Semiconductor process apparatus and its transfer chamber

Abstract

The application discloses a semiconductor process equipment and a transmission chamber thereof, and belongs to the technical field of semiconductor processes. The transmission chamber of the semiconductor process equipment comprises a chamber main body, a mechanical hand and a ring body. The fixed end of the mechanical hand is fixedly connected with the bottom wall of the chamber main body. The ring body is arranged on the bottom wall of the chamber main body and surrounds the rotating shaft assembly of the mechanical hand. A plurality of gas channels are arranged in the ring body in a circumferential direction and are used for spraying inert gas to the rotating shaft assembly. The transmission chamber can ensure that each angle of the rotating shaft assembly of the mechanical hand can be swept by the inert gas, so that the situation that residual process gas enters the magnetic fluid sealing structure in the rotating shaft assembly is effectively avoided, and the sealing performance of the magnetic fluid sealing structure and the stable service life of the mechanical hand are ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of semiconductor process technology, and in particular relates to a semiconductor process equipment and its transmission chamber. Background Technology

[0002] The transfer chamber of semiconductor process equipment connects the process chamber and the loading chamber. A robotic arm is installed within the transfer chamber to transfer wafers between the two chambers. The robotic arm in the transfer chamber is typically a vacuum robotic arm, and its main rotating shaft sealing structure uses a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) seal. The MHD seal structure mainly comprises a magnetohydrodynamic fluid and a permanent magnet (neodymium iron boron). During wafer transfer, a small amount of process gas containing hydrogen can transfer from the process chamber to the transfer chamber through the transfer channel and then enter the MHD seal structure through the gap in the robotic arm's rotating shaft. Since the permanent magnets within the MHD seal structure expand and break into coarse powder in a hydrogen environment, this process gas entering the MHD seal structure can damage the permanent magnets, thus affecting the sealing performance of the MHD seal structure and reducing the stable lifespan of the robotic arm.

[0003] Therefore, purging the transfer chamber with an inert gas such as nitrogen can remove the process gas entering the chamber, preventing residual process gas from contacting the manipulator's magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) seal structure and thus ensuring the sealing performance of the MHD seal structure and the stable service life of the manipulator. However, existing transfer chambers mainly generate purging airflow throughout the entire transfer chamber. This purging method can easily lead to uneven purging airflow throughout the transfer chamber and the existence of purging dead zones near the manipulator. As a result, some residual process gas may still come into contact with the manipulator's MHD seal structure, thereby affecting the sealing performance of the MHD seal structure and reducing the stable service life of the manipulator. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a semiconductor process equipment and its transfer chamber, aiming to solve the problem that existing transfer chamber inert gas purging methods have purging dead zones near the robot, resulting in some residual process gas still coming into contact with the robot's magnetohydrodynamic sealing structure, thereby affecting the sealing performance of the magnetohydrodynamic sealing structure and reducing the stable service life of the robot.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a transmission chamber for semiconductor process equipment. The transmission chamber includes a chamber body, a robotic arm, and an annular body. The fixed end of the robotic arm is fixedly connected to the bottom wall of the chamber body.

[0006] The annular body is disposed on the bottom wall of the chamber body and surrounds the rotating shaft assembly of the manipulator; multiple gas channels are arranged circumferentially within the annular body for injecting inert gas into the rotating shaft assembly.

[0007] Optionally, in some embodiments, the outlet end of each gas channel is tilted upward toward the side where the robotic arm is located.

[0008] Optionally, in some embodiments, a base is fixed on the bottom wall of the chamber body, surrounding the rotating shaft assembly. The annular body and the fixed end of the manipulator are both mounted on the base, and a closed space is formed between the outer side of the annular body and the base. The closed space is connected to the gas channel, and the bottom wall of the base is provided with a gas inlet that connects to the closed space.

[0009] Optionally, in some embodiments, the base includes a base body and a base cover. The inner side of the base body is provided with an annular stepped surface to correspondingly mount the annular body. The base cover covers the base body and the annular body to form the enclosed space between the outer side of the annular body, the base body, and the base cover.

[0010] Optionally, in some embodiments, the annular body is rotatably connected to the base cover and the annular step surface, and a plurality of permanent magnets are evenly distributed on the outer side of the annular body along the circumference of the annular body. A plurality of energized coils are provided on the inner side of the base body opposite to the outer side of the annular body, corresponding one-to-one with the plurality of permanent magnets.

[0011] Optionally, in some embodiments, a plurality of first ball bearings are sandwiched between the base cover and the annular body, and the plurality of first ball bearings are equally spaced along the circumference of the annular body to achieve a rotatable fit connection between the annular body and the base cover; and / or, a plurality of second ball bearings are sandwiched between the annular stepped surface and the annular body, and the plurality of second ball bearings are equally spaced along the circumference of the annular body to achieve a rotatable fit connection between the annular body and the annular stepped surface.

[0012] Optionally, in some embodiments, the outer surface of the annular body is provided with a plurality of first toothed grooves at equal intervals along the circumference of the annular body to embed the plurality of permanent magnets one by one; and / or, the inner side of the base body is provided with a plurality of second toothed grooves on one side wall opposite the outer surface of the annular body to embed the plurality of energized coils one by one.

[0013] Optionally, in some embodiments, the plurality of energized coils are located in four 90-degree intervals equally divided along the circumference of the annular body. All the energized coils in two 90-degree intervals are connected in series to receive current in the same direction; the energized coils in two adjacent 90-degree intervals receive current in opposite directions.

[0014] Optionally, in some embodiments, a gas inlet and a gas outlet are respectively provided on the bottom wall of the chamber body, and the gas inlet and the gas outlet are respectively located on both sides of the manipulator.

[0015] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a semiconductor process apparatus, including a process chamber, a loading chamber, and the aforementioned transfer chamber, wherein the transfer chamber is connected between the process chamber and the loading chamber, so as to realize the transfer of wafers between the process chamber and the loading chamber by means of the robotic arm.

[0016] In this application, the transfer chamber of the semiconductor process equipment includes a chamber body, a robotic arm, and an annular body. The fixed end of the robotic arm is fixedly connected to the bottom wall of the chamber body. The annular body is disposed on the bottom wall of the chamber body and surrounds the rotation axis of the robotic arm. Multiple gas channels are circumferentially spaced within the annular body for injecting inert gas onto the rotation axis. Thus, when multiple gas channels are connected to inert gases such as nitrogen, the gas can be evenly directed towards all angles of the rotation axis assembly. The more gas channels within the annular body, the more uniform the airflow towards all angles of the rotation axis assembly. Therefore, the transfer chamber of this application can ensure that all angles of the robotic arm's rotation axis assembly are swept by inert gas by reasonably adjusting the number of gas channels within the annular body. This effectively prevents residual process gas from entering the magnetohydrodynamic sealing structure within the rotation axis assembly, thereby ensuring the sealing performance of the magnetohydrodynamic sealing structure and the stable service life of the robotic arm. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The technical solution and its beneficial effects will become apparent from the following detailed description of specific embodiments of this application, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the transmission chamber in existing semiconductor process equipment.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the transmission chamber of the semiconductor process equipment provided in this application embodiment.

[0020] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of the transmission chamber shown.

[0021] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 The diagram shows a partial inert gas purging of the transmission chamber.

[0022] Figure 5 yes Figure 2 The diagram shows a partial split structure of the transmission chamber.

[0023] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the base body of the transmission chamber shown.

[0024] Figure 7 yes Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the annular structure of the transmission chamber shown. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application. In the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and their technical features can be combined with each other.

[0026] The transfer chamber of semiconductor process equipment connects the process chamber and the loading chamber. A robotic arm is installed within the transfer chamber to transfer wafers between the two chambers. The robotic arm in the transfer chamber is typically a vacuum robotic arm, and its main rotating shaft sealing structure uses a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) seal. The MHD seal structure mainly comprises a magnetohydrodynamic fluid and a permanent magnet (neodymium iron boron). During wafer transfer, a small amount of process gas containing hydrogen can transfer from the process chamber to the transfer chamber through the transfer channel and then enter the MHD seal structure through the gap in the robotic arm's rotating shaft. Since the permanent magnets within the MHD seal structure expand and break into coarse powder in a hydrogen environment, this process gas entering the MHD seal structure can damage the permanent magnets, thus affecting the sealing performance of the MHD seal structure and reducing the stable lifespan of the robotic arm.

[0027] Therefore, purging the transfer chamber with an inert gas such as nitrogen can remove the process gas entering the transfer chamber, preventing residual process gas from contacting the manipulator's magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) sealing structure, thereby ensuring the sealing performance of the MHD sealing structure and the stable service life of the manipulator. The inventors discovered through research that, as... Figure 1 As shown, in most existing transmission chambers 1, the inert gas inlet 2 and outlet 3 are located on the bottom wall of the transmission chamber 1, so that the inert gas used for purging is like... Figure 1As indicated by the middle arrow, the airflow enters from one side of the bottom wall of the transmission chamber 1 and exits from the other side of the bottom wall of the transmission chamber 1, forming a purging airflow for the entire transmission chamber 1. This purging method can easily lead to uneven purging airflow in various parts of the transmission chamber 1, and there are purging dead zones near the robot arm 4. This results in some residual process gas still coming into contact with the magnetohydrodynamic sealing structure 5 of the robot arm 4, thereby affecting the sealing performance of the magnetohydrodynamic sealing structure 5 and reducing the stable service life of the robot arm 4.

[0028] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a new solution for the transfer chamber to address the problem that the existing inert gas purging method for the transfer chamber has a purging dead zone near the robot, which results in some residual process gas still coming into contact with the magnetohydrodynamic sealing structure of the robot, thereby affecting the sealing performance of the magnetohydrodynamic sealing structure and reducing the stable service life of the robot.

[0029] like Figures 2 to 4 As shown, in one embodiment, this application provides a semiconductor process apparatus, which includes a process chamber (not shown), a loading chamber (not shown), and a transfer chamber 100. The transfer chamber 100 is connected between the process chamber and the loading chamber to realize the transfer of wafers between the process chamber and the loading chamber by a robot 120 in the transfer chamber 100.

[0030] Specifically, the transmission chamber 100 may include a chamber body 110, a robotic arm 120, and an annular body 130. The fixed end 121 of the robotic arm 120 is fixedly connected to the bottom wall 111 of the chamber body 110. The annular body 130 is disposed on the bottom wall 111 of the chamber body 110 and surrounds the rotating shaft assembly 122 of the robotic arm 120. A plurality of gas channels 131 are circumferentially spaced inside the annular body 130 for injecting inert gas into the rotating shaft assembly 122.

[0031] It is understood that the general structure of the transfer chamber 100 in this embodiment is basically the same as that of a conventional transfer chamber 100. Its manipulator 120 can rotate relative to the bottom wall 111 of the chamber body 110 to realize the transfer of wafers between the process chamber and the loading chamber. Therefore, the specific implementation structure of the robot 120 may include a robot body 123 for carrying the wafer and a rotating shaft assembly 122 for rotating the robot body 123. The rotating shaft assembly 122 may specifically include a rotating shaft 1221, a magnetic fluid sealing structure 1222, and a rotating power mechanism (not shown). The fixed end 121 of the robot 120 is fixedly connected to the bottom wall 111 of the chamber body 110. One end of the rotating shaft 1221 is fixedly disposed at the bottom of the robot body 123. The other end of the rotating shaft 1221 is rotatably connected to the fixed end 121 of the robot 120 and driven by the rotating power mechanism. A magnetic fluid sealing structure 1222 is also provided between the other end of the rotating shaft 1221 and the fixed end 121 of the robot 120 to achieve rotational sealing. The magnetofluid sealing structure 1222 mainly includes magnetofluid and permanent magnet (neodymium iron boron). When the magnetofluid is injected into the gap of the magnetic field, it can fill the entire gap, forming a "liquid O-ring" to block the gap between the other end of the rotating shaft 1221 and the fixed end 121 of the robot 120, thus achieving a seal. In addition, the improvement of the transmission chamber 100 in this embodiment is mainly in the addition of an annular body 130 on the bottom wall of the chamber body 110. This annular body 130 allows for inert gas purging of the rotating shaft assembly 122 of the robot 120 at various angles, avoiding the problem of dead zones near the robot in existing inert gas purging methods for transmission chambers. Furthermore, to simultaneously purge the entire chamber body 110 with inert gas, allowing the process gas and inert gas entering the chamber body 110 to be quickly discharged outside, this embodiment of the application... The transmission chamber 100 can also retain the existing inert gas purging method, that is, it can also have a gas inlet 112 and a gas outlet 113 opened on the bottom wall 111 of the chamber body 110. The gas inlet 112 and the gas outlet 113 are located on both sides of the robot arm 120, so that inert gas such as nitrogen is introduced through the gas inlet 112 and discharged outward through the gas outlet 113, so as to form an inert gas purging airflow throughout the chamber body 110, thereby quickly expelling the process gas and inert gas entering the chamber body 110 from the outside of the chamber body 110.

[0032] In this way, such as Figure 2 and Figure 4As shown, when multiple gas channels 131 are connected to an inert gas such as nitrogen, the gas can be evenly blown to various angles of the rotating shaft assembly 122. The more gas channels 131 there are in the annular body 130, the more uniform the airflow to various angles of the rotating shaft assembly 122. Therefore, the transmission chamber of this application can ensure that various angles of the rotating shaft assembly 122 of the robot can be swept by inert gas by reasonably adjusting the number of multiple gas channels 131 in the annular body 130. This effectively avoids the situation where residual process gas enters the magnetic fluid sealing structure 1222 in the rotating shaft assembly 122, thereby ensuring the sealing performance of the magnetic fluid sealing structure 1222 and the stable service life of the robot 120.

[0033] In some examples, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, to better prevent residual process gas from entering the magnetohydrodynamic sealing structure 1222 within the rotating shaft assembly 122, the outlet end of each gas channel 131 is inclined upwards towards the side where the robot arm 120 is located. Specifically, the inner surface 132 of the annular body 130 is a slope, and this slope faces the side where the robot arm body 123 of the robot arm 120 is located. In this way, the airflow from the multiple gas channels 131 blowing evenly at various angles onto the rotating shaft assembly 122 is inclined away from the bottom wall 111 of the chamber body 110, allowing residual process gas to stay further away from the magnetohydrodynamic sealing structure 1222 within the rotating shaft assembly 122, thereby better preventing residual process gas from entering the magnetohydrodynamic sealing structure 1222 within the rotating shaft assembly 122.

[0034] In some examples, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, a base 140 surrounding the rotating shaft assembly 122 is fixedly mounted on the bottom wall 111 of the chamber body 110. The annular body 130 and the fixed end 121 of the robotic arm 120 are both mounted on the base 140. A closed space 10 is formed between the outer surface 133 of the annular body 130 and the base 140. The closed space 10 is connected to the gas channel 131, and the bottom wall of the base 140 is provided with a gas inlet 11 that connects to the closed space 10. In this way, when an inert gas such as nitrogen is introduced into the closed space 10 through the gas inlet 11, it can spray inert gas into the rotating shaft assembly 122 through multiple gas channels 131 that are evenly distributed along the circumference of the annular body 130.

[0035] The aforementioned base 140 can be directly formed on the bottom wall 111 of the chamber body 110, that is, the base 140 can be an integral structure with the bottom wall 111. In some examples, such as... Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, in order to better form a closed space 10 between the outer surface 133 of the annular body 130 and the base 140, the base 140 may specifically include a base body 141 and a base cover 142. The inner side of the base body 141 is provided with an annular stepped surface 1411 to correspondingly mount the annular body 142. The base cover 142 covers the base body 141 and the annular body 130 to form the aforementioned closed space 10 between the outer surface 133 of the annular body 130, the base body 141, and the base cover 142.

[0036] In some examples, such as Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, in order to better prevent residual process gas from entering the magnetohydrodynamic sealing structure 1222 inside the rotating shaft assembly 122, the annular body 130 can be rotatably connected to the base cover 142 and the annular step surface 1411 respectively. The outer side surface 133 of the annular body 130 is provided with a plurality of permanent magnets 151 evenly distributed along the circumference of the annular body 130. The inner side of the base body 141 is provided with a plurality of energized coils 152 corresponding to the plurality of permanent magnets 151 on one side wall opposite to the outer side surface 133 of the annular body 130. Specifically, the base body 141, the base cover 142, and the annular body 130 can all be circular ring structures. The outer side of the base body 141 is fastened to the bottom wall 111 of the chamber body 110 by screws, and the inner side of the base body 141 is fastened to the fixed end 121 of the robot arm 120 by screws, thereby realizing that the annular body 130 and the fixed end 121 of the robot arm 120 are both mounted on the base 140. During operation, multiple energized coils 152 provide a magnetic field by changing electromagnetic induction, driving the annular body 130 to rotate around its center, similar to the structure of a permanent magnet motor. When the annular body 130 rotates, the airflow blown evenly by its multiple gas channels 131 towards various angles of the rotating shaft assembly 122 can form a dense airflow field near the rotating shaft assembly 122 of the robot arm 120, so as to better prevent residual process gas from entering the magnetohydrodynamic sealing structure 1222 inside the rotating shaft assembly 122.

[0037] In some examples, to better achieve the rotatable fit between the annular body 130 and the base cover 142 and the annular stepped surface 1411, such as... Figure 3 and Figure 5As shown, a plurality of first ball bearings 153 are sandwiched between the base cover 142 and the annular body 130, and the plurality of first ball bearings 153 are evenly distributed along the circumference of the annular body 130 to achieve a rotatable fit connection between the annular body 130 and the base cover 142. Similarly, a plurality of second ball bearings 154 are sandwiched between the annular stepped surface 1411 and the annular body 130, and the plurality of second ball bearings 154 are evenly distributed along the circumference of the annular body 130 to achieve a sliding connection between the annular body 130 and the annular stepped surface 1411. Furthermore, to better accommodate multiple first balls 153 between the base cover 142 and the annular body 130, a first annular ball groove is provided on the surface of the base cover 142 facing the annular body 130, and a second annular ball groove is provided on the surface of the annular body 130 facing the base cover 142, with the second annular ball groove directly opposite the first annular ball groove, together forming a space for accommodating multiple first balls 153. Similarly, to better accommodate multiple second balls 154 between the annular step surface 1411 and the annular body 130, a third annular ball groove is provided on the annular step surface 1411, and a fourth annular ball groove is provided on the surface of the annular body 130 facing the annular step surface 1411, with the fourth annular ball groove directly opposite the third annular ball groove, together forming a space for accommodating multiple second balls 154.

[0038] In some examples, to better achieve the assembly of multiple permanent magnets 151 and multiple energized coils 152, such as Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the outer surface 133 of the annular body 130 is provided with a plurality of first toothed grooves 1331 at equal intervals along the circumference of the annular body 130, so as to embed a plurality of permanent magnets 151 one by one. In order to avoid the arrangement of the plurality of permanent magnets 151 affecting the layout of the plurality of gas channels 131, each first toothed groove 1331 can be positioned between two adjacent gas channels 131. Similarly, the inner side of the base body 141, opposite the outer surface 133 of the annular body 130, is provided with a plurality of second toothed grooves 1413, so as to embed a plurality of energized coils 152 one by one.

[0039] In some examples, to better drive the annular body 130 to rotate about its center, such as Figure 5As shown, multiple energized coils 152 are located in four 90-degree intervals equally spaced along the circumference of the annular body 130. All energized coils 152 in two opposite 90-degree intervals are connected in series to receive current in the same direction; energized coils 152 in two spaced-apart 90-degree intervals receive current in opposite directions. For example, taking the four 90-degree regions sequentially arranged along the circumference of the annular body 130 as the first, second, third, and fourth 90-degree regions, all energized coils 152 in the first and third 90-degree regions are connected in series to simultaneously receive current in the first direction; all energized coils 152 in the second and fourth 90-degree regions are connected in series to simultaneously receive current in the second direction, opposite to the first direction. In this way, all energized coils 152 in opposite 90-degree regions are connected in series, and the current direction is consistent, forming a unidirectional electromagnetic field. Adjacent 90-degree intervals... The current in the energized coil 152 in the degree region is in the opposite direction, providing a reverse magnetic field. Through the interaction with the magnetic poles of the permanent magnet 151, it generates a force that drives the annular body 130 to rotate. That is, by continuously providing alternating currents of different directions and varying frequencies to the energized coil 152, the annular body 130 is driven to rotate continuously at different speeds. This allows the airflow from the multiple gas channels 131 within the annular body 130 to be evenly blown towards the rotating shaft assembly 122 at various angles to better form a dense airflow field near the rotating shaft assembly 122 of the robot arm 120. This better prevents residual process gas from entering the magnetohydrodynamic sealing structure 1222 within the rotating shaft assembly 122.

[0040] In addition, the transmission chamber 100 may also include a controller, which can realize the overall coordination of all operations within the transmission chamber 100. For example, it can simultaneously control the annular body 130 to perform two actions: rotation (i.e., control all energized coils 152 to pass the corresponding current) and ventilation (i.e. control all gas channels 131 to connect to inert gases such as nitrogen) to form the above-mentioned uniform and dense airflow field.

[0041] In one embodiment, this application also provides a separate transmission chamber for a semiconductor process apparatus. The structure and function of the transmission chamber can be specifically referred to the transmission chamber 100 in the above embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0042] Although this application has been shown and described with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent variations and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art based on a reading and understanding of this specification and drawings. This application includes all such modifications and variations and is limited only by the scope of the appended claims. In particular, with respect to the various functions performed by the aforementioned components, the terminology used to describe such components is intended to correspond to any component (unless otherwise indicated) that performs the specified function of said component (e.g., is functionally equivalent to it), even if structurally not equivalent to the disclosed structure performing the functions in the exemplary implementations of this specification shown herein.

[0043] That is, the above description is only an embodiment of this application and does not limit the patent scope of this application. Any equivalent structural or procedural changes made using the content of this application’s specification and drawings, such as the combination of technical features between different embodiments, or direct or indirect application in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of this application.

[0044] Furthermore, it should be understood that in the description of this application, the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application. Additionally, for structural elements with the same or similar characteristics, this application may use the same or different reference numerals for identification. Moreover, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0045] In this application, the term "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, illustration, or description." Any embodiment described as "exemplary" in this application is not necessarily to be construed as more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments. This application has been provided above to enable any person skilled in the art to implement and use it. Various details have been set forth in the above description for purposes of explanation. It should be understood that those skilled in the art will recognize that this application can be implemented without using these specific details. In other embodiments, well-known structures and processes will not be described in detail to avoid obscuring the description of this application with unnecessary detail. Therefore, this application is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is consistent with the broadest scope of the principles and features disclosed in this application.

Claims

1. A transfer chamber for semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that, The transmission chamber includes a chamber body, a robotic arm, and an annular body. The fixed end of the robotic arm is fixedly connected to the bottom wall of the chamber body. The robotic arm includes a robotic arm body for carrying the wafer and a rotating shaft assembly for rotating the robotic arm body. The rotating shaft assembly includes a rotating shaft, a magnetohydrodynamic sealing structure, and a rotating power mechanism. The annular body is disposed on the bottom wall of the chamber body and surrounds the rotating shaft assembly; the annular body is provided with multiple gas channels spaced circumferentially inside for injecting inert gas into the rotating shaft assembly; One end of the rotating shaft is fixed to the bottom of the robot body, and the other end of the rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the fixed end and driven by the rotating power mechanism. The other end of the rotating shaft and the fixed end are rotated and sealed by the magnetohydrodynamic sealing structure.

2. The transmission chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outlet end of each gas channel is tilted upward toward the side where the robotic arm is located.

3. The transmission chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom wall of the chamber body is also fixed with a base surrounding the rotating shaft assembly. The annular body and the fixed end of the manipulator are both mounted on the base. A closed space is formed between the outer side of the annular body and the base. The closed space is connected to the gas channel. The bottom wall of the base is provided with a gas inlet that connects to the closed space.

4. The transmission chamber according to claim 3, characterized in that, The base includes a base body and a base cover. The inner side of the base body is provided with an annular stepped surface to accommodate the annular body. The base cover covers the base body and the annular body to form the enclosed space between the outer side of the annular body, the base body, and the base cover.

5. The transmission chamber according to claim 4, characterized in that, The annular body is rotatably connected to the base cover and the annular step surface. Multiple permanent magnets are evenly distributed on the outer side of the annular body along its circumference. Multiple energized coils are provided on the inner side of the base body opposite the outer side of the annular body, corresponding one-to-one with the multiple permanent magnets.

6. The transmission chamber according to claim 5, characterized in that, A plurality of first ball bearings are sandwiched between the base cover and the annular body, and the plurality of first ball bearings are equally spaced along the circumference of the annular body to achieve a rotatable fit connection between the annular body and the base cover; and / or, a plurality of second ball bearings are sandwiched between the annular step surface and the annular body, and the plurality of second ball bearings are equally spaced along the circumference of the annular body to achieve a rotatable fit connection between the annular body and the annular step surface.

7. The transmission chamber according to claim 5, characterized in that, The outer surface of the annular body is provided with a plurality of first toothed grooves at equal intervals along the circumference of the annular body, so as to embed the plurality of permanent magnets one by one; and / or, the inner side of the base body is provided with a plurality of second toothed grooves on one side wall opposite to the outer surface of the annular body, so as to embed the plurality of energized coils one by one.

8. The transmission chamber according to claim 5, characterized in that, The plurality of energized coils are located in four 90-degree intervals that are equally spaced along the circumference of the ring. All the energized coils in two 90-degree intervals are connected in series to receive current in the same direction. The energized coils in two adjacent 90-degree intervals receive current in opposite directions.

9. The transmission chamber according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The bottom wall of the main body of the chamber is provided with a gas inlet and a gas outlet, which are located on both sides of the manipulator.

10. A semiconductor process apparatus, characterized in that, It includes a process chamber, a loading chamber, and a transfer chamber as described in any one of claims 1-9, the transfer chamber being connected between the process chamber and the loading chamber to enable the transfer of wafers between the process chamber and the loading chamber by means of the robotic arm.

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