Support assembly, epitaxial deposition reactor and assembly method thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides a support assembly for supporting a substrate tray, comprising a rotating shaft and a plurality of support rods. A plurality of mounting slots are provided on the top side wall of the rotating shaft, and the support rod comprises an insertion portion, an extension portion, and a support portion connected in sequence, wherein the support portion is used to support the substrate tray; the insertion portions of the plurality of support rods are sequentially inserted into the plurality of mounting slots of the rotating side wall to realize the assembly of the support assembly. Positioning structures are provided on the mounting slots and the insertion portions of the support rods, and when the support rods are located in the space below the mounting slots, they can be driven by the gravity of the support rods themselves, so that the insertion portions automatically move upward to be close to the inclined surface at the top of the mounting slots, thereby realizing automatic positioning of the support rods.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, and in particular to a support component of an epitaxial thin film deposition device and an assembling method thereof. Background Art

[0002] In the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, in the process of manufacturing semiconductor devices such as transistors, it is necessary to grow a silicon epitaxial material layer, and a dedicated epitaxial deposition reactor is required to achieve the growth of silicon epitaxial material. Figure 1a The figure shows a typical epitaxial deposition reactor, which includes a quartz reaction chamber 12, with high-power radiation lamps 13 and 14 respectively arranged above and below the chamber, and a reflector plate is also provided on the back of the lamp. An extension pipe 26 extending downward is also provided on the bottom wall of the chamber, and a rotating shaft 24 enters the reaction chamber 12 upward through the extension pipe. A substrate tray support frame 22 is provided on the top of the rotating shaft 24 and is plugged and fixed to the top of the rotating shaft. The substrate tray 20 is provided on the substrate tray support frame 22, and the substrate 16 is provided on the substrate tray 20, and rotates with the rotating shaft 24 to perform a uniform epitaxial deposition process. The center of the rotating shaft also includes a through space for accommodating a thermocouple 28 or other temperature sensor for temperature measurement, which is used to accurately detect the temperature of the center of the substrate tray. As shown Figure 1b The figure shows an enlarged view of the connection structure between the support frame 22 and the rotating shaft 24. The support frame 22 comprises multiple support rods 22b extending radially outward. Each support rod has a vertically upward support column 22c at its distal end. The inner ends of the multiple support rods are fixed to the outer wall of a conical connecting barrel 22a. The inner wall of the connecting barrel 22a and the top of the rotating shaft 24 are fixed together through friction. During the assembly process, the support frame 22 is horizontally inserted into the narrow bottom space of the reaction chamber 12. The rotating shaft 24 is then inserted upward through the extension tube 26. Finally, the rotating shaft 24 and the support frame connecting barrel 22a are aligned to complete the assembly.

[0003] The above-mentioned support frame structure and assembly method bring many problems. If the mechanical fit between the inner wall of the connecting barrel 22a and the top of the rotating shaft 24 is too tight, the connecting barrel cannot be effectively inserted. If the fit clearance is too large, the connecting barrel cannot be fixed or the fixed position is offset. These will greatly deteriorate the uniformity of the final epitaxial growth process. By optimizing the matching structure of the connecting barrel 22a or the top of the rotating shaft, only partial improvement can be made, but the problem of relying on friction matching to achieve combination cannot be completely solved. As the use time of these components increases, the components wear each other, or the epitaxial reaction chamber needs to be frequently heated and cooled at high temperatures, which will cause the components to deform. These slow-occurring factors further lead to the mechanical fit between the connecting barrel 22a and the rotating shaft 24 in the prior art not being able to achieve optimization. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a new substrate tray support structure for use in an integrated epitaxial reaction chamber, so that the substrate tray can be stable in a fixed position for a long time, ensuring the stability of the process effect, and at the same time can be easily disassembled or assembled, improving the maintainability of the inverse epitaxial reactor and reducing the difficulty and cost of maintenance. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides a support assembly for supporting a substrate tray, so that a rotating shaft in an integrated chemical vapor deposition reaction chamber has a plurality of detachable support rods, and these positioning rods can be independently assembled and disassembled and accurately positioned. The support assembly includes: a rotating shaft and a plurality of support rods, characterized in that: a plurality of mounting grooves are provided on the top side wall of the rotating shaft, the support rod includes an inserting portion, an extension portion and a supporting portion connected in sequence, and the supporting portion is used to support the substrate tray; the inserting portion has at least one bottom wall and an inclined outer wall; the inserting portion can move between a first position and a second position in the mounting groove, wherein the first position is lower than the second position; when the inserting portion is located in the first position in the mounting groove, there is a gap between the inclined outer wall of the inserting portion and the inner wall of the mounting groove, and the center of gravity of the support rod is located on the extension portion away from the rotating shaft, and the gravity of the support rod and the contact surface between the bottom wall of the inserting portion and the opening of the mounting groove jointly give the inserting portion a force to move toward the second position;

[0005] When the inserting portion moves upward to the second position, the inclined outer side wall of the inserting portion and the inner side wall of the installation groove are in close contact with each other, and a gap exists between the bottom wall of the inserting portion and the bottom wall of the installation groove.

[0006] The present invention also provides another support assembly for supporting a substrate tray, comprising a rotating shaft and a plurality of support rods, wherein a plurality of mounting slots are provided on the top side wall of the rotating shaft, the support rods comprising an inserting portion, an extending portion and a supporting portion connected in sequence, the supporting portion being used to support the substrate tray; the outer wall of the inserting portion comprises a bottom wall located below and at least one inclined outer side wall located above; the lower portion of the mounting slot of the rotating shaft side wall also includes a support ring surrounding the rotating shaft side wall, the upper surface of the support ring having at least one positioning slot; an auxiliary positioning device, the auxiliary positioning device including an auxiliary side wall surrounding the rotating shaft, and also including a positioning ring located at the bottom of the auxiliary side wall matching the shape of the positioning slot on the support ring, so that the auxiliary side wall will not move in the radial direction when the positioning ring is inserted into the positioning slot;

[0007] The auxiliary side wall is provided with a plurality of mounting through holes, and the height of the mounting through holes corresponds to the mounting slot, so that each mounting through hole and a mounting slot together constitute an accommodating space for accommodating the insertion part; the insertion part can move between a first position and a second position in the accommodating space, wherein the first position is lower than the second position; when the insertion part is located in the first position in the accommodating space, the insertion part can move horizontally and upward in the accommodating space; when the insertion part is located in the second position in the accommodating space, the inclined outer side wall of the insertion part and at least one inner wall in the accommodating space match and fit tightly with each other, and are fixed to each other. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for the description. Obviously, the drawings described below are one embodiment of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can also derive other drawings based on these drawings without inventive effort:

[0009] Figure 1a It is a schematic diagram of an epitaxial deposition device in the prior art;

[0010] Figure 1b Schematic diagram of a substrate tray support frame in the prior art;

[0011] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the substrate tray support rod structure of the present invention;

[0012] Figure 3a 、 Figure 3b This is a schematic diagram of the support rod assembly process of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the support rod of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 5 It is another embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 6a 、 Figure 6b It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of other embodiments of the insertion portion and the mounting groove of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments 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.

[0017] like Figure 2 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the substrate tray support rod structure of the present invention. In the present invention, a cavity for accommodating the temperature probe 28 is also provided at the center of the rotating shaft 124. A plurality of independent mounting slots 25 are provided on the top sidewall of the rotating shaft, and a support rod 32 is inserted and fixed in each mounting slot 25. The support rod 32 includes an insertion portion 32a, an extension portion 32b, and a vertical support portion 32c. The top of the support portion 32c is used to support the substrate tray 20. Multiple support rods 32 are radially arranged at different azimuth angles on the sidewall of the rotating shaft 124, and the multiple support portions 32c are used to provide stable support for the substrate tray.

[0018] Figure 3a and 3b Further described Figure 2 The enlarged view of the support assembly of the present invention at X shows the specific structure of the insertion portion 32a of the support rod and the mounting groove 25, and also describes the process of accurately fixing the insertion portion 32a to the mounting groove. Figure 3a As shown, the cross section of the mounting groove 25 in the Y direction has a top surface 253 with a smaller horizontal width and a bottom surface 250 with a larger horizontal width. There are also two inclined surfaces 252 between the bottom and top surfaces. Optionally, a vertical side surface 252 may be included below the inclined surface 252. These top, bottom, and inclined surfaces together constitute the space of the mounting groove 25. Correspondingly, the insertion portion 32a of the support rod 32 also has a top surface 32a3 with a smaller horizontal width and a bottom surface 32a0 with a larger horizontal width, as well as an inclined surface 32a2 located between the top and bottom surfaces of the insertion portion. Optionally, a side surface 32a2 may also be included. The top, bottom, and inclined surfaces of the insertion portion 32a together constitute the shape of the outer wall of the insertion portion. A locking protrusion 32a8 may be further provided on the inclined surface 32a2. The protrusion 32a8 may be a raised hemisphere or a raised ridge extending along the direction of the support rod.

[0019] The bottom surface 32a0 of the insertion portion is smaller than the width of the mounting groove bottom surface 250, and the top surface 32a3 of the insertion portion is smaller than the width of the mounting groove top surface 253. The bottom of the mounting groove forms a lower space larger than the insertion portion 32a, allowing the insertion portion 32a to move in multiple directions after being inserted into the lower space of the mounting groove.

[0020] When assembling the support rod 32 into the mounting slot, the insert portion 32a is first inserted manually or by a robotic arm along the bottom surface of the mounting slot 25, so that the distal end of the insert portion abuts against the deepest end surface 259 of the mounting slot and the bottom surface 32a0 abuts against the bottom surface 250 of the mounting slot. This completes the initial positioning of the insert portion 32a. In this initial position, the insert portion can move horizontally, but this allows for precise positioning of the insert portion 32a after subsequent assembly.

[0021] Subsequently, pressure can be applied downward from the distal end of the support rod 32, such as the support portion 32c or a support rod near the support portion 32c, so that the insert portion is lifted upward under the action of the lever force, and the two inclined surfaces 32a2 of the insert portion 32a are pressed upward against the inclined side surface 252 of the mounting groove, eventually causing the protrusion 32a8 on the inclined surface 32a2 to tightly contact the inclined surface 252. At the same time, the upper end of the insert portion 32a is pressed against the first tight contact surface 253s at the junction of the mounting groove end surface 259 and the top surface 253. At this time, a second tight contact surface 250s is formed between the bottom surface 32a0 of the insert portion and the opening of the mounting groove 25. The first and second tight contact surfaces 253s and 250s can be a contact support line or any other contact surface according to the requirements of force or processing convenience. As long as the insert portion 32a is pressed against these two tight contact surfaces, the vertical positioning is achieved. On the other hand, the protrusion 32a8 and the installation groove inclined surface 252 also form a close contact surface, so accurate positioning is also achieved in the horizontal rotation direction. Finally, the insertion part 32 is accurately positioned when it is closely contacted by multiple close contact surfaces. Since the center of gravity of the support rod is on the extension 32b away from the insertion part, it naturally has the following characteristics: Figure 3a The downward pressure at F shown enables the two close-fitting surfaces 253s and 250s of the insert to automatically maintain the close-fitting pressure. Moreover, during the operation of the epitaxial deposition reactor, the gravity of the loaded substrate tray and the substrate itself will also be superimposed on the far end of the support rod, which will further increase the downward pressure F and maintain the close-fitting state.

[0022] During the disassembly of the support rod 32, a force opposite to the direction F can be applied to enable the insertion portion 32a to enter the loose lower space of the installation groove 25. Figure 3a The support rod 32 is then pulled outwards to finally disassemble the support rod.

[0023] During the assembly process of the entire support structure within the epitaxial cavity, the rotating shaft can be first inserted through the extension tube 26, and then the insertion portion 32a of the first support rod can be aligned with the loose lower space of the mounting groove 25 at the top of the rotating shaft and inserted. After being inserted to the bottom and reaching the initial position, downward pressure is applied to the distal end of the support rod to push the inner end of the support rod 32 upward into the upper space with a smaller horizontal width, so that the two inclined surfaces 32a2 or 32a8 of the insertion portion 32a are tightly abutted in the horizontal direction by the two inclined surfaces 252 of the mounting groove. At the same time, the end of the insertion portion 32a is constrained in the vertical direction by the close-fitting surface 253s at the end of the mounting groove 25 and the close-fitting surface 250s at the opening, finally completing the installation and fixation of the first support rod 32. The rotating shaft 124 is then rotated again, and the second and third support rods 32 are inserted again, finally achieving the fixed assembly of multiple support rods on the rotating shaft 124. As long as the mounting grooves 25 on the rotating shaft are machined with sufficient dimensional accuracy, the support rods can be symmetrical after assembly, and ultimately the height and levelness of the trays supported by the support rods can be sufficiently accurate.

[0024] In the present invention, the insertion portion 32a may also not have the lower side surface 32a1. In this case, the cross-section of the insertion portion is a symmetrical trapezoid, and the cross-section of the corresponding mounting groove 25 may also be a trapezoid, but the cross-section of the mounting groove 25 must be larger than the cross-section of the insertion portion, so that the insertion portion 32a can be inserted loosely, and then under force, the end of the insertion portion is pushed upward by the lever force into a close fit position to achieve position locking.

[0025] Apart from Figure 3a 、 3b In the embodiment shown, the cross section of the insertion portion and the cross section of the installation groove of the present invention can also be other combinations. Figure 6a 、 Figure 6b As shown, the cross-section of the insertion portion 32a" in the present invention can also be a right-angled trapezoid, that is, there is only one inclined surface 32a2, and the other side opposite to it is a vertical surface perpendicular to the bottom surface 32a0. When the insertion portion is lifted upward, one inclined surface 32a2 can also realize the function of the outer wall of the insertion portion 32a" of the present invention being in close contact with the inner wall of the mounting groove 25", thereby realizing the drive in the rotation direction. Or the cross-section of the insertion portion 32a' is triangular, and the cross-section of the corresponding mounting groove 25' is also a corresponding matching triangle, but the size is slightly larger. When the insertion portion 32a' is pushed upward into the triangular top area surrounded by the inner wall of the mounting groove 25', the triangular side wall of the outer wall of the insertion portion 32a' is in close contact with the inner wall of the mounting groove 25'. This structure also belongs to one of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0026] The shape of the support rod 32 of the present invention can be selected in many ways, such as Figure 4The extension portion 32b is not aligned with the insertion portion 32a. The extension portion 32b is bent downward, which allows the support height of the support portion 32c to be lower. Similarly, the extension portion can also be bent horizontally, so that the inward extension direction of the extension portion 32b points toward the side wall of the rotation axis rather than toward the center of the rotation axis. The extension portion 32b can be fixedly connected to the insertion portion 32a via a plug-in portion. In this way, only the plug-in extension portion 32b and the support portion 32c at the distal end of the extension portion 32b can be replaced without replacing the insertion portion 32a, adapting to different application scenarios.

[0027] The wall of the rotating shaft 124 used in the epitaxial deposition reactor is usually thin, only ten millimeters or less. Opening a deep mounting groove 25 on such a thin wall may lead to a problem of reduced mechanical properties of the rotating shaft 124. In order to solve this problem, the present invention proposes another embodiment. Figure 5 As shown, a support ring 126 is fixed to the top area of the rotating shaft side wall by welding or other means, and an annular positioning groove 129 is provided on the upper surface of the support ring. A cylindrical auxiliary positioning hoop 127, the auxiliary positioning hoop includes an auxiliary side wall and a positioning rib at the bottom of the auxiliary side wall, the positioning rib is a downwardly protruding wedge-shaped portion, and its shape matches the shape of the positioning groove 129. The size and surface roughness design of the wedge-shaped portion and the positioning groove can enable the auxiliary positioning hoop to rotate in the circumferential direction, but cannot move in the radial direction. A second mounting groove 325 is provided on the rotating shaft side wall 124 above the support ring, and a mounting through hole 425 is also provided at the corresponding height on the auxiliary positioning hoop 127. The second mounting groove 325 and the mounting through hole 425 together constitute Figure 3a 、 Figure 3b The function of the mounting groove 25 shown is similar to that of the second mounting groove 325, but the depth of the hole in the direction perpendicular to the side wall of the rotating shaft is much smaller than the required depth of the mounting groove 25. The depth of the first mounting groove 325 can be less than 5 mm. During assembly, the insertion portion 32a is first inserted into the mounting through-hole 425 on the auxiliary side wall of the auxiliary positioning hoop 127. The mounting rod 32 is then driven to move the auxiliary positioning hoop in a circumferential direction until the distal end of the insertion portion 32a is inserted into the second mounting groove 325. Then, referring to the operation of the first embodiment described above, the distal end of the support rod is pressed downward, so that the insertion portion is clamped from all directions, thereby achieving the positioning of the support rod 32.

[0028] The present invention utilizes a specially designed mounting slot and insert structure, allowing the insert to be inserted into the loose lower portion of the mounting slot. The inner end of the insert is then lifted upward into the upper portion of the mounting slot using the lever principle, securing the insert from multiple contact surfaces in both the vertical and rotational directions, thereby securing the support rod. This structure eliminates the need for friction to drive the support rod's rotation during operation. Instead, the support rod is secured to the support rod through the contact force between the rotating shaft and the support rod. Furthermore, assembly and disassembly are easy, preventing positional deviation.

[0029] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention, and such modifications or substitutions are intended to be within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be subject to the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A support assembly for supporting a substrate tray, comprising a rotating shaft and a plurality of support rods, characterized in that: A plurality of mounting slots are provided on the top side wall of the rotating shaft, and the supporting rod comprises an inserting portion, an extending portion and a supporting portion connected in sequence, and the supporting portion is used to support the substrate tray; The insert portion has at least a bottom wall and an inclined outer side wall; The inserting portion is movable between a first position and a second position in the mounting slot, wherein the first position is lower than the second position; When the insertion portion is located in the first position in the mounting slot, a gap exists between the inclined outer wall of the insertion portion and the inner wall of the mounting slot, the insertion portion can be loosely inserted into or removed from the mounting slot, and the center of gravity of the support rod is located on the extension portion away from the rotation axis, and the gravity of the support rod causes the insertion portion to have a force to move toward the second position; A protrusion is provided on the inclined outer wall of the insertion part. When the insertion part moves upward to the second position, the protrusion and the inclined inner wall of the mounting groove are tightly attached to each other, and the support rod and the mounting groove are clamped with each other to achieve the fixation of the insertion part. At the same time, there is a gap between the bottom wall of the insertion part and the bottom wall of the mounting groove.

2. A support assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shape of the inner wall of the mounting groove matches the outer wall of the insertion portion, and includes a bottom wall located below and an inclined inner side wall located above the bottom wall; When the insertion portion is located in the first position in the mounting groove, the bottom wall of the insertion portion is in close contact with the bottom wall of the mounting groove, and there is a gap between the inclined outer wall of the insertion portion and the inclined inner wall of the mounting groove. At the same time, there is also a gap between the top of the insertion portion and the top of the mounting groove; when the insertion portion moves upward to the second position, the inclined outer wall of the insertion portion and the inclined inner wall of the mounting groove are in close contact with each other.

3. The support assembly according to claim 2, wherein: When the inserting portion is located at the second position, a close contact surface exists between the bottom wall of the inserting portion and the bottom wall of the mounting groove at the opening of the mounting groove.

4. The support assembly according to claim 3, wherein: When the inserting portion is located at the second position, a second close-fitting surface exists between the top of the inserting portion and the top of the mounting groove.

5. The support assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The center of the rotating shaft includes a vertical through hole for accommodating a temperature detection device.

6. A support assembly for supporting a substrate tray, comprising a rotating shaft and a plurality of support rods, characterized in that: A plurality of mounting slots are provided on the top side wall of the rotating shaft, and the supporting rod comprises an inserting portion, an extending portion and a supporting portion connected in sequence, and the supporting portion is used to support the substrate tray; The outer wall of the inserting portion includes a bottom wall located at the bottom and at least one inclined outer side wall located at the top; The side wall of the rotating shaft further includes a support ring below the mounting groove surrounding the side wall of the rotating shaft, and the upper surface of the support ring has at least one positioning groove; an auxiliary positioning device, the auxiliary positioning device comprising an auxiliary side wall surrounding the rotation axis, and a positioning ring at the bottom of the auxiliary side wall matching the shape of the positioning groove on the support ring, so that the auxiliary side wall does not move in the radial direction when the positioning ring is inserted into the positioning groove; The auxiliary side wall is provided with a plurality of mounting through holes, the height of the mounting through holes corresponding to the mounting groove, so that each mounting through hole and a mounting groove together form an accommodating space for accommodating the inserting portion; The inserting portion is movable between a first position and a second position within the accommodating space, wherein the first position is lower than the second position; When the insertion portion is located at the first position in the accommodation space, the insertion portion can move horizontally and upward in the accommodation space; A protrusion is provided on the inclined outer side wall of the insertion portion. When the insertion portion is located at the second position in the accommodating space, the protrusion and at least one inner wall of the accommodating space are matched and tightly fitted with each other and fixed to each other.

7. The support assembly according to claim 6, wherein: When the insertion portion is located at the first position, the center of gravity of the support rod is located on the extension portion, and the gravity of the support rod drives the insertion portion to move toward the second position.

8. The support assembly according to claim 6, wherein: The diameter of the auxiliary side wall is greater than the diameter of the support ring.

9. A reactor for epitaxial deposition, comprising an integrally formed reaction chamber, wherein the bottom of the reaction chamber comprises an extension pipe extending downward, and a plurality of support assemblies according to claim 1 or 6 are arranged in the reaction chamber.

10. The method for assembling an epitaxial deposition reactor according to claim 9, wherein: The method comprises the steps of: inserting a rotating shaft into the extension pipe; Inserting the first support rod into the first position of the mounting slot or the accommodating space, and pressing down the extension portion or the supporting portion of the support rod so that the insertion portion moves upward into the second position of the mounting slot or the accommodating space; The rotating shaft is rotated to insert the remaining support rods into the corresponding mounting grooves or accommodating spaces on the rotating shaft.

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