An apparatus front end module for moving a wafer

Abstract

The application discloses an equipment front end module (EFEM) for moving a wafer, and the EFEM is provided with an anti-vortex disc in an internal cavity of the EFEM, wherein a plurality of anti-vortex channels are arranged on the anti-vortex disc. The EFEM for moving the wafer disclosed by the application solves the problem that the wafer movement in the prior art has a high probability of causing vortex phenomenon, and can reduce the probability of the vortex phenomenon and effectively improve the yield of the wafer in the wafer transportation process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and more particularly to a device front-end module (EFEM) for moving wafers. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of semiconductor equipment, semiconductor technology has advanced at a rapid pace. In semiconductor manufacturing, the front-opening unified pod (FOUP) is used to store and transport wafers, providing safety during transport and storage. It reduces wafer dust contamination and loss caused by different process steps, thereby improving yield and increasing production volume. It also prevents wafers from being damaged by electrostatic discharge and is designed to securely and reliably hold silicon wafers in a controlled environment, allowing wafers to be transferred between machines for processing or measurement.

[0003] However, in the process of implementing the inventive technical solution in the embodiments of this application, the inventors of this application discovered that the above-mentioned technology has at least the following technical problems:

[0004] In the prior art, when moving a wafer from the FOUP to the process cavity, it is necessary to use an Equipment Front End Module (EFEM) to move the wafer from the FOUP to the process cavity. At this time, when moving the wafer from inside the FOUP to the EFEM, and when moving the wafer from inside the EFEM to the process cavity through a pre-vacuum lock, the movement of the wafer will cause eddy currents. These eddy currents will cause external particles to float around. When these particles float onto the wafer, they will cause defects due to the particles, thus reducing the yield of the wafer during transportation. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a device front-end module (EFEM) for moving wafers, which solves the problem of high probability of eddy current phenomenon caused by wafer movement in the prior art. It can reduce the probability of eddy current phenomenon and effectively improve the wafer yield during wafer transportation.

[0006] On the one hand, this application provides the following technical solution through one embodiment:

[0007] This invention discloses a device front-end module (EFEM) for moving wafers, comprising:

[0008] An anti-eddy current disk is provided in the internal cavity of the EFEM, wherein the anti-eddy current disk is provided with multiple anti-eddy current channels.

[0009] Optionally, the EFEM is provided with a locking port that communicates with the pre-vacuum lock, and the anti-eddy current disc is disposed above the locking port.

[0010] Optionally, the cross-section of the anti-vortex channel is circular or elliptical.

[0011] Optionally, the anti-vortex channel consists of a semi-blocked structure and a semi-open structure.

[0012] Optionally, the upper opening of the upper part of the semi-open structure is smaller than the lower opening of the lower part of the semi-open structure.

[0013] Optionally, the anti-eddy current channel further includes a baffle plate disposed between the semi-blocked structure and the semi-open structure.

[0014] Optionally, the abutment plate has an arc-shaped structure.

[0015] Optionally, the anti-vortex channel has a hollow structure.

[0016] Optionally, the hollow structure has a shape that is narrower at the top and wider at the bottom.

[0017] Optionally, the anti-eddy current disc is made of nickel or stainless steel.

[0018] One or more technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0019] Because an anti-eddy current disk is installed in the internal cavity of the EFEM, and the anti-eddy current disk has multiple anti-eddy current channels, the gas flow in the internal cavity of the EFEM is blocked by the anti-eddy current disk. Moreover, the gas flows along the anti-eddy current channels, further reducing the probability of eddy current phenomena occurring in the internal cavity of the EFEM. With the probability of eddy current phenomena occurring in the internal cavity of the EFEM reduced, the probability of particles covering the wafer due to eddy current phenomena is also reduced, thereby effectively improving the wafer yield during wafer transportation. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between EFEM and pre-vacuum lock in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the anti-eddy current disc in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the anti-eddy current channel in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that these descriptions are exemplary only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Furthermore, descriptions of well-known structures and technologies are omitted in the following description to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the concepts of the present disclosure.

[0025] The accompanying drawings illustrate various structural schematics according to embodiments of the present disclosure. These drawings are not to scale, and some details have been enlarged for clarity, and some details may have been omitted. The shapes of the various regions and layers shown in the drawings, as well as their relative sizes and positional relationships, are merely exemplary and may deviate from reality due to manufacturing tolerances or technical limitations. Furthermore, those skilled in the art can design regions / layers with different shapes, sizes, and relative positions as needed.

[0026] In the context of this disclosure, when a layer / element is referred to as being "above" another layer / element, the layer / element may be directly above the other layer / element, or there may be an intermediate layer / element between them. Additionally, if a layer / element is "above" another layer / element in one orientation, then when the orientation is reversed, the layer / element may be "below" the other layer / element.

[0027] Example 1

[0028] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in the figure, Embodiment 1 of this specification discloses a device front-end module EFEM for moving wafers, including: an anti-eddy current disk 20 disposed in the internal cavity 101 of EFEM10, wherein the anti-eddy current disk 20 is provided with a plurality of anti-eddy current channels 201.

[0029] Because the anti-eddy current disc 20 is set in the internal cavity 101 of the EFEM10, the flow of gas in the internal cavity 101 of the EFEM10 is blocked by the anti-eddy current disc 20, reducing the probability of eddy currents. Moreover, the gas flows along the direction of the anti-eddy current channel 201 through multiple anti-eddy current channels 201, that is, the gas flows from top to bottom, further reducing the probability of eddy currents in the internal cavity 101 of the EFEM10. With the reduced probability of eddy currents in the internal cavity 101 of the EFEM10, the probability of particles 30 covering the wafer 31 due to eddy currents is also reduced, thereby effectively improving the wafer yield during wafer transportation.

[0030] Specifically, when eddy currents occur, particles 30 flow randomly within the internal cavity 101, making them more likely to adhere to the wafer 31 and thus reducing wafer yield during transport. Conversely, when the probability of eddy currents in the internal cavity 101 decreases, particles 30 move with the downward-moving gas and are discharged through the exhaust port 102 located at the bottom of the EFEM 10, shortening the average activity time of particles 30 within the internal cavity 101. This effectively reduces the average activity time of particles 30 within the internal cavity 101, thereby decreasing the probability of particles 30 adhering to the wafer 31 during transport and ultimately improving wafer yield.

[0031] In this embodiment of the specification, the EFEM10 is provided with a locking port that communicates with the pre-vacuum lock 40, and the anti-eddy current disc 20 is disposed on the upper part of the locking port. Thus, when the pre-vacuum lock 40 communicates with the locking port of the EFEM10, it will drive the gas flow in the internal cavity 101. The anti-eddy current disc 20 is disposed on the upper part of the locking port, so that the upward gas will be blocked by the anti-eddy current disc 20 and flow downward, reducing the probability of the gas flowing in multiple directions in the internal cavity 101, thereby further reducing the probability of eddy current phenomenon in the internal cavity 101.

[0032] In the embodiments described in this specification, such as Figure 1 As shown, multiple anti-vortex channels 201 can protrude below the anti-vortex disc 20, so that the protruding parts of the multiple anti-vortex channels 201 can block the upward flow of gas, so that most of the blocked gas flows downward.

[0033] In the embodiments described in this specification, such as Figure 2As shown, the anti-eddy current disk 20 is provided with a plurality of anti-eddy current channels 201. The number of the plurality of anti-eddy current channels 201 is not less than 2. For example, the plurality of anti-eddy current channels 201 can be any number between 2 and 1000. Of course, the number of the plurality of anti-eddy current channels 201 can also be greater than 1000. This specification does not impose specific limitations.

[0034] Specifically, multiple anti-eddy current channels 201 can be evenly distributed on the anti-eddy current disk 20, or multiple anti-eddy current channels 201 can be randomly distributed on the anti-eddy current disk 20, or distributed on the anti-eddy current disk 20 in other ways. This specification does not impose specific restrictions.

[0035] In the embodiments described in this specification, such as Figure 2 As shown, the cross-section of the anti-vortex channel 201 is circular or elliptical.

[0036] In the embodiments described in this specification, such as Figure 3 As shown, the anti-vortex channel 201 consists of a semi-blocking structure 2011 and a semi-open structure 2012. The upper opening of the upper part of the semi-open structure 2012 is smaller than the lower opening of the lower part of the semi-open structure 2012. Thus, when the gas flows upward through the semi-open structure 2012, the upper opening is smaller than the lower opening, which will cause the semi-open structure 2012 to block the upward flow of the gas, so that most of the blocked gas flows downward. This further reduces the probability of gas turbulence in the internal cavity 101 and further reduces the probability of vortex phenomena in the internal cavity 101.

[0037] Specifically, such as Figure 3 As shown, the anti-vortex channel 201 also includes a baffle plate 2013. The baffle plate 2013 is positioned between the semi-blocked structure 2011 and the semi-open structure 2012, and the baffle plate 2013 can also be arc-shaped. Because the baffle plate 2013 is arc-shaped, the gas flows upward and comes into contact with the baffle plate 2013. The arc-shaped structure of the baffle plate 2013 can block the gas, making it more likely that the upward-flowing gas will change its flow direction from upward to downward due to the obstruction of the arc-shaped structure.

[0038] In another embodiment of this specification, the anti-vortex channel 201 has a hollow structure, and the hollow structure is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. When the gas flows from bottom to top through the hollow structure, some of the gas will be blocked by the inner wall of the hollow structure of the anti-vortex channel 201 and flow downward. At this time, it can also ensure that most of the gas in the internal cavity 101 flows from top to bottom, reducing the probability of gas turbulence in the internal cavity 101, and thus reducing the probability of vortex phenomena in the internal cavity 101.

[0039] Of course, in order to further reduce the probability of vortex phenomena in the internal cavity 101, the hollow structure can be set as a curved structure, so that when the gas from bottom to top passes through the curved structure, most of the gas from bottom to top will be blocked by the curved structure and flow downward.

[0040] In the embodiments described in this specification, the anti-eddy current disc 20 may be made of nickel or stainless steel.

[0041] The technical solutions described in the embodiments of this application have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0042] In the embodiments described in this specification, an anti-eddy current disk is provided in the internal cavity of the EFEM. This anti-eddy current disk has multiple anti-eddy current channels. By placing the anti-eddy current disk in the internal cavity of the EFEM, the flow of gas within the EFEM is blocked by the anti-eddy current disk. Furthermore, the multiple anti-eddy current channels allow the gas to flow along the anti-eddy current channels, further reducing the probability of eddy currents occurring within the internal cavity of the EFEM. With the reduced probability of eddy currents within the internal cavity of the EFEM, the probability of particles covering the wafer due to eddy currents also decreases. This effectively improves the wafer yield during wafer transport.

[0043] The above description does not provide detailed explanations of the technical aspects of each layer's patterning, etching, etc. However, those skilled in the art should understand that various technical means can be used to form layers and regions of the desired shape. Furthermore, to form the same structure, those skilled in the art can also design methods that are not entirely identical to those described above. Additionally, although various embodiments have been described above, this does not mean that the measures in the various embodiments cannot be used advantageously in combination.

[0044] Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including both the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the invention.

[0045] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this invention without departing from its spirit and scope. Therefore, if these modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this invention and their equivalents, this invention also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A device front-end module (EFEM) for moving wafers, characterized in that, include: An anti-eddy current disk is provided in the internal cavity of the EFEM, wherein the anti-eddy current disk is provided with multiple anti-eddy current channels; The EFEM is provided with a lock port that communicates with the pre-vacuum lock, and the anti-eddy current disc is disposed on the upper part of the lock port; The anti-vortex channel consists of a semi-blocked structure and a semi-open structure; the upper opening of the upper part of the semi-open structure is smaller than the lower opening of the lower part of the semi-open structure, which is used to guide the airflow from top to bottom to reduce vortices.

2. The EFEM as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cross-section of the anti-vortex channel is circular or elliptical.

3. The EFEM as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The anti-eddy current channel also includes a baffle plate, which is positioned between the semi-blocked structure and the semi-open structure.

4. The EFEM as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The abutment plate has an arc-shaped structure.

5. The EFEM as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The anti-vortex channel has a hollow structure.

6. The EFEM as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The hollow structure is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom.

7. The EFEM as described in any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The anti-eddy current disc is made of nickel or stainless steel.

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