Wafer chuck and semiconductor equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides a wafer chuck and a semiconductor device, including a housing, a jaw gear structure, a turntable, a telescopic member, a lifting limit member, and a driving member. Under the condition of meeting the requirement of rotating the wafer, this structure can also enable each jaw to perform clamping and releasing operations simultaneously; through the tooth engagement between the jaw gear and the turntable gear, during the torque transmission and rotation process, the torque required to open and close the jaws can be reduced. Therefore, the present application can provide a wafer chuck and a semiconductor device with a simple structure and strong operation convenience. Further, through the sealing member and the dust removal air duct provided between the rotating shaft and the housing, good sealing can be achieved to provide good protection for the wafer and the device components.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of semiconductor devices and relates to a wafer chuck and a semiconductor device. Background Art

[0002] A wafer chuck, also known as a wafer gripper, is a key device used to hold and position wafers during the semiconductor manufacturing process. It holds the wafer through a clamping force to ensure stability and precision during the manufacturing process.

[0003] During the semiconductor device processing, it is usually necessary to rotate the wafer, such as during the wafer cleaning process, spin-drying process, etc. Among them, when rotating the wafer, the rotation of the wafer is driven by the rotation of the wafer chuck. For example, in the wafer cleaning process, the wafer is held by the wafer chuck and the wafer on the wafer chuck is driven to rotate when the wafer chuck rotates, so that the liquid medicine can be evenly sprayed on the surface of the wafer to improve the uniformity of the liquid medicine distribution; or in the wafer spin-drying process, after the wafer is held by the wafer chuck, the centrifugal force is utilized, and the wafer on the wafer chuck is driven to rotate when the wafer chuck rotates to achieve rapid spin-drying of the wafer. However, in order to realize the clamping and releasing of the wafer, the existing wafer chucks often have a relatively complex structure, and the operation convenience and consistency are poor.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to propose a wafer chuck and a semiconductor device. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a wafer chuck and a semiconductor device, which are used to solve the problems of complex structure, poor operation convenience and consistency existing in the wafer chuck of the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above object and other related objects, the present invention provides a wafer chuck, which includes:

[0007] A housing;

[0008] A jaw gear structure, which includes a jaw gear, a transmission rod, a rotating shaft, a carrier and jaws. Among them, the jaw gear and the rotating shaft are respectively arranged at opposite ends of the transmission rod. The carrier and the jaws are located at one end of the rotating shaft away from the transmission rod. The jaw gear and the transmission rod are located inside the housing, and the carrier and the jaws are located outside the housing. The carrier is used to carry the wafer, and the jaws are arranged on the side of the carrier to clamp the wafer;

[0009] A turntable, on the edge of which there are a turntable gear and a turntable limit groove corresponding to the jaw gear, and the jaw gear meshes with the turntable gear;

[0010] A telescopic member, one end of the telescopic member is connected to the housing, and the other end is connected to the turntable;

[0011] A lifting limiting member, the lifting limiting member is correspondingly arranged with the limiting groove of the turntable, and the turntable is limited and released by the lifting operation of the lifting limiting member;

[0012] A driving member, the driving member is connected to the housing and the turntable to provide rotational power. When it is necessary to clamp the wafer, the lifting limiting member releases the turntable, the telescopic member makes the turntable and the housing remain relatively stationary, and makes the claw located at the wafer clamping position, and the turntable and the housing run synchronously under the action of the driving member; when it is necessary to release the wafer, the lifting limiting member limits the turntable, and the housing runs under the action of the driving member, so that an offset angle is generated between the housing and the turntable, and makes the claw located at the wafer release position.

[0013] Optionally, the telescopic member includes a spring or a cylinder.

[0014] Optionally, it includes N claw gear structures, where 3 ≤ N, and the N claw gear structures are evenly distributed at equal intervals along the circumferential direction.

[0015] Optionally, a lip seal is provided between the rotating shaft and the housing.

[0016] Optionally, a dust removal air duct is further provided, and the port of the dust removal air duct is in contact with the lip seal.

[0017] Optionally, a shaft collar is further provided between the rotating shaft and the housing, and the shaft collar includes a silicon carbide collar or a silicon nitride collar.

[0018] Optionally, the transmission mode of the driving member includes bearing transmission, gear transmission, belt transmission, chain transmission, hydraulic transmission or pneumatic transmission.

[0019] Optionally, the distance between the surface of the carrier and the surface of the housing is 0.5 - 2 cm; a nozzle is further provided on the surface of the housing.

[0020] Optionally, the claw includes a PCTEF claw; the claw includes a claw with a slot at the end or a claw with a clamping plate at the end.

[0021] This application also provides a semiconductor device, and the semiconductor device includes any one of the above wafer chucks.

[0022] As described above, the wafer chuck and semiconductor device of the present invention include a housing, a jaw gear structure, a turntable, a telescopic member, a lifting limit member, and a driving member. This structure can not only meet the requirement of rotating the wafer, but also enable each jaw to perform clamping and releasing operations simultaneously; by meshing the teeth of the jaw gear and the turntable gear, the torque required to switch the jaws can be reduced during the torque transmission and rotation process. Therefore, the present application can provide a wafer chuck and semiconductor device with a simple structure and strong operation convenience.

[0023] Furthermore, by providing a seal and a dust removal airway between the rotating shaft and the housing, good sealing can be achieved to provide good protection for the wafer and the device components. Description of the Drawings

[0024] Figure 1 Showing a schematic side view structure of the wafer chuck in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 Showing Figure 1 a schematic top view structure of

[0026] Figure 3 Showing Figure 1 a schematic bottom view structure of

[0027] Figure 4 Showing Figure 3 a partial enlarged view of area A in

[0028] Figure 5 Showing Figure 3 a schematic structure of area A in

[0029] Figure 6 Showing Figure 2 a schematic cross-sectional structure along C-C' in

[0030] Figure 7 Showing a schematic three-dimensional structure of the jaw gear structure in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 8 Showing Figure 6 a partial enlarged view of area B in

[0032] Description of the Reference Numerals

[0033] 100 Housing

[0034] 101 Upper Housing

[0035] 102 Lower Housing

[0036] 200 Jaw Gear Structure

[0037] 201 Chuck Gear

[0038] 202 Drive Rod

[0039] 203 Rotating Shaft

[0040] 204 Carrier Table

[0041] 205 Chuck

[0042] 300 Turntable

[0043] 301 Turntable Gear

[0044] 302 Turntable Limit Groove

[0045] 400 Telescopic Component

[0046] 500 Sealing Component

[0047] 501 V-Packer

[0048] 502 Sealing Ring

[0049] 600 Rotating Shaft Sleeve

[0050] 700 Dust Removal Air Duct Detailed Implementation Manner

[0051] The following uses specific specific examples to illustrate the implementation manners of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific implementation manners. Various details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0052] Please refer to Figures 1 to 8 . It should be noted that the diagrams provided in this embodiment only illustrate the basic concept of the present invention in a schematic manner. Therefore, only the components related to the present invention are shown in the diagrams, rather than being drawn according to the number, shape, and size of the components during actual implementation. The type, quantity, and ratio of each component during actual implementation can be arbitrarily changed, and the component layout type may also be more complex.

[0053] This embodiment provides a wafer chuck, and the wafer chuck includes:

[0054] Housing 100;

[0055] The jaw gear structure 200, the jaw gear structure 200 includes a jaw gear 201, a transmission rod 202, a rotating shaft 203, a bearing platform 204 and a jaw 205. Among them, the jaw gear 201 and the rotating shaft 203 are respectively arranged at opposite ends of the transmission rod 202. The bearing platform 204 and the jaw 205 are located at one end of the rotating shaft 203 away from the transmission rod 202. And the jaw gear 201 and the transmission rod 202 are located inside the housing 100, and the bearing platform 204 and the jaw 205 are located outside the housing 100. The bearing platform 204 is used to carry the wafer and the jaw 205 is arranged on the side of the bearing platform 204 to clamp the wafer;

[0056] The turntable 300, a turntable gear 301 and a turntable limit groove 302 corresponding to the jaw gear 201 are arranged on the edge of the turntable 300, and the jaw gear 201 meshes with the turntable gear 301;

[0057] The telescopic member 400, one end of the telescopic member 400 is connected to the housing 100, and the other end is connected to the turntable 300;

[0058] The lifting limit member (not shown), the lifting limit member is arranged corresponding to the turntable limit groove 302, and the turntable 300 is limited and released by the lifting operation of the lifting limit member;

[0059] The driving member (not shown), the driving member is connected to the housing 100 and the turntable 300 to provide rotational power. When it is necessary to clamp the wafer, the lifting limit member releases the turntable 300, the telescopic member 400 makes the turntable 300 and the housing 100 keep relatively stationary, and makes a plurality of the jaws 205 located at the wafer clamping position, and the turntable 300 and the housing 100 run synchronously under the action of the driving member; when it is necessary to release the wafer, the lifting limit member limits the turntable 300, and the housing 100 runs under the action of the driving member, so that an offset angle is generated between the housing 100 and the turntable 300, and makes the jaw 205 located at the wafer release position.

[0060] Refer to Figure 2 , for the convenience of operations such as the installation, replacement, and maintenance of parts, in this embodiment, the housing 100 includes an upper housing 101 and a lower housing 102 to provide a cavity for installing parts, so as to protect the parts installed in the cavity and avoid damage to the parts by, for example, cleaning liquid. Regarding the material and installation of the housing 100, no limitation is made here.

[0061] Refer to Figure 2, in this embodiment, there are N claw gear structures 200, where preferably 3 ≤ N, such as N being 3, 4, 5, 6, etc., and preferably the N claw gear structures 200 are circumferentially equally spaced, so that the wafers to be clamped subsequently can be evenly stressed, avoiding the risk of fragmentation due to uneven stress during the rotation operation. Regarding the specific value of N, no excessive limitation is made here.

[0062] Among them, preferably the claw 205 is a corrosion-resistant PCTEF claw to extend its service life and reduce the contamination of the wafer, but the material of the claw 205 is not limited thereto. According to needs, the claw 205 can include a claw with a slot at the end or a claw with a clamping plate at the end to clamp the wafer through the slot or the clamping plate. In this embodiment, a slot-type claw with a relatively simple structure is adopted, but the types of the claw 205 are not limited thereto.

[0063] Among them, referring to Figure 2 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 , in this embodiment, the carrier table 204 for carrying the wafer and the claw 205 for clamping the wafer are both arranged above the upper housing 101, and the rotating shaft 203 penetrates the upper housing 101 and is movably connected to the upper housing 101. Among them, as in Figure 8 , in this embodiment, preferably a rotating shaft collar 600 is sleeved outside the rotating shaft 203 to movably connect the rotating shaft 203 to the upper housing 101 through the rotating shaft collar 600. Among them, the rotating shaft collar 600 is preferably made of a wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant high-hardness material, such as a silicon carbide rotating shaft or a silicon nitride rotating shaft, etc., to extend its service life and reduce the amount of pollutants generated by friction.

[0064] Referring to Figure 8 , in this embodiment, preferably the carrier table 204 is conical, and the inclined conical surface of the carrier table 204 can contact the edge of the wafer, so as to carry the wafer through the plurality of carrier tables 204 provided, making the wafer suspended, and the inclined conical surface can avoid the friction on the back surface of the wafer when each carrier table 204 rotates, thus avoiding damage to the back surface of the wafer.

[0065] Furthermore, referring to Figure 8 , preferably the distance D between the surface of the carrier table 204 and the surface of the upper housing 101 is 0.5 - 2 cm, such as 0.5 cm, 1 cm, 2 cm, etc., so that the wafer can be mounted on the upper housing 101, and enough space can be reserved. When a nozzle, such as a cleaning liquid nozzle or a gas nozzle, etc., is arranged on the surface of the upper housing 101, double-sided processing of the wafer can be realized to expand the application range. No excessive limitation is made here regarding the specific value of the distance D.

[0066] Since the rotating shaft 203 is connected to the upper housing 101, refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 , when the claw gear 201 is acted upon by an external force and runs clockwise or counterclockwise, the transmission rod 202 swings clockwise or counterclockwise, so that the rotating shaft 203 connected to the other end of the transmission rod 202, the carrier table 204 located at the end of the rotating shaft 203, and the claw 205 rotate synchronously clockwise or counterclockwise. Thus, the clamping and releasing of the wafer located on the carrier table 204 can be realized by the rotation of the claw 205.

[0067] Among them, refer to Figures 3 to 5 , since the claw gear 201 meshes with the turntable gear 301, thus, when there is a relative displacement between the turntable 300 and the upper housing 101, it is equivalent to providing a driving force for the claw gear 201, which can cause the transmission rod 202 to swing to drive the claw 205 to rotate.

[0068] Specifically, during the processes such as wafer cleaning and drying, the lifting limit member is away from the turntable 300. Driven by the driving member, the housing 100, the turntable 300 located in the housing 100, and the claw gear structure 200 for clamping the wafer run synchronously. The telescopic member 400, which is connected to the housing 100 at one end and to the turntable 300 at the other end, can effectively prevent the turntable 300 from displacing relative to the housing 100. And under the traction of the telescopic member 400, the claw 205 can be in the wafer clamping position to clamp the wafer, as Figure 3 and Figure 4 .

[0069] When the processing process of the wafer ends, the lifting limit member rises and is clamped in the turntable limit groove 302, thus preventing the rotation of the turntable 300, while the upper housing 101 continues to rotate driven by the driving member, as Figures 4 to 5 the state changes. At this time, there is an offset angle between the upper housing 101 and the turntable 300. The telescopic member 400 is in a stretched state. The claw gear 201 is blocked by the turntable gear 301, causing the transmission rod 202 to swing. Thus, the carrier table 204 and the claw 205 located above the upper housing 101 rotate, so that the claw 205 is switched from the wafer clamping position to the wafer releasing position to release the wafer.

[0070] Refer to Figures 3 to 5 , in this embodiment, the telescopic member 400 is a spring, but the type of the telescopic member 400 is not limited thereto. For example, it can also be a cylinder, etc., and no excessive limitation is made here.

[0071] In this embodiment, the driving member can be used as the rotating power member in the wafer processing technology. At the same time, it can also be used as the driving member for clamping and releasing the wafer, so that the simultaneous clamping and simultaneous release operations of each of the jaws 205 can be realized. In addition, since the jaw gear 201 is meshed with the turntable gear 301, during the torque transmission rotation process, the torque required to switch the jaws 205 can be reduced. Therefore, this embodiment can provide a wafer chuck with a simple structure and strong operation convenience.

[0072] The transmission method of the driving member can include, for example, bearing transmission, gear transmission, belt transmission, chain transmission, hydraulic transmission or pneumatic transmission, etc., and can be specifically selected according to needs. In this embodiment, gear transmission is selected, but it is not limited thereto.

[0073] Refer to Figure 6 and Figure 8 , there are installation gaps T1 and T2 between the jaw gear structure 200 and the upper housing 101. These gaps T1 and T2 may cause, for example, cleaning liquid to penetrate into the interior of the housing 100, resulting in damage to components. Therefore, in this embodiment, a seal 500 is further provided in the wafer chuck to seal the gaps T1 and T2.

[0074] Among them, for example, Figure 8 , a lip seal 501 and a sealing ring 502 can be provided at the connection between the rotating shaft 203 and the upper housing 101 to effectively seal the gaps T1 and T2.

[0075] Furthermore, for example, Figure 8 , preferably, a dust removal air duct 700 is further provided in the wafer chuck to provide air flow through the dust removal air duct 700 to timely remove pollutants such as dust caused by rotation. When the port of the dust removal air duct 700 contacts the lip seal 501, the pollutants can also be blocked by the lip seal 501, so as to effectively prevent the pollutants from leaking and polluting the wafer along the gap T1 and / or the gap T2.

[0076] This embodiment further provides a semiconductor device, which includes any one of the above-mentioned wafer chucks. The type of the semiconductor device is not overly restricted here and can include, for example, a single-sided wafer cleaning device or a double-sided wafer cleaning device, etc.

[0077] In summary, the wafer chuck and semiconductor device of the present invention include a housing, a jaw gear structure, a turntable, a telescopic member, a lifting limit member, and a driving member. This structure can not only meet the requirement of rotating the wafer, but also enable each jaw to perform clamping and releasing operations simultaneously; by the meshing of the teeth of the jaw gear and the turntable gear, during the torque transmission and rotation process, the torque required to open and close the jaws can be reduced. Therefore, this application can provide a wafer chuck and semiconductor device with a simple structure and strong operation convenience.

[0078] Furthermore, by providing a seal and a dust removal air duct between the rotating shaft and the housing, good sealing can be achieved to provide good protection for the wafer and the device components.

[0079] The above embodiments are only illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any person familiar with this technology can modify or change the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or changes made by those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field without departing from the spirit and technical ideas disclosed by the present invention should still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer chuck, characterized in that: The wafer chuck comprises: case; A claw gear structure, the claw gear structure comprising a claw gear, a transmission rod, a rotating shaft, a bearing platform and a claw, wherein the claw gear and the rotating shaft are respectively arranged at opposite ends of the transmission rod, the bearing platform and the claw are located at an end of the rotating shaft away from the transmission rod, and the claw gear and the transmission rod are located inside the shell, the bearing platform and the claw are located outside the shell, the bearing platform is used to carry a wafer, and the claw is arranged on the side of the bearing platform to clamp the wafer; A turntable, wherein a turntable gear and a turntable limiting groove corresponding to the claw gear are arranged at the edge of the turntable, and the claw gear is meshed with the turntable gear; A telescopic member, one end of which is connected to the housing, and the other end of which is connected to the rotating disk; A lifting limiter, wherein the lifting limiter is arranged corresponding to the limiter groove of the turntable, and the turntable is limited and released by the lifting and lowering operation of the lifting limiter; A driving member, wherein the driving member is connected to the shell and the turntable to provide rotational power. When the wafer needs to be clamped, the lifting and limiting member releases the turntable, and the telescopic member allows the turntable and the shell to remain relatively still, and the claw is located in the wafer clamping position, and the turntable and the shell operate synchronously under the action of the driving member; when the wafer needs to be released, the lifting and limiting member limits the turntable, and the shell operates under the action of the driving member, so that an offset angle is generated between the shell and the turntable, the telescopic member is in a stretched state, and the claw gear is blocked by the turntable gear, so that the transmission rod swings, the support platform and the claw rotate, and the claw is located in the wafer release position.

2. The wafer chuck according to claim 1, characterized in that: The telescopic member comprises a spring or a cylinder.

3. The wafer chuck according to claim 1, characterized in that: It comprises N claw gear structures, wherein 3≤N, and the N claw gear structures are distributed at equal intervals along the circumferential direction.

4. The wafer chuck according to claim 1, characterized in that: A flood seal is provided between the rotating shaft and the housing.

5. The wafer chuck according to claim 4, characterized in that: A dust removal air duct is also provided, and a port of the dust removal air duct is in contact with the flood seal.

6. The wafer chuck according to claim 1, characterized in that: A rotating shaft ring is also arranged between the rotating shaft and the shell, and the rotating shaft ring comprises a silicon carbide ring or a silicon nitride ring.

7. The wafer chuck according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission mode of the driving member includes bearing transmission, gear transmission, belt transmission, chain transmission, hydraulic transmission or pneumatic transmission.

8. The wafer chuck according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distance between the surface of the support platform and the surface of the shell is 0.5-2 cm; a nozzle is also arranged on the surface of the shell.

9. The wafer chuck according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping claw comprises a PCTEF clamping claw; the clamping claw comprises a clamping claw with a clamping groove at the end or a clamping claw with a clamping plate at the end.

10. A semiconductor device, characterized in that: The semiconductor device comprises the wafer chuck according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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