal boat chassis, and the crystal boat chassis is any of the crystal boat chassis described above.

[0012] A third aspect of this application proposes a diffusion furnace, comprising:

[0013] A bell-shaped cover, wherein the bell-shaped cover is provided with a through hole;

[0014] A heating assembly includes a thermocouple, a temperature controller, and a heater. The thermocouple is configured to measure the temperature inside the bell-shaped jar. The heater is arranged around the bell-shaped jar. The heater and the thermocouple are electrically connected to the temperature controller, which is configured to receive signals from the thermocouple to control the start and stop of the heater.

[0015] A crystal boat, wherein the bell-shaped cover is fastened to the base of the crystal boat, and the thermocouple is inserted into the fixing member of the crystal boat through the through hole, wherein the crystal boat is the crystal boat in any of the above technical solutions. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

[0017] Figure 1 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the crystal boat according to an embodiment of this application;

[0018] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The enlarged structural diagram at point A is shown below;

[0019] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of the fixing hole shown;

[0020] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure supporting the wafer in a crystal boat.

[0021] Figure label:

[0022] 1. Crystal boat chassis; 11. Body; 12. Fixing component; 121. Fixing hole; 1211. First adjustment surface; 1212. Second adjustment surface;

[0023] 2. Support frame; 21. Support section;

[0024] 3. Thermocouple;

[0025] 4. Wafers;

[0026] 5. Bell-shaped cover. Detailed Implementation

[0027] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0028] It should be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “described” as used herein may also mean including the plural forms. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” and “having” are inclusive and therefore indicate the presence of the stated features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0029] Although terms such as first, second, third, etc., may be used in this document to describe multiple elements, components, regions, layers, and / or segments, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or segments should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be used only to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or segment from another. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms used herein do not imply order or sequence. Therefore, the first element, component, region, layer, or segment discussed below may be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer, or segment without departing from the teachings of the exemplary embodiments.

[0030] For ease of description, spatial relative terms may be used in the text to describe the relationship of one element or feature relative to another element or feature, as shown in the figure. These relative terms include, for example, "inside," "outside," "middle," "outer," "below," "below," "above," "over," etc. Such spatial relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation, other than those depicted in the figure. For example, if the device in the figure is flipped, an element described as "below other elements or features" or "below other elements or features" would subsequently be oriented as "above other elements or features" or "above other elements or features." Therefore, the example term "below" can include both upper and lower orientations. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or in other directions), and the spatial relative descriptors used in the text will be interpreted accordingly.

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, an embodiment of this application provides a crystal boat chassis, comprising:

[0032] Ontology 11;

[0033] The fastener 12 is connected to the side of the body 11 facing the wafer 4, and the fastener 12 and the body 11 are an integral structure. The fastener 12 is configured to fix the thermocouple 3.

[0034] According to the embodiment of this application, the crystal boat chassis 1 has a fixed member 12 and a body 11 as an integral structure. Even if the thermocouple 3 is tilted, the fixed member 12 will not move relative to the body 11, solving the problem of powder generation from wear of the body 11, avoiding the influence of powder on the processing technology, and improving the processing effect of the wafer 4. The integrated structure design also avoids the separation of the fixed member 12 from the body 11, increasing the reliability of the thermocouple 3 after fixation during processing, thereby improving the accuracy of temperature measurement. The fixed member 12 is set on the side of the body 11 facing the wafer 4. During the pre-process preparation, it is only necessary to mate the fixed member 12 with the thermocouple 3. After processing, the thermocouple 3 can be removed without disassembling the fixed member 12, simplifying the operation and reducing the workload of the staff.

[0035] In some embodiments of this application, the fixing member 12 can be a recessed structure on the body 11. The recessed structure is directly machined into the body 11 to form a recessed area. The recessed structure and the body 11 are integral and inseparable. The thermocouple 3 is inserted into the recessed area after passing through the bell-shaped cover 5 for fixation. The recessed structure can be machined simultaneously during the machining of the body 11, or it can be machined in a newly added machining step after the body 11 is machined. The fixing member 12 can also be a protruding structure on the body 11. This protruding structure has a hollow area and is integral and inseparable from the body 11. The thermocouple 3 is inserted into the hollow area of ​​the protruding structure after passing through the bell-shaped cover 5 for fixation. The protruding structure can be machined simultaneously during the machining of the body 11, or it can be machined in a newly added machining step after the body 11 is machined. The fixing component 12 may also include multiple fixing parts arranged in a ring according to a certain pattern. After the thermocouple 3 passes through the bell-shaped cover 5, it is inserted into the middle area of ​​the ring arrangement of the multiple fixing parts. Each fixing part contacts the thermocouple 3 at a single point, and the movement of the thermocouple 3 is restricted from multiple directions by the multiple fixing parts together. The multiple fixing parts may be processed simultaneously during the processing of the main body 11, or they may be processed in a newly added processing step after the main body 11 has been processed.

[0036] In some embodiments of this application, as described above, the fastener 12 has multiple configuration methods. In one embodiment, such as... Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the fixing member 12 is a protruding structure on the side of the body 11 facing the wafer 4. The protruding structure has a hollow area, that is, a fixing hole 121 is provided on the protruding structure. Thermocouple 3 is inserted into the fixing hole 121 after passing through the bell-shaped cover 5. One end of thermocouple 3 is fixed by the bell-shaped cover 5, and the other end of thermocouple 3 is fixed by the fixing hole 121. After both ends of thermocouple 3 are fixed, the frequency of thermocouple 3 tilting or shaking is reduced. With one end of thermocouple 3 inserted into the fixing hole 121, the inner wall of the fixing hole 121 makes surface-to-surface contact with thermocouple 3, improving the reliability of the fixation.

[0037] The fixing member 12 is eccentrically positioned relative to the center of the body 11, so that it will not interfere with the wafer 4 when fixing and removing the thermocouple 3.

[0038] In some embodiments of this application, the thermocouple 3 is considered as a cylindrical component, with its length being significantly greater than its width. When inserting the thermocouple 3 into the bell-shaped housing 5 for fixation, the larger length makes it difficult to insert one end of the thermocouple 3 into the fixing hole 121, requiring more time and resulting in wasted time. Therefore, auxiliary structures are needed to expedite the fixation of the thermocouple 3. For example... Figure 3As shown, the fixing hole 121 includes a first adjustment surface 1211 and a second adjustment surface 1212. The normal of the first adjustment surface 1211 forms an angle with the installation direction of the thermocouple 3, and the first adjustment surface 1211 is configured to adjust the direction of the thermocouple 3 to a preset range. The plane containing the installation direction of the thermocouple 3 is a vertical plane, and the normal of the first adjustment surface 1211 forms an angle with the installation direction of the thermocouple 3. The specific value of the angle is not limited here. The tilt angle of the thermocouple 3 is adjusted by the first adjustment surface 1211 until the thermocouple 3 is in contact with the first adjustment surface 1211, that is, the tilt angle of the thermocouple 3 is adjusted to a preset range, which is the tilt angle of the first adjustment surface 1211 relative to the installation direction. The first adjustment surface 1211, besides pre-adjusting the thermocouple 3, also reduces interference between the thermocouple 3 and the fixing member 12. When the fixing member 12 is not equipped with the first adjustment surface 1211, the upper and lower surfaces of the fixing member 12 are perpendicular to the second adjustment surface 1212, and the connection is relatively sharp. When the direction of the thermocouple 3 does not coincide with the installation direction, the thermocouple 3 will interfere with the sharp point, which will damage the surface of the thermocouple 3 and increase processing costs. Therefore, the first adjustment surface 1211 also reduces damage to the surface of the thermocouple 3 caused by the fixing member 12. Along the insertion direction of the thermocouple, the second adjustment surface 1212 is connected downstream of the first adjustment surface 1211 and is parallel to the installation direction. The second adjustment surface 1212 is configured to adjust the direction of the thermocouple 3 to coincide with the installation direction. After being adjusted by the first adjustment surface 1211, the thermocouple 3 is further adjusted by the second adjustment surface 1212 until the axial direction of the thermocouple 3 coincides with the installation direction. After adjustment by the first adjustment surface 1211 and the second adjustment surface 1212, the direction of thermocouple 3 coincides with the installation direction, indicating that thermocouple 3 has been fixed in place and the processing can begin.

[0039] In some embodiments of this application, the first adjustment surface 1211 can be a single, complete annular surface arranged along the axial direction of the fixing hole 121. This arrangement allows the first adjustment surface 1211 to adjust the orientation of the thermocouple 3 whenever it contacts any point on the thermocouple 3, thus speeding up the adjustment process. At least two first adjustment surfaces 1211 can also be provided. When there are at least two first adjustment surfaces 1211, they are arranged opposite to each other. When there are three or more second adjustment surfaces 1212, the three or more first adjustment surfaces 1211 are evenly spaced. In one embodiment, only one first adjustment surface 1211 is provided.

[0040] In some embodiments of this application, the shape of the fixing hole 121 can be circular, elliptical, or a regular polygon. When the fixing hole 121 is circular, its diameter is greater than or equal to the diameter of the thermocouple 3. The smaller the difference in diameter between the two, the better the thermocouple 3 can be fixed. When the fixing hole 121 is elliptical, the major axis of the ellipse is greater than its minor axis. A circle is drawn with the minor axis as its diameter and the intersection of the major and minor axes as its center. The diameter of this circle is greater than or equal to the diameter of the thermocouple 3. The smaller the difference in diameter between the two, the better the thermocouple 3 can be fixed. Other areas of the ellipse besides the circle mentioned above can also serve a pre-adjustment function. When the thermocouple 3 first contacts the major axis, it is first adjusted to a certain angle range. As the operator adjusts the thermocouple 3, the two vertices intersecting the minor axis may come into contact. Then, the thermocouple 3 is adjusted to a smaller angle range, and finally, the axial direction of the thermocouple 3 is aligned with the installation direction through the second adjustment surface 1212. When the fixing hole 121 is a regular polygon, the regular polygon corresponds to an inscribed circle. The diameter of the inscribed circle is greater than or equal to the diameter of the thermocouple 3. The smaller the difference in diameter between the two, the more beneficial it is to fixing the thermocouple 3. In one embodiment, such as... Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the fixing hole 121 is circular in shape.

[0041] In some embodiments of this application, the fixing hole 121 can also be a stepped hole, which can match thermocouples 3 of different models and sizes.

[0042] In some embodiments of this application, after one end of the thermocouple 3 is inserted into the fixing hole 121, it will be partially covered by the protrusion structure forming the fixing hole 121, which may affect the temperature value measured by the thermocouple 3, resulting in a temperature value that is too low or too high. Therefore, a hollow structure can be provided on the protrusion structure of the fixing member 12 to maximize the contact area between the measuring part of the thermocouple 3 and the object to be measured, so as to improve the accuracy of the measurement results and thus improve the processing effect of the wafer 4.

[0043] like Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, embodiments of this application also provide a crystal boat, comprising:

[0044] Multiple support frames 2, each support frame 2 is provided with at least one support part 21, the support part 21 is configured to carry the wafer 4;

[0045] The crystal boat chassis has support frames 2 spaced apart on it, and the crystal boat chassis is any of the crystal boat chassis described above.

[0046] According to the embodiments of this application, the crystal boat and the crystal boat chassis 1 have the same advantages, which will not be repeated here. The crystal boat chassis is made of quartz material.

[0047] Embodiments of this application also provide a diffusion furnace, comprising:

[0048] Bell-shaped cover 5, with through holes provided on bell-shaped cover 5;

[0049] The heating assembly includes a thermocouple 3, a temperature controller, and a heater. The thermocouple 3 is configured to measure the temperature inside the bell-shaped jar 5. The heater is arranged around the bell-shaped jar 5. The heater and the thermocouple 3 are electrically connected to the temperature controller, which is configured to receive signals from the thermocouple 3 to control the heater to start and stop.

[0050] The crystal boat, with a bell-shaped cover 5 fastened to the crystal boat base 1, has a thermocouple 3 inserted through a through hole into the fixing member 12 of the crystal boat. This crystal boat is the crystal boat described in the above embodiment.

[0051] The diffusion furnace according to the embodiments of this application has the same advantages as the crystal boat, which will not be repeated here.

[0052] In some embodiments of this application, the number of heaters may be one, two or more, arranged sequentially along the axial direction of the bell-shaped shroud 5.

[0053] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A crystal boat chassis, characterized in that, include: ontology; A fixing member is connected to the side of the body facing the wafer, and the fixing member is an integral structure with the body. The fixing member is configured to fix a thermocouple. The fixing member is a protruding structure located on the side of the body facing the wafer, and the protruding structure is provided with fixing holes, which are configured to fix the thermocouple. The fixing hole includes: A first adjustment surface, wherein the normal of the first adjustment surface forms an angle with the installation direction of the thermocouple, and the first adjustment surface is configured to adjust the direction of the thermocouple to a preset range; A second adjustment surface is connected to the first adjustment surface. The second adjustment surface is parallel to the installation direction and is configured to adjust the direction of the thermocouple to coincide with the installation direction.

2. The crystal boat chassis according to claim 1, characterized in that, There is one first adjustment surface, which is arranged circumferentially along the fixing hole.

3. The crystal boat chassis according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first adjustment surface is at least two, and the at least two first adjustment surfaces are arranged at circumferential intervals along the second adjustment surface.

4. The crystal boat chassis according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fixing hole can be any geometric shape that matches the thermocouple.

5. The crystal boat chassis according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fixing hole is a stepped hole.

6. The crystal boat chassis according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fastener has a hollow structure.

7. A crystal boat, characterized in that, include: Multiple support frames, each of which is provided with at least one support portion, the support portion being configured to carry a wafer; A crystal boat chassis, wherein the support frame is spaced apart on the crystal boat chassis, and the crystal boat chassis is the crystal boat chassis according to any one of claims 1-6.

8. A diffusion furnace, characterized in that, include: A bell-shaped cover, wherein the bell-shaped cover is provided with a through hole; A heating assembly includes a thermocouple, a temperature controller, and a heater. The thermocouple is configured to measure the temperature inside the bell-shaped jar. The heater is arranged around the bell-shaped jar. The heater and the thermocouple are electrically connected to the temperature controller, which is configured to receive signals from the thermocouple to control the start and stop of the heater. A crystal boat, wherein the bell-shaped cover is fastened to the base of the crystal boat, and the thermocouple is inserted into the fixing member of the crystal boat through the through hole, the crystal boat being the crystal boat according to claim 7.

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