Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and method for removing particles from a wafer surface

Abstract

The application discloses a semiconductor manufacturing equipment and a method for removing particles on a wafer surface, and the semiconductor manufacturing equipment comprises a reaction chamber, a carrier and a shower head assembly, the carrier is arranged in the reaction chamber and is used for carrying a wafer, the shower head assembly is also arranged in the reaction chamber and is arranged above the carrier, the shower head assembly comprises a first shower head and a second shower head, the second shower head is arranged at the periphery of the first shower head, the first shower head is used for spraying a reaction gas, and the second shower head is used for purging the wafer during unloading of the wafer. In the semiconductor manufacturing equipment disclosed by the application, the second shower head purges the surface of the wafer during unloading of the wafer, so that the contaminant particles can be reduced or removed, the product yield is prevented from being affected by the contaminant particles, and cross contamination of the equipment caused by the contaminant particles is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and in particular to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a method for removing particles from the surface of a wafer. Background Technology

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

[0003] In existing semiconductor processes, wafers need to go through multiple process steps, and they will inevitably be contaminated. For example, during semiconductor deposition and etching processes, process gases will form particles on the surface of the wafer, which is called particulate contamination, affecting the wafer yield. Moreover, when the wafer is moved and transferred, the particulate contamination attached to the wafer may also cause cross-contamination of the equipment, causing contamination to the equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] A first aspect of the present invention provides a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising:

[0005] Reaction chamber;

[0006] A stage, disposed in the reaction chamber, is used to support a wafer;

[0007] A nozzle assembly is disposed in the reaction chamber and above the stage. The nozzle assembly includes a first nozzle and a second nozzle, with the second nozzle surrounding the first nozzle. The first nozzle is used to spray reaction gas, and the second nozzle is used to purge the wafer during wafer unloading.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention provides a method for removing particles from the surface of a wafer, the method being implemented using the semiconductor manufacturing equipment described above, comprising: during wafer unloading, activating a second nozzle of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment to purge the wafer. Attached Figure Description

[0009] 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 invention. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

[0010] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment of the present invention under a first operating condition is shown.

[0011] Figure 2A schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment of the present invention under a second operating condition is shown.

[0012] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment of the present invention in a third operating condition is shown.

[0013] The attached figures are labeled as follows:

[0014] 10. Platform;

[0015] 20. Wafers;

[0016] 30. Nozzle assembly; 31. First nozzle; 32. Second nozzle;

[0017] 40. Electrostatic chuck;

[0018] 50. Vent hole;

[0019] 60. Pollutant particles. Detailed Implementation

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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 include 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. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not construed as requiring them to be performed in a particular order described or illustrated unless the order of performance is explicitly indicated. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be used.

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is provided. (See also...) Figures 1 to 3 The semiconductor manufacturing equipment includes a reaction chamber (not shown), a stage 10, and a nozzle assembly 30. The stage 10 is disposed in the reaction chamber and is used to support the wafer 20. The nozzle assembly 30 is also disposed in the reaction chamber and is positioned above the stage 10. The nozzle assembly 30 includes a first nozzle 31 and a second nozzle 32. The second nozzle 32 is arranged around the first nozzle 31. The first nozzle 31 is used to spray reaction gas, and the second nozzle 32 is used to purge the wafer 20 during the unloading process.

[0025] The semiconductor manufacturing equipment proposed in this embodiment of the invention uses a second nozzle 32 arranged around a first nozzle 31 for spraying reactive gases. The second nozzle 32 is used to blow away contaminant particles 60 formed on the surface of the wafer 20. Since process gases used in semiconductor manufacturing processes such as deposition and etching can form contaminant particles 60 on the surface of the wafer 20, the second nozzle 32 in this embodiment blows away the surface of the wafer 20 during the unloading process, thereby reducing or removing contaminant particles 60, avoiding the impact of contaminant particles 60 on product yield, and avoiding cross-contamination of the equipment by contaminant particles 60.

[0026] Specifically, such as Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the semiconductor manufacturing equipment proposed in this embodiment includes a stage 10, which is used to place a wafer 20 and fix the wafer 20. For example, an adsorption device (not shown in the figure) may be provided on the stage 10. The adsorption device adsorbs the wafer 20 onto the stage 10, thereby maintaining the stability of the wafer 20 during the process.

[0027] Based on this, in this embodiment, the nozzle assembly 30 is located above the stage 10, and both the nozzle assembly 30 and the stage 10 are disposed within the reaction chamber. In this embodiment, the reaction chamber is configured as a vacuum chamber. Please continue reading. Figures 1 to 3 The first nozzle 31 is used to spray reactive gases. For example, when the semiconductor manufacturing equipment proposed in this embodiment is in the deposition process, the first nozzle 31 is used to spray reactive gases used in the deposition process; when the semiconductor manufacturing equipment is in the etching process, the first nozzle 31 is used to spray reactive gases used in the etching process.

[0028] Exemplarily, the chemical vapor deposition process in the semiconductor manufacturing equipment proposed in this embodiment is used as an example for description. It can be understood that chemical vapor deposition is a widely used process in semiconductor manufacturing to deposit a variety of materials. Specifically, it can be used to deposit a wide range of insulating materials, most metal materials, and metal alloy materials. Therefore, in this embodiment, the first nozzle 31 can be used to spray the gaseous raw materials required for chemical deposition. During chemical vapor deposition, two or more gaseous raw materials are sprayed into the reaction chamber through the first nozzle 31. The gases react chemically to form a new material and deposit it on the surface of the wafer 20. That is, the first nozzle 31 is used to spray one or more gases. This embodiment does not specifically limit this and can be set according to the actual process conditions.

[0029] For example, the reaction gas can be silane. In semiconductor processes, silane can be deposited via vapor deposition to form silicon dioxide thin films, silicon nitride thin films, polycrystalline silicon isolation layers, and epitaxial layers. When using silane as the reaction gas, a gas supply device storing silane can be connected to the first nozzle 31, thereby allowing silane to be injected from the first nozzle 31 into the reaction chamber.

[0030] In this embodiment, the first nozzle 31 is located directly above the stage 10. For details, please refer to the following document. Figure 1 The first nozzle 31 may also be equipped with a gas splitting device, which is used to ensure that the reaction gas is uniformly sprayed onto the wafer 20, for example, in a deposition process, to ensure the uniformity of thin film deposition. Exemplarily, the gas splitting device can be configured as a plug installed inside the first nozzle 31, with multiple through holes arranged in a uniform array, thereby ensuring that the reaction gas ejected through the multiple through holes is more uniform.

[0031] Based on the above embodiments, the semiconductor manufacturing equipment also includes an electrostatic chuck 40, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the electrostatic chuck 40 is arranged around the periphery of the first nozzle 31 and connected to the outer wall of the first nozzle 31. Specifically, the electrostatic chuck 40 can be clamped around the periphery of the first nozzle 31 to provide support for the first nozzle 31. The electrostatic chuck 40 is specifically configured as an insulator to prevent electrostatic breakdown during the process.

[0032] In some embodiments of the present invention, the electrostatic chuck 40 is configured as a ceramic chuck, which has good insulation properties. Based on this, since the electrostatic chuck 40 is attached to the periphery of the first nozzle 31, the second nozzle 32 in this embodiment can be connected to the electrostatic chuck 40 or formed on the electrostatic chuck 40, thereby facilitating the purging of the wafer 20.

[0033] In some embodiments of the present invention, the second nozzle 32 is formed on the electrostatic chuck 40. Setting the second nozzle 32 on the electrostatic chuck 40 not only saves space in the reaction chamber, but also makes the electrostatic chuck 40 close to the first nozzle 31, which facilitates timely purging of the wafer 20 located below the first nozzle 31 and improves the convenience of purging.

[0034] like Figures 1 to 3As shown, the second nozzle 32 is configured as a through hole integrally formed in the electrostatic chuck 40. Based on the above embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the first nozzle 31 is circular, and correspondingly, the cross-sectional shape of the ceramic chuck surrounding the first nozzle 31 is annular. The cross-sectional shape of the second nozzle 32 formed on the ceramic chuck is also annular. Thus, when the wafer 20 is unloaded and removed, no matter which direction the wafer 20 moves out, the second nozzle 32 can blow off the contaminant particles 60 formed on the surface of the wafer 20 by spraying gas.

[0035] In some embodiments of the present invention, a flow divider is provided inside the second nozzle 32. The flow divider is used to uniformly spray the gas ejected from the second nozzle 32 onto the wafer 20. For example, the flow divider can be configured as a plug installed inside the second nozzle 32. The plug has a plurality of vent holes 50 arranged vertically. The plurality of vent holes 50 are evenly arrayed, so that the gas ejected through the plurality of vent holes 50 can be more uniform, thereby improving the cleaning effect on the contaminant particles 60 on the surface of the wafer 20.

[0036] Based on the above embodiments, the reaction chamber is set to a vacuum environment. In some embodiments of the present invention, the semiconductor manufacturing equipment includes a vacuum pump, which is connected to the reaction chamber to evacuate the reaction chamber. The vacuum pump can be connected to the bottom of the reaction chamber or to the side of the reaction chamber.

[0037] Preferably, in this embodiment, the vacuum pump is connected to the bottom of the reaction chamber. Thus, when the vacuum pump extracts gas, the gas in the reaction chamber flows towards the bottom. On this basis, the gas flow direction of the gas ejected by the second nozzle 32 is perpendicular to the top surface of the wafer 20. That is to say, the flow direction of the gas ejected by the second nozzle 32 is the same as the flow direction of the gas during vacuuming. This creates a pressure difference near the wafer 20. As the wafer 20 moves outward from its initial position, a pressure difference is formed on one side of the wafer 20, causing the contaminant particles 60 on the surface of the wafer 20 to be blown into the reaction chamber.

[0038] Based on the above embodiments, the gas ejected by the second nozzle 32 for purging the wafer 20 is an inert gas. Specifically, in this embodiment, the inert gas can be one or more of nitrogen, argon, and helium. In some embodiments of the present invention, the semiconductor manufacturing equipment further includes a gas storage device (not shown in the figure). The gas storage device is used to store the gas used for purging the wafer 20. Understandably, the gas storage device is connected to the second nozzle 32. When the second nozzle 32 is turned on, the inert gas in the gas storage device flows toward the second nozzle 32.

[0039] In some embodiments of the present invention, the gas stored in the gas storage device includes one of nitrogen, argon, and helium, or may store multiple gases. The multiple gases may be stored separately. When the wafer 20 needs to be purged, the gas delivered to the second nozzle 32 may be selected according to the actual situation, and one or more of the gases may be selected.

[0040] The second aspect of the present invention provides a method for removing particles from the surface of a wafer. The method for removing particles from the surface of a wafer is implemented using the semiconductor manufacturing equipment proposed in the first aspect above. The method for removing particles from the surface of a wafer 20 proposed in this embodiment includes opening the second nozzle 32 of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment to blow the wafer 20 when unloading the wafer 20.

[0041] Please see Figures 1 to 3 , Figure 1 In the semiconductor manufacturing equipment, during the deposition or etching process, the first nozzle 31 sprays reactive gas toward the wafer 20; Figure 2 After the process is completed, the surface of wafer 20 is contaminated with particles 60 due to gas fumes; Figure 3 During the unloading process of wafer 20, the second nozzle 32 is turned on and sprays gas toward wafer 20 to blow away contaminant particles 60 on the surface of wafer 20.

[0042] Specifically, the gas sprayed by the second nozzle 32 is an inert gas, such as one or more of nitrogen, argon, and helium. The direction of gas flow is perpendicular to the surface of the wafer 20, which can create a pressure difference on one side of the wafer 20, causing the contaminant particles 60 on the wafer 20 to be blown off, thus ensuring the purging effect.

[0043] The method for removing particles from the surface of wafer 20 proposed in this embodiment is implemented using the semiconductor manufacturing equipment described in the above embodiment. By setting a second nozzle 32 around the first nozzle 31, the second nozzle 32 is activated to perform purging during the unloading process of wafer 20. No additional cleaning steps are required, which improves the convenience of operation and also increases the purging speed. Furthermore, the vertical purging method avoids affecting wafer 20.

[0044] 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.

[0045] The embodiments of this disclosure have been described above. However, these embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. The scope of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. Various substitutions and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of this disclosure, and all such substitutions and modifications should fall within the scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that, include: Reaction chamber; A stage, disposed in the reaction chamber, is used to support a wafer; A nozzle assembly is disposed in the reaction chamber and above the stage. The nozzle assembly includes a first nozzle and a second nozzle, with the second nozzle surrounding the first nozzle. The first nozzle is used to spray reaction gas, and the second nozzle is used to purge the wafer during wafer unloading. A flow divider is disposed inside the second nozzle, which is a plug disposed inside the second nozzle, and the plug has a plurality of vent holes arranged in an array along the vertical direction. A vacuum pump is connected to the bottom of the reaction chamber to evacuate the reaction chamber. The gas flow direction of the second nozzle is perpendicular to the top surface of the wafer and is consistent with the gas flow direction during evacuation. During the wafer unloading process, a pressure difference is formed, causing contaminant particles on the wafer surface to be blown into the reaction chamber. A gas storage device, which is connected to the second nozzle, wherein the gas stored in the gas storage device includes one or more of nitrogen, argon, and helium.

2. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The semiconductor manufacturing equipment also includes an electrostatic chuck connected to the outer wall of the first nozzle.

3. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second nozzle is formed on the electrostatic chuck.

4. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The electrostatic chuck is a ceramic chuck.

5. A method for removing particles from the surface of a wafer, carried out using a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, include: When unloading the wafer, the second nozzle of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment is turned on to purge the wafer, and the vacuum pump of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment is turned on to evacuate the reaction chamber.

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