Wafer boat, deposition apparatus, and substrate processing method

Abstract

The present application provides a wafer boat, a deposition device and a substrate processing method, the wafer boat uses the cooperation of a boat piece and a toothed rod to fix the substrate, the boat piece is provided with a settling groove, the substrate is accommodated through the settling groove, the edge of the substrate is surrounded by the settling edge, the contact between the non-coated surface of the substrate and the process gas is reduced, at the same time, the abutting portion of the movable toothed rod can further press the substrate, the fitting degree with the substrate is increased, so that in the deposition process, the process gas flow flows around the surface of the settling groove, thereby improving the around-plating phenomenon of the substrate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor equipment and manufacturing, and particularly to a wafer boat, deposition equipment, and substrate processing method. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development of semiconductor technology and the increasing demand for clean energy, the technology of mass-producing solar panels by deposition of silicon wafers using deposition techniques such as ALD (atomic layer deposition) has been widely applied.

[0003] In the deposition process of solar cell wafers, a wafer boat is typically used as a carrier. When the wafer enters the deposition equipment for deposition, it is exposed to the process gas environment. Even the side of the wafer that does not require coating comes into contact with the process gas, resulting in coating on that side as well. This phenomenon is called plating around the wafer. Plating around the wafer affects wafer production yield and conversion efficiency, and improving and minimizing plating around the wafer is an important issue in the design of solar cell deposition equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a wafer boat, a deposition apparatus and a substrate processing method to improve the substrate wrap-around deposition phenomenon.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A wafer boat includes a support frame, multiple wafers, multiple boat rods, and multiple toothed rods, wherein, Each of the boat pieces is provided with a settling groove, the settling groove includes a settling area and a hollow area provided in the settling area, and a settling edge is formed between the settling area and the hollow area. The settling edge is used to fit with the edge of the substrate when the substrate is accommodated in the settling area. Multiple boat poles are fixed to the support frame. Each boat pole includes a boat pole body and fixing parts spaced apart along the extension direction of the boat pole body. A boat piece is fixed to the fixing parts located on the same plane on the multiple boat poles. Multiple toothed bars are axially movably fixed to the support frame and located outside the settling tank. Each toothed bar includes a toothed bar body and abutment portions spaced apart along the extending direction of the toothed bar body. The abutment portions on the multiple toothed bars located on the same plane are used to press the substrate in a boat sheet.

[0006] Optionally, the support frame includes oppositely disposed side plates.

[0007] Optionally, the support frame further includes a base plate fixed to the side plate, and the boat rod and the toothed rod are fixed between the side plates.

[0008] Optionally, the fixing part of the boat rod is a groove limiting part.

[0009] Optionally, the groove limiting part is an annular groove provided on the boat rod body.

[0010] Optionally, the rack body is provided with spaced-apart grooves, and the rack portion between adjacent grooves is an abutment portion.

[0011] Optionally, the groove portion is an annular groove.

[0012] Optionally, the fixed part of each of the boat rods is fixed at the apex of the boat piece.

[0013] Optionally, a plurality of the toothed rods are respectively disposed in the middle region of the two opposite sides and the bottom side of the settling tank, with the wafer inlet located at the opposite side of the bottom side.

[0014] Optionally, the plurality of said racks are movable axially in a rotational manner.

[0015] Optionally, the plurality of said racks are movable in a linear manner along the axial direction.

[0016] Optionally, the depth of the settling trough is greater than the thickness of the substrate on which it is placed.

[0017] Optionally, when the settling trough is used to place two stacked substrates, the depth of the settling trough is greater than the thickness of the two substrates by 0.05mm-0.15mm.

[0018] Optionally, the width of the settling edge of the settling trough ranges from 0.5mm to 3mm.

[0019] Optionally, the size of the settling tank is 0.5 mm to 1 mm larger than the size of the substrate placed in the settling tank.

[0020] Optionally, the materials of the boat plate, the toothed rod, and the boat rod may be selected from one or more of the following materials: aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, stainless steel 316, graphite, quartz, and silicon carbide.

[0021] Optionally, the wafer boat is a freestanding wafer boat, with a settling tank in each wafer, and the freestanding wafer boat is used to place a row of substrates.

[0022] Optionally, the wafer boat is an integrated wafer boat, and each of the wafer boats is provided with multiple parallel settling grooves. The integrated wafer boat is used to place multiple rows of substrates.

[0023] Optionally, the toothed rods installed between adjacent settling tanks are shared toothed rods.

[0024] A deposition apparatus includes a reaction chamber and a wafer boat disposed in the reaction chamber as described in any of the preceding claims.

[0025] A substrate processing method, which uses the above-mentioned deposition equipment to perform a deposition process on the substrate.

[0026] The wafer boat, deposition equipment, and substrate processing method provided in this invention embodiment use a wafer boat with a toothed shank to fix the substrate. The wafer boat has settling grooves to accommodate the substrate, and the edges of the substrate are surrounded by settling edges, reducing contact between the non-coating surface of the substrate and the process gas. Simultaneously, the movable toothed shank's abutment portion can further compress the substrate, increasing the adhesion between the two. This makes it difficult for the process gas flow to enter the gaps at the substrate edge during the deposition process, thereby improving the substrate-around-deposition phenomenon. Furthermore, the axial gaps between the wafer boats help to uniformly distribute the airflow across the substrate surface, eliminating the need for a separate flow-uniforming structure and further improving equipment integration. Attached Figure Description

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0028] Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of a wafer boat according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 2 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of a wafer boat with a portion of the wafer placed thereon is shown according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 It shows Figure 2 A magnified view of part A in the middle; Figure 4 A side view of the boat piece is shown; Figure 5 A side view is shown facing the boat with a silicon wafer placed in it. Detailed Implementation

[0029] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] Many specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of the invention. However, the invention may also be practiced in other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar extensions without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0031] As described in the background section, the swirling plating phenomenon can affect the yield and conversion efficiency of solar cell wafers. Improving and minimizing the swirling plating phenomenon is one of the key issues that need to be addressed in solar cell wafer deposition equipment. To this end, this invention proposes a wafer boat, which improves the swirling plating phenomenon during the deposition process through the design of the wafer boat.

[0032] See Figure 1-5 As shown, the wafer boat of this embodiment includes a support frame 100, multiple boat pieces 110, multiple boat rods 120, and multiple toothed rods 130, wherein... Each of the boat pieces 110 is provided with a settling groove 111, the settling groove 111 includes a settling area 112 and a hollow area 114 provided in the settling area, a settling edge is formed between the settling area 112 and the hollow area 114, the settling edge is used to fit with the edge of the substrate when the substrate 200 is accommodated in the settling area; Multiple boat poles 120 are fixed to the support frame 100. Each boat pole 120 includes a boat pole body and fixing parts spaced apart along the extension direction of the boat pole body. A boat piece is fixed to the fixing parts located on the same plane on the multiple boat poles 120. Multiple toothed rods 130 are rotatably fixed to the support frame 100 and located outside the settling tank. Each toothed rod 130 includes a toothed rod body and abutting portions spaced apart along the extending direction of the toothed rod body. The abutting portions on the multiple toothed rods 130 located on the same plane are used to press the substrate in a boat sheet.

[0033] In this embodiment of the invention, the wafer boat uses a combination of a boat plate and a toothed bar to fix the wafer. The boat plate has settling grooves that accommodate the substrate. The edges of the substrate are surrounded by the edges of the settling grooves, reducing contact between the non-coating surface and the process gas. Simultaneously, the movable toothed bar's abutment portion can further compress the substrate, increasing the substrate's adhesion. This makes it difficult for the process gas flow to enter the gaps at the substrate's edge during the deposition process, thereby improving the substrate-around-deposition phenomenon. Furthermore, the axial gaps between the boat plates help to uniformly distribute the airflow across the substrate surface, eliminating the need for a separate flow-uniforming structure and further improving equipment integration.

[0034] In this embodiment of the invention, a wafer boat is placed in the reaction chamber to provide support for the substrate to be processed. The wafer boat can accommodate multiple substrates at the same time. The substrate can be a solar cell wafer or other substrate that needs to be coated in batches. In the following embodiments, a wafer is used as an example for illustration.

[0035] In this embodiment of the invention, the support frame 100 serves as the support framework for the entire wafer boat, and the boat rod 120 and the toothed rod 130 can be fixed to the support frame 100. In some embodiments, the support frame 100 may include opposing side plates 102 to provide support for the boat rod 120 and the toothed rod 130. In other embodiments, the support frame 100 may also be substantially U-shaped, and may include opposing side plates 102 and 104 and a base plate 106 fixed to the side plates 102 and 104. The two side plates 102 and 104 are used to fix the two ends of the boat rod 120 and the toothed rod 130. The base plate 106 can serve as a sealing plate, and the opposite side of the base plate 106 is a wafer inlet through which wafers are placed into the wafer boat. When the wafer boat enters the reaction chamber, the bottom plate 106 seals the bottom of the wafer, and the entrance on the opposite side of the bottom plate 106 is also sealed by the top plate. The openings on the opposite side of the support frame 100 can be used to connect the air intake structure and the exhaust structure, thereby forming the reaction space of the wafer. The support frame 100 has a simple structure and is easy to implement, making it easy to integrate with the equipment reaction space.

[0036] The boat 110 is used to carry the wafer 200. In this embodiment of the invention, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, a settling groove 111 is provided on the boat 110. The settling groove 111 includes a settling area 112 and a hollow area 114 provided in the settling area 112. A settling edge is formed between the settling area 112 and the hollow area 114. The settling groove 111 forms a space for receiving the wafer. Since the settling groove 111 contains the hollow area 114, a settling edge is formed between the settling area 112 and the hollow area 114. After the wafer is received in the settling groove 111, the settling edge fits with the edge of the wafer. In a specific embodiment, the shape of the boat 110 is adapted to the wafer 200. The battery cell is generally rectangular, and the boat and the settling groove can adopt a rectangular structure. The size of the settling groove of the boat can be slightly larger than the size of the battery cell. The size of the settling groove is larger than the size of the substrate placed in the settling groove by 0.5mm-1mm. In a preferred embodiment, the size of the settling groove is larger than the size of the substrate placed in the settling groove by 0.5mm. The width of the settlement edge can range from 0.5mm to 3mm, and more preferably from 1 to 2mm.

[0037] The depth of the settling tank 111 can be greater than the thickness of the substrate. In this way, after the wafer is placed in the settling tank, the surface of the wafer will be lower than the surface of the settling tank. When the process airflow passes through the wafer surface, it is blocked by the settling tank, which further prevents the process airflow from entering the gap of the wafer bonding surface, thereby further improving the substrate winding phenomenon.

[0038] The settling tank 111 holds two stacked wafers, which are placed back-to-back in the settling tank. The two wafers on both sides of the cutout area can be coated simultaneously. It is known that in specific applications, this structure can also be used for single wafers. A single wafer is placed in the settling tank, and double-sided coating of the wafer can be performed.

[0039] When the settling tank 111 is used to place two stacked substrates, the depth of the settling tank can be greater than the thickness of the two substrates by 0.05mm-0.15mm. In some specific applications, the thickness of the wafer is approximately 0.15mm, and the depth of the settling tank can be 0.4mm. After placing the two wafers, there is a slight height difference of 0.1mm between the wafer surface and the surface of the settling tank. In this way, the reactive gas flows around the surface of the settling tank, which can improve the plating process.

[0040] Boat rods 120 are fixed to support frames 100. Multiple boat rods 120 provide fixed support for boat pieces 110, forming a support plane that provides stable support for the boat pieces. In this embodiment of the invention, multiple boat pieces, essentially parallel to each other, are fixed on the boat rods 120 along their extension direction. Depending on the production volume, the number of boat pieces can be hundreds.

[0041] Each boat rod 120 may include a boat rod body and fixing parts 122 spaced apart along the extension direction of the boat rod body. The fixing parts 122 on the same plane of multiple boat rods 120 can fix one boat sheet. Thus, multiple boat rods 120 form multiple substantially parallel fixing planes, fixing multiple substantially parallel boat sheets. Each fixing plane is substantially perpendicular to the boat rod. The position and number of boat rods 120 can be set as needed. Since solar cells are generally square and the properties of the boat sheets are generally compatible with the solar cell wafers, in a specific embodiment, four boat rods can be set at the four apex corners of the boat sheet to form a stable support plane. The fixing part 122 can be a groove limiting part, i.e., it adopts a groove structure, which can simultaneously serve the functions of fixing and limiting. In a specific embodiment, see [link to specific embodiment]. Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the groove limiting part can be an annular groove provided on the boat rod body. Adjacent annular grooves are separated by the boat rod body. The boat piece is provided in the annular groove, and the annular groove plays a role in fixing and limiting the boat piece.

[0042] The toothed bar 130 is movably fixed to the support frame 100 along the axial direction of the toothed bar. The moving direction is the axial direction of the toothed bar. There are multiple toothed bars 130. An abutting part is formed on the toothed bar 130. The abutting part forms a pressure contact plane with the wafer. By moving the toothed bar, the wafer in the deposition tank can be further pressed, increasing the degree of wafer adhesion. In the deposition process, it makes it difficult for the process airflow to enter the gap of the substrate edge bonding surface, thereby improving the wafer wrap-around phenomenon.

[0043] The rack 130 can be movably connected in a suitable way. In specific applications, it can be achieved by rotary or linear movement connection. The movement of the rack can be achieved by a paddle mechanism or an independent transmission mechanism.

[0044] Each tooth 130 may include a tooth body and abutment portions 132 spaced apart along the extending direction of the tooth body. The abutment portions 132 on the plurality of tooth 130, located on the same plane, are used to press a wafer within a boat-shaped wafer. Thus, through the spaced abutment portions 132 on the plurality of tooth 130, [reference to...] Figure 5 As shown, multiple abutment planes are formed accordingly, each abutment plane cooperating with the boat 130 to achieve pressing and adhesion of the wafer 200. The toothed bar 130 can be disposed on the outside of the settling tank 111, and by providing an abutment portion 132 that slightly protrudes towards the settling tank 111, the wafer is pressed. The position and number of the toothed bars 130 can be set as needed. It is understood that the position of the toothed bars 130 should not interfere with the wafer insertion, and can be disposed in an area outside the wafer inlet. In some embodiments of the present invention, the toothed bars are respectively disposed in the middle area of ​​the two opposite sides and the bottom side of the settling tank, with the wafer inlet located at the opposite side of the bottom side. This forms a basically C-shaped abutment plane for the wafer. The middle area is distinct from the edge area and can be a region in the middle. The number of toothed bars 130 can be set as needed. In a specific application, see [reference needed]. Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, a toothed bar 130 can be set in the upper middle area of ​​each of the two opposite sides, and a toothed bar can be set on each side of the middle of the bottom side. In this way, a smaller number of toothed bars can be used to press the wafer. Of course, a larger number of toothed bars can also be set.

[0045] In some embodiments of the present invention, see Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the abutment portion 132 on the toothed bar 130 can be achieved by a groove. Specifically, the toothed bar body can be provided with groove portions at intervals, and the toothed bar portion between adjacent groove portions, i.e. the edge of the groove, forms the abutment portion 132. The groove limits the wafer, and the toothed bar further presses the wafer after rotation. The groove can be an annular groove formed on the toothed bar body.

[0046] In the above embodiments, the materials that can be used for the boat plate 110, boat rod 120, and toothed rod 130 include: aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, stainless steel 316, graphite, quartz, silicon carbide, etc., or combinations thereof.

[0047] The above embodiments were described with a sinking groove provided on the wafer boat. In these embodiments, the wafer boat is a freestanding wafer boat design, and the abutment portion on the same plane forms a pressure contact plane for a substrate, forming a wafer boat for placing a row of substrates. (Refer to...) Figure 1 As shown; in some other embodiments of the present invention, the wafer boat is an integrated wafer boat design, and multiple sinking grooves arranged in a substantially parallel manner can be provided on a single wafer. The abutment portion on the same plane forms a pressing contact plane for multiple substrates, forming a wafer boat for placing multiple rows of substrates. Furthermore, the toothed bar provided between the sinking grooves is a shared toothed bar, and the abutment portion on the shared toothed bar provides a pressing contact point for the wafers on both sides.

[0048] The wafer boat structure of this invention has been described in detail above. This wafer boat is used to carry multiple solar cell wafers. The wafers can be placed into the settling tanks of each boat sequentially by other automated mechanisms, and the wafers are further pressed by a moving toothed structure. Then, the wafer boat is placed in the reaction chamber. After entering the reaction chamber, the introduction of reaction gas can simultaneously realize the coating process of multiple wafers. Since the wafer boat fixes the wafers by the cooperation of the boat and the toothed structure, and the settling tanks accommodate the wafers, the edges of the wafers are surrounded by the settling tanks. At the same time, the wafers can be further pressed by the abutment part of the movable toothed structure, increasing the degree of wafer adhesion. In this way, during the deposition process, it is difficult for the process gas flow to enter the gaps of the substrate edge bonding surface, thereby improving the wafer wrap-around deposition phenomenon.

[0049] Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention also provide a deposition apparatus, including a reaction chamber and the wafer boat described above.

[0050] By employing different configurations of the wafer boats within the reaction chamber, deposition equipment can be provided where wafers are placed vertically or horizontally, i.e., vertical wafer boat deposition equipment or horizontal wafer boat deposition equipment. One end of the deposition equipment is an air inlet, and the other end is an air outlet. Multiple wafer boats can be arranged sequentially along the directions of the air inlet and outlet. In a vertical wafer boat deposition equipment, the wafers are vertically inserted relative to the deposition equipment. (See reference...) Figure 1 As shown, the gaps between wafers can face the air inlet, forming air channels that improve reaction uniformity. Alternatively, the wafer surface can face the air inlet. In horizontal wafer boat deposition equipment, the wafers are positioned horizontally relative to the deposition equipment. In a horizontal setting, the wafers adhere better to the deposition tank due to their own weight, which is more conducive to improving wafer-around-the-wall deposition.

[0051] This invention also provides a deposition apparatus for performing a deposition process on a wafer.

[0052] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make many possible variations and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention using the methods and techniques disclosed above, or modify them into equivalent embodiments with equivalent changes, without departing from the scope of the technical solutions of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solutions of the present invention shall still fall within the protection scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer boat, characterized in that, It includes a support frame, multiple boat pieces, multiple boat rods, and multiple toothed rods, among which, Each of the boat pieces is provided with a settling groove, the settling groove includes a settling area and a hollow area provided in the settling area, and a settling edge is formed between the settling area and the hollow area. The settling edge is used to fit with the edge of the substrate when the substrate is accommodated in the settling area. Multiple boat poles are fixed to the support frame. Each boat pole includes a boat pole body and fixing parts spaced apart along the extension direction of the boat pole body. A boat piece is fixed to the fixing parts located on the same plane on the multiple boat poles. Multiple toothed bars are axially movably fixed to the support frame and located outside the settling tank. Each toothed bar includes a toothed bar body and abutment portions spaced apart along the extending direction of the toothed bar body. The abutment portions on the multiple toothed bars located on the same plane are used to press the substrate in a boat sheet.

2. The wafer boat according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support frame includes oppositely arranged side plates.

3. The wafer boat according to claim 2, characterized in that, The support frame also includes a base plate fixed to the side plate, and the boat rod and the toothed rod are fixed between the side plates.

4. The wafer boat according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fixing part of the boat rod is a groove limiting part.

5. The wafer boat according to claim 4, characterized in that, The groove limiting part is an annular groove provided on the boat rod body.

6. The wafer boat according to claim 1, characterized in that, The toothed rod body is provided with spaced grooves, and the toothed rod portion between adjacent grooves is an abutment portion.

7. The wafer boat according to claim 6, characterized in that, The groove is an annular groove.

8. The wafer boat according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, Each of the fixed parts of the boat pole is fixed at the apex of the boat piece.

9. The wafer boat according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, Multiple toothed rods are respectively disposed in the middle region of the two opposite sides and the bottom side of the settling tank, with the wafer inlet located at the opposite side of the bottom side.

10. The wafer boat according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of said racks are movable axially in a rotational manner.

11. The wafer boat according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of said racks are movable in a linear manner along the axial direction.

12. The wafer boat according to claim 1, characterized in that, The depth of the settling tank is greater than the thickness of the substrate on which it is placed.

13. The wafer boat according to claim 12, characterized in that, When the settling trough is used to place two stacked substrates, the depth of the settling trough is greater than the thickness of the two substrates by 0.05mm-0.15mm.

14. The wafer boat according to claim 1, characterized in that, The width of the settling edge of the settling trough ranges from 0.5mm to 3mm.

15. The wafer boat according to claim 1, characterized in that, The size of the settling tank is 0.5 mm to 1 mm larger than the size of the substrate placed in the settling tank.

16. The wafer boat according to claim 1, characterized in that, The materials of the boat plate, the toothed rod, and the boat rod are selected from one or more of the following: aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, stainless steel 316, graphite, quartz, and silicon carbide.

17. The wafer boat according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wafer boat is an independent wafer boat, with a settling tank in each wafer. The independent wafer boat is used to place a row of substrates.

18. The wafer boat according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wafer boat is an integrated wafer boat, and each of the wafer boats is provided with multiple parallel settling grooves. The integrated wafer boat is used to place multiple rows of substrates.

19. The wafer boat according to claim 18, characterized in that, The toothed rods installed between adjacent settling tanks are shared toothed rods.

20. A deposition apparatus, characterized in that, It includes a reaction chamber and a wafer boat disposed in the reaction chamber as described in any one of claims 1-19.

21. A substrate processing method, characterized in that, A deposition process is performed on a substrate using the deposition equipment as described in claim 20.

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