Process chamber, semiconductor process apparatus, and method of conditioning a load lock

Abstract

This application discloses a process chamber, semiconductor process equipment, and a method for adjusting a carrier device, relating to the semiconductor field. A process chamber includes a chamber body, a carrier device, a first ranging device, a second ranging device, and a control device. The top of the chamber body has an air inlet face. The carrier device is vertically and flexibly positioned within the chamber via a lifting mechanism. The carrier device has a first through hole and a blind hole, the bottom of which is a preset distance from the carrier face. The first and second ranging devices are respectively located within the chamber, on the side of the carrier device facing away from the air inlet face, and their ranging ends are coplanar. The first ranging device, opposite to the first through hole, measures a first distance between a first plane and the air inlet face. The second ranging device measures a second distance between the first plane and the bottom of the blind hole. The control device obtains the actual distance between the carrier face and the air inlet face based on the first distance, the second distance, and the preset distance. This application at least solves problems such as errors in the reaction interval.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of semiconductor technology, specifically relating to a method for adjusting a process chamber, semiconductor process equipment, and carrier device. Background Technology

[0002] Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) equipment and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) equipment are widely used in integrated circuit semiconductor manufacturing processes. Process gases are mixed through a nozzle (shower head) and then reach the reaction space between the heater and the nozzle, where they react to form a film on the wafer surface. The reaction spacing between the nozzle and the heater is typically a few millimeters to tens of millimeters. This spacing is usually calculated indirectly at room temperature by measuring the distance from the upper surface of the heater to the upper surface of the chamber using a tooling, and subtracting the height of the nozzle protrusion. However, the reaction spacing calculated indirectly at room temperature is not the actual reaction spacing in the process. This is because there are tolerances in component assembly, and the heater operates at high temperatures during the process, reaching 300°C, 400°C, or even 550°C. At such high temperatures, the heater undergoes thermal expansion and deformation, causing the top of the heater to move closer to the nozzle. During the process, the distance between the nozzle and the heater is small. The heat from the heater raises the temperature of the nozzle through radiation or gas heat transfer. The nozzle is mostly made of aluminum, which will undergo thermal expansion and deformation when the temperature rises. This causes the nozzle to become closer to the heater and also causes its flatness to deteriorate, resulting in errors in the reaction interval and affecting the accuracy of the process. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide a method for adjusting a process chamber, semiconductor process equipment, and carrier device, which can at least solve problems such as errors in the reaction interval.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this application is implemented as follows:

[0005] This application provides a process chamber for use in semiconductor process equipment. The process chamber includes: a cavity, a support device, a first ranging device, a second ranging device, and a control device.

[0006] The top of the cavity is provided with an air inlet end face facing the support device. The support device is driven by a lifting mechanism to be raised and lowered in the cavity. The support device is provided with a first through hole and a blind hole extending along the lifting direction respectively. The bottom of the blind hole is at a preset distance from the support surface of the support device.

[0007] The first ranging device and the second ranging device are respectively disposed in the cavity and located on the side of the bearing device away from the air inlet end face, and the ranging ends of the first ranging device and the second ranging device are both located on a first plane parallel to the air inlet end face.

[0008] The first ranging device is opposite to the first through hole and is used to measure the first distance between the first plane and the air intake end face; the second ranging device is opposite to the blind hole and is used to measure the second distance between the first plane and the bottom of the blind hole.

[0009] The control device is used to obtain the actual distance between the bearing surface and the air intake end face based on the first distance, the second distance and the preset distance.

[0010] This application also provides a semiconductor process apparatus, including the aforementioned process chamber.

[0011] This application embodiment also provides a method for adjusting a support device, applied to the above-mentioned process chamber, the method comprising:

[0012] The first distance is obtained by measuring the distance between the first plane and the air intake end face during the measurement process.

[0013] The second distance is obtained by measuring the distance between the first plane and the bottom of the blind hole during the measurement process;

[0014] The actual distance between the bearing surface and the air intake end face is calculated based on the preset distance, the first distance, and the second distance. The preset distance is the distance between the bottom of the blind hole and the bearing surface.

[0015] Based on the difference between the actual distance and the reference distance, adjust the relative position between the bearing device and the air intake end face so that the actual distance is equal to or within the preset error range of the reference distance. The reference distance is the distance that needs to be achieved between the bearing surface of the bearing device and the air intake end face at the top of the cavity.

[0016] This application embodiment also provides another method for adjusting the support device, applied to the above-mentioned process chamber, the adjustment method including:

[0017] The first distance and the second distance are measured for each region in the multiple regions of the cavity;

[0018] Based on the preset distance and the first and second distances at each region, the actual distance at each region is calculated respectively, where the preset distance is the distance between the bottom of the blind hole and the bearing surface;

[0019] Compare the actual distances at multiple regions and obtain the difference between the actual distances at any two regions;

[0020] Based on the difference between the actual distances at any two regions and the reference parallelism, adjust the parallelism between the bearing surface and the air inlet end face so that the difference between the actual distances at any two regions is less than or equal to the reference parallelism, where the reference parallelism is the required parallelism between the bearing surface of the bearing device and the air inlet end face at the top of the cavity during the process.

[0021] In this embodiment, a first distance between the first plane and the air inlet face at the top of the cavity can be measured in real time using a first distance measuring device, and a second distance between the bottom of the blind hole and the first plane can be measured in real time using a second distance measuring device. By comparing the first distance, the second distance, and the distance between the bottom of the blind hole and the bearing surface of the bearing device, the actual distance between the bearing surface and the air inlet face can be obtained under actual conditions. This lays the foundation for adjusting the distance between the bearing surface and the air inlet face by adjusting the height of the bearing device, allowing process engineers to perform processes based on the actual distance between the bearing surface and the air inlet face under real-time conditions. This reduces process exploration time and improves the reaction interval and process consistency of different process chambers. In addition, the distance between the bearing surface and the air inlet face obtained in this embodiment is the actual distance measured in real time, rather than the measurement result under ambient temperature. Therefore, there is no situation where environmental factors cause errors in the reaction interval, thus ensuring the accuracy of the measurement results and improving process precision. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a ranging fixture installed on the top of a chamber in a related technology.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the reaction chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the first through hole and blind hole distributed in a first form according to an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the second type of distribution of the first through hole and blind hole disclosed in the embodiments of this application.

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the first through hole, blind hole, and telescopic shaft distributed in a first form according to an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the second type of distribution of the first through hole, blind hole, and telescopic shaft disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0028] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first type of connector disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0029] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second type of connector disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0030] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating the calculation of the distance between the bearing surface and the top of the cavity, as disclosed in an embodiment of this application.

[0031] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating the parallelism adjustment between the bearing surface and the top of the cavity as disclosed in an embodiment of this application.

[0032] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0033] 01-Range measuring fixture; 02-Cavity; 03-Base; 04-Sensor probe;

[0034] 100 - Cavity; 110 - Second through hole; 120 - Air inlet nozzle; 121 - Air inlet end face;

[0035] 200 - Bearing device; 210 - Bearing plate; 211 - First through hole; 212 - Blind hole; 213 - Bearing surface; 220 - Support shaft;

[0036] 310 - First ranging device; 320 - Second ranging device; 330 - Light-transmitting element;

[0037] 400 - Adjustment device; 410 - Adjustment seat; 411 - Connecting groove; 420 - Adjustment drive mechanism; 421 - Telescopic shaft; 422 - Connecting shaft; 4221 - Ball head; 423 - Limiting block; 430 - Lifting seat; 431 - Vertical connecting plate; 432 - Horizontal connecting plate; 4321 - First fixing surface; 4322 - First fixing hole; 4323 - Second fixing surface; 4324 - Third fixing surface; 4325 - Second fixing hole. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0039] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such use of data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first," "second," etc., are generally of the same class and the number of objects is not limited; for example, a first object can be one or more. Furthermore, in the specification and claims, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0040] The embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific examples and application scenarios.

[0041] like Figure 1 As shown, in the related technology, a ranging fixture 01 is installed on the chamber 02 to measure the reaction interval, that is, the space between the lower end face of the nozzle at the top of the chamber 02 and the upper end face of the base 03. Specifically, the base 03 (e.g., a heating plate) is first raised to a certain height, and then the ranging fixture 01 is installed on the upper surface of the chamber 02. When the base 03 contacts the sensor probe 04 of the ranging fixture 01, the reading displayed by the ranging fixture 01 is D1, which indicates the height of the upper surface of the base 03 from the upper surface of the chamber 02. The reaction interval is equal to the difference between the reading displayed by the ranging fixture 01 and the height H of the nozzle protruding from the upper surface of the chamber 02, that is, Spacing = D1 - H. This reaction interval is a value indirectly calculated under normal atmospheric temperature.

[0042] However, the reaction interval at room temperature has a certain margin of error, and the actual process is based on this reaction interval. Process engineers need to blindly adjust the distance multiple times and perform multiple processes before they can determine the appropriate reaction interval. This wastes manpower and time, and cannot guarantee the consistency of the reaction interval and the consistency of the process in different chambers.

[0043] Based on the above, this application discloses a process chamber applied to semiconductor process equipment. Exemplarily, this application can be applied to semiconductor deposition process equipment or semiconductor etching process equipment. (Reference) Figures 2 to 10 The disclosed process chamber includes a cavity 100, a support device 200, a first ranging device 310, a second ranging device 320, and a control device (not shown in the figure).

[0044] The cavity 100 provides process space for the wafer, and the carrier device 200 carries the wafer. In some embodiments, the top of the cavity 100 has an air inlet end face 121 facing the carrier device 200. The carrier device 200 is vertically and vertically disposed within the cavity 100 to facilitate the raising or lowering of the wafer, thereby meeting process requirements. The carrier device 200 can be connected to a lifting mechanism and can be raised and lowered under the driving action of the lifting mechanism. In addition, the carrier device 200 has a first through hole 211 and a blind hole 212 extending along the lifting direction, and the bottom of the blind hole 212 is at a predetermined distance from the bearing surface 213 of the carrier device 200.

[0045] In this embodiment of the application, the preset distance between the bottom of the blind hole 212 and the bearing surface 213 is as small as possible. For example, the preset distance can be in the range of 1mm to 2mm, such as 1mm, 1.2mm, 1.5mm, 1.8mm, 2mm, etc. Of course, it can also be other values, which are not specifically limited here.

[0046] In some embodiments, the top of the cavity 100 may be provided with an air inlet nozzle (showerhead) 120, and the lower end face of the air inlet nozzle 120 may be the aforementioned air inlet end face 121, so as to spray gas onto the wafer on the carrier device 200 through the air holes provided on the air inlet end face 121.

[0047] The first ranging device 310 and the second ranging device 320 can be respectively disposed in the cavity 100 and located on the side of the supporting device 200 opposite to the air intake end face 121. The ranging ends of the first ranging device 310 and the second ranging device 320 are both located on a first plane parallel to the air intake end face 121. It should be noted that, under actual working conditions, both the first ranging device 310 and the second ranging device 320 are located at the bottom of the cavity 100. For example, both can be located on the outside of the cavity 100 or on the inside of the cavity 100, as long as they can measure distances; the specific location is not limited.

[0048] Furthermore, to ensure that the ranging reference systems of the first ranging device 310 and the second ranging device 320 are the same, this embodiment of the application sets the ranging ends of both the first ranging device 310 and the second ranging device 320 within a first plane. This ensures that the ranging reference systems are identical, preventing inaccurate results due to different reference systems. For example, the first plane can be the outer surface of the bottom wall of the cavity 100, or the inner surface of the bottom wall, or any other surface; no specific limitation is made here.

[0049] Furthermore, the first ranging device 310 is disposed opposite to the first through hole 211 and is used to measure the first distance between the first plane and the air intake end face 121. The second ranging device 320 is disposed opposite to the blind hole 212 and is used to measure the second distance between the first plane and the bottom of the blind hole 212. The control device is used to obtain the actual distance between the bearing surface 213 and the air intake end face 121 based on the first distance, the second distance and the preset distance.

[0050] Considering the distance between the first plane and the air intake end face 121 during the process (i.e., the first distance h1), it can be the sum of the distance between the bearing surface 213 and the air intake end face 121, the distance between the bottom of the hole and the bearing surface 213 (i.e., the preset distance h0), and the distance between the first plane and the bottom of the hole (i.e., the second distance h2). Therefore, the actual distance between the bearing surface 213 and the air intake end face 121 during the process can be calculated based on the difference between the first distance, the second distance, and the preset distance, facilitating subsequent distance adjustment operations by process personnel.

[0051] In this embodiment, the first distance between the first plane and the air intake end face 121 can be measured in real time by the first ranging device 310, and the second distance between the bottom of the blind hole 212 and the first plane can be measured in real time by the second ranging device 320. By comparing the first distance, the second distance, and the distance between the bottom of the blind hole 212 and the bearing surface 213 of the bearing device 200, the actual distance between the bearing surface 213 and the air intake end face 121 in the actual state can be obtained. This facilitates adjusting the distance between the bearing surface 213 and the air intake end face 121 by adjusting the height of the bearing device 200. The distance between the bearing surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121 is established as a foundation, allowing process engineers to perform processes based on the distance between the bearing surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121 in real time. This reduces the time required for process exploration and improves the reaction interval and process consistency between different process chambers. In addition, the distance between the bearing surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121 obtained in this embodiment is the actual distance measured in real time, rather than the measurement result under ambient temperature. Therefore, there is no situation where environmental factors cause errors in the reaction interval, which ensures the accuracy of the measurement results and helps to improve process precision.

[0052] To improve the accuracy of the first distance measurement, a multi-point measurement method can be adopted. Based on this, such as... Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the carrier device 200 may be provided with multiple first through holes 211. Correspondingly, the process chamber may also include multiple first distance measuring devices 310. The multiple first distance measuring devices 310 are arranged one-to-one with the multiple first through holes 211. In this way, the multiple first distance measuring devices 310 can emit light or electromagnetic waves to the air intake end face 121 through the corresponding multiple first through holes 211, thereby obtaining multiple sets of first distance values. This makes it easier to know the distance between the first plane and the air intake end face 121 at multiple positions, which is beneficial to improving the measurement accuracy of the first distance.

[0053] For example, multiple first through holes 211 can be evenly arranged around the circumference of the support device 200, thereby making the distribution of the distance measuring position more uniform and further improving the measurement accuracy of the first distance to a certain extent.

[0054] In this embodiment, the second distance can also be measured using a multi-point measurement method. Based on this, the carrier device 200 can be provided with multiple blind holes 212. Correspondingly, the process chamber can also include multiple second distance measuring devices 320. Each of the multiple second distance measuring devices 320 is arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with a single blind hole 212. Thus, the multiple second distance measuring devices 320 can emit light or electromagnetic waves into the multiple blind holes 212 respectively, thereby obtaining multiple sets of second distance values. This allows for the determination of the second distance between multiple positions at the bottom of the cavity 100 and the bottom of each of the multiple blind holes 212, thereby improving the measurement accuracy of the second distance.

[0055] refer to Figure 3 In some embodiments, the support device 200 may have multiple annular regions of different diameters, each annular region being provided with multiple first through holes 211 and multiple blind holes 212, and a blind hole 212 being provided between every two adjacent first through holes 211.

[0056] For example, a plurality of first through holes 211 can be evenly arranged in an annular region of one diameter, so that a plurality of first distances in the annular region can be measured, which can improve the measurement accuracy of the first distance to a certain extent.

[0057] In addition, a blind hole 212 is provided between every two adjacent first through holes 211, so that the blind hole 212 is closer to the first through hole 211, thereby making the ranging position of the second ranging device 320 closer to the ranging position of the first ranging device 310, which can effectively alleviate the problem of large error caused by the ranging position being far away.

[0058] Furthermore, the plurality of first through holes 211 in one of the annular regions are staggered with the plurality of first through holes 211 in adjacent annular regions. Specifically, multiple rings of first through holes 211 arranged radially along the support device 200 can be formed on the support device 200, with each ring having multiple first through holes 211. In this way, light or electromagnetic waves can pass through the multiple rings of first through holes 211 to measure the first distance at multiple positions corresponding to the multiple rings of first through holes 211. Moreover, the first through holes 211 in adjacent rings are staggered to expand the range covered by the distance measurement, thereby improving the uniformity of the distance measurement position distribution and, to a certain extent, improving the measurement accuracy of the first distance.

[0059] Similarly, the multiple blind holes 212 in one annular region are staggered with the multiple blind holes 212 in the adjacent annular regions. Specifically, the support device 200 can also have multiple rings of blind holes 212 arranged radially along the support device 200, with multiple blind holes 212 in each ring. In this way, light or electromagnetic waves can be struck at the bottom of the multiple rings of blind holes 212, and the second distance at multiple positions corresponding to the multiple rings of blind holes 212 can be measured. Furthermore, the blind holes 212 in adjacent rings are staggered to expand the range covered by the distance measurement, thereby improving the uniformity of the distance measurement position distribution and, to a certain extent, improving the measurement accuracy of the second distance.

[0060] refer to Figure 4 In other embodiments, the plurality of first through holes 211 and the plurality of blind holes 212 may also be distributed around the circumference of the support device 200 in a region of the same diameter of the support device 200, and a blind hole 212 is provided between every two adjacent first through holes 211.

[0061] Specifically, the multiple first through holes 211 and multiple blind holes 212 are all located in the same diameter area, so that the first distance and the second distance at multiple locations in the same diameter area on the bearing device 200 can be measured respectively. Furthermore, the first distance and the second distance can be measured intermittently within the same diameter area, so that the measurement position of the first distance and the measurement position of the second distance can be relatively close, making the first distance and the second distance measured under this condition more accurate.

[0062] For example, there may be six first through holes 211, and the six first through holes 211 are evenly distributed on the same diameter of the supporting device 200, that is, two adjacent first through holes 211 are 60° apart. In addition, six blind holes 212 are evenly distributed in the same circumferential diameter as the six first through holes 211.

[0063] In some embodiments, in each annular region, the blind hole 212 is located in the middle of two adjacent first through holes 211, that is, the measurement position of each second distance is located in the middle of two adjacent first distance measurement positions. In this way, the uniformity of the measurement position distribution can be further improved, thereby further improving the ranging accuracy.

[0064] In some embodiments, the first ranging device 310 and the second ranging device 320 may be respectively disposed on the outside of the cavity 100, and their respective ranging ends are disposed on the outer surface of the bottom wall of the cavity 100, that is, the first plane is the outer surface of the bottom wall of the cavity 100.

[0065] Based on the above, in order to measure the first distance and the second distance, the bottom wall of the cavity 100 can be provided with at least two second through holes 110, which are respectively arranged opposite to the first through hole 211 and the blind hole. With this arrangement, the light or electromagnetic wave emitted by the first ranging device 310 can pass through the second through holes 110 and the first through hole 211, and finally hit the air intake end face 121, thereby measuring the distance between the outer surface of the bottom wall of the cavity 100 and the air intake end face 121, that is, obtaining the first distance in the process.

[0066] Similarly, the light or electromagnetic wave emitted by the second ranging device 320 can pass through the second through hole 110 and enter the blind hole 212, eventually hitting the bottom of the blind hole 212, thereby measuring the distance between the outer surface of the bottom wall of the cavity 100 and the bottom of the blind hole 212, that is, obtaining the second distance in the process.

[0067] For example, when there are multiple first through holes 211 and multiple blind holes 212, a portion of the multiple second through holes 110 can be configured one-to-one with the multiple first through holes 211, while another portion of the second through holes 110 can be configured one-to-one with the multiple blind holes 212.

[0068] In this embodiment, the first ranging device 310 and the second ranging device 320 have essentially the same structure, both including a laser ranging sensor. The laser ranging sensor can emit a ranging laser to more accurately measure the first distance and the second distance. Of course, other methods can also be used for ranging, which are not specifically limited here.

[0069] To ensure the airtightness of the cavity 100 and meet the distance measurement requirements, a light-transmitting element 330 is provided on the bottom wall of the cavity 100. The light-transmitting element 330 is arranged opposite to each second through hole 110, and the light-transmitting element 330 can seal the corresponding second through hole 110, thereby ensuring the airtightness of the cavity 100 and preventing leakage.

[0070] Furthermore, the laser emitting end of the laser rangefinder is positioned opposite to the corresponding light-transmitting element 330, allowing the laser emitted by the laser rangefinder to pass through the light-transmitting element 330 and enter the corresponding second through hole 110, and then enter the first through hole 211 or blind hole 212 corresponding to the second through hole 110. This allows the laser to hit the top of the cavity 100 or the bottom of the blind hole 212, thereby measuring the first distance or the second distance.

[0071] In other embodiments, the entire bottom wall of the cavity 100 is a light-transmitting bottom wall. This also ensures that the laser emitted by the laser rangefinder can pass through the bottom wall of the cavity 100, and also ensures the airtightness of the cavity 100.

[0072] For example, the light-transmitting element 330 can be a quartz window. Of course, other components can also be used, as long as they can seal the cavity 100, transmit laser light, and meet the process requirements. The specific type is not limited.

[0073] In this embodiment, the carrier device 200 may include a carrier disk 210 and a support shaft 220. The carrier disk 210 is disposed within the cavity 100 and is used to carry the wafer. Additionally, it can be used to heat the wafer to ensure its temperature meets process requirements. One end of the support shaft 220 is connected to the carrier disk 210, and the other end extends out of the cavity 100, providing support for the carrier disk 210.

[0074] Furthermore, the process chamber may also include an adjustment device 400, which is connected to the other end of the support shaft 220 for leveling and / or raising / lowering the carrier plate 210 via the support shaft 220.

[0075] In addition, a bellows can be fitted on the outside of the support shaft 220. One end of the bellows is connected to the bottom of the cavity 100, and the other end of the bellows is connected to the adjusting seat 410. In this way, the bellows can play a sealing role and can adapt to the lifting or tilting movement of the support shaft 220.

[0076] Based on the above settings, under the action of the adjustment device 400, the support shaft 220 can be moved, and the support shaft 220 can drive the carrier plate 210 to move, so as to level and / or raise and lower the carrier plate 210. In this way, the wafer carried by the carrier plate 210 can be leveled and / or raised and lowered, so as to improve the uniformity of the film layer on the wafer surface.

[0077] It should be noted that when the bearing surface 213 of the carrier disk 210 is uneven, the parallelism between the surface of the wafer it supports and the top surface of the cavity 100 will be poor. In this case, the uniformity of the wafer surface film will be affected during the process. Based on this, in this embodiment, the leveling device 400 can be used to adjust the carrier disk 210 to ensure that the surface of the wafer supported by the carrier disk 210 has better parallelism with the top surface of the cavity 100, thereby improving the uniformity of the wafer surface film.

[0078] Furthermore, when the size of the reaction gap formed between the bearing surface 213 of the bearing disk 210 and the top of the cavity 100 does not meet the process requirements, such as being too large or too small, it will also have an adverse effect on the film layer formed on the wafer surface. Based on this, under the action of the adjustment device 400, the bearing disk 210 can be raised and lowered to ensure that the height of the bearing disk 210 meets the process requirements, thereby mitigating the adverse effects on the film layer.

[0079] The adjustment device 400 may include an adjustment base 410 and multiple adjustment drive mechanisms 420. The drive ends of each of the multiple adjustment drive mechanisms 420 are movably connected to the adjustment base 410, and each of the multiple adjustment drive mechanisms 420 is electrically connected to a control device. The other end of the support shaft 220 is connected to the adjustment base 410. Based on this configuration, under the control of the control device, at least a portion of the multiple adjustment drive mechanisms 420 can be activated, driving the adjustment base 410 to move. This, in turn, causes the adjustment base 410 to synchronously drive the support shaft 220 to move, which in turn drives the carrier disk 210 to move, thereby achieving the adjustment of the state of the wafer carried on the carrier disk 210.

[0080] For example, the adjustment drive mechanism 420 can be a telescopic mechanism. When all the adjustment drive mechanisms 420 extend and retract synchronously, the adjustment seat 410 can be driven to rise and fall. The adjustment seat 410 drives the carrier plate 210 and the wafer it carries to rise and fall synchronously through the support shaft 220, so as to adjust the relative distance between the wafer and the top of the cavity 100.

[0081] When one of the multiple adjustment drive mechanisms 420 extends or retracts while the other is not activated, the adjustment seat 410 can be rotated by a portion of the adjustment drive mechanisms 420. The adjustment seat 410 drives the carrier disk 210 and the wafer it carries to swing synchronously via the support shaft 220, so as to adjust the parallelism between the wafer and the top of the cavity 100.

[0082] In some embodiments, each adjustment drive mechanism 420 may include a telescopic shaft 421 and a connecting shaft 422, wherein one end of the connecting shaft 422 is connected to the telescopic shaft 421, and the other end of the connecting shaft 422 is provided with a ball head 4221. Correspondingly, the adjustment seat 410 may be provided with a plurality of connecting grooves 411. Thus, the ball head 4221 of the connecting shaft 422 of each of the plurality of adjustment drive mechanisms 420 is rotatably connected to the plurality of connecting grooves 411 in a one-to-one correspondence. In this way, the connecting shaft 422 of each adjustment drive mechanism 420 can swing relative to the adjustment seat 410, thereby ensuring that the adjustment seat 410 can be flipped without causing motion interference.

[0083] In addition, each adjustment drive mechanism 420 may include a linear module as a drive component. The linear module may be an electric cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or other components. The output end of the linear module may be connected to the telescopic shaft 421 to drive the telescopic shaft 421 to move in and out. Of course, the telescopic shaft 421 may also be part of the linear module.

[0084] In a more specific embodiment, the linear module can be a T-type lead screw electric cylinder, which has the ability to self-lock and continuous displacement. It can work continuously when the load-bearing device 200 needs to be adjusted, and can also achieve self-locking when the load-bearing device 200 does not need to be adjusted, so as to avoid the load-bearing device 200 moving unexpectedly during the process and affecting the process.

[0085] For example, the connecting groove 411 can be a spherical groove, with at least a portion of the ball head 4221 located within the spherical groove to ensure rotational engagement between the connecting shaft 422 and the adjusting seat 410.

[0086] To prevent the ball head 4221 from disengaging from the connecting groove 411, a limiting block 423 can be added. The limiting block 423 may include two limiting units, each of which has a clearance groove. When the two limiting units are connected, the two clearance grooves interlock to form a limiting hole.

[0087] Specifically, when the ball head 4221 is located in the connecting groove 411, the two limiting units are fastened to both sides of the connecting shaft 422. At this time, the connecting shaft 422 is located in the limiting hole, and the diameter of the limiting hole is smaller than the diameter of the ball head 4221. In this way, the ball head 4221 can be limited so that it will not fall out of the connecting groove 411, and the connecting shaft 422 can swing relative to the adjusting seat 410 through the rotational engagement of the ball head 4221 and the connecting groove 411.

[0088] In some cases, the telescopic shafts 421 of multiple adjustment drive mechanisms 420 can extend and retract synchronously, and drive the adjustment seat 410 to rise and fall through their respective connecting shafts 422. In other cases, the telescopic shafts 421 of some adjustment drive mechanisms 420 extend and retract synchronously, while others remain stationary. In this case, the ball head 4221 can be engaged with the connecting groove 411 to make the adjustment seat 410 swing relative to some connecting shafts 422, so that the adjustment seat 410 can be rotated at a certain angle. Furthermore, driven by the adjustment seat 410, the support shaft 220 and the carrier disk 210 rotate with the adjustment seat 410, thereby adjusting the parallelism between the bearing surface 213 of the carrier disk 210 and the top of the cavity 100, so as to form a better parallelism and improve the uniformity of wafer film formation on the carrier disk 210.

[0089] refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 In some embodiments, the supporting device 200 is provided with at least one set of cooperating first through holes 211 and blind holes 212, and in the second plane, the projection of the telescopic shaft 421 is located between the respective projections of each set of first through holes 211 and blind holes 212, wherein the second plane is perpendicular to the lifting direction. With this arrangement, the adjusting device 400 can be made as close as possible to the detection positions of the first distance and the second distance in the second plane, which can reduce the leveling error to a certain extent, thereby improving the leveling accuracy.

[0090] For example, in the second plane, the projection of the telescopic shaft 421 can be located at the middle position of the projections of each group of first through holes 211 and blind holes 212. This arrangement can further reduce the leveling error and further improve the leveling accuracy.

[0091] In order to achieve the lifting and lowering of the bearing device 200, such as Figure 2 , 7 As shown in Figure 8, the adjusting device 400 may further include a connecting base 430, to which multiple adjusting drive mechanisms 420 may be connected respectively. Therefore, the connecting base 430 can be used to fix the multiple adjusting drive mechanisms 420, ensuring their stability.

[0092] In addition, the connecting seat 430 can be raised and lowered to drive multiple adjustment drive mechanisms 420 to rise and fall synchronously, and in turn drive the adjustment seat 410, support shaft 220 and bearing plate 210 to rise and fall synchronously, thereby adjusting the distance between the bearing surface 213 of the bearing plate 210 and the top of the cavity 100 to meet process requirements.

[0093] For example, the process chamber may further include a lifting mechanism, the lifting end of which can be connected to the connecting seat 430 to drive the connecting seat 430 to move up and down. The lifting mechanism may include a cylinder. It should be noted that when the distance between the bearing surface 213 of the bearing plate 210 and the top of the cavity 100 needs coarse adjustment, the bearing plate 210 can be raised and lowered significantly under the driving action of the lifting mechanism, thereby increasing the adjustment speed of the bearing plate 210; when the distance between the bearing surface 213 of the bearing plate 210 and the top of the cavity 100 needs fine adjustment, multiple adjustment drive mechanisms 420 can move synchronously to raise and lower the bearing plate 210 slightly, thereby improving the adjustment accuracy of the bearing plate 210.

[0094] In some embodiments, the connecting base 430 may include a vertical connecting plate 431 and a horizontal connecting plate 432 connected to each other. The vertical connecting plate 431 is used to connect with the lifting mechanism, and the horizontal connecting plate 432 is a polygonal plate. At least a portion of the side of the polygonal plate serves as the fixing surface for fixing the adjustment drive mechanism 420. In addition, the horizontal connecting plate 432 also includes at least one polygonal fixing hole. At least a portion of the hole wall serves as the fixing surface for fixing the adjustment drive mechanism 420. Each adjustment drive mechanism 420 is located on at least one circumference.

[0095] In some embodiments, the horizontal connecting plate 432 may include a plurality of first fixing surfaces 4321 and first fixing holes 4322. The walls of the plurality of first fixing surfaces 4321 and first fixing holes 4322 are respectively located at each side of a first polygon, and each of the walls of the plurality of first fixing surfaces 4321 and first fixing holes 4322 is connected to an adjustment drive mechanism 420, and the adjustment drive mechanisms 420 at each location are located on a circle of the same diameter. With this arrangement, the connection positions of the connecting shafts 422 of the plurality of adjustment drive mechanisms 420 and the adjustment seat 410 are also located on the same circle, so that each adjustment drive mechanism 420 has the same driving effect on the adjustment seat 410, which can improve the convenience and accuracy of the adjustment process to a certain extent.

[0096] For example, the horizontal connecting plate 432 may include five first fixing surfaces 4321 and one first fixing hole 4322. The five first fixing surfaces 4321 are respectively located at the positions of five sides of the first regular hexagon, and the hole wall of the first fixing hole 4322 is located at the position of the remaining side of the first regular hexagon. Thus, after the adjustment drive mechanism 420 is installed at the five first fixing surfaces 4321 and the first fixing hole 4322, the six adjustment drive mechanisms 420 are respectively located at the positions of the six sides of the first regular hexagon, thereby making the distribution of the six adjustment drive mechanisms 420 more uniform. As a result, the driving action of the six adjustment drive mechanisms 420 on the adjustment seat 410 is more uniform, so as to improve the convenience and accuracy of the adjustment process.

[0097] In other embodiments, the horizontal connecting plate 432 may include a plurality of second fixing surfaces 4323, a plurality of third fixing surfaces 4324, and a second fixing hole 4325. The plurality of second fixing surfaces 4323 are respectively located at each side of a second polygon, and the hole walls of the plurality of third fixing surfaces 4324 and the second fixing hole 4325 are respectively located at each side of a third polygon. An adjustment drive mechanism 420 is connected to each of the holes of the plurality of second fixing surfaces 4323, the plurality of third fixing surfaces 4324, and the second fixing hole 4325. The adjustment drive mechanism 420 at each of the plurality of second fixing surfaces 4323 is located on a circle with a first diameter, while the adjustment drive mechanism 420 at each of the plurality of third fixing surfaces 4324 and the second fixing hole 4325 is located on a circle with a second diameter, and the first diameter is larger than the second diameter.

[0098] With this arrangement, on the one hand, the connection positions of the connecting shafts 422 of a portion of the adjustment drive mechanisms 420 and the adjustment seat 410 are located on a circle with a first diameter, so that each adjustment drive mechanism 420 in a portion can have the same driving effect on the adjustment seat 410. On the other hand, the connection positions of the connecting shafts 422 of another portion of the adjustment drive mechanisms 420 and the adjustment seat 410 are located on a circle with a second diameter, so that each adjustment drive mechanism 420 in the other portion can have the same driving effect on the adjustment seat 410. This improves the convenience and accuracy of the adjustment process. On the other hand, this arrangement expands the coverage area of ​​the connection regions between the multiple adjustment drive mechanisms 420 and the adjustment seat 410, which can further improve the accuracy of the adjustment.

[0099] For example, the horizontal connecting plate 432 may include three second fixing surfaces 4323, two third fixing surfaces 4324, and a second fixing hole 4325. The three second fixing surfaces 4323 are respectively located at the positions of three unconnected sides of the second regular hexagon. Thus, after installing the adjustment drive mechanism 420 at each of the three second fixing surfaces 4323, the three adjustment drive mechanisms 420 are positioned at the positions of three unconnected sides of the second regular hexagon, resulting in a more uniform distribution of the three adjustment drive mechanisms 420. Consequently, the driving force of the three adjustment drive mechanisms 420 on the adjustment seat 410 is more uniform, thereby improving the convenience and accuracy of the adjustment process.

[0100] Furthermore, the two third fixing surfaces 4324 and the second fixing hole 4325 are respectively located at the positions of three pairs of non-connected sides of the third regular hexagon. The side length of the third regular hexagon is shorter than that of the second regular hexagon, and the three adjustment drive mechanisms 420 at the side length of the third regular hexagon are staggered from the three adjustment drive mechanisms 420 at the side length of the second regular hexagon. Based on this, after installing the adjustment drive mechanisms 420 at the two third fixing surfaces 4324 and the second fixing hole 4325, the three adjustment drive mechanisms 420 are located at the positions of three pairs of non-connected sides of the third regular hexagon, thus making the distribution of the three adjustment drive mechanisms 420 more uniform. Consequently, the driving action of the three adjustment drive mechanisms 420 on the adjustment seat 410 is more uniform, thereby improving the convenience and accuracy of the adjustment process.

[0101] Based on the above configuration, two rings of adjustment drive mechanisms 420 are formed, with each ring including three adjustment drive mechanisms 420. This increases the number of connection positions between the adjustment drive mechanisms 420 and the adjustment seat 410, thereby expanding the coverage area of ​​the connection areas between the multiple adjustment drive mechanisms 420 and the adjustment seat 410, which can further improve the accuracy of adjustment.

[0102] In some embodiments, the adjustment drive mechanism 420 and the horizontal connecting plate 432 can be positioned using locating pins and fixed using fixing screws. Specifically, the walls of the first fixing surface 4321 and the first fixing hole 4322 can be respectively provided with locating holes and fixing holes to facilitate the installation of locating pins and fixing screws, thereby positioning and fixing the adjustment drive mechanism 420. Similarly, the walls of the second fixing surface 4323, the third fixing surface 4324, and the second fixing hole 4325 can also be respectively provided with locating holes and fixing holes to facilitate the installation of locating pins and fixing screws, thereby positioning and fixing the adjustment drive mechanism 420.

[0103] In order for the carrier device 200 to reach the set process position, in this embodiment of the application, the control device is also used to adjust the relative position between the carrier device 200 and the air inlet end face 121 according to the difference between the actual distance and the reference distance between the carrier surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121, so that the actual distance is equal to the reference distance or within the preset error range.

[0104] It should be noted that during the processing of the wafer carried by the carrier device 200, the carrier device 200 needs to be raised to the process position to ensure that the distance between the wafer and the gas inlet end face 121 meets the process requirements. Based on this, through the cooperation of multiple sets of corresponding first ranging devices 310 and second ranging devices 320, the actual distance between the carrier surface 213 of the carrier device 200 raised to the process position and the gas inlet end face 121 can be measured. The actual distance is compared with a reference distance. When the actual distance is greater than the reference distance, the control device controls the adjusting device 400 to drive the carrier device 200 to continue rising a certain distance until the actual distance is equal to the reference distance or within a preset error range, thus allowing the carrier device 200 to reach the process position. Conversely, when the actual distance is smaller than the reference distance, the control device controls the adjusting device 400 to drive the carrier device 200 to descend a certain distance until the actual distance is equal to the reference distance or within a preset error range, thus allowing the carrier device 200 to reach the process position.

[0105] By means of the above method, it can be ensured that the carrier device 200 can accurately reach the process position, so that the distance between the wafer on the carrier surface 213 of the carrier device 200 and the air inlet end face 121 meets the process requirements. In this case, when processing the wafer, the uniformity of the process can be guaranteed, thereby improving product performance.

[0106] Considering that the parallelism between the bearing surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121 of the bearing device 200 will affect the parallelism between the wafer surface and the top of the cavity 100, thus affecting the wafer's process uniformity, in order to ensure better parallelism, in this embodiment, the control device is further used to obtain the actual distance between the bearing surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121 in each region, and adjust the parallelism between the bearing surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121 based on the difference between the actual distances at any two regions and the reference parallelism between the bearing surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121, so that the difference between the actual distances at any two regions is less than or equal to the reference parallelism.

[0107] Specifically, through the cooperation of multiple sets of corresponding first ranging devices 310 and second ranging devices 320, measurements can be taken at multiple regions between the bearing surface 213 and the air intake end face 121 to obtain multiple sets of actual distances at multiple regions. When the parallelism between the bearing device 200 and the air intake end face 121 does not meet the requirements, it will result in a large difference between the multiple sets of actual distances. Thus, the actual distances at any two regions can be selected from the multiple sets of actual distances and the difference can be obtained. When this difference is large and greater than the reference parallelism between the bearing surface 213 and the air intake end face 121, it indicates that the bearing device 200 is tilted. Severe tilting can affect the uniformity of wafer processing. In this case, the control device adjusts the carrier device 200 by adjusting the tilt angle of the carrier device 200 so that the carrier surface 213 of the carrier device 200 returns to parallelism with the air inlet end face 121 or within the error range. After the leveling is completed, the difference in the actual distance between the carrier surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121 in any two regions is less than or equal to the reference parallelism. Under this condition, the parallelism between the wafer carried on the carrier surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121 can meet the process requirements, thereby ensuring the uniformity of wafer processing.

[0108] Based on the above settings, this application also discloses a semiconductor process apparatus, which includes the above-mentioned process chamber, so that the semiconductor process apparatus can also achieve the technical effects achieved by the above-mentioned process chamber.

[0109] Based on the aforementioned process chamber, this application also discloses an adjustment method for a support device, applied to the aforementioned process chamber. The disclosed adjustment method includes:

[0110] The first distance is obtained by measuring the distance between the first plane and the air intake end face 121 during the measurement process.

[0111] The second distance is obtained by measuring the distance between the first plane and the bottom of the blind hole 212 during the measurement process;

[0112] The actual distance between the bearing surface 213 and the air intake end face 121 is calculated based on the preset distance, the first distance, and the second distance. The preset distance is the distance between the bottom of the blind hole 212 and the bearing surface 213.

[0113] Adjust the relative position between the bearing device 200 and the air inlet end face 121 according to the difference between the actual distance and the reference distance, so that the actual distance is equal to or within the error range of the reference distance. The reference distance is the distance that needs to be achieved between the bearing surface 213 of the bearing device 200 and the air inlet end face 121 at the top of the cavity 100.

[0114] Specifically, a first distance measuring device 310 can be used to measure the first distance during the process, and a second distance measuring device 320 can be used to measure the second distance during the process. By subtracting the second distance from the first distance, and then subtracting the preset distance, the actual distance between the bearing surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121 during the process can be obtained. Then, the actual distance is compared with the reference distance. When the two are equal or the difference between the two is within the error range, it indicates that the actual distance between the bearing surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121 meets the process requirements. That is, the bearing device 200 is located more accurately in the process position. In this case, the process uniformity of the wafer on the bearing surface 213 of the bearing device 200 can be guaranteed, thereby improving product performance.

[0115] In some embodiments, when the actual distance is greater than the reference distance, it indicates that the position of the carrier device 200 is lower than the process position. In this case, the carrier device 200 can be controlled and adjusted to rise so that the carrier device 200 reaches the reference process position, i.e., the process position, to ensure that the position of the wafer it carries meets the process requirements.

[0116] In other embodiments, when the actual distance is less than the reference distance, it indicates that the position of the carrier device 200 is higher than the process position. In this case, the carrier device 200 can be controlled and adjusted to descend so that the carrier device 200 reaches the reference process position, i.e., the process position, to ensure that the position of the wafer it carries meets the process requirements.

[0117] To ensure the parallelism between the bearing surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121, this application embodiment also discloses another method for adjusting the bearing device, applied to the above-mentioned process chamber. The disclosed adjustment method includes:

[0118] The first distance and the second distance are measured for each of the multiple regions of the cavity 100;

[0119] Based on the preset distance and the first and second distances at each region, the actual distance at each region is calculated. The preset distance is the distance between the bottom of the blind hole 212 and the bearing surface 213.

[0120] Compare the actual distances at multiple regions and obtain the difference between the actual distances at any two regions;

[0121] Based on the difference in actual distance between any two regions and the reference parallelism, adjust the parallelism between the bearing surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121 so that the difference in actual distance between any two regions is less than or equal to the reference parallelism. The reference parallelism is the parallelism that needs to be achieved between the bearing surface 213 of the bearing device 200 and the air inlet end face 121 at the top of the cavity 100 during the process.

[0122] It should be noted that when the parallelism between the bearing surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121 does not meet the process requirements, it will lead to a large difference between the actual distances in multiple areas. In this case, the actual distances of any two areas can be selected from the multiple areas and the difference between them can be obtained. When the difference is large and greater than the reference parallelism between the bearing surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121, it indicates that the bearing device 200 is seriously tilted, which will affect the uniformity of the wafer process. At this time, the tilt angle of the bearing device 200 is controlled and adjusted to level the bearing device 200 so that the bearing surface 213 of the bearing device 200 returns to parallelism with the air inlet end face 121 or within the error range. After the leveling is completed, the difference between the actual distances between the bearing surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121 in any two areas is less than or equal to the reference parallelism. In this case, the parallelism between the wafer carried on the bearing surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121 can meet the process requirements, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the wafer process.

[0123] In some embodiments, adjusting the parallelism between the bearing surface 213 and the intake end face 121 based on the difference in actual distances between any two regions and a reference parallelism includes:

[0124] Select the maximum and minimum actual distances from multiple regions;

[0125] Adjust the tilt angle of the bearing device 200 to lower the height of the area where the actual distance is at its maximum and raise the height of the area where the actual distance is at its minimum.

[0126] Based on the above steps, the tilt angle of the bearing device 200 can be reduced, thereby enabling the leveling process of the bearing device 200 to ensure that the parallelism between the bearing surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121 meets the process requirements.

[0127] In this embodiment of the application, the specific process for calculating and adjusting the distance between the bearing surface 213 of the bearing device 200 and the air inlet end face 121 is as follows:

[0128] When the carrier plate 210 is in a high-temperature state, it will undergo thermal expansion and vacuum deformation under the action of high temperature and vacuum force. At the same time, the lower end face (i.e., the air inlet end face 121) of the air inlet nozzle 120 at the top of the cavity 100 will also expand and deform under high temperature. The laser range sensor of the first ranging device 310 emits a laser, which passes through the quartz window, the second through hole 110 and the first through hole 211 in sequence to reach the air inlet end face 121, thereby obtaining the degree of the first distance D1. The laser range sensor of the second ranging device 320 emits a laser, which passes through the quartz window and the second through hole 110 in sequence to reach the bottom of the blind hole 212, thereby obtaining the degree of the second distance d1. Since the distance between the bottom of the blind hole 212 and the carrier surface 213 is relatively small, it can be approximately considered that the thermal expansion state of the blind hole 212 is the same as that of the carrier surface 213. In addition, the preset distance from the bottom of the blind hole 212 to the carrier surface 213 is m. Thus, the actual distance Spacing between the bearing surface 213 and the air intake end face 121 is D1-d1-m. The Spacing value can be calculated by the control device, and then the calculated Spacing value (i.e., the actual distance) is compared with the process value set by the process personnel (i.e., the reference distance) to determine whether the actual distance and the reference distance are equal or within the preset error range.

[0129] When the calculated Spacing value (i.e., the actual distance) is greater than the process value (i.e., the reference distance) set by the process engineer, under the control of the control device, multiple adjustment drive mechanisms 420 in the adjustment device 400 simultaneously drive the carrier device 200 to rise. As the carrier device 200 rises, the calculated Spacing value (i.e., the actual distance) gradually decreases. When the calculated Spacing value (i.e., the actual distance) is equal to or within the error range of the process value (i.e., the reference distance), it indicates that the carrier device 200 has reached the set process position. In this case, the distance requirements of the process can be met.

[0130] Conversely, when the calculated Spacing value (i.e., the actual distance) is less than the process value (i.e., the reference distance) set by the process engineer, under the control of the control device, multiple adjustment drive mechanisms 420 in the adjustment device 400 simultaneously drive the carrier device 200 to descend. As the carrier device 200 descends, the calculated Spacing value (i.e., the actual distance) gradually increases. When the calculated Spacing value (i.e., the actual distance) is equal to or within the error range of the process value (i.e., the reference distance), it indicates that the carrier device 200 has reached the set process position. In this case, the distance requirements of the process can be met.

[0131] In this embodiment of the application, the specific process for adjusting the parallelism between the bearing surface 213 of the bearing device 200 and the air inlet end face 121 is as follows:

[0132] When leveling the bearing surface 213 and the intake end face 121 under high-temperature process conditions, the calculated Spacing values ​​(i.e., actual distances) at multiple (e.g., 6) regions are compared, and based on the comparison results, at least part of the adjustment drive mechanism 420 of the adjustment device 400 is controlled to drive the bearing device 200 to rotate by a certain angle, so that the parallelism between the bearing surface 213 and the intake short end face 121 under high-temperature process conditions is less than or equal to 0.1 mm (in addition, under room temperature conditions, the leveling specification can be less than 0.26 mm).

[0133] The laser rangefinder measures the first distance D1 and the second distance d1 at multiple regions between the bearing surface 213 and the air intake end face 121, calculates the Spacing value (i.e., the actual distance) at multiple regions, and automatically compares the difference between the Spacing values ​​(i.e., the actual distance) at any two regions to see if the difference between any two is less than or equal to 0.1mm.

[0134] If the difference between the two values ​​is greater than 0.1mm, the system automatically finds the maximum and minimum values ​​of the Spacing values ​​(i.e., actual distances) across multiple regions, and correspondingly identifies the regions corresponding to the maximum and minimum values. The control device calculates the required elevation height for the region corresponding to the maximum value and the required reduction height for the region corresponding to the minimum value, where the required elevation or reduction height is calculated as (Spacing maximum value - Spacing maximum value) / 2. The control device sends a first signal to the adjustment drive mechanism 420 at the region corresponding to the maximum value, raising that region by (Spacing maximum value - Spacing maximum value) / 2, and sends a second signal to the adjustment drive mechanism 420 at the region corresponding to the minimum value, lowering that region by (Spacing maximum value - Spacing maximum value) / 2. Ultimately, the difference between any two Spacing values ​​(i.e., actual distances) across multiple regions is made less than or equal to 0.1mm to meet process requirements.

[0135] In summary, the embodiments of this application can measure the actual distance between the bearing surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121 at the top of the cavity 100 in real time during the actual process, and can adjust the actual distance in real time, so that the process personnel can carry out the process according to the real-time measured actual distance, thereby reducing the process exploration time and ensuring the consistency of the actual distance and process of different process chambers.

[0136] In addition, the embodiments of this application can also measure the actual parallelism between the bearing surface 213 and the air inlet end face 121 in real time during the actual process, and can adjust the actual parallelism in real time to ensure the uniformity of the wafer process carried by the bearing surface 213, thereby ensuring the consistency of the process between different process chambers.

[0137] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A process chamber, used in semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that, The process chamber includes: a chamber (100), a support device (200), a first ranging device (310), a second ranging device (320), and a control device; The top of the cavity (100) is provided with an air inlet end face (121) facing the support device (200). The support device (200) is driven by a lifting mechanism to be vertically and vertically disposed in the cavity (100). The support device (200) is provided with a first through hole (211) and a blind hole (212) extending along the lifting direction respectively. The bottom of the blind hole (212) is at a preset distance from the support surface (213) of the support device (200). The first ranging device (310) and the second ranging device (320) are respectively disposed in the cavity (100) and located on the side of the bearing device (200) away from the air inlet end face (121). The ranging ends of the first ranging device (310) and the second ranging device (320) are both located on a first plane parallel to the air inlet end face (121). The first ranging device (310) is opposite to the first through hole (211) and is used to measure the first distance between the first plane and the air intake end face (121). The second ranging device (320) is opposite to the blind hole (212) and is used to measure the second distance between the first plane and the bottom of the blind hole (212). The control device is used to obtain the actual distance between the bearing surface (213) and the air intake end face (121) based on the first distance, the second distance and the preset distance.

2. The process chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support device (200) is provided with a plurality of first through holes (211), and the plurality of first through holes (211) are evenly arranged around the circumference of the support device (200); And / or, the support device (200) is provided with a plurality of blind holes (212), and the plurality of blind holes (212) are evenly arranged around the circumference of the support device (200).

3. The process chamber according to claim 2, characterized in that, The supporting device (200) has multiple annular regions of different diameters. Each annular region is provided with multiple first through holes (211) and multiple blind holes (212), and a blind hole (212) is provided between every two adjacent first through holes (211).

4. The process chamber according to claim 3, characterized in that, The plurality of first through holes (211) in one of the annular regions are staggered with the plurality of first through holes (211) in the adjacent annular regions; The multiple blind holes (212) in one of the annular regions are staggered with the multiple blind holes (212) in the adjacent annular regions.

5. The process chamber according to claim 2, characterized in that, The plurality of first through holes (211) and the plurality of blind holes (212) are distributed around the circumference of the support device (200) in an annular region of the same diameter, and a blind hole (212) is provided between every two adjacent first through holes (211).

6. The process chamber according to claim 3 or 5, characterized in that, At each of the annular regions, the blind hole (212) is located at the midpoint between two adjacent first through holes (211).

7. The process chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first ranging device (310) and the second ranging device (320) are respectively disposed on the outside of the cavity (100), and the first plane is the outer surface of the bottom wall of the cavity (100); The bottom wall of the cavity (100) is provided with at least two second through holes (110), and the at least two second through holes (110) are respectively arranged opposite to the first through hole (211) and the blind hole (212).

8. The process chamber according to claim 7, characterized in that, Both the first ranging device (310) and the second ranging device (320) include a laser ranging sensor; The bottom wall of the cavity (100) is provided with a light-transmitting element (330), which is arranged opposite to at least each of the second through holes (110), and the laser emitting end of the laser rangefinder is arranged opposite to the light-transmitting element (330).

9. The process chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The carrier device (200) includes a carrier disk (210) and a support shaft (220). The carrier disk (210) is disposed in the cavity (100) for carrying the wafer. One end of the support shaft (220) is connected to the carrier disk (210), and the other end of the support shaft (220) extends out of the cavity (100). The process chamber also includes an adjustment device (400), which is connected to the other end of the support shaft (220) and is used to level and / or raise and lower the bearing plate (210) via the support shaft (220).

10. The process chamber according to claim 9, characterized in that, The adjusting device (400) includes an adjusting base (410) and a plurality of adjusting drive mechanisms (420); Each of the plurality of adjustment drive mechanisms (420) has its drive end movably connected to the adjustment seat (410), and each of the plurality of adjustment drive mechanisms (420) is electrically connected to the control device. The other end of the support shaft (220) is connected to the adjusting seat (410).

11. The process chamber according to claim 10, characterized in that, The adjustment drive mechanism (420) includes a telescopic shaft (421) and a connecting shaft (422). One end of the connecting shaft (422) is connected to the telescopic shaft (421), and the other end of the connecting shaft (422) is provided with a ball head (4221). The adjusting seat (410) is provided with multiple connecting slots (411), and the ball head (4221) of the connecting shaft (422) of each of the multiple adjusting drive mechanisms (420) is rotatably connected to the multiple connecting slots (411) in a one-to-one correspondence.

12. The process chamber according to claim 11, characterized in that, The bearing device (200) is provided with at least one set of the first through hole (211) and the blind hole (212) used in conjunction; In the second plane, the projection of the telescopic shaft (421) lies between the projections of each group of the first through holes (211) and the blind holes (212), wherein the second plane is perpendicular to the lifting direction.

13. The process chamber according to claim 10, characterized in that, The adjustment device (400) further includes a connecting seat (430), and a plurality of the adjustment drive mechanisms (420) are respectively connected to the connecting seat (430).

14. The process chamber according to claim 13, characterized in that, The connecting seat (430) includes a vertical connecting plate (431) and a horizontal connecting plate (432) connected to each other. The vertical connecting plate (431) is used to connect with the lifting mechanism. The horizontal connecting plate (432) is a polygonal plate, and at least a portion of the side of the polygonal plate serves as a fixing surface for fixing the adjusting drive mechanism (420). The horizontal connecting plate (432) also includes at least one polygonal fixing hole, at least a portion of the hole wall of the fixing hole serving as a fixing surface for fixing the adjustment drive mechanism (420); Each of the aforementioned adjustment drive mechanisms (420) is located on at least one circumference.

15. The process chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that, The control device is also used to adjust the relative position between the bearing device (200) and the air intake end face (121) according to the difference between the actual distance and the reference distance between the bearing surface (213) and the air intake end face (121), so that the actual distance is equal to the reference distance or within a preset error range.

16. The process chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that, The control device is also used to obtain the actual distance between the bearing surface (213) and the air intake end face (121) in multiple regions, and adjust the parallelism between the bearing surface (213) and the air intake end face (121) according to the difference between the actual distances in any two regions and the reference parallelism between the bearing surface (213) and the air intake end face (121), so that the difference between the actual distances in any two regions is less than or equal to the reference parallelism.

17. A semiconductor process apparatus, characterized in that, Includes the process chamber as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

18. A method for adjusting a bearing device, applied to the process chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that, The adjustment method includes: The first distance is obtained by measuring the distance between the first plane and the air intake end face (121) during the measurement process; The second distance is obtained by measuring the distance between the first plane and the bottom of the blind hole (212) during the measurement process; The actual distance between the bearing surface (213) and the air intake end face (121) is calculated based on the preset distance, the first distance and the second distance. The preset distance is the distance between the bottom of the blind hole (212) and the bearing surface (213). Based on the difference between the actual distance and the reference distance, adjust the relative position between the bearing device (200) and the air inlet end face (121) so that the actual distance is equal to or within the preset error range of the reference distance. The reference distance is the distance that needs to be achieved between the bearing surface (213) of the bearing device (200) and the air inlet end face (121) at the top of the cavity (100).

19. The adjustment method according to claim 18, characterized in that, When the actual distance is greater than the reference distance, the support device (200) is controlled to rise, so that the support device (200) reaches the reference process position; or, When the actual distance is less than the reference distance, the control adjusts the bearing device (200) to descend, so that the bearing device (200) reaches the reference process position.

20. A method for adjusting a bearing device, applied to the process chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that, The adjustment method includes: The first distance and the second distance are measured for each of the multiple regions of the cavity (100); Based on the preset distance and the first and second distances at each region, the actual distances at each region are calculated respectively. The preset distance is the distance between the bottom of the blind hole (212) and the bearing surface (213). Compare the actual distances at multiple regions and obtain the difference between the actual distances at any two regions; Based on the difference between the actual distances at any two regions and the reference parallelism, adjust the parallelism between the bearing surface (213) and the air inlet end face (121) so that the difference between the actual distances at any two regions is less than or equal to the reference parallelism, which is the required parallelism between the bearing surface (213) of the bearing device (200) and the air inlet end face (121) at the top of the cavity (100) during the process.

21. The adjustment method according to claim 20, characterized in that, Adjusting the parallelism between the bearing surface (213) and the intake end face (121) based on the difference of the actual distances at any two regions and the reference parallelism includes: Select the maximum and minimum values ​​of the actual distances from the actual distances at multiple regions; Adjust the tilt angle of the bearing device (200) to reduce the height of the area where the actual distance is at its maximum value and increase the height of the area where the actual distance is at its minimum value.

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