An RTP equipment automation structure and implementation method

Abstract

The present invention discloses an RTP equipment automation structure and implementation method, wherein a plurality of ejectors are arranged in the middle of a bracket for supporting a circular wafer, symmetrical grooves are respectively provided at the upper ends of the two side beams of the bracket, and a connecting rod is rotatably installed at the tail of the bracket; a temperature compensation ring is fixedly installed on the circular ring, and a horizontal rotating rod is fixedly installed at the bottom of the circular ring away from the center; the two ends of the rotating rod are respectively installed in the grooves of the two side beams of the bracket; a rotating groove is provided at the connecting portion, and the support rod is rotatably installed on the bracket through the cooperation of the rotating groove and the connecting rod, and the supporting portion is against the lower end of the circular ring. The bottom of one side of the circular ring of the present invention is rotatably installed on the bracket through the rotating rod, and the bottom of the other side is abutted by the supporting portion of the support rod. By allowing the supporting portion of the support rod to move downward, the circular ring and the temperature compensation ring can form a certain angle with the horizontal plane, so that the wafer can be smoothly placed in the middle of the temperature compensation ring. Therefore, the overall structure of the present invention is simple and easy to implement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor production equipment, and in particular to an RTP equipment automation structure and an implementation method. Background Art

[0002] During the operation of the fully automatic RTP (rapid thermal processing) equipment, a robot is required to pick up and place wafers. Specifically, the robot arm grabs the wafer and moves horizontally to place the wafer on the quartz support in the vacuum chamber and then withdraws. When RTP is working, the edge area of ​​the wafer dissipates heat faster than the middle area of ​​the wafer, resulting in poor temperature uniformity on the surface of the wafer. The solution in the industry is to add a ring of the same material as the wafer around the wafer. When heating, the ring compensates the temperature of the edge of the wafer to achieve uniform temperature.

[0003] However, this temperature compensation ring and the wafer to be heated are in the same plane, which blocks the path of the robot arm to take and place the wafer. Therefore, the temperature compensation ring needs to be moved away when the robot arm takes and places the wafer, and then reset after the wafer is placed. However, this method is difficult to operate, the process is complicated, and it has the problem of low efficiency.

[0004] The invention patent application with publication number CN1885506A discloses a method for rapid heat treatment of semiconductor wafers. The application directly mounts the semiconductor wafer on a quartz needle, but still does not solve the above-mentioned problem. When heated, the edge area of ​​the wafer dissipates heat faster than the middle area of ​​the wafer, resulting in poor temperature uniformity on the surface of the wafer. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a simple and easy-to-implement RTP equipment automation structure and implementation method.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0007] An RTP equipment automation structure includes a bracket, a ring, a temperature compensation ring and a support rod;

[0008] The support is a frame structure, including two side beams and a crossbeam located at the ends of the two side beams and connecting the two side beams;

[0009] A plurality of ejector pins are arranged in the middle of the bracket for supporting the wafer, symmetrical grooves are respectively provided at the upper ends of the beams on both sides of the bracket, and a connecting rod is rotatably installed at the tail of the bracket;

[0010] The temperature compensation ring is fixedly mounted on the circular ring, and a horizontal rotating rod is fixedly mounted at a position away from the center of the bottom of the circular ring; the two ends of the rotating rod are respectively mounted in the grooves of the two side beams of the bracket;

[0011] The support rod has a connecting portion and a supporting portion, wherein the supporting portion is located at the front end of the connecting portion; the connecting portion is provided with a rotating groove, and the support rod is rotatably mounted on the bracket through the cooperation of the rotating groove and the connecting rod, and the supporting portion abuts against the lower end of the circular ring.

[0012] Advantages: The present invention is provided with structures such as a bracket, a circular ring, a temperature compensation ring and a support rod. The temperature compensation ring is fixed to the circular ring, and the bottom of one side is rotatably mounted on the bracket through a rotating rod, and the bottom of the other side is supported by the support part of the support rod. By moving the support part of the support rod downward, the circular ring and the temperature compensation ring can form a certain angle with the horizontal plane, so that the wafer can be smoothly placed in the middle of the temperature compensation ring. Therefore, the overall structure of the present invention is simple and easy to implement.

[0013] Preferably, a connecting rod is provided on the inner side of the cross beam and the two side beams of the bracket, and the ejector pins are respectively installed on the ends of the connecting rod.

[0014] Preferably, two positioning support columns are arranged at the upper end of the circular ring, and two circular holes corresponding to the positioning support columns are opened on the temperature compensation ring, and the circular ring and the temperature compensation ring are fixed by the cooperation of the positioning support columns and the circular holes.

[0015] Preferably, both ends of the rotating rod have processed steps, and the two processed steps are respectively installed in the grooves of the two side beams of the bracket.

[0016] Preferably, the support rod further has a limiting portion, which is located at the tail of the connecting portion, and the support rod is a "Z"-shaped structure;

[0017] It also includes a pull rod, the limit portion is provided with a limit slot, and the pull rod is fixedly mounted on the limit portion through the limit slot.

[0018] Preferably, the pull rod is connected to a motor or a cylinder.

[0019] Preferably, the connecting parts have two parallel ones.

[0020] Preferably, the support, the ring, the support rod and the rotating rod are all made of quartz.

[0021] Preferably, the material of the temperature compensation ring is the same as that of the wafer, and the inner diameter of the temperature compensation ring is larger than the diameter of the wafer.

[0022] The present invention also discloses an implementation method using the above RTP equipment automation structure:

[0023] The automation structure is placed horizontally in a quartz chamber, and the pull rod is arranged outside the quartz chamber and driven by a motor;

[0024] When installing the wafer, the motor drives the pull rod to move upward to the specified position, and the pull rod drives the limit part of the support rod to move upward, thereby driving the connection part to rotate. At this time, the support part of the support rod falls, so the ring on one side of the support rod loses support and also moves downward; the other side of the ring is rotated by the rotating rod, so that the ring forms an angle with the horizontal plane to enable the robot arm to enter and place the wafer on the three ejector pins of the bracket;

[0025] When the robot arm completes taking and placing the wafer, the motor drives the pull rod to move downward back to the origin. At this time, the pull rod drives the limit part of the support rod to move downward, thereby driving the installation part to rotate, and the supporting part of the support rod rises, thereby lifting the ring to a horizontal state, so that the temperature compensation ring and the wafer are in concentric and horizontal positions.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0027] (1) The present invention is provided with structures such as a bracket, a circular ring, a temperature compensation ring and a support rod. The temperature compensation ring is fixed to the circular ring, and the bottom of one side is rotatably mounted on the bracket through a rotating rod, and the bottom of the other side is supported by the support part of the support rod. By moving the support part of the support rod downward, the circular ring and the temperature compensation ring can form a certain angle with the horizontal plane, so that the wafer can be smoothly placed in the middle of the temperature compensation ring. Therefore, the overall structure of the present invention is simple and easy to implement.

[0028] (2) When placing a wafer, the present embodiment can drive the present structure to move by means of a motor, so that the ring and the temperature compensation ring move downward around the rotating rod, forming a certain angle with the horizontal plane, so that the wafer can be smoothly placed in the middle of the temperature compensation ring; when the robot arm takes it out, the motor drives the present structure to reset, so that the ring and the temperature compensation ring return to a horizontal state, and the temperature compensation ring and the wafer are in a concentric and horizontal position. The action efficiency is high.

[0029] (3) The material of the bracket, the ring, the support rod and the rotating rod of the present invention is quartz, which is simple, easy to obtain and low in cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the assembly of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a support structure of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the connection between the circular ring and the temperature compensation ring of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a support rod structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a wafer placement process according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 6 A front view of a wafer placement process according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the robot arm exiting an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 8 A front view of a robot exiting an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] In the figure: 1. bracket; 2. circular ring; 3. temperature compensation ring; 4. support rod; 5. quartz chamber; 6. pull rod; 7. robot arm; 8. wafer; 11. side beam; 12. cross beam; 13. ejector pin; 14. connecting rod; 15. connecting rod; 111. groove; 21. rotating rod; 22. positioning support column; 23. structural support column; 211. processing step; 31. circular hole; 41. connecting part; 42. supporting part; 43. limiting part; 411. rotating groove; 431. limiting slot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] In order to facilitate those skilled in the art to understand the technical solution of the present invention, the technical solution of the present invention is further described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the specification.

[0040] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0041] See also Figure 1 This embodiment discloses an RTP equipment automation structure, including a bracket 1, a ring 2, a temperature compensation ring 3 and a support rod 4.

[0042] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2In this embodiment, the bracket 1 is a rectangular frame structure, specifically, including two side beams 11 and a crossbeam 12 located at the ends of the two side beams 11 and connecting the two side beams 11. The tail of the two side beams 11 is rotatably mounted with a connecting rod 14, and the connecting rod 14 is parallel to the crossbeam 12. A connecting rod 15 is provided inside the crossbeam 12 and the two side beams 11 of the bracket 1, and a pin 13 is respectively installed at the end of the connecting rod 15, and the three pins 13 are used to support the wafer. Symmetrical grooves 111 are respectively opened at the upper ends of the two side beams 11 of the bracket 1, and the grooves 111 are located near the crossbeam 12.

[0043] See also Figure 1 and Figure 3 The temperature compensation ring 3 is fixedly mounted on the circular ring 2, and the horizontal rotating rod 21 is fixedly mounted at a position away from the center at the bottom of the circular ring 2; the two ends of the rotating rod 21 are respectively mounted in the grooves 111 of the two side beams 11 of the bracket 1, and when the rotating rod 21 is installed in the groove 111, the rotating rod 21 is located above the connecting rod 15.

[0044] The ring 2 of this embodiment can rotate around the rotating rod 21. By lifting the ring 2 on the side away from the rotating rod 21 upward, the ring 2 can move upward around the rotating rod 21; by pulling the ring 2 on the side away from the rotating rod 21 downward, the ring 2 can move downward around the rotating rod 21.

[0045] In some embodiments, both ends of the rotating rod 21 have processing steps 211, and the two processing steps 211 are respectively installed in the grooves 111 of the two side beams 11 of the bracket 1. By setting the processing steps 211, the rotating rod 21 can be restricted so that it cannot move freely along the axial direction, and the bracket 1 can be well ensured to rotate around the rotating rod 21.

[0046] In some embodiments, two positioning support columns 22 are provided at the upper end of the circular ring 2. The positioning support columns 22 are step-shaped and have a positioning function. Two circular holes 31 corresponding to the positioning support columns 22 are provided on the temperature compensation ring 3. The circular ring 2 and the temperature compensation ring 3 are fixed by the cooperation of the positioning support columns 22 and the circular holes 31. The cooperation of the positioning support columns 22 and the circular holes 31 achieves the limiting effect of the circular ring 2 and the temperature compensation ring 3. Among them, a structural support column 23 is also provided to support the temperature compensation ring 3.

[0047] The material of the temperature compensation ring 3 is the same as that of the wafer 8 , and the inner diameter of the temperature compensation ring 3 is larger than the diameter of the wafer 8 , so that the wafer 8 can be installed in the temperature compensation ring 3 .

[0048] See also Figure 1 and Figure 4The support rod 4 is a "Z"-shaped structure, having a connecting portion 41, a supporting portion 42 located at the front end of the connecting portion 41, and a limiting portion 43 located at the rear end of the connecting portion 41. The connecting portion 41 is provided with a rotation groove 411, and the support rod 4 is installed on the bracket 1 through the cooperation of the rotation groove 411 and the connecting rod 14, and the supporting portion 42 is against the lower end of the ring 2. The connecting portion 41 is two parallel, that is, a double connecting rod 14 structure, thereby ensuring the stability and firmness of the support rod 4 during operation. The upper end of the supporting portion 42 of the support rod 4 is chamfered, thereby avoiding scratches on the lower end of the ring 2.

[0049] A limiting slot 431 is provided on the limiting portion 43, one end of the pull rod 6 is fixedly installed with the limiting portion 43 through the limiting slot 431, and the other end of the pull rod 6 can be connected to a power source such as a motor cylinder that can provide up and down reciprocating motion, thereby driving the pull rod 6 to move up and down.

[0050] The material of the support 1, the ring 2, the support rod 4 and the rotating rod 21 of this embodiment is quartz. Quartz has the characteristics of hardness, wear resistance, and stable chemical properties, thereby ensuring the strength and stability of each component of this embodiment.

[0051] See also Figure 5 and Figure 6 During the specific implementation of this embodiment, the heat treatment of the wafer 8 is usually completed in a vacuum chamber. Therefore, the entire structure is first placed horizontally in the quartz chamber 5, and the limit portion 43 and the pull rod 6 are placed outside the chamber. A power source is set outside the chamber to connect the pull rod 6. The power source of this embodiment is a motor, which drives the pull rod 6 to reciprocate up and down.

[0052] See also Figure 5 and Figure 6 When installing the wafer 8, the motor drives the pull rod 6 to move upward to the specified position, and the pull rod 6 drives the limit part 43 of the support rod 4 to move upward, thereby driving the connecting part 41 to rotate. At this time, the supporting part 42 of the support rod 4 falls, so the ring 2 located on one side of the support rod 4 loses support and will also move downward; the other side of the ring 2 is rotated by the rotating rod 21, so that the ring 2 forms an angle with the horizontal plane to enable the robot arm 7 to enter and place the wafer 8 on the three ejector pins 13 of the bracket 1.

[0053] See also Figure 7 and Figure 8 When the robot arm 7 completes the placement of the wafer 8, the motor drives the pull rod 6 to move downward back to the origin. At this time, the pull rod 6 drives the limit portion 43 of the support rod 4 to move downward, thereby driving the mounting portion to rotate, and the supporting portion 42 of the support rod 4 rises, thereby lifting the ring 2 to a horizontal state, so that the temperature compensation ring 3 and the wafer 8 are in a concentric and horizontal position.

[0054] This embodiment can move the temperature compensation ring 3 in the quartz chamber 5 and smoothly place the wafer 8 in the middle of the temperature compensation ring 3. The overall structure is simple to operate, easy to implement, and has high operation efficiency. At the same time, related components are made of conventional quartz material, which is easy to obtain and low in cost.

[0055] It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-limiting from any point of view, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the above description, and it is intended that all changes falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims are included in the present invention, and any reference numerals in the claims should not be regarded as limiting the claims involved.

[0056] The above-described embodiments merely represent implementation methods of the invention. The protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For those skilled in the art, several modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, which all belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An RTP equipment automation structure, characterized in that: It comprises a bracket (1), a ring (2), a temperature compensation ring (3) and a support rod (4); The support (1) is a frame structure, comprising two side beams (11) and a cross beam (12) located at the ends of the two side beams (11) and connecting the two side beams (11); A plurality of ejector pins (13) are arranged in the middle of the support (1) for supporting the wafer, symmetrical grooves (111) are respectively provided at the upper ends of the two side beams (11) of the support (1), and a connecting rod (14) is rotatably mounted at the rear end of the support (1); The temperature compensation ring (3) is fixedly mounted on the circular ring (2); a horizontally placed rotating rod (21) is fixedly mounted at a position away from the center of the bottom of the circular ring (2); the two ends of the rotating rod (21) are respectively mounted in grooves (111) of two side beams (11) of the bracket (1); The support rod (4) comprises a connecting portion (41) and a supporting portion (42), wherein the supporting portion (42) is located at the front end of the connecting portion (41); the connecting portion (41) is provided with a rotation groove (411), and the support rod (4) is rotatably mounted on the bracket (1) through the cooperation of the rotation groove (411) and the connecting rod (14), and the supporting portion (42) abuts against the lower end of the circular ring (2).

2. The RTP equipment automation structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A connecting rod (15) is provided inside the cross beam (12) and the two side beams (11) of the bracket (1), and ejector pins (13) are respectively installed at the ends of the connecting rod (15).

3. The RTP equipment automation structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two positioning support columns (22) are arranged at the upper end of the circular ring (2), and two circular holes (31) corresponding to the positioning support columns (22) are provided on the temperature compensation ring (3), and the circular ring (2) and the temperature compensation ring (3) are fixed by the cooperation of the positioning support columns (22) and the circular holes (31).

4. The RTP equipment automation structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both ends of the rotating rod (21) are provided with processing steps (211), and the two processing steps (211) are respectively installed in the grooves (111) of the two side beams (11) of the bracket (1).

5. The RTP equipment automation structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support rod (4) further comprises a limiting portion (43), wherein the limiting portion (43) is located at the tail of the connecting portion (41), and the support rod (4) is a "Z"-shaped structure; It also includes a pull rod (6), the limit portion (43) is provided with a limit slot (431), and the pull rod (6) is fixedly mounted on the limit portion (43) via the limit slot (431).

6. The RTP equipment automation structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: The pull rod (6) is connected to a motor or a cylinder.

7. The RTP equipment automation structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting portion (41) has two parallel ones.

8. The RTP equipment automation structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support (1), the ring (2), the support rod (4) and the rotating rod (21) are all made of quartz.

9. The RTP equipment automation structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the temperature compensation ring (3) is the same as that of the wafer (8), and the inner diameter of the temperature compensation ring (3) is greater than the diameter of the wafer (8).

10. A method for implementing the RTP equipment automation structure according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The automated structure is placed horizontally in a quartz chamber (5), and a pull rod (6) is arranged outside the quartz chamber (5) and driven by a motor; When installing the wafer (8), the motor drives the pull rod (6) to move upward to a specified position, and the pull rod (6) drives the limit portion (43) of the support rod (4) to move upward, thereby driving the connecting portion (41) to rotate. At this time, the supporting portion (42) of the support rod (4) falls, so the ring (2) located on one side of the support rod (4) loses support and also moves downward; the other side of the ring (2) is rotated by the rotating rod (21), so that the ring (2) forms an angle with the horizontal plane to enable the robot arm (7) to enter and place the wafer (8) on the three ejector pins (13) of the bracket (1); When the robot arm (7) completes the placement of the wafer (8), the motor drives the pull rod (6) to move downward back to the origin. At this time, the pull rod (6) drives the limit portion (43) of the support rod (4) to move downward, thereby driving the mounting portion to rotate, and the support portion (42) of the support rod (4) rises, thereby lifting the ring (2) to a horizontal state, so that the temperature compensation ring (3) and the wafer (8) are in a concentric and horizontal position.

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