System including single wafer, reduced volume process chamber

Abstract

A system includes a single wafer, reduced volume process chamber, where an illustrative system disclosed herein includes a process chamber located within a process tool, and a wafer chuck adapted to be positioned within the process chamber and a chuck wafer transfer position outside the process chamber.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the Chinese patent application with Chinese patent application number 201911133062.9, invention name “System including a single wafer and a processing chamber with reduced volume”, and application date November 19, 2019. Technical Field

[0002] Generally speaking, the present invention relates to various embodiments of a system including a single wafer, a reduced volume processing chamber, and a method of processing a semiconductor wafer using the system. Background Art

[0003] In modern integrated circuit products, such as processors, memory devices, ASICs, etc., there are a large number of circuit components (especially transistors) arranged in a limited chip area. Transistors come in many shapes and forms, such as planar transistors, field effect transistors (FinFETs), nanowire devices, fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) devices, etc. Transistors are usually NFET or PFET type devices, where the "N" and "P" in the designation are based on the type of dopants used to generate the source and drain regions of the device. Such devices are manufactured on a substrate or crystal made of a semiconductor material such as silicon.

[0004] The formation of such equipment includes performing various processing operations in very specialized processing tools, for example, etching processes, deposition processes, annealing processes, etc. The wafers can be processed individually in a processing chamber, or multiple wafers can be processed simultaneously in a single processing chamber. The essence of semiconductor manufacturing is to continuously reduce manufacturing costs in order to increase profit margins and meet the constant demand of customers for lower prices. Therefore, there is a trend to process as many wafers as possible at the same time to increase production capacity and thus meet the ever-increasing production targets.

[0005] In modern semiconductor manufacturing equipment, the processed wafers are usually moved between and within many processing tools in such equipment by using various automated wafer transfer systems. A common configuration usually involves positioning a wafer carrier containing multiple independent wafers in a position where a robot arm can grab the required single chip from the carrier and distribute these wafers to one or more processing chambers where processing operations will be performed. In addition, a wafer lifting system is usually present in each processing chamber to receive a wafer from a robot arm, and then usually lower the wafer to a processing position, where the wafer will be processed in the processing chamber. The robot arm is then removed from the processor and the processing operation is performed on the wafer. Typically, such processing operations may involve the use of one or more processing gases, and such processing operations may have to be performed under relatively high pressure conditions, so a relatively large amount of processing gas is required. In addition, in some applications, processing gases may be relatively expensive. Therefore, performing certain processing operations in a relatively large volume processing chamber may require the use of a large amount of relatively expensive processing gas, increasing the production cost of integrated circuit products.

[0006] The present disclosure relates to various embodiments of a system including a single wafer, a reduced-volume processing chamber, and a method of processing a semiconductor wafer using the system, which can avoid, or at least reduce the effects of, one or more of the above-mentioned problems. Summary of the invention

[0007] The following is a simplified summary of at least one disclosed embodiment to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all subject matter disclosed herein. It is not intended to identify the key or critical elements of the subject matter disclosed herein, nor is it intended to delineate the scope of any claims directed to the subject matter disclosed herein. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description discussed later in this application.

[0008] The present invention generally relates to various embodiments of a system including a single wafer, a reduced volume processing chamber, and a method of processing a semiconductor wafer by the system. An illustrative system disclosed herein includes a processing chamber located in a processing tool, and a wafer chuck adapted to be positioned at a wafer processing position within the processing chamber and a chuck wafer transfer position outside the processing chamber.

[0009] Another illustrative system disclosed herein includes a processing chamber located in a processing tool, a wafer chuck adapted to be positioned at a wafer processing position within the processing chamber and at a chuck wafer transfer position outside the processing chamber, and at least one lift pin opening located in the wafer chuck. In this embodiment, the system also includes a wafer lifting system located outside the processing chamber, adapted to move at least one wafer lifting pin through the lift pin opening and position the at least one wafer lifting pin in a lift pin wafer transfer position; and a wafer transfer system adapted to position a wafer to be processed in the processing chamber on the at least one wafer lifting pin when the at least one wafer lifting pin is located at the lift pin wafer transfer position.

[0010] An illustrative method disclosed herein includes positioning a wafer chuck in a chuck wafer transfer position outside a processing chamber of a processing tool, wherein the wafer chuck has at least one lift pin opening extending through the wafer chuck, moving at least one wafer lift pin so that it passes through the at least one lift pin opening and moves to a position where the at least one wafer lift pin is located in a lift pin wafer transfer position; and positioning a wafer to be processed in the processing chamber on the at least one wafer lift pin when the at least one lift pin is located in the lift pin wafer transfer position. In this embodiment, the method also includes moving the at least one wafer lift pin to a retracted lift pin position so that the at least one wafer lift pin is no longer located in the at least one lift pin opening and the wafer to be processed in the processing chamber is located on the wafer chuck, moving the wafer chuck to a wafer processing position in the processing chamber, and performing a processing operation on the wafer to be processed in the processing chamber. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The present disclosure may be understood by reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals are used to identify like components;

[0012] Figures 1 to 18 Various embodiments are described including a single wafer, a system with a reduced volume processing chamber, and a method of processing a semiconductor wafer using the system.

[0013] Although the subject matter disclosed herein is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the description of specific embodiments herein is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but rather is intended to cover all modifications, DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] Various illustrative embodiments are described below. For the sake of clarity, not all features of actual implementations are described in this specification. Of course, in the development of any such actual embodiment, many implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from implementation to implementation. Moreover, it should be understood that such development work may be complex and time-consuming, but is nevertheless a routine undertaking for those skilled in the art who have the benefit of this disclosure.

[0015] The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Various structures, systems and devices are schematically depicted in the drawings for illustrative purposes only and not to obscure the invention with details well known to those skilled in the art. However, the drawings are included to describe and explain illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure. The words and phrases used herein should be understood and interpreted as having meanings consistent with the understanding of these words and phrases by those skilled in the art. A special definition of a term or phrase, that is, a definition that is different from the general or customary meaning understood by those skilled in the art, is not intended to be implied by consistent usage of the term or phrase herein. If a term or phrase is intended to have a special meaning, that is, a meaning other than the meaning understood by those skilled in the art, such special definition should be clearly defined in this specification in a definition manner that directly and clearly defines the special definition of the term or phrase.

[0016] As those skilled in the art will readily appreciate after reading this application in its entirety, the methods and systems disclosed herein can be used to make a variety of different devices, including, but not limited to, logic devices, storage devices, etc., and the devices can be NFETs or PFETs. Of course, the invention disclosed herein should not be considered to be limited to the described exemplary embodiments and descriptions herein. With reference to the accompanying drawings, various illustrative embodiments of the methods and devices disclosed herein are now described in more detail.

[0017] Figures 1 to 18 Various embodiments of a system 100 including a processing tool 102 and methods of processing semiconductor wafers by the system are depicted. Figure 1 1 is a block level description of an illustrative embodiment of some of the major components of an illustrative embodiment of a system 100 disclosed herein. Generally speaking, the system 100 includes a processing tool 102 having a small volume processing chamber 130 (see Figure 2 ), a wafer lifting system 104, a wafer chuck moving system 105, a wafer handling system 106, and a system controller 108. However, other aspects of any real-world system, such as power processes, seals, process gas inlets, vents, process gas supplies, etc., are not necessarily controlled by the system controller 108. Figure 1The processing tool 102 may be used as part of a sophisticated manufacturing process for fabricating semiconductor wafers into functional semiconductor devices and various integrated circuit products.

[0018] Figure 1 The illustrative embodiment of the system 100 shown includes only a single processing tool 102, a single wafer lifting system 104, a single wafer chuck movement system 105, a single wafer handling system 106, and a single controller 108. However, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art after a thorough reading of the present application, the description of such a single entity is representative in nature, as a real-world system 100 may include any desired number of each of the five components arranged in a variety of different configurations. For example, the system 100 may include multiple independent processing tools 102 (each processing tool 102 being served by a single wafer lifting system 104), a single wafer chuck movement system 105, a single wafer handling system 106, and one or more controllers 108, all of which may be placed in one or more cabinets. In other embodiments, each processing tool 102 may be served by a dedicated single wafer lifting system 104, a dedicated wafer chuck movement system 105, a dedicated single wafer handling system 106, and a single dedicated controller 108. The controller may be a stand-alone computer, or may be located in any component of the system 100, or distributed among the various components of the system 100. Therefore, the subject matter disclosed herein should not be considered limited to any specific form or configuration of the various components of the system disclosed herein.

[0019] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the terms "wafer" or "substrate" are used interchangeably herein, and both refer to any form or shape of any semiconductor material on which an integrated circuit (of any type, shape or form) is formed. In the examples described herein, substrate 118 is simply described as being composed of a single body of semiconductor material. However, as will be understood by those skilled in the art after reading this application in its entirety, the subject matter disclosed in this application should not be considered limited to this illustrative example of substrate 118. For example, substrate 118 may be a FDSOI (fully depleted silicon on insulator) substrate. Generally speaking, such an SOI substrate includes a base semiconductor substrate, a buried insulating layer (sometimes referred to as a "BOX" layer when the insulating layer comprises silicon dioxide) disposed on the base substrate, and an active layer composed of a semiconductor material disposed on the buried layer of insulating material. Conventionally, and in an illustrative embodiment, the base semiconductor substrate may comprise silicon, the buried insulating layer may comprise silicon dioxide, and the active layer may comprise silicon and / or other semiconductor materials. Of course, the base semiconductor substrate and the active layer can be made of any of a variety of different semiconductor materials, and the materials of the base semiconductor substrate and the active layer do not have to be made of the same material in all applications, but this may be the case in some applications. Therefore, the terms "substrate", "semiconductor substrate" or "wafer" should be understood to cover all semiconductor materials and all forms of such materials.

[0020] Figures 2 to 8 Various views of an illustrative embodiment of a processing tool 102 having a small volume processing chamber 130 that can be used in the system 100 disclosed herein are depicted. In one embodiment, the dimensions of the processing chamber 130 are defined such that only a single wafer 118 can be processed in the processing chamber 130 during a given processing cycle. In this embodiment, the processing tool 102 is a rectangular shape having a three-dimensional configuration of a length "L", a width "W", and a height "H" (see FIG. 1 ). Figure 7 ). The absolute values ​​of the measurements of length, width, and height may vary depending on the specific application. Of course, all drawings in this application are not drawn to scale.

[0021] Figure 21 is a cross-sectional view of an illustrative embodiment of a processing tool 102 disclosed herein. As described above, the processing tool 102 is adapted to process only a single wafer 118 in a given processing cycle. In this illustrative embodiment, the processing tool 102 includes a body 112, a chamber door 114, a wafer chuck 116, and a small internal volume processing chamber 130. The wafer chuck 116 is adapted to position a wafer 118 to be processed in the processing chamber 130 on the wafer chuck 116. The bottom plate of the processing chamber 130 includes a notched chuck recess 120 having a partially circular end surface 120X. When the wafer chuck 116 is located in a wafer processing position within the processing chamber 130, the notched chuck recess 120 is adapted to receive the wafer chuck 116. In this embodiment, the body 112 includes a top surface 112W, a bottom surface 112X, a rear surface 112Y, and a front surface 112Z. The chamber door 114 has a front surface 114X and a rear surface 114Y. Generally, the chamber door 114 is adapted to sealingly engage the front surface 112Z of the processing tool 102 / processing chamber 130 to effectively close and seal the processing chamber 130. In the depicted embodiment, the wafer chuck 116 is integrated into the rear surface of the chamber door 114. The attachment of the wafer chuck 116 to the chamber door 114 can be accomplished by a variety of techniques (e.g., welding, bolting, etc.).

[0022] Figure 3 1 is a simplified plan view of the floor of the processing chamber 130. In this view, the cutout chuck groove 120 formed in the floor of the processing chamber 130 is depicted. Figure 4 1 is a simplified plan view of a wafer chuck 116 / chamber door 114 with a wafer 118 positioned on the wafer chuck 116. In the depicted embodiment, the wafer chuck 116 includes a portion of a circular end surface 116X adapted to be positioned adjacent a circular end surface 120X of a notched chuck recess 120, at a wafer processing location within the processing chamber 130, when the wafer chuck 116 is fully inserted.

[0023] Figure 5 1 is a simplified plan view of the wafer chuck 116 / chamber door 114 without the wafer 118. As shown, a plurality of lift pin holes 124 are provided in the wafer chuck 116 to allow a plurality of wafer lift pins 140 (discussed below) of the wafer lift system 104 to pass through the lift pin holes 124. Generally speaking, the upper surface 140S of the wafer lift pins 140 is adapted to engage a bottom surface of a wafer 118 located on or above an upper surface of the wafer chuck 116 when the wafer connector 116 is in its chuck wafer transfer position (see FIG. 1 ). Figure 6 and Figure 7(Where wafer 118 may or may not be present). The number and size of lift pin holes 124 may vary depending on the specific application. In the illustrated embodiment, three such lift pin holes 124 are provided in wafer chuck 116. Wafer chuck 116 may be a heated chuck capable of heating wafer 118, for example, by resistive heating, or a non-heated chuck.

[0024] Figure 6 and Figure 7 1 and 2 are simplified plan and side views, respectively, depicting the chamber door 114 in an open position with the wafer chuck 116 in its chuck wafer transfer position without a wafer 118 on the wafer chuck 116 . Figure 8 1 is a simple plan view depicting the chamber door 114 in a closed position, wherein the wafer chuck 116 is in a wafer processing position without a wafer 118 on the wafer chuck 116 .

[0025] In one embodiment described herein, the wafer chuck movement system 105 has a plurality of support rods 132 (operably coupled (directly or indirectly) to the wafer chuck 116) and means for moving the wafer chuck 116 from a wafer processing position within the processing chamber 130 to a chuck wafer transfer position. As described below, when the wafer chuck is in its chuck wafer transfer position, and when the wafer lift pins 140 have passed through the lift pin openings 124, a wafer 118 can be transferred to or from the wafer chuck 116 by positioning the wafer on the wafer lift pins 140. As shown, in one illustrative embodiment, a plurality of support rods 132 are operably coupled to the body 112 and the chamber door 114. The support rods 132 and means for driving the support rods 132 are adapted to provide means for moving the wafer chuck 116 from its wafer processing position (see Figure 8 ), wherein the chamber door 114 is sealingly coupled to the processing chamber 130 to retract or open the chuck wafer transfer position ( Figure 6 and Figure 7 ), wherein a wafer 118 can be positioned on or removed from the wafer chuck 116. Figure 8 The position of the support rods 132 is depicted when the chamber door 114 is in its closed position, and the position of the wafer chuck 116 in its wafer processing position (excluding the wafer 118) (within the dashed lines). In this position, the support rods 132 are located in grooves or channels (not shown) formed in the body 112 of the processing tool 102, which are adapted to receive the support rods 132. As described above, the position of the support rods 132 when the wafer chuck is in its chuck wafer transfer position is as shown in FIG. Figure 6 and Figure 7 shown.

[0026] The components of the wafer chuck moving system 105 may include any of a variety of conventional electromechanical drive devices or apparatuses. For example, the wafer chuck moving system 105 may include a device for driving the support rod 132, which may include one or more hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders (not shown), one or more position detection switches (e.g., limit switches), and one or more electrical motors (not shown) operably coupled (directly or indirectly) to the support rod 132 to move it from a retracted position to an extended position, and vice versa. The structure, function, and operation of such a wafer chuck moving system 105 are well known to those skilled in the art.

[0027] In one illustrative embodiment, when the wafer chuck 116 is in its chuck wafer transfer position (eg, Figure 6 and Figure 7 ), the combination of the wafer lifting system 104 and the wafer processing system 106 is suitable for (1) placing a wafer 118 to be processed in the processing chamber 130 on the wafer chuck 116, or (2) removing a wafer 118 previously processed in the processing chamber 130 from the upper surface of the wafer chuck 116.

[0028] Fig. 9 1 is a simplified plan view of an illustrative embodiment of a novel system 100 disclosed herein, wherein an illustrative embodiment of a wafer processing system 106 is depicted. The controller 108 and the wafer lifting system 104 are not shown. Fig. 9 Shown in. Fig.10 yes Fig. 9 A side view of an illustrative embodiment of the system 100 is shown. The controller 108 is Fig.10 Not shown, but the wafer lifting system 104 is Fig.10 It is simply shown in FIG.

[0029] refer to Fig. 9 and Fig.10, which briefly describes a wafer handling system 106 including a robot arm 137 including a wafer gripper assembly 138 operably coupled to one end of the robot arm 137. The combination of the robot arm 137 and the wafer gripper assembly 138 is adapted to grasp and retrieve a single wafer 118 from a wafer carrier (not shown) that contains a plurality of individual wafers 118 to be processed in separate processing chambers 130. As described in detail below, the robot arm 137 and the wafer gripper assembly 138 are adapted to (1) position and place a particular grasped wafer 118 on the wafer lift pins 140 when the wafer lift pins 140 are in their extended lift pin wafer transfer position, and (2) grasp and remove a wafer 118 from the extended crystal lift pins 140 and return it to the wafer carrier after the wafer has been previously processed in the processing chamber 130. The wafer processing system 106 described herein can have a structure and functional capabilities comparable to any of the various wafer processing systems available on the market. As described above, the wafer processing system 106 can be one or more physical wafer processing systems, each of which is suitable for serving one or more processing chambers 130 in the entire system 100.

[0030] Fig.10 and Fig.11 An exemplary embodiment of a wafer lifting system 104 that can be used in various systems disclosed herein is briefly described. The wafer lifting system 104 includes a plurality of wafer lifting pins 140, each of which has an upper wafer engaging surface 140S. Each wafer lifting pin 140 is adapted to extend through one of the lifting pin holes 124 in the chuck 116. The wafer lifting pins 140 can be moved from an extended position (e.g., Fig.101 (shown) whereby the upper surface 140S of the wafer lift pins 140 is positioned in a plane 141 - the extended wafer transfer position. When the lift pins 140 have been moved through the openings 124 of the chuck 116 to their extended lift pin wafer transfer position, the wafer transfer system 106 can be driven to (1) place a wafer 118 (to be processed in the processing chamber 130) on the extended wafer lift pins 140, or (2) lift a wafer 118 (previously processed in the processing tool 102) from the extended wafer lift pins 140 and place the processed wafer 118 in a wafer carrier (not shown). The wafer lift pins 140 are further adapted to move to a retracted position whereby the upper surface 140S of the lift pins 140 moves into a plane 142 that is at least below a level where the wafer lift pins 140 are no longer in a position that interferes with movement of other systems relative to the processing chamber 130, for example, so as not to interfere with movement of the chamber door 114 from a closed position to an open position, or vice versa. In an illustrative embodiment, the wafer lift pins 140 can be fully retracted such that the wafer lift pins 140 are fully retracted into a position within a housing (not shown) of the wafer lift system 104. The number and size of the wafer lift pins 140 can vary depending on the particular application. In the disclosed embodiment, three wafer lift pins 140 are depicted. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art after a complete reading of this application, since the wafer lift system 104 disclosed herein is physically located outside of the processing chamber 130, the wafer lift pins 140 can be retracted only when the chuck 116 is in a Fig.10 In its wafer transfer position as shown, the lift pins 140 will move from their retracted position to their extended position.

[0031] The wafer lifting system 104 described herein may have equivalent structural and functional capabilities to any of a variety of different wafer lifting systems available on the market. The wafer lifting pins 140 may be driven from a retracted position (wherein the surface 140S is at or below the plane 142) to an extended position (wherein the surface 140S is at the plane 141 and the wafer lifting pins 140 are at the lift pin wafer transfer position), or vice versa, by using various conventional electromechanical drive devices and apparatus. For example, the means for driving the wafer lifting pins 140 may include one or more hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders (not shown), one or more position detection switches (e.g., limit switches), and / or one or more motors (not shown) operably coupled (directly or indirectly) to the wafer lifting pins 140 to move them from the retracted position to the extended position, or vice versa. The structure, function, and operation of such a system for moving the wafer lifting pins 140 are well known to those skilled in the art.

[0032] Fig.11An illustrative embodiment of a device that can move wafer lifting pins 140 from an extended position to a retracted position (and vice versa) is briefly described. As shown, a plurality of wafer lifting pins 140 are operably coupled to a movable block 144 located within a housing 147. A plurality of fixed guide rods 146 are coupled to the housing 147. The fixed guide rods 146 pass through openings 148 formed in the movable block 144. A bracket 150 is fixed to the side of the movable block 144. The bracket 150 includes a plurality of teeth 151. Fig.11 147 is also schematically depicted as a motor 154 (e.g., a stepper motor) in a fixed position within the housing 147. An illustrative pinion 152 is operably coupled to a shaft (not shown) of the motor 154. The pinion 152 includes a plurality of teeth 153 (only one of which is shown). The teeth 153 on the pinion 152 are adapted to engage with the teeth 151 on the bracket 150. In this embodiment, due to the interaction between the teeth 153 and the teeth 151 when the motor 154 is driven, the movable block 144 moves upward or downward (depending on the rotation direction of the pinion 152) on the fixed guide rod 146, thereby moving the connected wafer lifting pins 140 to their extended or retracted positions.

[0033] Figure 1 The illustrative controller 108 shown is intended to broadly represent any type of one or more computer devices that can be programmed to perform the various functions described herein. In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 108 is a computer that is programmed by software to perform the functions described herein. In addition, the functions described for the controller 108 can be performed by one or more controllers distributed in the system 100. For example, the controller 108 can be a fab-level controller for controlling all or part of the processing operations of a semiconductor manufacturing facility. Alternatively, the controller 108 can be a low-level computer that controls only a portion or unit of the manufacturing equipment. In addition, the controller 108 can be a stand-alone device (or multiple stand-alone devices that can operate interoperably), or it can be located on or in any one of the processing tool 102, the wafer lifting system 104, and / or the wafer handling system 106. However, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a hardware controller (not shown) designed to perform specific functions can also be used.

[0034] The processing tool 102 disclosed herein may be used to perform any type of processing operation. In an illustrative embodiment, the processing tool 102 may be adapted to perform an annealing process in the processing chamber 130. In a very specific embodiment, the processing tool 102 may be used to perform a high pressure annealing process in the processing chamber 130 using a processing gas that includes deuterium or a halogen as at least one of the processing gases in the annealing process (an HPD2 annealing process). In an illustrative embodiment, the HPD2 annealing process may be performed at a pressure of about 0.5-3 MPa and a temperature of about 300-500° C. Conventional HPD2 annealing tools are batch furnaces. Conventional single wafer annealing tools have a larger volume than the volume of the processing chamber 130 disclosed herein. According to the present invention, the volume of the processing chamber 130 is as small as possible to reduce the volume of the processing gas (e.g., deuterium) required to produce the high pressure processing conditions during the annealing process. This is an important feature because deuterium is a relatively expensive processing gas. Reducing deuterium consumption during each process cycle can result in significant cost savings. In conventional batch furnaces, the wafer lifting system is typically located within the process chamber to perform such an HPD2 annealing process, such that an interior dimension of the process chamber is large enough (at least in the vertical direction) to accommodate the wafer lifting system hardware and the movement of such hardware during the wafer lifting process. These factors, in turn, tend to increase the volume of the prior art process chamber beyond what is actually required to perform the process operations. The excess process volume must be filled with process gases to perform the desired process operations. In an illustrative embodiment, such a single wafer prior art processing tool (not typically used for HPD2 annealing processes) may have a process chamber with a volume of approximately 10-30 liters. In contrast, because the wafer lifting system 104 is disposed outside the process chamber 130, the volume of the process chamber 130 may be specifically designed to have a relatively small volume compared to the process chamber in the prior art annealing tool. For example, in an illustrative embodiment, where the wafer 118 has a volume of approximately 200-300 mm, the interior volume of the process chamber 130 disclosed herein may be approximately 0.2-5 L. Of course, the absolute volume of the process chamber 130 may vary depending on the particular application and the size of the wafer 118 being processed herein.

[0035] Figures 12 to 18 Various views of another illustrative embodiment of a processing tool 102 having a small volume processing chamber 130 that can be used in the system 100 disclosed herein are depicted. Generally speaking, in this embodiment, the processing tool 102 of this embodiment includes a slot 170 that allows or prevents access to the processing chamber 130, in place of the chamber door 114 described above. Fig.12As shown, an upper door recess 174 and a lower door recess 176 are formed in the body 112. The upper door recess 174 and the lower door recess 176 are adapted to receive a sliding door 172, which can be activated to open or close the slot 170. Fig.12 , the sliding door 172 is depicted as being in its raised position when the trough 170 is open and the wafer chuck 116 can be inserted into or removed from the processing chamber 130. As previously described, in one embodiment, the processing chamber 130 is adapted to process only a single wafer 118 during a given processing phase.

[0036] Fig.13 FIG. 1 is a simplified plan view of only the bottom or floor of the processing chamber 130 with the wafer chuck 116 removed. Fig.13 The lower door recess 176 is also depicted. Fig.14 1 is a simplified plan view of a wafer chuck 116 with a wafer 118 positioned on the chuck 116. It should be noted that in this embodiment, a plurality of attachment structures 116A are coupled to the wafer chuck 116. In actual operation, the attachment structures 116A may be physically separate components from the wafer chuck 116, or they may be formed as an integral part of the wafer chuck 116. The attachment structures 116A are adapted to be operably coupled to the support rods 132 described above. In some embodiments, the attachment structures 116A may simply be an extension of the support rods 132. Fig.15 is a simplified plan view of an illustrative embodiment of a wafer chuck 116 with a wafer 118 removed. As previously described, a plurality of lift pin holes 124 are provided in the wafer chuck 116 to allow the wafer lift pins 140 of the wafer lift system 104 described above to pass through the lift pin holes 124 to engage the bottom of a previously processed wafer 118 located on the upper surface of the wafer chuck 116 when the wafer chuck moving system 105 is driven to move the wafer chuck 116 from its wafer processing position within the processing chamber 130 to its chuck wafer transfer position.

[0037] Fig.16 and Fig.17 1 and 2 are simplified plan and side views, respectively, depicting the wafer chuck 116 in its chuck wafer transfer position without a wafer 118 placed on the wafer chuck 116 . Fig.18 1 is a simplified plan view depicting the wafer chuck 116 in its wafer processing position within the processing chamber 130 without the wafer 118 being placed on the wafer chuck 116 . Fig.16 and Fig.18 The upper door recess 172 and the lower door recess 176 are not shown in FIG. The upper door recess 172 and the lower door recess 176 are shown in FIG. Fig.17 middle. Fig.17Also depicted is the sliding door 172 in a closed position, wherein the slot 170 is blocked and access to the processing chamber 130 is blocked. Note that a lower end 172A of the sliding door 172 is located within the lower door recess 176 when in its closed position.

[0038] As shown, a plurality of support rods 132 are operably coupled to the body 112 and the attachment structure 116A. As previously described, the support rods 132 and the means for driving the support rods 132 are adapted to move the wafer chuck 116 from its wafer processing position ( Fig.18 ) is moved to a chuck wafer transfer position outside of the processing chamber 130 ( Fig.16 or Fig.17 ). The position of the support rod 132 when the sliding door 172 is closed and the wafer chuck is in the wafer processing position in the processing chamber 130 is as follows Fig.18 As previously described, in this position, the support rod 132 is located in a groove or channel (not shown) in the body 112 that is suitable for accommodating the support rod 132. The support rod 132 can be driven using various devices as described above. The sliding door 170 can be moved from a retracted position (opening the slot 170) by using any of various conventional electromechanical drive devices known to those skilled in the art. Fig.12 ) is driven to an extended position ( Fig.17 For example, the means for driving the sliding door 170 may include one or more hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders (not shown), one or more position detection switches (e.g., limit switches), and one or more motors (not shown) operably coupled (directly or indirectly) to the sliding door 170 so as to move it from the retracted position to the extended position, and vice versa.

[0039] The processing tool 102 of this embodiment is adapted to interact with the wafer lifting system 104 and the wafer handling system 106 described above in substantially the same manner as the previous embodiments. For example, as in the previous embodiments, when the wafer chuck 116 is in its chuck wafer transfer position (e.g., Fig.16 and Fig.17 As shown in the figure, the combination of the wafer lifting system 104 and the wafer processing system 106 is suitable for (1) placing a wafer 118 to be processed in the processing chamber 130 on the wafer chuck 116, or (2) removing a wafer 118 previously processed in the processing chamber 130 from the wafer chuck 116.

[0040] An illustrative process flow or method using an illustrative embodiment of the system disclosed herein will now be described. Assuming that a carrier containing a plurality of wafers to be processed in the processing tool 102 is located at a position where the wafers can be accessed by the wafer handling system 106, and the processing tool 102 is empty:

[0041] 1. Move the wafer chuck 116 to its chuck wafer movement position outside of the process chamber 130 (e.g. Figure 6 to Figure 7 ; Figure 16 to Figure 17 );

[0042] 2. When the wafer chuck 116 is in its chuck wafer transfer position, the wafer lifting system 104 is activated to extend the wafer lifting pins 140 through the corresponding openings 124 in the wafer chuck 116 until the wafer lifting pins 140 reach their extended position so that the upper surfaces 140S of the wafer lifting pins 140 are located in the plane 141 - lift pin wafer transfer position (see, for example, FIG. Fig.10 );

[0043] 3. Activate the wafer transfer system 106 to grab a single wafer 118 from the wafer carrier and place the grabbed wafer 118 on the extended wafer lift pins 140;

[0044] 4. activating the gripper 138 to disengage from engagement with the wafer so that the wafer 118 remains on the upper surface 140S of the lift pins 140 with the lift pins 140 in their extended wafer transfer position;

[0045] 5. Retract the robot arm 137 and gripper 138 to a position that will not interfere with the movement of the wafer chuck 116 or other system components;

[0046] 6. Activate the wafer lifting system 104 so that the wafer lifting pins 140 are moved back to their retracted position through the openings 124 in the wafer chuck 116, whereby the upper surfaces 140S of the lifting pins 140 are in a plane so that the wafer lifting pins 140 do not interfere with any further movement of system components or wafer transfer operations. This operation results in the wafer 118 to be processed in the processing chamber 130 being placed on the upper surface of the wafer chuck 116;

[0047] 7. Start the wafer chuck movement system to move the wafer chuck 116 with the wafer 118 thereon to a wafer processing position within the process chamber 130 in the process tool 102 (see, for example, Figure 2 and Fig.12 (When processing wafer 118, sliding door 170 will be closed);

[0048] 8. Perform processing operations on the wafer 118 in the processing chamber 130 until completion;

[0049] 9. Start the wafer chuck moving system to move the wafer chuck 116 with the wafer 118 being processed disposed thereon to the chuck wafer transfer position of the wafer chuck 116 (see, for example, Figure 6 to Figure 7 ; Figure 16 to Figure 17 );

[0050] 10. When the wafer chuck 116 is in its wafer transfer position, the wafer lift system 104 is activated to extend the wafer lift pins 140 through the openings 124 in the wafer chuck 116 to engage the bottom of the wafer 118 being processed. The wafer lift pins 140 continue to be moved upward until the wafer lift pins 140 are in their extended position so that the upper surfaces 140S of the wafer lift pins 140 are located in the plane 141 - lift pin wafer transfer position (see, for example, FIG. 10A ). Fig.10 );as well as

[0051] 11. Activate the wafer transfer system 106 to grab the wafer being processed 118, lift the wafer being processed from the extended wafer lift pins 140, and return the wafer being processed 118 to the wafer carrier.

[0052] Of course, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art after fully reading this application, many of the operations described above may be performed simultaneously and need not be fully completed before another operation is taken. For example, the wafer lifting system 104 may be driven to move the wafer lifting pins 140 through the openings 124 in the wafer chuck 116 and toward its final extended wafer transfer position (surface 140S in plane 141), while the wafer handling system 106 is used to move a wafer 118 to be processed in the processing chamber 130 toward the wafer chuck 116.

[0053] The specific embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the present invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent ways, which are obvious to those skilled in the art who benefit from the teachings herein. For example, the above-mentioned processing steps may be performed in different orders. In addition, there are no restrictions on the details of the structure or design shown herein, except as described in the above-mentioned claims. Therefore, it is obvious that the specific embodiments disclosed above can be changed or modified, and all such changes are considered within the scope and spirit of the present invention. It should be noted that the use of terms, for example, "first", "second", "third" and "fourth" used to describe various process steps or structures in this specification and the appended claims are only used as shorthand references to these steps / structures, and do not necessarily mean that these steps / structures are performed / formed in this order. Of course, an ordered sequence of these steps may or may not be required, depending on the exact claim language. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application is as described in the claims.

Claims

1. A system for processing a wafer, the system comprising: a processing tool; a process chamber within the process tool; a wafer chuck adapted to be positioned at a wafer processing position within the processing chamber and at a chuck wafer transfer position outside the processing chamber; at least one lift pin opening in the wafer chuck; as well as at least one wafer lift pin permitted to pass through the at least one lift pin opening and adapted to engage a bottom surface of a wafer located above an upper surface of the wafer chuck when the wafer chuck is in the chuck wafer transfer position, Wherein, the at least one wafer lifting pin is fully retracted to a position within a housing of a wafer lifting system.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising: the wafer lift system being located outside the processing chamber, the wafer lift system comprising the at least one wafer lift pin, whereby, when the wafer chuck is in the chuck wafer transfer position, the at least one wafer lift pin is adapted to extend through the at least one lift pin opening and be positioned in a lift pin wafer transfer position; as well as A wafer transfer system is adapted to position the wafer to be processed in the processing chamber on the at least one wafer lift pin when the at least one wafer lift pin is in the lift pin wafer transfer position.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein: The wafer chuck is operatively coupled to a chamber door adapted to engage a front face of the processing chamber to close the processing chamber, thereby positioning the wafer chuck at the wafer processing position within the processing chamber.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein: The wafer chuck is integrally formed with the chamber door.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein: The system also includes a trough body connected to the processing chamber and a sliding door suitable for moving from a first position to a second position, whereby, in the first position, the trough body is open and the wafer chuck can be positioned at the wafer processing position in the processing chamber, and in the second position, the sliding door blocks the trough body and the wafer chuck cannot be positioned in the processing chamber.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein: The wafer lift system includes means for moving the at least one wafer lift pin from a fully retracted position to the lift pin wafer transfer position.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein: The device for moving the at least one wafer lifting pin includes a movable body, a motor, a pinion operatively coupled to the motor, and a bracket operatively coupled to the movable body, wherein the at least one wafer lifting pin is operatively coupled to the movable body, and the bracket and the pinion are adapted to operatively engage with each other.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein: The processing chamber has a volume of no more than 5 liters, and wherein the processing chamber is sized such that only a single wafer can be processed in the processing chamber at any given time.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein: The processing chamber is adapted to perform an annealing process on a wafer positioned therein, wherein the annealing process is performed at a pressure of at least 0.5 MPa using a process gas containing deuterium or a halogen.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein: The processing chamber includes a cutout recess in a floor of the processing chamber, wherein the cutout recess is adapted to receive the wafer chuck when the wafer chuck is located in the wafer processing position within the processing chamber.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein: The at least one wafer lift pin includes three wafer lift pins.

12. A system for processing a wafer, the system comprising: a processing tool; a processing chamber within the processing tool, wherein the processing chamber is sized such that only a single wafer can be processed in the processing chamber at any given time; the processing chamber further comprising: a cutout recess in a floor of the processing chamber; and A volume not exceeding 5 litres; a wafer chuck adapted to be positioned at a wafer processing position within the processing chamber and a chuck wafer transfer position outside the processing chamber, wherein the wafer chuck is positioned in the cutout recess when the wafer is positioned at the wafer processing position within the processing chamber; a plurality of lift pin openings in the wafer chuck; a wafer lift system outside of the processing chamber, the wafer lift system comprising a plurality of wafer lift pins, whereby, when the wafer chuck is in the chuck wafer transfer position, each of the plurality of wafer lift pins is adapted to extend through a corresponding one of the plurality of lift pin openings until the plurality of wafer lift pins are positioned in a lift pin wafer transfer position; and A wafer transfer system is adapted to position a wafer to be processed in the processing chamber on the plurality of wafer lift pins when the plurality of wafer lift pins are located at the lift pin wafer transfer position so that the wafer is located above an upper surface of the wafer chuck, The plurality of wafer lifting pins are fully retracted into a position within a housing of a wafer lifting system.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein: The wafer chuck is operatively coupled to a chamber door adapted to engage a front face of the processing chamber to close the processing chamber, thereby positioning the wafer chuck at the wafer processing position within the processing chamber.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein: The system also includes a trough body connected to the processing chamber, and a sliding door suitable for moving from a first position to a second position, whereby, in the first position, the trough body is open and the wafer chuck can be positioned at the wafer processing position in the processing chamber, and in the second position, the sliding door blocks the trough body and the wafer chuck cannot be positioned in the processing chamber.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein: The processing chamber is adapted to perform an annealing process on a wafer positioned therein, wherein the annealing process is performed at a pressure of at least 0.5 MPa using a process gas containing deuterium or a halogen.

16. A method of processing a wafer in a system comprising a processing tool and a processing chamber within the processing tool, the method comprising: positioning a wafer chuck at a chuck wafer transfer position outside of the processing chamber, the wafer chuck including at least one lift pin opening extending through the wafer chuck; When the wafer chuck is in the chuck wafer transfer position outside of the process, moving the at least one wafer lift pin through the at least one lift pin opening and to a position where the at least one wafer lift pin is in a lift pin wafer transfer position; When the at least one wafer lift pin is in the lift pin wafer transfer position, placing a wafer to be processed in the processing chamber on the at least one wafer lift pin so that the wafer is located above an upper surface of the wafer chuck; moving the at least one wafer lift pin to a retracted lift pin position such that the at least one wafer lift pin is no longer located in the at least one lift pin opening and the wafer to be processed in the processing chamber is located on the wafer chuck; Moving the wafer chuck to a wafer processing position within the processing chamber; as well as Perform a process operation on the wafer to be processed in the processing chamber, Wherein, the at least one wafer lifting pin is fully retracted to a position within a housing of a wafer lifting system.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The processing chamber includes a cutout recess in a floor of the processing chamber, and wherein, Moving the wafer chuck to the wafer processing position includes positioning the wafer chuck in the cutout recess in the floor of the processing chamber.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein: The processing chamber is sized such that only a single wafer can be processed in the processing chamber at any given time, wherein the processing chamber has a volume of at most 5 liters, and wherein performing the processing operation includes performing an annealing process using a processing gas including deuterium or a halogen at a pressure of at least 0.5 MPa.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein: The wafer chuck is operatively coupled to a chamber door, and wherein moving the wafer chuck to the wafer processing position includes moving the chamber door until the chamber door engages a front face of the processing chamber to close the processing chamber and thereby position the wafer chuck at the wafer processing position within the processing chamber.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein: The system also includes a trough body connected to the processing chamber, and a sliding door suitable for moving from a first position to a second position, whereby, when in the first position, the trough body is open, and when in the second position, the sliding door blocks the trough body, wherein the method also includes moving the sliding door to the second position after moving the wafer chuck to the wafer processing position in the processing chamber.

Images