A wafer boat and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The present invention discloses a wafer boat and semiconductor process equipment. The disclosed wafer boat includes a top plate, a bottom plate, and multiple groups of supporting columns. Each group of supporting columns includes at least one supporting column for supporting wafers. The supporting column is detachably connected to the top plate and the bottom plate. When the two ends of one group of supporting columns are connected to the corresponding top plate and the bottom plate, the top plate, the bottom plate, and the supporting columns form a storage space for accommodating wafers. The supporting columns of the other groups are separated from the top plate and the bottom plate. The above solution can solve the problem in the related art that different process conditions require different wafer boats, resulting in a large number of wafer boats and a large amount of space occupied.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor process equipment, and in particular to a wafer boat and semiconductor process equipment. Background Art

[0002] The wafer boat is a device that directly contacts the wafer during the processing of the semiconductor process equipment. It is a key component of the semiconductor process equipment and directly affects the quality of the wafer process.

[0003] As a device for carrying wafers, the wafer boat has different requirements for the material of the wafer boat, the number of wafer boat columns, and the height of the wafer boat tooth grooves under different process conditions. For example, when the process environment is high temperature or low temperature, there are different requirements for the material of the wafer boat, the height and length of the wafer boat tooth grooves. In the related art, each wafer boat can only be used for a single process condition. In order to adapt to different process conditions, it is necessary to prepare multiple groups of wafer boats according to different process conditions. For example, it is necessary to prepare wafer boats of different materials to suit different environments, or to prepare wafer boats with different tooth groove heights, etc. Since there are many types of processes in semiconductor process equipment, there are also many types of supporting wafer boats, which will lead to the problem that there are too many components of semiconductor process equipment and they take up too much space. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention discloses a wafer boat and semiconductor process equipment, which solves the problem in the related art that different process conditions require different wafer boats, resulting in a large number of wafer boats and a large occupied space.

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention is achieved as follows:

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application discloses a wafer boat, comprising a top plate, a bottom plate, and a plurality of groups of supporting columns, each group of supporting columns comprising at least one supporting column, the supporting column being used to support wafers, and the supporting column being used to be detachably connected to the top plate and the bottom plate;

[0007] When the two ends of the supporting columns of one group of the multiple groups of supporting columns are connected to the corresponding top plate and the bottom plate, the top plate, the bottom plate and the supporting columns form a accommodating space for accommodating wafers, and the supporting columns of the other groups are separated from the top plate and the bottom plate.

[0008] In a second aspect, the present application further discloses a semiconductor process equipment, comprising a process chamber, a preparation chamber, and the wafer boat described in the first aspect for transferring wafers between the process chamber and the preparation chamber.

[0009] The technical solution adopted by the present invention can achieve the following technical effects:

[0010] The embodiment of the present application sets the crystal boat as a structure including a top plate, a bottom plate and multiple groups of supporting columns, and the supporting columns are detachably connected to the top plate and the bottom plate. When the supporting columns are damaged or the process conditions are changed, it is only necessary to remove the supporting columns connected to the top plate and the bottom plate, and connect the other groups of supporting columns that need to be replaced to the top plate and the bottom plate. There is no need to replace the entire crystal boat, and there is no need to prepare too many crystal boats. Only the required supporting columns need to be prepared, which improves the utilization rate of the crystal boat to a certain extent and saves stacking space to a certain extent, thereby solving the problem of large space occupied due to the large number of crystal boats in the related art. Moreover, when the supporting columns are damaged, only the supporting columns need to be replaced, and there is no need to replace the entire crystal boat, which can reduce costs compared to replacing the entire crystal boat. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a first wafer boat in a first state disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0012] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the first wafer boat disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention in a second state;

[0013] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the connection between the top plate, bottom plate and auxiliary support columns disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Schematic diagram from another perspective;

[0015] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of middle A;

[0016] Figure 6 This is a schematic structural diagram of the first type of supporting column disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 7 for Figure 6 Enlarged view of middle B;

[0018] Figure 8 for Figure 6 A partial enlarged view of

[0019] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the first type of load-bearing column from a first viewing angle;

[0020] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the second crystal boat in the first state;

[0021] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the structure of the second type of bearing column;

[0022] Figure 12 for Figure 11 A partial enlarged view of C in the middle.

[0023] Description of reference numerals:

[0024] 100-top plate,

[0025] 200-base plate,

[0026] 300-carrying column, 310-guide protrusion, 320-wafer support part,

[0027] 400-installation position, 410-first installation position, 420-second installation position, 430-third installation position, 440-fourth installation position, 450-fifth installation position,

[0028] 500- auxiliary support column, 510- guide groove,

[0029] 600-bolts. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with specific embodiments of the present invention and corresponding drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] The technical solutions disclosed in various embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] Please refer to Figures 1 to 12 The present invention discloses a wafer boat, which includes a top plate 100, a bottom plate 200, and multiple groups of supporting columns 300. Each group of supporting columns 300 includes at least one supporting column 300, which is used to support wafers. The supporting columns 300 may have grooves or protrusions, and the supporting columns 300 can support wafers through the grooves or protrusions.

[0033] The supporting column 300 is used to be detachably connected to the top plate 100 and the bottom plate 200. Specifically, the first end of the supporting column 300 can be used to be detachably connected to the top plate 100, and the second end of the supporting column 300 can be used to be detachably connected to the bottom plate 200, and the first end of the supporting column 300 and the second end of the supporting column 300 are opposite to each other. The first end of the supporting column 300 and the second end of the supporting column 300 can be detachably connected to the corresponding top plate 100 or bottom plate 200 by means of bolts 600, or can be detachably connected by means of snaps or the like. Of course, the first end of the supporting column 300 can also be used to be detachably connected to the bottom plate 200, and the second end of the supporting column 300 can be used to be detachably connected to the top plate 100, and no specific limitation is made here.

[0034] When the two ends of one group of supporting columns 300 are connected to the corresponding top plate 100 and bottom plate 200, the top plate 100, bottom plate 200, and supporting columns 300 form a storage space for accommodating wafers. The other groups of supporting columns 300 are separated from the top plate 100 and bottom plate 200. When the two ends of one group of supporting columns 300 are connected to the corresponding top plate 100 and bottom plate 200, the top plate 100, bottom plate 200, and supporting columns 300 form a storage space for accommodating wafers. When wafers are loaded onto the wafer boat, the wafers are accommodated in the storage space and supported on the supporting columns 300.

[0035] Specifically, each group of supporting pillars 300 in the plurality of groups of supporting pillars 300 can be entirely identical, so that if one group of supporting pillars 300 is damaged, another group of supporting pillars 300 can be replaced. Some groups of supporting pillars 300 in the plurality of groups of supporting pillars 300 can be different from other groups of supporting pillars 300, for example, by using different materials, having different numbers of supporting pillars 300, or having different spacings between the wafer support portions 320 of the supporting pillars 300, so as to adapt to different process conditions.

[0036] During the specific implementation process, the two ends of one group of supporting columns 300 in the multiple groups of supporting columns 300 are connected to the corresponding top plate 100 and bottom plate 200, so that when the supporting columns 300 are damaged or the process conditions change and other groups of supporting columns 300 need to be replaced, the supporting columns 300 connected to the top plate 100 and the bottom plate 200 are disassembled and replaced with other groups of supporting columns 300 that need to be replaced.

[0037] The embodiment of the present application sets the crystal boat to a structure including a top plate 100, a bottom plate 200 and multiple groups of supporting columns 300, and the supporting columns 300 are detachably connected to the top plate 100 and the bottom plate 200. Therefore, after the supporting columns 300 are damaged or the process conditions are changed, it is only necessary to dismantle the supporting columns 300 connected to the top plate 100 and the bottom plate 200, and connect the other groups of supporting columns 300 that need to be replaced to the top plate 100 and the bottom plate 200, so that there is no need to replace the entire crystal boat, so that there is no need to prepare too many crystal boats, and only the required supporting columns 300 need to be prepared, thereby improving the utilization rate of the crystal boat to a certain extent, and saving stacking space to a certain extent, thereby solving the problem of large space occupied due to the large number of crystal boats in the related art, and after the supporting columns 300 are damaged, it is only necessary to replace the supporting columns 300, and there is no need to replace the entire crystal boat, which can reduce costs compared to replacing the entire crystal boat.

[0038] Under different process conditions, different numbers of support pins 300 may be required to support wafers. To accommodate different process conditions, the top plate 100 and the bottom plate 200 may optionally be provided with a plurality of mounting positions 400 spaced apart at corresponding locations. The mounting positions 400 may be locations for detachably connecting to the ends of the support pins 300.

[0039] The two ends of the supporting column 300 are respectively used to detachably connect to the corresponding mounting positions 400 of the top plate 100 and the mounting positions 400 of the bottom plate 200. Multiple mounting positions 400 can be spaced apart at the edges of the mounting surfaces of the top plate 100 and the bottom plate 200. The multiple mounting positions 400 can be divided into multiple groups, and the multiple groups of mounting positions 400 can correspond one-to-one with multiple groups of supporting columns 300.

[0040] Specifically, when multiple installation positions 400 are grouped, some installation positions 400 may be within multiple groups of installation positions 400 according to different groupings. Figure 3 As shown, there may be five mounting positions 400, and the five mounting positions 400 may be respectively a first mounting position 410, a second mounting position 420, a third mounting position 430, a fourth mounting position 440, and a fifth mounting position 450. The five mounting positions 400 may be divided into multiple groups according to different process conditions. One group of mounting positions 400 may include the first mounting position 410, the third mounting position 430, and the fifth mounting position 450, and the corresponding group of supporting columns may include three supporting columns 300. Another group of mounting positions 400 may include the first mounting position 410, the second mounting position 420, the fourth mounting position 440, and the fifth mounting position 450, and the corresponding group of supporting columns 300 may include four supporting columns 300.

[0041] By arranging multiple mounting positions 400 at intervals at corresponding positions on the top plate 100 and the bottom plate 200, the multiple mounting positions 400 can be divided into multiple groups, and the multiple groups of mounting positions 400 correspond one-to-one to the multiple groups of supporting columns 300, so that the corresponding process conditions can be adapted only by replacing different groups of supporting columns 300, thereby avoiding the need to replace different entire crystal boats for different process conditions.

[0042] In some embodiments, since the top plate 100, the bottom plate 200, and the supporting columns 300 are all separate components when connected, it is not convenient to connect the top plate 100, the bottom plate 200, and the supporting columns 300. To facilitate the connection of the top plate 100, the bottom plate 200, and the supporting columns 300, the wafer boat may optionally further include a plurality of auxiliary supporting columns 500 that can be connected to the supporting columns 300. The first ends of the plurality of auxiliary supporting columns 500 can be connected to the top plate 100, and the second ends of the plurality of auxiliary supporting columns 500 can be connected to the bottom plate 200. The plurality of auxiliary supporting columns 500 are arranged at intervals, and the top plate 100 and the bottom plate 200 are opposite each other.

[0043] By connecting the top plate 100 and the bottom plate 200 together through the auxiliary support columns 500, the scattered top plate 100 and bottom plate 200 are connected together through the auxiliary support columns 500 to form a bracket, thereby facilitating the connection of the supporting columns 300 with the corresponding mounting positions 400 of the top plate 100 and bottom plate 200. At the same time, after the supporting columns 300 are connected to the top plate 100 and bottom plate 200, the auxiliary support columns 500 also serve to strengthen the entire wafer boat, to a certain extent alleviating the risk of damage caused by compression at the two ends of the supporting columns 300.

[0044] In an optional embodiment, the top plate 100 and the bottom plate 200 can be provided with a plurality of mounting positions 400 at intervals, and the plurality of mounting positions 400 can correspond one-to-one to a plurality of auxiliary support columns 500, and be arranged adjacent to the auxiliary support columns 500, and the two ends of the supporting column 300 can be used for detachable connection with the corresponding mounting positions 400 of the top plate 100 and the mounting positions 400 of the bottom plate 200, respectively.

[0045] By arranging multiple mounting positions 400 correspondingly at positions adjacent to the auxiliary support columns 500, after the two ends of the supporting column 300 are detachably connected to the corresponding mounting positions 400, the auxiliary support columns 500 can better reinforce the adjacent supporting columns 300, thereby avoiding damage to the supporting columns 300 when the crystal boat collides.

[0046] Furthermore, the auxiliary support column 500 may be provided with a first guide portion, and the supporting column 300 may be provided with a second guide portion. The first guide portion may be a guide rail, and the second guide portion may be a rolling element. Of course, the first guide portion may also be a protrusion, a groove, etc., and the second guide portion may correspondingly be a groove or a protrusion. During the process of removably connecting the two ends of the supporting column 300 to the corresponding top plate 100 and bottom plate 200, the guiding cooperation of the first and second guide portions is used to move the two ends of the supporting column 300 to the mounting position 400 adjacent to the corresponding auxiliary support column 500.

[0047] The embodiment of the present application provides a first guide portion on the auxiliary support column 500 and a second guide portion on the bearing column, so that when the two ends of the bearing column 300 are detachably connected to the top plate 100 and the bottom plate 200, the first guide portion and the second guide portion cooperate to guide and cooperate to move the first end of the bearing column 300 and the second end of the bearing column 300 to positions adjacent to the corresponding mounting positions 400 of the auxiliary support column 500, so that the two ends of the bearing column 300 can be more accurately positioned at the corresponding mounting positions 400, thereby facilitating the detachable connection of the bearing column 300 with the top plate 100 and the bottom plate 100.

[0048] Specifically, the first guide portion can be a guide groove 510 opened on the auxiliary support column 500, the extension direction of the guide groove 510 can be perpendicular to the extension direction of the auxiliary support column 500, and at least one end of the guide groove 510 passes through the auxiliary support column 500, and the second guide portion can be a guide protrusion 310, and the guide protrusion 310 can enter and exit the guide groove 510 from the end of the guide groove 510 that passes through the auxiliary support column 500 to cooperate with the guide groove 510.

[0049] By setting the first guide part as a guide groove opened on the auxiliary support column 500 and the second guide part as a guide protrusion 310, the structure of the first guide part is relatively simple, and the original main part of the auxiliary support column 500 is fully utilized, and the guiding coordination between the guide groove 510 and the guide protrusion 310 is relatively simple.

[0050] Furthermore, the guide groove 510 may be gradually expanded from its notch to its bottom, and the shape of the guide protrusion 310 may be adapted to the shape of the guide groove 510. By configuring the guide groove 510 to be gradually expanded from its notch to its bottom, and the shape of the guide protrusion 310 being adapted to the shape of the guide groove 510, the notch of the guide groove 510 may restrict the guide protrusion 310 from moving toward the notch of the guide groove 510, thereby making the guidance of the guide groove 510 and the guide protrusion 310 more stable, and thus making the position of the bearing column 300 more accurate when it cooperates with the corresponding mounting positions 400 of the top plate 100 and the bottom plate 200 under the guidance of the guide groove 510 and the guide protrusion 310.

[0051] Under different process conditions, the spacing between the wafer support parts 320 of the supporting columns 300 required by the wafer boat for supporting wafers will be different. Optionally, the supporting column 300 can be provided with multiple wafer support parts 320, and the multiple wafer support parts 320 can be arranged at intervals along the extension direction of the supporting column 300. The wafer support parts 320 of each group of supporting columns 300 can be the same. The spacing between the wafer support parts 320 of at least one group of supporting columns 300 in the multiple groups of supporting columns 300 is different from the spacing between the wafer support parts 320 of other groups of supporting columns 300, thereby meeting the different requirements for the spacing between the wafer support parts 320 of the supporting columns 300 under different process conditions.

[0052] Under different process conditions, the number of supporting columns 300 required for the wafer boat may be different. In some embodiments, the number of supporting columns 300 in at least one group of supporting columns 300 among the multiple groups of supporting columns 300 is different from the number of supporting columns 300 in other groups of supporting columns 300, thereby meeting the different requirements for the number of supporting columns 300 required under different process conditions.

[0053] Under different process conditions, the wafer boat may require different materials for the support pins 300. For example, different temperatures may require different materials. In some embodiments, at least one group of the multiple groups of support pins 300 is made of a different material than the other groups of support pins 300. This can meet the varying material requirements for the support pins 300 under different process conditions.

[0054] Under different process conditions, the wafer boat requires different structures of the wafer support portions 320 of the supporting columns 300 for supporting wafers, such as different shapes and lengths. In some embodiments, the wafer support portions 320 of at least one group of supporting columns 300 in the multiple groups of supporting columns 300 have a different structure than the wafer support portions 320 of the other groups of supporting columns 300, thereby meeting the wafer boat's requirements for wafer support portions with different structures.

[0055] The present application also discloses a semiconductor process equipment, which includes a process chamber, a preparation chamber, and the wafer boat in the above embodiment for transporting wafers between the process chamber and the preparation chamber.

[0056] The semiconductor process equipment disclosed in the embodiment of the present application includes the crystal boat in the above embodiment, so that when the process conditions in the process chamber change or the supporting column 300 is damaged, it is only necessary to dismantle the supporting column 300 connected to the top plate 100 and the bottom plate 200, and connect the other groups of supporting columns 300 that need to be replaced to the top plate 100 and the bottom plate 200, so that there is no need to replace the entire crystal boat, so that there is no need to prepare too many crystal boats, and only the required supporting columns 300 need to be prepared, thereby improving the utilization rate of the crystal boat to a certain extent, and saving stacking space to a certain extent. Moreover, after the supporting column 300 is damaged, it is only necessary to replace the supporting column 300, and there is no need to replace the entire crystal boat, which can reduce costs compared to replacing the entire crystal boat.

[0057] The above embodiments of the present invention focus on 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. Considering the simplicity of the text, they will not be repeated here.

[0058] The embodiments of the present invention are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation methods. The above-mentioned specific implementation methods are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the guidance of the present invention, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention and the claims, all of which are protected by the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer boat, characterized in that: It comprises a top plate (100), a bottom plate (200) and a plurality of groups of supporting columns (300), each group of the supporting columns (300) comprises at least one supporting column (300), the supporting columns (300) are used to support wafers, and the supporting columns (300) are used to be detachably connected to the top plate (100) and the bottom plate (200); The top plate (100) and the bottom plate (200) are provided with a plurality of installation positions (400) at intervals at corresponding positions, and the two ends of the supporting column (300) are respectively used for detachably connecting with the corresponding installation positions (400) of the top plate (100) and the installation positions (400) of the bottom plate (200), and the plurality of installation positions (400) are divided into a plurality of groups, and the plurality of groups of installation positions (400) correspond one to one with the plurality of groups of supporting columns (300); The number of the supporting columns (300) in at least one group of the supporting columns (300) among the multiple groups of supporting columns (300) is different from the number of the supporting columns (300) in the other groups of the supporting columns (300); When the two ends of one group of the supporting columns (300) in the multiple groups of supporting columns (300) are connected to the corresponding top plate (100) and the bottom plate (200), the top plate (100), the bottom plate (200) and the supporting columns (300) form a storage space for accommodating wafers, and the supporting columns (300) in other groups are separated from the top plate (100) and the bottom plate (200).

2. The wafer boat according to claim 1, wherein: The crystal boat further comprises a plurality of auxiliary support columns (500) which can be connected to the supporting columns (300) accordingly, wherein the first ends of the plurality of auxiliary support columns (500) are connected to the top plate (100), and the second ends of the plurality of auxiliary support columns (500) are connected to the bottom plate (200), and the plurality of auxiliary support columns (500) are arranged at intervals, and the top plate (100) is opposite to the bottom plate (200).

3. The wafer boat according to claim 2, wherein: The top plate (100) and the bottom plate (200) are both provided with a plurality of installation positions (400) at intervals, the plurality of installation positions (400) correspond one-to-one to the plurality of auxiliary support columns (500) and are arranged adjacent to the auxiliary support columns (500), and the two ends of the bearing column (300) are respectively used for detachable connection with the corresponding installation position (400) of the top plate (100) and the installation position (400) of the bottom plate (200).

4. The wafer boat according to claim 3, characterized in that: The auxiliary support column (500) is provided with a first guide portion, and the bearing column (300) is provided with a second guide portion, and the first guide portion and the second guide portion cooperate to guide and cooperate to move the two ends of the bearing column (300) to the installation position (400) adjacent to the corresponding auxiliary support column (500).

5. The wafer boat according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first guide portion is a guide groove (510) provided in the auxiliary support column (500), the extension direction of the guide groove (510) is perpendicular to the extension direction of the auxiliary support column (500), and at least one end of the guide groove (510) passes through the auxiliary support column (500), and the second guide portion is a guide protrusion (310), and the guide protrusion (310) can enter and exit the guide groove (510) from the end of the guide groove (510) passing through the auxiliary support column (500) to cooperate with the guide groove (510).

6. The wafer boat according to claim 5, characterized in that: The notch of the guide groove (510) is gradually expanded to the bottom of the guide groove (510), and the shape of the guide protrusion (310) is adapted to the shape of the guide groove (510).

7. The wafer boat according to claim 1, wherein: The supporting column (300) is provided with a plurality of wafer supporting parts (320), and the plurality of wafer supporting parts (320) are spaced apart along the extension direction of the supporting column (300), the wafer supporting parts (320) of each group of the supporting columns (300) are the same, and the spacing between the wafer supporting parts (320) of at least one group of the supporting columns (300) among the plurality of groups of supporting columns (300) is different from the spacing between the wafer supporting parts (320) of the other groups of the supporting columns (300).

8. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: The invention comprises a process chamber, a preparation chamber, and a wafer boat as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 for transferring wafers between the process chamber and the preparation chamber.

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