Crystal boat components and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

This invention provides a crystal boat assembly comprising multiple crystal boats. At least one crystal boat has a front conductive foot on its exit side bottom and a rear conductive foot on its inlet side bottom. The top of the front conductive foot has a contact protrusion, and the bottom of the rear conductive foot has a contact groove. When the crystal boat on the exit side of two adjacent crystal boats enters the process chamber, the contact groove of its rear conductive foot can contact the contact protrusion of the front conductive foot of the crystal boat on the inlet side, thereby electrically connecting the two adjacent crystal boats. This invention electrically connects adjacent crystal boats by overlapping the rear conductive foot and the front conductive foot, eliminating the need for electrodes at the opening of the process chamber, thus ensuring semiconductor process performance. Furthermore, the front and rear conductive feet can be removed with the crystal boats and cleaned and maintained separately without stopping the machine during crystal boat maintenance, improving the maintenance efficiency of semiconductor process equipment and ensuring machine throughput. This invention also provides a semiconductor process device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor process equipment, and more specifically, to a crystal boat assembly and a semiconductor process equipment including the crystal boat assembly. Background Technology

[0002] In solar silicon wafer manufacturing, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is a crucial process, primarily aimed at improving the light conversion efficiency of solar cells. This process utilizes PECVD technology to deposit a deep blue silicon nitride film, also known as an anti-reflection film, onto the silicon wafer surface using a graphite boat (crystal boat), radio frequency (RF) gas, and a suitable amount of reactive gases. Currently, the mainstream coating process in the photovoltaic market uses tubular single-boat PECVD equipment. However, with technological advancements and increased production capacity requirements, cost reduction and efficiency improvements are becoming increasingly apparent. The technological trend in PECVD equipment on the market is increasingly towards larger diameter, higher capacity tubes, with dual-boat and multi-boat systems representing the main development direction for increasing capacity.

[0003] In practical applications, whether using a single-boat or dual-boat structure, the electrodes used to feed radio frequency signals to the graphite boat must be exposed to high temperatures and coating processes for extended periods. If a gap exists in the contact between the electrode and the graphite boat, a silicon nitride film will adhere to the electrode surface, leading to poor contact and causing short circuits, arcing, and other problems. Regular maintenance and cleaning of the electrodes are necessary to restore normal operation. However, in existing tubular plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) equipment, the electrodes typically extend into the furnace from the tail or opening. This complex electrode structure results in cumbersome and time-consuming maintenance procedures, often requiring maintenance while the system is shut down. This significantly impacts the maintenance efficiency and machine capacity of the PECVD equipment.

[0004] Therefore, how to provide a semiconductor process equipment with higher maintenance efficiency has become a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a crystal boat assembly and a semiconductor process equipment including the crystal boat assembly, which can improve the maintenance efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, as one aspect of the present invention, a crystal boat assembly is provided, comprising a plurality of crystal boats, wherein the plurality of crystal boats are used to sequentially enter into a process chamber along the axial direction of the process chamber and to sequentially exit from the process chamber along the axial direction of the process chamber. At least one crystal boat has a front conductive foot on its exit side bottom and at least one crystal boat has a rear conductive foot on its entry side bottom. The top of the front conductive foot has a contact protrusion and the bottom of the rear conductive foot has a contact groove. When the crystal boat located on the exit side of two adjacent crystal boats enters the process chamber, the contact groove of its rear conductive foot can contact the contact protrusion of the front conductive foot of the crystal boat located on the entry side to electrically connect the two adjacent crystal boats.

[0007] The crystal boat located on the inlet side of the plurality of crystal boats is used to be electrically connected to the power supply component in the process chamber to receive radio frequency signals provided by the power supply component.

[0008] Optionally, the bottom of the front conductive boat foot and the bottom of the rear conductive boat foot respectively have a first support surface and a second support surface for contacting the support assembly in the process chamber.

[0009] Optionally, the support assembly includes a pair of support rods extending horizontally and spaced apart along the axial direction of the process chamber; the front conductive boat feet are arranged in pairs on the corresponding crystal boats, and the rear conductive boat feet are arranged in pairs on the corresponding crystal boats, wherein the two first support surfaces of each pair of front conductive boat feet are used to contact the two support rods in a one-to-one correspondence, and the second support surface of each pair of rear conductive boat feet is used to contact the two support rods in a one-to-one correspondence;

[0010] The bottom of the front conductive boat foot also has a front limiting block that protrudes downward relative to the first support surface, and the two front limiting blocks of each pair of front conductive boat feet are located between the two first support surfaces, so that when the corresponding crystal boat is placed on the support rod, the two front limiting blocks limit the position of the crystal boat along the axis perpendicular to the process chamber.

[0011] The bottom of the rear conductive boat foot also has a rear limiting block that protrudes downward relative to the second support surface, and the two rear limiting blocks of each pair of front conductive boat feet are located between the two second support surfaces, so that when the corresponding crystal boat is placed on the support rod, the two rear limiting blocks limit the position of the crystal boat along the axis perpendicular to the process chamber; the contact groove is located on the boat entry side of the corresponding rear limiting block.

[0012] Optionally, the horizontal cross-sectional area of ​​the contact protrusion gradually increases from top to bottom, and the contact protrusion has a first inclined surface on the side away from the opposite front limiting block, which is inclined towards the opposite front limiting block. The contact groove is formed as a second inclined surface away from the side wall of the opposite rear limiting block, and the second inclined surface is used to contact the first inclined surface.

[0013] Optionally, the top of the contact protrusion has a positioning protrusion, and the bottom of the contact groove has a positioning groove, and the shape and position of the positioning groove correspond to the positioning protrusion. The positioning protrusion is used to be accommodated in the positioning groove corresponding to the crystal boat located on the boat entry side when the corresponding crystal boat enters the process chamber.

[0014] Optionally, the crystal boat includes multiple mounting pieces and multiple sets of spacers. The multiple mounting pieces extend vertically along a direction parallel to the axis of the process chamber and are spaced apart along a direction perpendicular to the axis of the process chamber. The spacers are disposed between adjacent mounting pieces to maintain the spacing between adjacent mounting pieces and to make the adjacent mounting pieces electrically connected. The projection positions of the multiple spacers in each set on the mounting pieces correspond.

[0015] The front conductive boat foot also includes at least one front boat foot connecting block. The front boat foot connecting block is disposed between adjacent mounting pieces and fixedly connected to the corresponding mounting piece. The projection position of the front boat foot connecting block on the mounting piece corresponds to the projection position of a set of spacers on the corresponding crystal boat on the mounting piece.

[0016] The rear conductive boat foot also includes at least one rear boat foot connecting block. The rear boat foot connecting block is disposed between adjacent mounting pieces and is fixedly connected to the corresponding mounting piece. The projection position of the rear boat foot connecting block on the mounting piece corresponds to the projection position of a set of spacers on the corresponding crystal boat on the mounting piece.

[0017] Optionally, the crystal boat further includes a plurality of fastening components. The mounting piece has a plurality of first mounting holes that penetrate the mounting piece along the thickness direction. The spacer block has a first clearance hole. The positions of the multiple sets of spacers correspond one-to-one with the positions of the multiple first mounting holes. The multiple fastening components pass through the first mounting holes of the multiple mounting pieces and the first clearance holes on each spacer block in a one-to-one correspondence to fix the multiple mounting pieces together.

[0018] The forefoot connecting block has at least one second mounting hole corresponding to the position of the first mounting hole, so that the forefoot connecting block is fixedly connected to the corresponding mounting piece by the fastening assembly passing through the second mounting hole and the corresponding plurality of first mounting holes.

[0019] The rear stern connecting block has at least one third mounting hole corresponding to the position of the first mounting hole, so as to fix the rear stern connecting block to the corresponding mounting piece by the fastening assembly passing through the third mounting hole and the corresponding plurality of first mounting holes.

[0020] As a second aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor process apparatus is provided, including a power supply component, a process chamber, and the aforementioned crystal boat assembly.

[0021] Optionally, the process chamber is provided with a pair of support rods that extend horizontally along the axial direction of the process chamber and are spaced apart, for supporting the multiple crystal boats;

[0022] At least one pair of locking components are also fixedly installed in the process chamber. Each pair of locking components corresponds to the end position on the same side of the two support rods and is used to lock the rotation angle of the support rods.

[0023] Optionally, the locking assembly includes a bracket and a pressure plate. The bracket has a fixing groove, and the end of the support rod is disposed in the fixing groove. The two ends of the pressure plate are respectively fastened to the bracket on both sides of the fixing groove, so as to lock the rotation angle of the support rod by the friction between the pressure plate and the support rod.

[0024] Optionally, the support rod includes a support bar and at least one insulating long support sleeve and two insulating short support sleeves sleeved on the support bar. The insulating long support sleeve is used to support the front conductive boat foot and the rear conductive boat foot at the junction of two adjacent crystal boats. The insulating short support sleeve is used to support the boat foot on the inlet side of the crystal boat located on the inlet side of the plurality of crystal boats, and to support the boat foot on the outlet side of the crystal boat located on the outlet side of the plurality of crystal boats.

[0025] Optionally, the support rod further includes a plurality of fixing sleeves, which are sleeved on the support rod, and each of the long insulating support sleeves and each short insulating support sleeves is provided with a fixing sleeve at both ends. The fixing sleeves are used to lock the position of the corresponding long insulating support sleeve or short insulating support sleeve along the extension direction of the support rod.

[0026] Optionally, the support rod further includes at least one fixing connecting plate, which corresponds one-to-one with the insulating support sleeve, and the fixing connecting plate is fixedly connected between the two fixing sleeves at both ends of the corresponding insulating support sleeve.

[0027] In the crystal boat assembly and semiconductor process equipment provided by the present invention, the bottom of the exit side of any two adjacent crystal boats located on the inlet side has a front conductive foot, while the bottom of the inlet side of the crystal boat located on the exit side has a rear conductive foot. The contact groove of the rear conductive foot contacts the corresponding contact protrusion of the front conductive foot. Thus, the rear conductive foot and the front conductive foot are used as electrodes, and the adjacent crystal boats are electrically connected by overlapping the rear conductive foot and the front conductive foot. Only one electrode corresponding to one of the multiple crystal boats located on the inlet side needs to be set inside the process chamber to connect the crystal boat located on the inlet side to the power supply component, so that radio frequency signals can be provided to all crystal boats.

[0028] In the crystal boat assembly and semiconductor process equipment provided by this invention, crystal boats can be electrically connected by overlapping front and rear conductive feet. This eliminates the need for electrodes at the opening of the process chamber (e.g., the furnace inlet of a furnace tube) to supply power to the exiting crystal boat, or for additional electrodes. This avoids uncontrollable factors such as large spans, large thermal expansion, and displacement errors caused by electrodes extending from the process chamber opening to the interior, thus ensuring the semiconductor process performance. Furthermore, the front and rear conductive feet, serving as electrodes, are integrated onto the crystal boat and can be removed and cleaned and maintained separately. This reduces the difficulty of cleaning and maintaining the electrode structure and improves the maintenance efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment. Moreover, maintenance of the crystal boat does not require machine shutdown; the process chamber and a replacement crystal boat can be used to continue semiconductor processing, further improving the maintenance efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment and ensuring machine capacity. Attached Figure Description

[0029] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the invention and form part of the specification. They are used together with the following detailed description to explain the invention, but do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings:

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the crystal boat assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A magnified view of a portion of region A in the middle;

[0032] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the front conductive boat foot in the crystal boat assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the rear conductive boat foot in the crystal boat assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the rear conductive boat foot in the crystal boat assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention from another perspective;

[0035] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the connection principle between the front conductive boat foot and the rear conductive boat foot in the crystal boat assembly provided in this embodiment of the invention.

[0036] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the support rod in the semiconductor process equipment provided in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the installation relationship between the support rod and the process chamber in the semiconductor process equipment provided in this embodiment of the invention;

[0038] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the locking component in the semiconductor process equipment provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0040] 10: Crystal Boat 11: Mounting Piece

[0041] 12: Spacer block; 13: Fastening assembly

[0042] 100: Lead-in conductive boat foot; 110: Contact protrusion

[0043] 111: First inclined surface; 112: Positioning protrusion

[0044] 120: Front limit block; 121: Front guide ramp

[0045] 130: Front hull connecting block; 131: Second mounting hole

[0046] 200: Rear conductive boat foot; 210: Contact groove

[0047] 211: Second inclined surface; 212: Positioning groove

[0048] 220: Rear limit block; 221: Rear guide ramp

[0049] 230: Rear hull connecting block; 231: Third mounting hole

[0050] 20: Process chamber; 30: Support rod

[0051] 31: Support rod; 32: Insulating support sleeve

[0052] 33: Insulating support short sleeve; 34: Fixing sleeve

[0053] 35: Fixed connecting plate; 40: Locking assembly

[0054] 41: Bracket 42: Tablet press

[0055] 43: Locking screw; 50: Rear bracket Detailed Implementation

[0056] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0057] To address the aforementioned technical problems, as one aspect of the present invention, a crystal boat assembly is provided, such as... Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the crystal boat assembly includes multiple crystal boats 10, which are used to sequentially enter the process chamber 20 along the axial direction (i.e., the direction of the double arrows in the figure) and sequentially exit the process chamber 20 along the axial direction. At least one crystal boat 10 has a front conductive foot 100 on its exit side bottom and a rear conductive foot 200 on its entry side bottom. Figure 3 As shown, the top of the front conductive boat foot 100 has a contact protrusion 110, such as Figure 4 As shown, the bottom of the rear conductive boat foot 200 has a contact groove 210. When the boat 10 located on the exit side of the two adjacent boats 10 enters the process chamber 20, the contact groove 210 of its rear conductive boat foot 200 can contact the contact protrusion 110 of the front conductive boat foot 100 of the boat 10 located on the inlet side, so as to electrically connect the two adjacent boats 10.

[0058] The wafer 10 located on the inlet side of the plurality of wafer 10 is electrically connected to a power supply component in the process chamber 20 (e.g., furnace tube) to receive radio frequency signals provided by the power supply component, thereby using radio frequency power to perform semiconductor processes on the wafer carried by the wafer 10.

[0059] Optionally, the power supply component can be an radio frequency power supply.

[0060] In the crystal boat assembly provided by the present invention, the bottom of the exit side of any two adjacent crystal boats 10 located on the inlet side has a front conductive foot 100, while the bottom of the inlet side of the crystal boat 10 located on the exit side has a rear conductive foot 200. The contact groove 210 of the rear conductive foot 200 is in contact with the contact protrusion 110 of the corresponding front conductive foot 100. Thus, the rear conductive foot 200 and the front conductive foot 100 are used as electrodes, and the adjacent crystal boats 10 are electrically connected by overlapping the rear conductive foot 200 and the front conductive foot 100. With this configuration, only one electrode corresponding to one of the multiple crystal boats 10 located on the inlet side needs to be set inside the process chamber 20. By connecting the crystal boat 10 located on the inlet side to the power supply component, radio frequency signals can be provided to all crystal boats 10.

[0061] In the crystal boat assembly provided by this invention, the crystal boats 10 can be electrically connected by overlapping front and rear conductive boat feet. This eliminates the need for electrodes at the opening of the process chamber 20 (e.g., the furnace inlet of a furnace tube) to supply power to the exiting crystal boat 10, or for additional electrodes. This avoids uncontrollable factors such as large spans, large thermal expansion, and displacement errors caused by leading electrodes from the opening of the process chamber 20 to its interior, thus ensuring the semiconductor process performance. Furthermore, the front conductive boat foot 100 and the rear conductive boat foot 200, serving as electrodes, are integrated onto the crystal boat 10 and can be removed with the crystal boat 10 for individual cleaning and maintenance. This reduces the operational difficulty of cleaning and maintaining the electrode structure and improves the maintenance efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment. Moreover, maintenance of the crystal boat 10 does not require machine shutdown; the process chamber 20 and the replacement crystal boat 10 can be used to continue the semiconductor process, further improving the maintenance efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment and ensuring machine capacity.

[0062] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figures 3 to 5 As shown, the bottom of the front conductive boat foot 100 and the bottom of the rear conductive boat foot 200 have a first support surface B1 and a second support surface B2 for contacting the support components in the process chamber 20, respectively, thereby utilizing the planar structure to contact the cylindrical surface of the support rod 30 to achieve stable support for the crystal boat 10.

[0063] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 as well as Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the support assembly includes a pair of support rods 30 extending horizontally and spaced apart along the axial direction of the process chamber 20. Front conductive boat feet 100 are arranged in pairs on the corresponding crystal boat 10, and rear conductive boat feet 200 are arranged in pairs on the corresponding crystal boat 10. The two first support surfaces B1 of each pair of front conductive boat feet 100 are used to contact the two support rods 30 one by one, and the two second support surfaces B2 of each pair of rear conductive boat feet 200 are used to contact the two support rods 30 one by one.

[0064] It should be noted that each pair of front conductive feet 100 and each pair of rear conductive feet 200 are also in a pairwise correspondence. That is, if any crystal boat 10 has a pair of front conductive feet 100 on its inlet side, then the outlet side of the other crystal boat 10 on its inlet side also needs to have a pair of rear conductive feet 200, so as to achieve electrical connection between the front and rear crystal boats 10 through the overlap between the feet; similarly, if any crystal boat 10 has a pair of rear conductive feet 200 on its outlet side, then the inlet side of the other crystal boat 10 on its outlet side also needs to have a pair of front conductive feet 100, so as to achieve electrical connection between the front and rear crystal boats 10 through the overlap between the feet.

[0065] To ensure the stability of the position of the crystal boat 10, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the bottom of the front conductive boat foot 100 also has a front limiting block 120 that protrudes downward relative to the first support surface B1, and the two front limiting blocks 120 of each pair of front conductive boat feet 100 are located between the two first support surfaces, so that when the corresponding crystal boat 10 is placed on the support rod 30, the position of the crystal boat 10 along the axis direction perpendicular to the process chamber 20 is limited by the two front limiting blocks 120.

[0066] like Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, the bottom of the rear conductive boat foot 200 also has a rear limiting block 220 that protrudes downward relative to the second support surface B2, and the two rear limiting blocks 220 of each pair of front conductive boat feet 100 are located between the two second support surfaces B2, so that when the corresponding crystal boat 10 is placed on the support rod 30, the two rear limiting blocks 220 limit the position of the crystal boat 10 along the axis perpendicular to the process chamber 20; the contact groove 210 is located on the boat entry side of the corresponding rear limiting block 220.

[0067] In this embodiment of the invention, the bottom of both the front conductive boat foot 100 and the rear conductive boat foot 200 has limiting blocks (i.e., front limiting block 120 and rear limiting block 220), and the limiting blocks on both sides are located between the support surfaces on both sides (i.e., the first support surface B1 or the second support surface B2 on both sides). That is, the limiting blocks on both sides (i.e., front limiting block 120 and rear limiting block 220) can be inserted between the two support rods 30 respectively. Thus, when the crystal boat 10 is placed on the support rods 30, the support rods 30 on both sides can respectively limit the limiting blocks of the corresponding conductive boat foot (i.e., front conductive boat foot 100 and rear conductive boat foot 200), thereby preventing the crystal boat 10 from sliding to both sides, improving the stability of the position of the crystal boat 10, and ensuring the safety of the semiconductor process.

[0068] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 3 As shown, the outer side of the front limiting block 120 (i.e., the side facing away from the opposite front conductive boat foot 100) has an inwardly inclined front guide slope 121, and the front guide slope 121 of the front limiting block 120 is connected to the first support surface B1 of the front limiting block 120 by an arc transition. Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, the outer side of the rear limiting block 220 (i.e. the side opposite to the opposite rear conductive boat foot 200) has an inwardly inclined rear guide slope 221, and the rear guide slope 221 of the rear limiting block 220 is connected to the second support surface B2 of the rear limiting block 220 by an arc transition.

[0069] In this embodiment of the invention, the outer side of the front limiting block 120 has an inwardly inclined front guide slope 121, and the outer side of the rear limiting block 220 has an inwardly inclined rear guide slope 221. The front guide slope 121 and the first support surface B1, and the rear guide slope 221 and the second support surface B2, are all connected by an arc transition. Therefore, when the crystal boat 10 is placed on the support rod 30, the guide slope of the limiting block, in conjunction with the support rod 30, can provide guidance, real-time correction of the horizontal position of the crystal boat 10, and further improve the stability of the crystal boat 10's position. Furthermore, the arc transition between the guide slope and the support surface provides a buffering effect when the support rod 30 is about to contact the support surface, reducing the impact of vibration caused by the collision between the support rod 30 and the support surface on the crystal boat, further ensuring the semiconductor process effect.

[0070] To further ensure the stability of the position of the crystal boat 10, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the horizontal cross-sectional area of ​​the contact protrusion 110 gradually increases from top to bottom, and the contact protrusion 110 has a first inclined surface 111 on the side opposite to the opposite front limiting block 120, which is inclined towards the opposite front limiting block 120 (i.e., inclined inward between the two front conductive boat feet 100). Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, the contact groove 210 is formed into a second inclined surface 211 away from the side wall of the opposite rear limiting block 220. The second inclined surface 211 is used to make corresponding contact with the first inclined surface 111.

[0071] In this embodiment of the invention, the outer side of the contact protrusion 110 has an inwardly inclined first slope 111, and the side wall of the contact groove 210 has a corresponding second slope 211. Thus, when the crystal boat on the outgoing side is lowered into the boat, when its contact groove 210 is fastened to the contact protrusion 110 of the crystal boat on the ingoing side, the first slope 111 and the second slope 211 can cooperate to achieve guidance, so as to ensure the relative position accuracy of adjacent crystal boats along the axial direction perpendicular to the process chamber 20.

[0072] To further ensure the stability of the position of the crystal boat 10, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the top of the contact protrusion 110 has a positioning protrusion 112, such as Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, the bottom of the contact groove 210 has a positioning groove 212, and the shape and position of the positioning groove 212 correspond to the positioning protrusion 112. The positioning protrusion 112 is used to be accommodated in the positioning groove 212 corresponding to the crystal boat 10 located on the boat entry side when the corresponding crystal boat 10 enters the process chamber 20.

[0073] To further ensure the stability of the position of the crystal boat 10, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 3As shown, the positioning protrusion 112 is a rotating body with its axis of rotation perpendicular to the top surface of the contact protrusion 110, and the horizontal cross-sectional area of ​​the positioning protrusion 112 gradually decreases from bottom to top.

[0074] In this embodiment of the invention, the horizontal cross-sectional area of ​​the positioning protrusion 112 gradually decreases from bottom to top, and the shape of the positioning groove 212 corresponds to it. Thus, even if the initial relative positions between the front conductive foot 100 of the front boat and the rear conductive foot 200 of the rear boat are not aligned, as the positioning protrusion 112 gradually inserts into the positioning groove 212, the positioning protrusion 112 and the positioning groove 212 can be automatically aligned, so that the relative positions between the front conductive foot 100 and the rear conductive foot 200 are also aligned. This achieves automatic correction of the positions of the front conductive foot 100 and the rear conductive foot 200, further ensuring the stability of the position of the crystal boat 10.

[0075] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 3 As shown, the side of the positioning protrusion 112 is formed as a conical surface. Therefore, even if the initial relative positions between the front conductive foot 100 of the front boat and the rear conductive foot 200 of the rear boat are not aligned, when the positioning protrusion 112 is gradually inserted into the positioning groove 212, the positioning protrusion 112 and the positioning groove 212 can automatically align through the cooperation between the conical surfaces. This makes the relative positions between the front conductive foot 100 and the rear conductive foot 200 aligned accordingly, realizing the automatic correction of the positions of the front conductive foot 100 and the rear conductive foot 200, and further ensuring the stability of the position of the crystal boat 10.

[0076] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the crystal boat 10 includes multiple mounting plates 11 and multiple sets of spacers 12. The multiple mounting plates 11 extend vertically along the axis parallel to the process chamber 20 and are spaced apart along the axis perpendicular to the process chamber 20. The spacers 12 are disposed between adjacent mounting plates 11 to maintain the spacing between adjacent mounting plates 11 and to make adjacent mounting plates 11 electrically connected. The gap between adjacent mounting plates 11 is used to carry the wafer. The projection positions of the multiple spacers 12 in each set on the mounting plate 11 are corresponding.

[0077] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figures 1 to 3As shown, the front conductive boat foot 100 also includes at least one front boat foot connecting block 130. The front boat foot connecting block 130 is disposed between adjacent mounting pieces 11 and is fixedly connected to the corresponding mounting piece 11. The projection position of the front boat foot connecting block 130 on the mounting piece 11 corresponds to the projection position of a set of spacers 12 on the corresponding boat 10 on the mounting piece 11. That is, the position of the set of spacers 12 corresponds to the front boat foot connecting block 130, and the front boat foot connecting block 130 on the front boat foot connecting block 130 replaces at least one spacer 12 at the corresponding position in the set of spacers 12. In other words, the front boat foot connecting block 130 on the front boat foot connecting block 130 replaces the spacer 12 at the corresponding position in the set of spacers 12 at the bottom of the front boat tail end.

[0078] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, the rear conductive boat foot 200 also includes at least one rear boat foot connecting block 230. The rear boat foot connecting block 230 is disposed between adjacent mounting pieces 11 and is fixedly connected to the corresponding mounting piece 11. The projection position of the rear boat foot connecting block 230 on the mounting piece 11 corresponds to the projection position of a set of spacers 12 on the corresponding crystal boat 10 on the mounting piece 11. That is, the position of the set of spacers 12 corresponds to the rear conductive boat foot 200, and the rear boat foot connecting block 230 on the rear conductive boat foot 200 replaces at least one spacer 12 at the corresponding position in the set of spacers 12. In other words, the rear boat foot connecting block 230 on the rear boat foot connecting block 230 replaces the spacer 12 at the corresponding position in the set of spacers 12 at the bottom of the front end of the rear boat.

[0079] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 6 As shown, the crystal boat 10 also includes a plurality of fastening components 13. The mounting plate 11 has a plurality of first mounting holes formed along the thickness direction of the mounting plate 11 (that is, along the axis perpendicular to the process chamber 20). The spacer block 12 has a first clearance hole. The positions of the multiple sets of spacer blocks 12 correspond one-to-one with the positions of the multiple first mounting holes. The multiple fastening components 13 pass through the first mounting holes of the multiple mounting plates 11 and the first clearance holes on each spacer block 12 in a corresponding manner to fix the multiple mounting plates 11 together.

[0080] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 6 As shown, the fastening component 13 can be a bolt.

[0081] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 3 , Figure 6As shown, at least one second mounting hole 131 corresponding to the position of the first mounting hole is formed in the front foot connecting block 130, so as to fix the front foot connecting block 130 to the corresponding mounting piece 11 by fastening assembly 13 passing through the second mounting hole 131 and the corresponding plurality of first mounting holes.

[0082] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, at least one third mounting hole 231 corresponding to the position of the first mounting hole is formed in the rear foot connecting block 230, so as to fix the rear foot connecting block 230 to the corresponding mounting piece 11 by fastening assembly 13 passing through the third mounting hole 231 and the corresponding plurality of first mounting holes.

[0083] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 1 As shown, the crystal boat assembly includes two crystal boats 10.

[0084] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 3 As shown, the front conductive foot 100 includes two front foot connecting blocks 130. In an optional embodiment of the invention, the rear conductive foot 200 includes two rear foot connecting blocks 230.

[0085] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 3 As shown, two second mounting holes 131 are formed in the forefoot connecting block 130. As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 5 As shown, two third mounting holes 231 are formed in the rear boat foot connecting block 230.

[0086] As a second aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor process apparatus is provided, including a power supply component, a process chamber 20, and a crystal boat component provided in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0087] In the semiconductor process equipment provided by the present invention, the bottom of the exit side of any two adjacent crystal boats 10 on the inlet side of the crystal boat 10 has a front conductive foot 100, while the bottom of the inlet side of the crystal boat 10 on the exit side has a rear conductive foot 200. The contact groove 210 of the rear conductive foot 200 is in contact with the contact protrusion 110 of the corresponding front conductive foot 100. Thus, the rear conductive foot 200 and the front conductive foot 100 are used as electrodes, and the adjacent crystal boats 10 are electrically connected by overlapping the rear conductive foot 200 and the front conductive foot 100. Only one electrode corresponding to one of the multiple crystal boats 10 on the inlet side needs to be set inside the process chamber 20 to connect the crystal boat 10 on the inlet side to the power supply component, so that radio frequency signals can be provided to all crystal boats 10.

[0088] In the semiconductor process equipment provided by this invention, the crystal boats 10 can be electrically connected by overlapping front and rear conductive boat feet. This eliminates the need for electrodes at the opening of the process chamber 20 (e.g., the furnace inlet of a furnace tube) to supply power to the crystal boat 10 on the exit side, or for additional electrodes. This avoids uncontrollable factors such as large spans, large thermal expansion, and displacement errors caused by leading electrodes from the opening of the process chamber 20 to its interior, thus ensuring the semiconductor process performance. Furthermore, the front conductive boat foot 100 and the rear conductive boat foot 200, serving as electrodes, are integrated onto the crystal boat 10 and can be removed with the crystal boat 10 for individual cleaning and maintenance. This reduces the operational difficulty of cleaning and maintaining the electrode structure and improves the maintenance efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment. Moreover, maintenance of the crystal boat 10 does not require machine shutdown; the process chamber 20 and the replacement crystal boat 10 can be used to continue the semiconductor process, further improving the maintenance efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment and ensuring machine capacity.

[0089] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, a pair of support rods 30 extending horizontally along the axial direction of the process chamber 20 are provided in the process chamber 20 to support multiple crystal boats 10.

[0090] To ensure the stability of the position of the crystal boat 10, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 1 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 As shown, at least one pair of locking components 40 are also fixedly installed in the process chamber 20. Each pair of locking components 40 corresponds to the end position on the same side of the two support rods 30 and is used to lock the rotation angle of the support rods 30.

[0091] In this embodiment of the invention, at least one pair of locking components 40 are also fixedly provided in the process chamber 20. The locking components 40 can lock the rotation angle of the support rod 30, thereby preventing the rotation of the support rod 30 from affecting the stability of the position of the crystal boat 10.

[0092] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 9 As shown, the locking assembly 40 includes a bracket 41 and a pressure plate 42. The bracket 41 has a fixing groove, and the end of the support rod 30 is disposed in the fixing groove. The two ends of the pressure plate 42 are respectively fastened to the bracket 41 on both sides of the fixing groove, so as to lock the rotation angle of the support rod 30 by the friction between the pressure plate 42 and the support rod 30.

[0093] In this embodiment of the invention, the two ends of the pressure plate 42 are respectively fastened to the bracket 41 on both sides of the fixing groove, thereby applying a pre-tightening pressure to the support rod 30 in the fixing groove of the bracket 41 through the elasticity of the pressure plate 42, and then locking the rotation angle of the support rod 30 through the static friction between the pressure plate 42 and the support rod 30.

[0094] Optionally, such as Figure 9 As shown, the pressure plate 42 has a concave arc surface corresponding to the support rod 30.

[0095] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, the material of the tablet 42 is silicon carbide.

[0096] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 9 As shown, the locking assembly 40 also includes a plurality of locking screws 43. Both ends of the pressure plate 42 are formed with a plurality of locking clearance holes that penetrate the pressure plate 42 along the thickness direction. The bracket 41 is formed with a plurality of locking threaded holes. The plurality of locking screws 43 pass through the locking clearance holes and the locking threaded holes one by one to fasten the pressure plate 42 and the bracket 41.

[0097] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 1 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 As shown, the support rod 30 also includes a rear bracket 50, and one end of the support rod 30 on the boat side is connected to the process chamber 20 through the rear bracket 50.

[0098] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 7 , Figure 8 As shown, each support rod 30 includes a support rod 31 and at least one insulating support long sleeve 32 and two insulating support short sleeves 33 sleeved on the support rod 31. The insulating support long sleeve 32 is used to support the front conductive boat foot 100 and the rear conductive boat foot 200 at the junction of two adjacent crystal boats 10. The insulating support short sleeves 33 are used to support the boat foot on the boat foot of the crystal boat 10 located on the boat foot side in the process chamber, and to support the boat foot on the boat foot of the crystal boat 10 located on the boat foot side in the process chamber.

[0099] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, the support rod 31 is made of silicon carbide (SiC). Silicon carbide has excellent properties such as high hardness, high strength, high temperature resistance, and corrosion resistance, which can effectively ensure the structural strength of the support rod 31 in the semiconductor process environment.

[0100] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, both the insulating support long sleeve 32 and the insulating support short sleeve 33 are made of ceramic.

[0101] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 7As shown, the support rod 30 also includes multiple fixing sleeves 34. The fixing sleeves 34 are sleeved on the support rod 31, and each insulating long support sleeve 32 and each insulating short support sleeve 33 has a corresponding fixing sleeve 34 at both ends. The fixing sleeves 34 are used to lock the position of the corresponding insulating long support sleeve 32 or insulating short support sleeve 33 along the extension direction of the support rod 30, so as to prevent the insulating long support sleeve 32 or insulating short support sleeve 33 from sliding along the support rod 30 and being misaligned with the position of the boat foot. This ensures the positional stability of the crystal boat 10 and further avoids direct contact between the boat foot and the support rod 30, thus improving the safety of the semiconductor process.

[0102] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 7 As shown, the support rod 30 also includes at least one fixing connecting plate 35, which corresponds one-to-one with the insulating support long sleeve 32. The fixing connecting plate 35 is fixedly connected between the two fixing sleeves 34 at both ends of the corresponding insulating support long sleeve 32, thereby effectively preventing the fixing sleeve 34 on one side from detaching from the insulating support long sleeve 32, ensuring the stability of the position of the two fixing sleeves 34 on both sides of the insulating support long sleeve 32, further ensuring the stability of the position of the insulating support long sleeve 32, and thus ensuring the stability of the position of the crystal boat 10.

[0103] It is understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary implementations used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A crystal boat assembly comprising a plurality of crystal boats, wherein the plurality of crystal boats are sequentially entered into a process chamber along the axial direction of the process chamber, and sequentially removed from the process chamber along the axial direction of the process chamber, characterized in that, At least one of the crystal boats has a front conductive foot on the bottom of its exit side and at least one of the crystal boats has a rear conductive foot on the bottom of its entry side. The top of the front conductive foot has a contact protrusion and the bottom of the rear conductive foot has a contact groove. When the crystal boat located on the exit side of two adjacent crystal boats enters the process chamber, the contact groove of its rear conductive foot can contact the contact protrusion of the front conductive foot of the crystal boat located on the entry side to electrically connect the two adjacent crystal boats. The crystal boat located on the inlet side of the plurality of crystal boats is used to be electrically connected to the power supply component in the process chamber to receive radio frequency signals provided by the power supply component.

2. The crystal boat assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the front conductive boat foot and the bottom of the rear conductive boat foot respectively have a first support surface and a second support surface for contacting the support assembly in the process chamber.

3. The crystal boat assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that, The support assembly includes a pair of support rods extending horizontally and spaced apart along the axial direction of the process chamber; the front conductive boat feet are arranged in pairs on the corresponding crystal boats, and the rear conductive boat feet are arranged in pairs on the corresponding crystal boats, and the two first support surfaces of each pair of front conductive boat feet are used to contact the two support rods one-to-one, and the second support surface of each pair of rear conductive boat feet is used to contact the two support rods one-to-one; The bottom of the front conductive boat foot also has a front limiting block that protrudes downward relative to the first support surface, and the two front limiting blocks of each pair of front conductive boat feet are located between the two first support surfaces, so that when the corresponding crystal boat is placed on the support rod, the two front limiting blocks limit the position of the crystal boat along the axis perpendicular to the process chamber. The bottom of the rear conductive boat foot also has a rear limiting block that protrudes downward relative to the second support surface, and the two rear limiting blocks of each pair of front conductive boat feet are located between the two second support surfaces, so that when the corresponding crystal boat is placed on the support rod, the two rear limiting blocks limit the position of the crystal boat along the axis perpendicular to the process chamber; the contact groove is located on the boat entry side of the corresponding rear limiting block.

4. The crystal boat assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that, The horizontal cross-sectional area of ​​the contact protrusion gradually increases from top to bottom, and the contact protrusion has a first inclined surface on the side away from the opposite front limiting block, which is inclined towards the opposite front limiting block. The contact groove is formed as a second inclined surface away from the side wall of the opposite rear limiting block, and the second inclined surface is used to contact the first inclined surface.

5. The crystal boat assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that, The top of the contact protrusion has a positioning protrusion, and the bottom of the contact groove has a positioning groove. The shape and position of the positioning groove correspond to the positioning protrusion. The positioning protrusion is used to be accommodated in the positioning groove corresponding to the crystal boat located on the boat entry side when the corresponding crystal boat enters the process chamber.

6. The crystal boat assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The crystal boat includes multiple mounting pieces and multiple sets of spacers. The multiple mounting pieces extend vertically along the axis parallel to the process chamber and are spaced apart along the axis perpendicular to the process chamber. The spacers are disposed between adjacent mounting pieces to maintain the spacing between adjacent mounting pieces and to make adjacent mounting pieces electrically connected. The projection positions of the multiple spacers in each set on the mounting pieces are corresponding. The front conductive boat foot also includes at least one front boat foot connecting block. The front boat foot connecting block is disposed between adjacent mounting pieces and fixedly connected to the corresponding mounting piece. The projection position of the front boat foot connecting block on the mounting piece corresponds to the projection position of a set of spacers on the corresponding crystal boat on the mounting piece. The rear conductive boat foot also includes at least one rear boat foot connecting block. The rear boat foot connecting block is disposed between adjacent mounting pieces and is fixedly connected to the corresponding mounting piece. The projection position of the rear boat foot connecting block on the mounting piece corresponds to the projection position of a set of spacers on the corresponding crystal boat on the mounting piece.

7. The crystal boat assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that, The crystal boat also includes multiple fastening components. Multiple first mounting holes are formed on the mounting pieces along the thickness direction. First clearance holes are formed on the spacers. The positions of multiple sets of spacers correspond one-to-one with the positions of multiple first mounting holes. Multiple fastening components pass through the first mounting holes of multiple mounting pieces and the first clearance holes on each spacer to fix the multiple mounting pieces together. The forefoot connecting block has at least one second mounting hole corresponding to the position of the first mounting hole, so that the forefoot connecting block is fixedly connected to the corresponding mounting piece by the fastening assembly passing through the second mounting hole and the corresponding plurality of first mounting holes. The rear stern connecting block has at least one third mounting hole corresponding to the position of the first mounting hole, so as to fix the rear stern connecting block to the corresponding mounting piece by the fastening assembly passing through the third mounting hole and the corresponding plurality of first mounting holes.

8. A semiconductor process apparatus, characterized in that, It includes a power supply component, a process chamber, and a crystal boat assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, The process chamber is provided with a pair of support rods that extend horizontally and are spaced apart along the axial direction of the process chamber, for supporting the multiple crystal boats; At least one pair of locking components are also fixedly installed in the process chamber. Each pair of locking components corresponds to the end position on the same side of the two support rods and is used to lock the rotation angle of the support rods.

10. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that, The locking assembly includes a bracket and a pressure plate. The bracket has a fixing groove, and the end of the support rod is disposed in the fixing groove. The two ends of the pressure plate are respectively fastened to the bracket on both sides of the fixing groove, so as to lock the rotation angle of the support rod by the friction between the pressure plate and the support rod.

11. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that, The support rod includes a support rod and at least one insulating long support sleeve and two insulating short support sleeves sleeved on the support rod. The insulating long support sleeve is used to support the front conductive boat foot and the rear conductive boat foot at the junction of two adjacent crystal boats. The insulating short support sleeve is used to support the boat foot on the inlet side of the crystal boat located on the inlet side of the plurality of crystal boats, and to support the boat foot on the outlet side of the crystal boat located on the outlet side of the plurality of crystal boats.

12. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 11, characterized in that, The support rod also includes a plurality of fixing sleeves, which are sleeved on the support rod. Each of the long insulating support sleeves and each of the short insulating support sleeves is provided with a fixing sleeve at both ends. The fixing sleeves are used to lock the position of the corresponding long insulating support sleeve or short insulating support sleeve along the extension direction of the support rod.

13. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 12, characterized in that, Optionally, the support rod further includes at least one fixing connecting plate, which corresponds one-to-one with the insulating support sleeve, and the fixing connecting plate is fixedly connected between the two fixing sleeves at both ends of the corresponding insulating support sleeve.

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