Heating assembly and semiconductor processing apparatus

By setting a transition section in the heating assembly that connects adjacent coil turns away from the base, the circumferential temperature uniformity of the base is improved, the problem of wafer temperature non-uniformity caused by the induction coil is solved, and the yield of wafer processing is improved.

CN117431531BActive Publication Date: 2026-04-28WUXI LEADPRO TECH CO LTD
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
WUXI LEADPRO TECH CO LTD
Filing Date
2023-10-23
Publication Date
2026-04-28

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In the prior art, the magnetic field strength generated by the induction coil on the plane of the base is not uniform, which leads to inconsistent heating effects in different areas of the base, affecting the uniformity of wafer temperature, and thus affecting the consistency and yield of wafer processing.

Method used

The heating assembly employs a multi-turn coil arrangement in a concentric ring. By setting a transition section between adjacent coils and placing it away from the base, the heating efficiency of the transition section on the base is reduced, thereby improving the temperature uniformity of the base in the circumferential direction.

Benefits of technology

This improves the uniformity of wafer surface temperature and increases the yield of wafer processing.

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Abstract

The application provides a heating assembly and a semiconductor processing device. The semiconductor processing device comprises a reaction cavity, a susceptor arranged in the reaction cavity, and a heating assembly. The susceptor is used for carrying a wafer. The heating assembly comprises a main coil used for heating the susceptor, and a plurality of transition sections. Each transition section is connected with an adjacent coil. The transition sections are arranged away from the susceptor relative to the main coil. The application is used for improving the temperature uniformity of the susceptor in the circumferential direction, improving the consistency of the wafer surface temperature, and improving the yield of wafer processing.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing / processing technology, and in particular to a heating component and semiconductor processing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Heating wafers is an indispensable step in the manufacture of semiconductors or semiconductor chips. Currently, most methods use electromagnetic induction coils to heat the wafer on a substrate. Specifically, an alternating current is passed through the electromagnetic induction coil (usually multiple turns) to generate a magnetic field that changes direction. This magnetic field then creates a changing electric field on the surface of the substrate, which in turn generates eddy currents within the substrate. This causes the substrate to heat up, and the substrate transfers the heat to the wafer, bringing it to the temperature required for the process.

[0003] In semiconductor processing, under suitable temperature conditions, the uniformity of wafer temperature directly determines the processing speed and quality. Uneven wafer temperature will lead to poor wafer consistency, more defects, and lower yield during wafer processing, resulting in low quality semiconductors or semiconductor chips manufactured using the wafer.

[0004] The uneven distribution of the magnetic field strength generated by the induction coil on the plane of the base will lead to inconsistent heating effects on different areas of the base, thus affecting the uniformity of wafer temperature. For example... Figure 1 The induction coil shown includes a multi-turn circular coil arranged in concentric circles. Adjacent coils are connected by a straight transition section. However, the transition section can cause local overheating in the circumferential direction, resulting in excessive heating at the corresponding position of the base. This leads to uneven heat distribution on the base and affects the uniformity of the wafer temperature. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a heating component and semiconductor processing equipment that improves the temperature uniformity of the substrate in the circumferential direction, enhances the consistency of the wafer surface temperature, and improves the yield of wafer processing.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solution:

[0007] A heating assembly for a semiconductor processing apparatus, the semiconductor processing apparatus including a reaction chamber, a base disposed within the reaction chamber for supporting a wafer, the heating assembly comprising:

[0008] The main coil, used to heat the base, includes multiple turns of coil arranged in a concentric ring;

[0009] Multiple transition sections, each connecting an adjacent coil turn, are positioned away from the base relative to the main coil.

[0010] Optionally, the distance between the transition section and the base is greater than twice the distance between the main coil and the base.

[0011] Optionally, the multi-turn coil has opposite first and second ends at the same position along the radial direction, and each transition section connects the first end of the inner coil and the second end of the outer coil in adjacent turns.

[0012] Optionally, the transition section is connected to the first end of the coil located in the inner ring via a first connecting section and to the second end of the coil located in the outer ring via a second connecting section, wherein the first connecting section and the third connecting section extend perpendicularly to the base.

[0013] Optionally, the winding direction of the transition section is not opposite to the winding direction of the main coil.

[0014] Optionally, the plane containing the transition section is parallel to the plane containing the main coil.

[0015] Optionally, one or more of the multi-turn coils may be located in one or more different planes.

[0016] Optionally, both the main coil and the transition section are hollow pipes, and the flow cross-section of the transition section is not less than the flow cross-section of the main coil.

[0017] A semiconductor processing apparatus, comprising:

[0018] reaction chamber;

[0019] A base is disposed within the reaction chamber, and the base is heated by a heating assembly as described in any of the above claims;

[0020] A rotating shaft, passing through the center of each coil turn, is used to drive the base to rotate about the central axis of the base.

[0021] Optionally, the semiconductor processing equipment includes a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) apparatus.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0023] This invention provides a heating component and a semiconductor processing apparatus. The heating component includes a main coil and multiple transition sections. The main coil includes multiple turns of coil arranged in a concentric ring for heating a substrate. Adjacent coils in the main coil are connected by connecting sections. Compared to the main coil, the connecting sections are located further away from the substrate, which greatly reduces the heating efficiency of the transition sections on the substrate. This improves the circumferential temperature uniformity of the substrate, thereby increasing the uniformity of the wafer surface temperature and improving the yield of wafer processing. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for description will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are an embodiment of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these drawings:

[0025] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of an existing induction coil;

[0026] Figure 2 It is a structural diagram of a semiconductor processing device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 It is a structural diagram of a heating component provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 It is a plan view of a heating component provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 It is a structural diagram of a semiconductor processing device provided by another embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0030] The following further details the solution proposed by the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation manners. According to the following description, the advantages and features of the present invention will be clearer. It should be noted that the accompanying drawings are in a very simplified form and all use non-precise scales, only for the purpose of conveniently and clearly assisting in explaining the implementation manners of the present invention.

[0031] As Figure 1 shown, the induction coils are arranged in concentric circles, and adjacent turns are connected by straight transition segments. The turn pitch between adjacent turns is a, and the distance between adjacent transition segments is b. It can be understood that in the circumferential direction, the coil density of the middle turn coil remains the same at other positions, but at the transition segment, it can be seen that b < a, that is, the coil density of the coil at the transition segment is increased. And the increase in the linear density will increase the heating efficiency at this position, resulting in non-uniform temperature in the circumferential direction of the base. In addition, since the transition segment is a straight segment with a variable diameter, the heat distribution is not in a circular shape like other regions, but becomes a straight distribution with a variable diameter corresponding to the transition segment, which also causes non-uniform temperature in the circumferential direction of the base.

[0032] Based on this, the present invention provides a heating component and a semiconductor processing device. By connecting adjacent coils in the main coil through a connecting segment, compared with the main coil, the connecting segment is arranged far from the base, so that the heating efficiency of the transition segment for the base is greatly reduced, thereby improving the temperature uniformity in the circumferential direction of the base.

[0033] The semiconductor processing apparatus provided by this invention can be a chemical vapor deposition apparatus, or other types of semiconductor apparatus. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the semiconductor processing apparatus includes a reaction chamber comprising a generally cylindrical chamber wall 110 made of metallic material and a top cover 120. A base 130 and a heating assembly provided by the present invention are disposed within the reaction chamber. The upper surface of the base 130 is used to support one or more wafers W, and the multiple wafers W can be placed along the circumferential direction of the base 130. The heating assembly is used to heat the base 130, thereby heating the wafers W. The semiconductor processing apparatus also includes a rotating shaft 150, disposed below the base 130 and passing through the center of each coil in the heating assembly 140, for driving the base 130 to rotate about its central axis. The semiconductor processing apparatus also includes a gas inlet assembly 160, disposed on the top cover 120, for introducing reactive gas into the reaction chamber to perform corresponding processing on the wafers W.

[0034] Combination Figure 3 As shown, the present invention provides a heating assembly 140, including a main coil 141 and a transition section 142. The main coil 141 is used to heat the base 130 and includes multiple turns of coil arranged in a concentric ring. Each transition section 142 connects adjacent turns of coil, and the transition section 142 is disposed away from the base 130 relative to the main coil 141. The diameter of the outermost turns of the main coil 141 is approximately equal to or slightly smaller than the diameter of the base 130, thereby achieving heating of the entire base 130. Furthermore, the main coil 141 is disposed close to the base 130, thereby improving the heating efficiency of the heating assembly 140 on the base 130. Because the transition section 142 is disposed away from the base 130, the magnetic field generated by the transition section 142 has a small, or even negligible, influence on the base 130. Therefore, the structural design of this transition section 142 will not affect the heating efficiency of the heating component 140 at this location, nor will it form a linear heat distribution with varying diameter at the corresponding location of the base 130, thereby improving the temperature uniformity of the base 130 in the circumferential direction.

[0035] Furthermore, the distance between the transition section 142 and the base 130 is greater than twice the distance between the main coil 141 and the base 130. The relationship between the coil coupling distance and heating efficiency is approximately: heating efficiency is inversely proportional to the square of the coupling distance. Setting the distance between the transition section 142 and the base 130 to be greater than twice the distance between the main coil 141 and the base 130 effectively reduces the heating efficiency of the transition section 142 on the base 130 relative to the heating efficiency of the main coil 141 on the base 130, thereby reducing the influence of the transition section 142 on the temperature of the base 130.

[0036] In this embodiment, the multi-turn coil has opposing first and second ends at the same radial position, and each transition section 142 connects the first end of the inner coil and the second end of the outer coil in adjacent turns. Figure 3 , 4 Taking the heating assembly shown as an example, a transition section 142 connects the second end d of the outermost coil to the first end c of the adjacent inner coil. Connecting the transition section 142 to the adjacent coil turns ensures that the winding direction of the main coil 141 does not reverse. Setting the transition section 142 at the same radial position of the adjacent coil turns avoids the transition section 142 being too long, which would cause the transition section 142 to have a superimposed effect with the main coil 141 above, thus affecting the heating effect of the main coil 141. In addition, this arrangement is also convenient for assembly and manufacturing.

[0037] Furthermore, such as Figure 3 As shown, the transition section 142 is connected to the first end of the inner coil via a first connecting section 143 and to the second end of the outer coil via a second connecting section 144. The first connecting section 143 and the second connecting section 144 extend perpendicularly to the base 130. Selecting the first connecting section 143 and the second connecting section 144 perpendicular to the base 130 reduces their influence on the temperature of the base 130. According to the principle of electromagnetic induction, the current in the first connecting section 143 / second connecting section 144 is actually vertically upward or downward, and the magnetic field it generates actually surrounds the first connecting section 143 / second connecting section 144. Therefore, by ensuring the first connecting section 143 and the second connecting section 144 are perpendicular to the base 130, the influence of their generated magnetic field on the heating of the base 130 can be minimized.

[0038] Furthermore, the winding direction of the transition section 142 is not opposite to the winding direction of the main coil 141, such as... Figure 4As shown, the transition section 142 is zigzag-shaped and includes a first section, a second section, and a third section connected in sequence. The first section is connected to the first end c of the inner coil, and the second section is connected to the second end d of the outer coil. The winding direction of the first section is approximately perpendicular to the winding direction of the inner coil, the winding direction of the third section is approximately perpendicular to the winding direction of the outer coil, and the winding direction of the second section is approximately the same as the winding direction of the inner / outer coil. Overall, the winding direction of the entire transition section 142 is not opposite to the winding direction of the main coil 141. In other embodiments, the transition section 142 may also be straight and smoothly connected to the first connecting section 143 and the second connecting section 144, or the transition section 142 and the first connecting section 143 and the second connecting section 144 may be integrally bent. In this case, the angle between the winding direction of the transition section 142 and the winding direction of the main coil 141 is less than 90°. Therefore, the magnetic field generated by the transition section 142 can be prevented from causing uncontrollable weakening of the magnetic field generated by the main coil 141, thus affecting the heating effect of the main coil 141.

[0039] In this embodiment, the plane where the transition section 142 is located is parallel to the plane where the main coil 141 is located, in order to reduce the requirements for the size of the reaction chamber.

[0040] In this embodiment, both the main coil 141 and the transition section 142 are hollow pipes, and the flow cross-section of the transition section 142 is not smaller than the flow cross-section of the main coil 141. Cooling medium needs to be introduced into the main coil 141 and the transition section 142 to cool the coil and prevent the temperature from becoming too high.

[0041] Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the multiple turns of the main coil 141 are located in the same plane, and the distance between adjacent coils is not particularly limited. In other embodiments, the multiple turns can be arranged in opposite planes according to the actual needs of the process, that is, one or more of the multiple turns can be arranged in one or more different planes to adjust the temperature at different radial positions of the base 130. Figure 5 The schematic diagram shows a heating device in a semiconductor processing apparatus having a 6-turn coil, wherein the third turn of the coil from the outside in is located on the lowest plane, the second and fourth turns of the coil are located on the next lowest plane, and the first, fifth, and sixth turns of the coil are located on the highest plane. The coils located on different planes have different heating efficiencies for different areas on the base 130, thereby adjusting the temperature at different locations on the base 130.

[0042] In summary, the present invention provides a heating component and a semiconductor processing apparatus. The heating component includes a main coil and multiple transition sections. The main coil includes multiple turns of coil arranged in a concentric ring for heating a substrate. Adjacent coils in the main coil are connected by connecting sections. Compared to the main coil, the connecting sections are located further away from the substrate, which greatly reduces the heating efficiency of the transition sections on the substrate. This improves the circumferential temperature uniformity of the substrate, thereby improving the uniformity of the wafer surface temperature and increasing the yield of wafer processing.

[0043] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0044] Although the present invention has been described in detail through the preferred embodiments above, it should be understood that the above description should not be considered as a limitation of the present invention. Various modifications and substitutions to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the above description. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A heating assembly for a semiconductor processing apparatus, the semiconductor processing apparatus including a reaction chamber, the reaction chamber having a base for supporting a wafer, characterized in that, The heating component includes: The main coil, used to heat the base, includes multiple turns of coil arranged in a concentric ring; Multiple transition sections, each connecting an adjacent coil, are located away from the base relative to the main coil, and both the main coil and the transition sections are located within the reaction chamber; The multi-turn coil has a first end and a second end at the same position along the radial direction. Each transition section connects the first end of the inner coil and the second end of the outer coil in an adjacent coil. The transition section connects the first end of the inner coil through a first connecting section and the second end of the outer coil through a second connecting section. The first connecting section and the second connecting section extend perpendicularly to the base. Both the main coil and the transition section are hollow pipes, and the flow cross section of the transition section is not less than the flow cross section of the main coil.

2. The heating assembly as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The distance between the transition section and the base is greater than twice the distance between the main coil and the base.

3. The heating assembly as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The winding direction of the transition section is not opposite to the winding direction of the main coil.

4. The heating assembly as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The plane containing the transition section is parallel to the plane containing the main coil.

5. The heating assembly as described in claim 1, characterized in that, One or more of the multi-turn coils are located in one or more different planes.

6. A semiconductor processing apparatus, characterized in that, include: reaction chamber; A base is disposed within the reaction chamber, and the base is heated by a heating assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 5; A rotating shaft, passing through the center of each coil turn, is used to drive the base to rotate about the central axis of the base.

7. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The semiconductor processing equipment includes a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) device.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Electrode structure and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching machine

    CN106920732A

  • Semiconductor processing equipment and induction heater thereof

    CN219107703U