Semiconductor device
By aligning wafers and pallets with atmospheric robots and pre-alignment units in semiconductor equipment, the problems of low manual separation efficiency and yield are solved, efficient and accurate wafer-to-pallet alignment is achieved, and production efficiency and cleanliness are improved. .
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411233015.2
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-09-04
- Publication Date
- 2024-12-13
AI Technical Summary
In the wafer manufacturing process, the prior art requires manual participation in the separation of wafers and pallets, resulting in low efficiency and wafer yields affecting, and there is a risk of mechanical contact.
A semiconductor device was designed, using an atmospheric robot and two pre-alignment units to pre-align the wafer and tray respectively, and aligning was achieved through a rotating table and a movable rod, and eccentric and biased data were calculated in combination with linear sensors and alignment software. , automatically adjust the position to ensure accurate alignment between the wafer and the pallet.
Improves production efficiency and wafer yield, reduces labor costs and footprint, and improves cleanliness.
Smart Images
Figure CN119133020A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, and in particular to a semiconductor equipment. Background Art
[0002] During the wafer manufacturing process, it is necessary to further build epitaxy on the wafer substrate for manufacturing components. For example, a gallium arsenide epitaxial layer is prepared on a silicon substrate for LED light-emitting devices; a silicon carbide epitaxial layer is grown on a conductive silicon carbide substrate for building devices such as Schottky diodes and metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors in power applications; a gallium nitride epitaxial layer is built on a semi-insulating silicon carbide substrate to further manufacture devices such as high electron mobility transistors in radio frequency applications such as communications. In this process, chemical vapor deposition equipment is indispensable.
[0003] In chemical vapor deposition equipment, the wafer cannot be placed directly on the metal or simply on a base for epitaxial deposition, because it involves many factors such as gas flow direction (horizontal, vertical), temperature, pressure, fixation and contaminants. Therefore, the wafer needs to be placed on a wafer tray and then epitaxially deposited on it using chemical vapor deposition technology. In addition, chemical vapor deposition in semiconductor processes usually uses thermal radiation to heat the wafer. In order to avoid abnormal deposition thickness at the edge of the wafer due to the inconsistency of the thermal radiation coefficient between the support material and the wafer itself, the wafer is usually heated after loading on a tray such as graphite or silicon carbide.
[0004] The existing method is specifically that before the wafer is processed, the staff stands at the loading port and places the wafer in the wafer tray (the wafer is generally processed on the front side, and any form of mechanical contact on the front side of the wafer should be avoided during actual operation to avoid affecting the yield of chip manufacturing). Therefore, the back of the wafer is manually touched and loaded into the wafer tray by lifting the back of the wafer), the atmospheric manipulator takes away the wafer and the tray, aligns the wafer and the tray in the front-end module, and then performs related process operations in the vacuum reaction chamber. After the wafer is processed, the robot sends the wafer and the tray to the loading port, and the wafer and the tray need to be manually separated. This method requires manual participation. On the one hand, the manual efficiency is low, and on the other hand, manual contact with the wafer also affects the yield of the wafer.
[0005] Therefore, when performing process processing on wafers, how to improve efficiency and yield is the focus of technical personnel in this field. Summary of the invention
[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device that can improve efficiency and yield when performing process processing on a wafer.
[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a semiconductor device, comprising:
[0008] It comprises a front-end module, wherein the front-end module is provided with: an atmospheric manipulator, a first pre-alignment unit and a second pre-alignment unit;
[0009] The atmospheric manipulator is used to grab the wafer and the tray from the loading port respectively;
[0010] The first pre-alignment unit is used to pre-align the wafers transported by the atmospheric robot; the second pre-alignment unit is used to pre-align the trays transported by the atmospheric robot;
[0011] After the wafer and the tray are pre-aligned, the atmospheric robot transfers the wafer from the first pre-alignment unit to the tray of the second pre-alignment unit to achieve alignment between the wafer and the tray.
[0012] In an optional solution, the first pre-alignment unit and the second pre-alignment unit include a base, and a rotating table and a plurality of movable rods are arranged above the base; the rotating table can drive the wafer / tray to rotate, and the movable rods can telescope up and down, lifting the wafer / tray from the rotating table when rising and dropping the wafer / tray back onto the rotating table when descending; the movable rods can also move horizontally in one direction.
[0013] In an optional solution, the first pre-alignment unit and the second pre-alignment unit include a linear sensor and alignment software;
[0014] The method for pre-aligning a wafer / tray comprises: the atmospheric manipulator places the wafer / tray on a rotating table, rotates the rotating table for one circle, obtains the offset value of the entire circumferential edge of the wafer / tray, calculates the eccentricity and deflection data of the wafer / tray according to the pre-alignment working principle, and according to the eccentricity and deflection data, the movable rod drives the wafer / tray to move horizontally, thereby realizing the pre-alignment action of the wafer / tray.
[0015] In an optional solution, the tray has a plurality of tray holes extending vertically therethrough, the positions of the tray holes corresponding to the positions of the movable rods, and when the pre-alignment of the tray is completed, the movable rods pass through the corresponding tray holes;
[0016] The atmospheric robot transfers the wafer from the first pre-alignment unit to the tray of the second pre-alignment unit, comprising:
[0017] The movable rod of the second pre-alignment unit is raised, and the atmospheric robot places the wafer on the movable rod, and then lowers the movable rod to place the wafer on the tray.
[0018] In an optional solution, after placing the pallet on the rotating table of the second pre-alignment unit and before performing the pre-alignment action, determine whether β1<θ<β2 is satisfied, where θ represents the maximum eccentricity angle, β1 represents the angle between the line connecting the reference point and one end of the notch of the pallet 2 and the reference line, and β2 represents the angle between the line connecting the reference point and the other end of the notch of the pallet and the reference line; if satisfied, rotate the rotating table 180°, and then perform the pre-alignment action of the pallet.
[0019] In an optional solution, the semiconductor device further includes a vacuum transition chamber, and the atmospheric manipulator is used to take and place wafers and trays between the vacuum transition chamber and the front-end module of the device.
[0020] In an optional solution, the semiconductor device further comprises a vacuum transfer chamber, in which a vacuum manipulator is disposed, and the vacuum manipulator is used to take and place wafers and trays between the vacuum transition chamber and the vacuum transfer chamber.
[0021] In an optional solution, the semiconductor device further includes a vacuum reaction chamber, which is arranged at the periphery of the vacuum transmission chamber, and the vacuum manipulator is used to take and place wafers and trays between the vacuum transmission chamber and the vacuum reaction chamber.
[0022] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:
[0023] The present invention uses two pre-alignment units to align the wafer and the tray respectively, which can greatly improve the output and efficiency, improve the cleanliness, and save labor costs and floor space. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent through a more detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals generally represent like components.
[0025] Figure 1 FIG. 4 is a top view of the overall structural layout of a semiconductor device in one embodiment of the present invention.
[0026] Figure 2 FIG. 4 is a top view of a wafer and a tray according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0027] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of a robot picking up and placing wafers / trays in one embodiment of the present invention.
[0028] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the pre-alignment angle and the linear sensor in one embodiment of the present invention.
[0029] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of wafer pre-alignment in one embodiment of the present invention.
[0030] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of tray pre-alignment in one embodiment of the present invention.
[0031] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the maximum eccentric radius within the wafer notch range in one embodiment of the present invention.
[0032] Figure 8 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of wafer and tray alignment in one embodiment of the present invention.
[0033] Fig. 9 FIG. 4 is a flowchart of aligning a wafer and a tray in one embodiment of the present invention.
[0034] Fig.10 The figure is a flow chart of separating wafers from a tray in one embodiment of the present invention.
[0035] Reference numerals:
[0036] 1-wafer; 2-tray; 2A-first tray hole; 2B-second tray hole; 2C-third tray hole; 2D-fourth tray hole; 3-loading port; 4-first pre-alignment unit; 5-first linear sensor; 5A-linear light source; 6-first rotating table; 7A-first movable rod; 7B-second movable rod; 7C-third movable rod; 7D-fourth movable rod; 8-second pre-alignment unit; 9-second linear sensor; 9A-linear light source; 10-second rotating table; 11A-fifth movable rod; 11B-sixth movable rod; 11C-seventh movable rod; 11D-eighth movable rod; 12-atmospheric manipulator; 14-front-end module; 15-vacuum transition chamber; 16-vacuum manipulator; 17-vacuum transmission chamber; 18-vacuum reaction chamber. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0037] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. According to the following description and drawings, the advantages and features of the present invention will become clearer. However, it should be noted that the concept of the technical solution of the present invention can be implemented in a variety of different forms and is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein. The drawings are all in a very simplified form and are not in precise proportions, and are only used to conveniently and clearly assist in explaining the purpose of the embodiments of the present invention.
[0038] It should be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being "on, adjacent to, connected to or coupled to other elements or layers, it may be directly on, adjacent to, connected to or coupled to other elements or layers, or there may be intervening elements or layers. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on, directly adjacent to, directly connected to or directly coupled to other elements or layers, there may be no intervening elements or layers. It should be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts, these elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or part from another element, component, region, layer or part. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the present invention, the first element, component, region, layer or part discussed below may be represented as a second element, component, region, layer or part.
[0039] Spatially relative terms such as "under," "below," "below," "under," "above," "above," etc., may be used herein for ease of description to describe the relationship of an element or feature shown in the figures to other elements or features. It should be understood that in addition to the orientations shown in the figures, the spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use and operation. For example, if the device in the accompanying drawings is flipped, then the elements or features described as "under other elements" or "under" or "under" will be oriented as "on" the other elements or features. Therefore, the exemplary terms "under" and "under" may include both upper and lower orientations. The device may be oriented otherwise (rotated 90 degrees or other orientations) and the spatial descriptors used herein are interpreted accordingly.
[0040] The purpose of the terms used herein is only to describe specific embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. When used herein, the singular forms "one", "an" and "said / the" are also intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "consisting of" and / or "comprising", when used in this specification, determine the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or groups. When used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of the relevant listed items.
[0041] Example 1
[0042] Reference Figure 1 , this embodiment provides a semiconductor device, including a front-end module 14, wherein the front-end module 14 is provided with: an atmospheric manipulator 12, a first pre-alignment unit 4 and a second pre-alignment unit 8;
[0043] The atmospheric manipulator 12 is used to grab the wafer 1 and the tray 2 from the loading port 3 respectively;
[0044] The first pre-alignment unit 4 is used to pre-align the wafer 1 transported by the atmospheric robot 12; the second pre-alignment unit 8 is used to pre-align the tray 2 transported by the atmospheric robot 12;
[0045] After the wafer 1 and the tray 2 are pre-aligned, the atmospheric robot 12 transfers the wafer 1 from the first pre-alignment unit 4 to the tray 2 of the second pre-alignment unit 8 to achieve alignment between the wafer 1 and the tray 2 .
[0046] Specifically, in this embodiment, the first pre-alignment unit 4 and the second pre-alignment unit 8 have the same structure (referred to as alignment unit). The first alignment unit includes a first base, on which a first rotating table 6 and a plurality of movable rods (a first movable rod 7A, a second movable rod 7B, a third movable rod 7C, and a fourth movable rod 7D) are arranged around the first rotating table 6; the first rotating table 6 can drive the wafer 1 to rotate, and the movable rods can move up and down, lifting the wafer 1 from the first rotating table 6 when rising and dropping the wafer 1 back onto the first rotating table 6 when descending; the four movable rods can also drive the wafer to move horizontally in one direction.
[0047] The second pre-alignment unit 8 has the same structure as the first pre-alignment unit 4. The second alignment unit 8 includes a second base, and a second rotating table 10 and a plurality of movable rods (a fifth movable rod 11A, a sixth movable rod 11B, a seventh movable rod 11C, and an eighth movable rod 11D) are arranged above the second base; the second rotating table 10 can drive the tray 2 to rotate, and the movable rod can move up and down to lift the tray 2 from the second rotating table 10 when rising and drop the tray 2 back onto the second rotating table 10 when descending; the four movable rods can also drive the tray to move horizontally in one direction.
[0048] In this embodiment, the first pre-alignment unit includes a first linear sensor 5 and alignment software; the method for pre-aligning the wafer 1 includes: the atmospheric manipulator 12 places the wafer 1 on the first rotating table 6, the first rotating table 6 rotates, and when the width of the light curtain blocked by the edge of the wafer changes, the brightness value of the first linear light source 5A emitted by the first linear sensor 5 will be converted into a voltage value and given to the alignment software, and the first rotating table 6 is rotated for one circle to obtain the offset value of the edge of the entire circumference of the wafer 1. According to the conventional pre-alignment working principle, the eccentricity and deflection data of the wafer 1 can be calculated. According to the eccentricity and deflection data, the four movable rods drive the wafer 1 to move horizontally, thereby realizing the pre-alignment action (including centering and orientation) of the wafer 1. When the wafer is pre-aligned, the first rotating table and the four movable rods may need to rotate and move multiple times. The centering and orientation of the wafer / tray by the pre-alignment unit belongs to the known technology.
[0049] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 7 In this embodiment, the second pre-alignment unit includes a second linear sensor 9 and alignment software (the alignment software of the second pre-alignment unit and the alignment software of the first pre-alignment unit are the same alignment software); the method for the second pre-alignment unit 8 to pre-align the tray 2 includes: the atmospheric manipulator 12 places the tray 2 on the second rotating table 10 of the second pre-alignment unit 8, referring to Figure 4 , determine whether β1<θ<β2 is satisfied, θ represents the maximum eccentric angle (the angle between the line connecting the reference point and the center of the tray and the reference line L), β1 represents the angle between the line connecting the reference point and one end of the notch of the tray 2 and the reference line L, β2 represents the angle between the line connecting the reference point and the other end of the notch of the tray and the reference line L. If satisfied, rotate the second rotating table 10 180° (the purpose of this step is that the tray has an oblong tray hole. If the movable rod is not rotated, it will pass through the oblong tray hole, and the movable rod cannot lift the tray, and centering and orientation cannot be achieved). Then, the second rotating table 10 rotates in the same way as the wafer pre-alignment method. When the width of the light curtain blocked by the edge of the tray 2 changes, the brightness value of the second linear light source 9A emitted by the second linear sensor 9 will be converted into a voltage value and given to the alignment software. Rotate the second rotating table 10 one circle to obtain the offset value of the edge of the entire circumference of the tray 2. According to the pre-alignment working principle, the eccentricity and deflection data of the pallet 2 are calculated. According to the eccentricity and deflection data, the four movable rods drive the pallet 2 to move horizontally, thereby realizing the pre-alignment action of the pallet (centering and orienting the pallet 2).
[0050] It should be noted that the wafer / tray may be offset in both the X-axis and the Y-axis. In this embodiment, by cooperating with the rotating table, the movable rod can only move in one horizontal direction, thereby achieving the centering and orientation of the wafer / tray.
[0051] In this embodiment, the tray 2 has four oblong tray holes (first tray hole 2A, second tray hole 2B, third tray hole 2C, fourth tray hole 2D) running through from top to bottom. The positions of the four tray holes correspond to the positions of the four movable rods of the second alignment unit. When the tray pre-alignment is completed, the four movable rods pass through the center of the corresponding four oblong tray holes. The atmospheric manipulator 12 transfers the wafer 1 from the first pre-alignment unit 4 to the tray 2 of the second pre-alignment unit 8, including: raising the movable rod of the second pre-alignment unit 8, the atmospheric manipulator 12 places the wafer 1 on the movable rod, and then lowers the movable rod to place the wafer 1 on the tray 2. At this time, the wafer 1 and the tray 2 are aligned. As needed, the second rotating table 10 is rotated to a specified angle, and the atmospheric manipulator 12 takes away the wafer 1 and the tray 2.
[0052] Reference Fig.10 When the wafer 1 is separated from the tray 2, the atmospheric manipulator 12 first places the wafer 1 and the tray 2 on the second pre-alignment unit 8, and the second pre-alignment unit 8 aligns the tray 2; then the movable rod of the second pre-alignment unit 2 rises, and the atmospheric manipulator 12 takes out the wafer 1 and puts it back into the wafer box; finally, the movable rod of the second pre-alignment unit 8 descends, and the atmospheric manipulator takes out the tray 2 and puts it back into the tray box.
[0053] In this embodiment, the semiconductor device further includes a vacuum transition chamber 15, a vacuum transmission chamber 17 and a vacuum reaction chamber 18; the atmospheric manipulator 12 is used to take and place the wafer 1 and the tray 2 between the vacuum transition chamber 15 and the device front-end module 14. A vacuum manipulator 16 is provided in the vacuum transmission chamber 17, and the vacuum manipulator is used to take and place the wafer 1 and the tray 2 between the vacuum transition chamber 15 and the vacuum transmission chamber 17. The vacuum reaction chamber 18 is provided at the periphery of the vacuum transmission chamber 17, and the vacuum manipulator 16 is used to take and place the wafer 1 and the tray 2 between the vacuum transmission chamber 17 and the vacuum reaction chamber 18.
[0054] In this embodiment, two pre-alignment units are used simultaneously to align the wafer and the tray respectively. First, the atmospheric manipulator takes out the wafer from the loading port and places it on the first pre-alignment unit for alignment; then the tray is taken out and placed on the second pre-alignment unit for tray alignment; then the wafer of the first pre-alignment unit is placed on the movable part of the second pre-alignment unit, and the movable rod of the second pre-alignment unit 2 lowers the wafer and the tray to achieve alignment; finally, the second pre-alignment unit rotates the tray to the specified angle, that is, the alignment is completed, and the subsequent process can be carried out. After the process is completed, the wafer and the tray are separated in the opposite way, and the wafer is put back into the wafer box. The tray can wait for a new wafer to be loaded for a new round of process. This can greatly improve the output and efficiency, the cleanliness can also be improved, and it can also save labor costs and floor space.
[0055] The above description is only a description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Any changes or modifications made by a person skilled in the art in the field of the present invention based on the above disclosure shall fall within the scope of protection of the claims.
Claims
1. A semiconductor device, It is characterized in that It comprises a front-end module, in which: an atmospheric manipulator, a first pre-alignment unit and a second pre-alignment unit are provided; The atmospheric manipulator is used to grab the wafer and the tray from the loading port respectively; The first pre-alignment unit is used to pre-align the wafers transported by the atmospheric robot; the second pre-alignment unit is used to pre-align the trays transported by the atmospheric robot; After the wafer and the tray are pre-aligned, the atmospheric robot transfers the wafer from the first pre-alignment unit to the tray of the second pre-alignment unit to achieve alignment between the wafer and the tray.
2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The first pre-alignment unit and the second pre-alignment unit include a base, and a rotating table and a plurality of movable rods are arranged above the base; the rotating table can drive the wafer / tray to rotate, and the movable rods can move up and down, lifting the wafer / tray from the rotating table when rising and dropping the wafer / tray back on the rotating table when descending; the movable rods can also move horizontally in one direction.
3. The semiconductor device according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The first pre-alignment unit and the second pre-alignment unit include a linear sensor and alignment software; The method for pre-aligning a wafer / tray comprises: the atmospheric manipulator places the wafer / tray on a rotating table, rotates the rotating table for one circle, obtains the offset value of the entire circumferential edge of the wafer / tray, calculates the eccentricity and deflection data of the wafer / tray according to the pre-alignment working principle, and according to the eccentricity and deflection data, the movable rod drives the wafer / tray to move horizontally, thereby realizing the pre-alignment action of the wafer / tray.
4. The semiconductor device according to claim 3, It is characterized in that The tray has a plurality of tray holes extending vertically therethrough, the positions of the tray holes corresponding to the positions of the movable rods, and when the tray pre-alignment is completed, the movable rods pass through the corresponding tray holes; The atmospheric robot transfers the wafer from the first pre-alignment unit to the tray of the second pre-alignment unit, comprising: The movable rod of the second pre-alignment unit is raised, and the atmospheric robot places the wafer on the movable rod, and then lowers the movable rod to place the wafer on the tray.
5. The semiconductor device according to claim 4, It is characterized in that After placing the pallet on the rotating table of the second pre-alignment unit and before performing the pre-alignment action, determine whether β1<θ<β2 is satisfied, where θ represents the maximum eccentricity angle, β1 represents the angle between the line connecting the reference point and one end of the notch of the pallet 2 and the reference line, and β2 represents the angle between the line connecting the reference point and the other end of the notch of the pallet and the reference line; if satisfied, rotate the rotating table 180°, and then perform the pre-alignment action of the pallet.
6. The semiconductor device according to claim 3, It is characterized in that The semiconductor device further comprises a vacuum transition chamber, and the atmospheric manipulator is used for taking and placing wafers and trays between the vacuum transition chamber and the front-end module of the device.
7. The semiconductor device according to claim 6, It is characterized in that The semiconductor device further comprises a vacuum transmission chamber, in which a vacuum manipulator is arranged. The vacuum manipulator is used for taking and placing wafers and trays between the vacuum transition chamber and the vacuum transmission chamber.
8. The semiconductor device according to claim 7, It is characterized in that The semiconductor device further comprises a vacuum reaction chamber, which is arranged at the periphery of the vacuum transmission chamber. The vacuum manipulator is used for taking and placing wafers and trays between the vacuum transmission chamber and the vacuum reaction chamber.