Thin film deposition device, method and storage medium

Abstract

The present invention provides a thin film deposition apparatus, method, and storage medium. The thin film deposition apparatus comprises: at least one process chamber, equipped with a wafer tray for carrying wafers for thin film deposition; and a rotation mechanism connected to the wafer tray in the at least one process chamber, so as to rotate the wafers carried by the wafer tray within the corresponding process chamber. Based on the above-described apparatus, the present invention can improve the uniformity of thin film deposition without requiring wafer placement within the process chamber, thereby enhancing thin film performance and deposition efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor equipment, and in particular to a thin film deposition device, a thin film deposition method, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] During the thin film deposition process, film thickness uniformity is a key parameter in thin film preparation. Inhomogeneous film thickness can cause variations in the characteristic wavelength of thin film devices, while overall errors in the film layer can lead to degradation of film performance.

[0003] Existing thin-film deposition machines typically only allow wafers to be deposited in one position within the chamber, without any mechanism to adjust uniformity during the process. Therefore, conventional methods generally require rotating the wafer between multiple stations within the chamber, or removing the wafer from the reaction chamber, transferring it to another mechanism for rotation, and then returning it to the reaction chamber for deposition to improve film deposition uniformity. However, these methods are generally cumbersome to operate, significantly impacting the efficiency and reliability of thin-film deposition.

[0004] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the art urgently needs a thin film deposition technology for improving the uniformity of thin film deposition without taking and placing the wafers in the process chamber, thereby improving the film performance and deposition efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The following is a brief summary of one or more aspects to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all conceivable aspects and is neither intended to identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that will be provided later.

[0006] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the present invention provides a thin film deposition device, a thin film deposition method, and a computer-readable storage medium, which are used to improve the uniformity of thin film deposition without taking and placing wafers in a process chamber, thereby improving thin film performance and deposition efficiency.

[0007] Specifically, the thin film deposition device provided according to the first aspect of the present invention includes: at least one process chamber, which is equipped with a wafer tray for carrying wafers for performing a thin film deposition process; and a rotating mechanism, connected to the wafer tray in the at least one process chamber to drive the wafers carried by it to rotate in the corresponding process chamber via the wafer tray.

[0008] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the rotation mechanism includes an active rotation mechanism and a passive rotation mechanism. The active rotation mechanism has a first end connected to a first drive motor and rotates under the action of the first drive motor. The passive rotation mechanism has a first end connected to a second end of the active rotation mechanism, and a second end of the passive rotation mechanism is connected to the wafer tray, for driving the wafer tray to rotate within the corresponding process chamber under the action of the active rotation mechanism.

[0009] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the active rotation mechanism includes a transmission rod extending along a rotation axis and at least one rotating paddle perpendicular to the rotation axis. The driven rotation mechanism includes a plurality of latches surrounding the edge of the wafer tray. The distal ends of the rotating paddles extend into the latches as the active rotation mechanism rotates, thereby driving the wafer tray to rotate within the corresponding process chamber.

[0010] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the at least one rotating paddle is located at a preset rotation height. The driven rotating mechanism also includes a lifting mechanism. During the process, the lifting mechanism adjusts the wafer tray to a preset process height to perform a thin film deposition process on the wafers carried thereon, and before and / or after the process, adjusts the wafer tray to the rotation height to drive the wafer tray to rotate in the corresponding process chamber via the at least one rotating paddle.

[0011] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the lifting mechanism includes a carrier for carrying the wafer tray, wherein the carrier passes through the bottom surface of the process chamber from the center area of the process chamber to drive the wafer tray to rise and fall.

[0012] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the lifting mechanism includes support rods and a support ring. The support ring is located in the process chamber and below the wafer tray. The support rods extend from an edge region of the process chamber through the bottom surface of the process chamber to drive the wafer tray up and down via the support ring.

[0013] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, a first end of the lifting mechanism is connected to the wafer tray, and a second end thereof is connected to a second drive motor via a ball screw. The ball screw converts the rotation output by the second drive motor into a corresponding amount of lifting, thereby driving the first end of the lifting mechanism to move upward and downward via the second end.

[0014] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the first drive motor is a continuously variable speed motor. A preset transmission ratio is maintained between the active rotation mechanism and the driven rotation mechanism. The first drive motor outputs a corresponding rotational speed based on a target rotational speed of the wafer tray and the preset transmission ratio.

[0015] In addition, the thin film deposition method provided according to the second aspect of the present invention includes the following steps: placing at least one wafer on a wafer tray of a corresponding at least one process chamber to perform a thin film deposition process; and after completing the current stage of the thin film deposition process, and / or before performing the next stage of the thin film deposition process, driving the wafer tray to rotate the wafer it carries in the corresponding process chamber via a rotating mechanism connected to the wafer tray in the at least one process chamber.

[0016] Furthermore, the computer-readable storage medium provided according to the third aspect of the present invention stores computer instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the thin film deposition method according to the second aspect of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The above features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood after reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the following drawings. In the drawings, the components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components with similar related properties or characteristics may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a thin film deposition device provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a rotating mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of an active rotation mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0021] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a driven rotation mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0022] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structural decomposition of a driven rotating mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0023] Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of a carrier provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0024] Figure 7A A front schematic diagram of a tray provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0025] Figure 7B A schematic diagram of the reverse side of a tray provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0026] Figure 8 A schematic diagram showing the position of a driven rotating mechanism during wafer deposition according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0027] Figure 9 A schematic diagram showing the position of a driven rotating mechanism when a wafer is rotated according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0028] Figure 10 A schematic diagram showing the position of an active rotation mechanism during wafer deposition according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0029] Figure 11 A schematic diagram showing the position of an active rotation mechanism when a wafer is rotated according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0030] Reference numerals

[0031] 10 Active rotation mechanism

[0032] 101 Rotating Paddle

[0033] 102 transmission rod

[0034] 103 First drive motor

[0035] 20 Driven rotary mechanism

[0036] 201 Pallet

[0037] 202 bayonet

[0038] 203 support ring

[0039] 204 support rod

[0040] 205 Second drive motor

[0041] 30 process chambers

[0042] 40 stage

[0043] 41 Third drive motor DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The following specific embodiments illustrate the embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention will be introduced in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, this does not mean that the features of this invention are limited to this embodiment. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the invention in conjunction with the embodiment is to cover other options or modifications that may be extended based on the claims of the present invention. In order to provide a deep understanding of the present invention, the following description will include many specific details. The present invention can also be implemented without using these details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion or blurring the focus of the present invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0045] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed, detachable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0046] Furthermore, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "horizontal," and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood to refer to the orientations depicted in that section and the accompanying drawings. These relative terms are used solely for convenience of description and do not necessarily imply that the devices described herein must be manufactured or operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0047] It will be understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. may be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers, and / or portions, these components, regions, layers, and / or portions should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are merely used to distinguish different components, regions, layers, and / or portions. Thus, a first component, region, layer, and / or portion discussed below may be referred to as a second component, region, layer, and / or portion without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.

[0048] As mentioned above, existing thin-film deposition machines typically only allow a wafer to be deposited in one position within the chamber, without any mechanism for adjusting uniformity during the process. Therefore, conventional methods generally require rotating the wafer through multiple stations within the chamber, or removing the wafer from the reaction chamber, transferring it to another mechanism for rotation, and then returning it to the reaction chamber for deposition to improve film deposition uniformity. However, these methods generally suffer from cumbersome operations, significantly impacting the efficiency and reliability of thin-film deposition.

[0049] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the present invention provides a thin film deposition device, a thin film deposition method, and a computer-readable storage medium, which are used to improve the uniformity of thin film deposition without taking and placing wafers in a process chamber, thereby improving thin film performance and deposition efficiency.

[0050] In some non-limiting embodiments, the thin film deposition method provided in the second aspect of the present invention can be implemented based on the thin film deposition apparatus provided in the first aspect of the present invention. Specifically, the thin film deposition apparatus is configured with a memory and a processor. The memory includes, but is not limited to, the computer-readable storage medium provided in the third aspect of the present invention, which stores computer instructions. The processor is connected to the memory and is configured to execute the computer instructions stored in the memory to implement the thin film deposition apparatus provided in the first aspect of the present invention.

[0051] First, please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a thin film deposition device provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0052] like Figure 1 As shown, the thin film deposition apparatus includes at least one process chamber 30 and a rotation mechanism. A wafer tray 201 for carrying wafers for thin film deposition is configured in the at least one process chamber 30. The rotation mechanism is connected to the wafer tray 201 in the at least one process chamber 30 to rotate the wafer or other substrate carried thereon in the corresponding process chamber 30 via the wafer tray 201.

[0053] Specifically, please refer to Figures 2 to 7B . Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a rotating mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of an active rotation mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a driven rotation mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structural decomposition of a driven rotating mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of a carrier provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 7A A front schematic diagram of a tray provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 7B A schematic diagram of the reverse side of a tray provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0054] like Figures 2 to 7BAs shown, the rotation mechanism includes an active rotation mechanism 10 and a driven rotation mechanism 20. The first end of the active rotation mechanism 10 is connected to the first drive motor 103 and rotates under the action of the first drive motor 103. The first end of the driven rotation mechanism 20 is connected to the second end of the active rotation mechanism 10, and the second end of the driven rotation mechanism 20 is connected to the wafer tray 201, which is used to drive the wafer tray 201 to rotate in the corresponding process chamber 30 under the action of the active rotation mechanism 10.

[0055] Furthermore, the active rotation mechanism 10 includes a drive rod 102 extending along the rotation axis and at least one rotating paddle 101 perpendicular to the rotation axis. The rotating paddle 101 is positioned at a predetermined rotation height. The driven rotation mechanism 20 includes multiple latches 202 surrounding the edge of the wafer tray 201. The ends of the rotating paddles 101 can extend into the latches 202 as the active rotation mechanism 10 rotates, driving the wafer tray 201 to rotate within the corresponding process chamber 30.

[0056] Furthermore, the driven rotation mechanism 20 also includes a lifting mechanism. This lifting mechanism includes support rods 204 and a support ring 203. The support ring 203 is located in the process chamber 30 and below the wafer tray 201. The support rods 204 extend from the edge of the process chamber 30 through the bottom surface of the process chamber 30 to drive the wafer tray 201 up and down via the support ring 203.

[0057] Furthermore, the first end of the lifting mechanism can be connected to the wafer tray 201, and the second end thereof can be connected to the second drive motor 205 via a ball screw. The ball screw can convert the rotation output by the second drive motor 205 into a corresponding lifting amount, thereby driving the first end of the lifting mechanism to move up and down via the second end.

[0058] Optionally, in other embodiments, the lifting mechanism may also include a carrier 40 that carries the wafer tray 201. The carrier extends from the center of the process chamber 30 through the bottom of the process chamber 30 and is driven by a third drive motor 41 to move the wafer tray 201 up and down.

[0059] The following describes the operating principles of the thin film deposition apparatus described above, using examples of thin film deposition methods. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these examples of thin film deposition methods are merely non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, intended to clearly illustrate the main concepts of the present invention and provide specific solutions that facilitate implementation by the public. They are not intended to limit the full functionality or operating methods of the thin film deposition apparatus. Similarly, these thin film deposition methods are merely non-limiting embodiments of the present invention and do not limit the execution entities or execution order of the steps in these thin film deposition methods.

[0060] Please refer to Figures 8 to 11 . Figure 8 A schematic diagram showing the position of a driven rotating mechanism during wafer deposition according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 9 A schematic diagram showing the position of a driven rotating mechanism when a wafer is rotated according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 10 A schematic diagram showing the position of an active rotation mechanism during wafer deposition according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 11 A schematic diagram showing the position of an active rotation mechanism when a wafer is rotated according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0061] like Figures 8 to 11 As shown, when performing a thin film deposition process, the thin film deposition apparatus can first place at least one wafer on a wafer tray 201 of at least one corresponding process chamber 30. Here, the tray 201 is placed on a carrier 40 and moves with the carrier 40 to a deposition process position to perform a thin film deposition process on the wafers it carries. During wafer deposition, the rotating paddle 101 can stop at the junction of adjacent process chambers 30 to avoid contact with the wafer deposition area.

[0062] Furthermore, after the thin film deposition process is completed, and / or before the next stage of the thin film deposition process is carried out, the present invention can adjust the uniformity by rotating the wafer. Specifically, the thin film deposition device can drive the carrier 40 to descend via the third drive motor 41, so that the tray 201 falls on the support ring 203 of the driven rotating mechanism 20, and then the lifting device of the driven rotating mechanism 20 drives the support rod to rise, and the support ring is driven to rise via the support rod, and the tray is driven to rise and separate from the carrier via the support ring to adjust the wafer tray 201 to a preset process height. Afterwards, the thin film deposition device can drive the driven rotating mechanism 20 to rotate via at least one rotating paddle 101 of the active rotating mechanism 10, so as to drive the wafer tray 201 to drive the wafer it carries to rotate in the corresponding process chamber 30.

[0063] Here, the first drive motor 103 is a continuously variable speed motor, and a preset transmission ratio is maintained between the active rotating mechanism 10 and the driven rotating mechanism 20 (for example: the rotating paddle of the active rotating mechanism is a 12-tooth deformation structure, and the transmission part of the driven rotating mechanism is a 24-tooth deformation structure). Moreover, according to the gear transmission principle, the active rotating mechanism 10 and the driven rotating mechanism 20 can be configured with different numbers of teeth, thereby adjusting the transmission ratio to achieve the optimal configuration of working stability and efficiency under different working conditions.

[0064] Those skilled in the art will understand that the number of these active rotating mechanisms and driven rotating mechanism rotating paddles are only some non-limiting embodiments provided by the present invention, which are intended to clearly demonstrate the main concept of the present invention and provide some specific solutions that are convenient for the public to implement, rather than to limit the entire structure, function or working mode of the rotating paddle.

[0065] In summary, in order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the present invention provides a thin film deposition technology for improving the uniformity of thin film deposition without taking and placing the wafers in the process chamber, thereby improving the film performance and deposition efficiency.

[0066] Although the above methods are illustrated and described as a series of acts for simplicity of explanation, it is to be understood and appreciated that these methods are not limited by the order of the acts, as some acts may occur in a different order and / or concurrently with other acts from those illustrated and described herein or not illustrated and described herein but understandable to those skilled in the art according to one or more embodiments.

[0067] The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A thin film deposition device, characterized in that: include: A plurality of process chambers, wherein each of the process chambers is respectively configured with a wafer tray for carrying wafers for performing a thin film deposition process; as well as A rotating mechanism is connected to the wafer trays in each of the process chambers to drive the wafers carried by the wafer trays to rotate in the corresponding process chambers via the wafer trays, wherein the rotating mechanism includes an active rotating mechanism and a driven rotating mechanism, the active rotating mechanism includes a transmission rod extending along the rotating axis and a plurality of rotating paddles perpendicular to the rotating axis, the driven rotating mechanism includes a plurality of bayonet holes surrounding the edge of the wafer tray, and the ends of the plurality of rotating paddles respectively extend into the corresponding bayonet holes as the active rotating mechanism rotates to drive each of the wafer trays to rotate in the corresponding process chambers.

2. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The first end of the active rotating mechanism is connected to the first driving motor and rotates under the action of the first driving motor. The first end of the driven rotating mechanism is connected to the second end of the active rotating mechanism, and the second end of the driven rotating mechanism is connected to the wafer tray, which is used to drive the wafer tray to rotate in the corresponding process chamber under the action of the active rotating mechanism.

3. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The multiple rotating paddles are located at a preset rotation height, and the driven rotating mechanism also includes a lifting mechanism, wherein the lifting mechanism adjusts each of the wafer trays to a preset process height during the process to perform a thin film deposition process on the wafers carried thereon, and before and / or after the process, adjusts the wafer tray to the rotation height to drive each of the wafer trays to rotate in the corresponding process chamber via the multiple rotating paddles.

4. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: The lifting mechanism includes a carrier for carrying the wafer tray, wherein the carrier passes through the bottom surface of the process chamber from the central area of the process chamber to drive the wafer tray to rise and fall.

5. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: The lifting mechanism includes a support rod and a support ring, wherein the support ring is located in the process chamber and under the wafer tray, and the support rod passes through the bottom surface of the process chamber from the edge area of the process chamber to drive the wafer tray to rise and fall via the support ring.

6. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: The first end of the lifting mechanism is connected to the wafer tray, and the second end thereof is connected to the second drive motor via a ball screw, wherein the ball screw converts the rotation amount output by the second drive motor into a corresponding lifting amount to drive the first end thereof to rise and fall via the second end of the lifting mechanism.

7. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The first drive motor is a continuously variable speed motor, and a preset transmission ratio is maintained between the active rotating mechanism and the driven rotating mechanism, wherein the first drive motor outputs a corresponding rotation speed according to the target rotation speed of the wafer tray and the preset transmission ratio.

8. A thin film deposition method, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Placing a plurality of wafers on wafer trays of a plurality of process chambers corresponding to the thin film deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 to perform a thin film deposition process; and After completing the current stage of the thin film deposition process, and / or before proceeding to the next stage of the thin film deposition process, each wafer tray is driven to rotate in the corresponding process chamber via a rotating mechanism connected to the wafer trays in each process chamber, causing the wafers it carries to rotate.

9. A computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, the thin film deposition method according to claim 8 is implemented.

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