Semiconductor process apparatus and wafer position acquisition, calibration device and method

Abstract

The application discloses a semiconductor process equipment and a wafer position acquisition and calibration device and method thereof, and belongs to the technical field of semiconductor processes. The wafer position acquisition device comprises a bearing base comprising a wafer bearing surface, the wafer bearing surface being used for bearing a wafer; a light emitting assembly located directly above the wafer bearing surface and used for emitting a ring-shaped light beam to the wafer on the wafer bearing surface, so that an edge of the wafer falls into an irradiation range of the ring-shaped light beam; and a light detecting assembly comprising a light detector array distributed directly below the wafer bearing surface and used for obtaining profile information of the wafer by receiving irradiation of the ring-shaped light beam, the profile information being used for indicating position information of the wafer. The technical scheme can greatly save wafer calibration time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of semiconductor process technology, and in particular relates to a semiconductor process equipment and its wafer position calibration device and method. Background Technology

[0002] Semiconductor integrated circuits integrate many components onto a single chip, and the substrate supporting these chips is the wafer. Wafers are formed from single-crystal silicon rods through numerous processes, one of which involves creating notches (also known as V-grooves) on the wafer using a chamfering mechanism. National standards specify that notch depths are 1mm and angles are 90°, forming a concave structure with a specific angle and depth. The purpose of the notches on the wafer is to identify the wafer's crystal orientation and ensure consistency of orientation throughout subsequent processes. Therefore, in all semiconductor processes, including photolithography, etching, and deposition, there is a step to determine the orientation of the wafer's notches to calibrate the wafer's position and ensure consistent orientation throughout the entire process.

[0003] In existing technologies, mainstream wafer position calibration devices are based on single-point laser detection, as illustrated in the simplified diagram below. Figure 1 As shown, 1 represents the mechanical support mechanism for wafer calibration, 2 represents the laser emitting component, 3 represents the laser detection component, 4 represents the motion mechanism, and 5 represents the wafer. The existing method rotates the wafer 5 using the motion mechanism 4. During the rotation of the wafer 5, the laser detector 3 generates position data at a single point. The shape of the wafer 5 is then inferred based on time and the speed of the motion mechanism 4. The centroid position of the wafer 5 is then confirmed based on the inferred shape, and the position of the wafer 5 is adjusted using the motion mechanism 4. Finally, the next rotation cycle begins, and the orientation of the notch port 51 of the wafer 5 is confirmed. It is evident that the existing wafer positioning device, by rotating the wafer 5 using the motion mechanism 4 and then inferring the shape of the wafer 5 from the position information generated at the laser detector 3, makes the accuracy of this method heavily dependent on the accuracy of the motion time and speed information. This easily leads to errors in the calculation of the centroid of the wafer 5, requiring multiple rotations of the wafer 5 to continuously correct the centroid information. Furthermore, the confirmation of the centroid and the confirmation of the notch port 51 of the wafer 5 are performed in two separate steps, all of which significantly increase the wafer calibration time. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a semiconductor process equipment and a wafer position acquisition and calibration device and method, aiming to solve the technical problem that the existing wafer position calibration device takes a long time to perform wafer position calibration.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a wafer position acquisition device, applied in semiconductor process equipment, the wafer position acquisition device comprising:

[0006] A support base includes a wafer support surface, which is used to support a wafer;

[0007] A light emitting component, located directly above the wafer support surface, is used to emit a ring-shaped light beam onto the wafer on the wafer support surface, so that the edge of the wafer falls within the illumination range of the ring-shaped light beam;

[0008] The photodetector assembly includes a photodetector array distributed directly below the wafer support surface, for obtaining the wafer's contour information by receiving illumination from the ring beam, the contour information being used to indicate the wafer's position information.

[0009] Optionally, in some embodiments, the light emitting assembly includes a collimating light source and a conical lens, wherein the collimating light source is used to emit a collimated beam of a predetermined diameter facing the center of the wafer support surface;

[0010] The conical lens is located in the illumination path of the collimated beam and is used to convert the collimated beam into the annular beam, such that the width of the annular beam is half of the predetermined diameter.

[0011] Optionally, in some embodiments, when the annular beam falls on the plane of the wafer on the wafer carrier surface, the diameter of the wafer is greater than the inner ring diameter of the annular beam and smaller than the outer ring diameter of the annular beam.

[0012] Optionally, in some embodiments, the wafer position acquisition device further includes a liftable bracket for supporting and fixing the light emitting component, so that the vertical distance between the light emitting component and the wafer on the wafer bearing surface is adjustable.

[0013] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a wafer position calibration device, applied in semiconductor process equipment. The wafer position calibration system includes a controller, a moving mechanism, and the aforementioned wafer position acquisition device; wherein...

[0014] The controller is used to obtain the wafer's position information based on the wafer's outline information obtained by the wafer position acquisition device; and to control the moving mechanism to work based on the position information, so that the wafer moves to the target position.

[0015] Optionally, in some embodiments, the moving mechanism includes a rotating mechanism and a translating mechanism; the rotating mechanism is used to drive the support base to rotate; the translating mechanism is used to drive the wafer on the wafer support surface to translate relative to the wafer support surface;

[0016] The controller is used to control the rotating mechanism to drive the support base to rotate according to the position information so as to rotate the wafer to the target position; and is used to control the translation mechanism to drive the wafer to translate to the target position according to the position information.

[0017] Optionally, in some embodiments, the step of obtaining the wafer position information based on the wafer contour information obtained by the wafer position acquisition device includes:

[0018] The wafer's outline curve is fitted based on the wafer's contour information, and it is determined whether the wafer's outline curve is complete.

[0019] When it is determined that the outer shape curve of the wafer is complete, the position information of the wafer is determined based on the outer shape curve of the wafer.

[0020] Optionally, in some embodiments, the step of determining the wafer's position information based on the wafer's outline curve includes:

[0021] Based on the wafer's outline curve, determine the notch direction and centroid position of the wafer;

[0022] The position information of the wafer is determined based on the centroid position and the slot direction of the wafer.

[0023] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a semiconductor process apparatus, including a process chamber and a wafer storage chamber connected to the process chamber, wherein the wafer storage chamber is provided with the aforementioned wafer position acquisition device or the aforementioned wafer position calibration device.

[0024] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a wafer position calibration method, comprising the following steps:

[0025] A ring beam of light is emitted toward the wafer on the wafer carrier surface, so that the edge of the wafer falls into the illumination range of the ring beam;

[0026] The wafer is illuminated by the ring beam to detect its contour information.

[0027] Based on the wafer's outline information, the wafer's position information is obtained;

[0028] Based on the wafer's position information, the wafer is controlled to move to the target position.

[0029] Optionally, in some embodiments, the step of obtaining the position information of the wafer based on the wafer's contour information includes:

[0030] The wafer's outline curve is fitted based on the wafer's contour information, and it is determined whether the wafer's outline curve is complete.

[0031] When it is determined that the outer shape curve of the wafer is complete, the position information of the wafer is determined based on the outer shape curve of the wafer.

[0032] Optionally, in some embodiments, the step of determining the wafer's position information based on the wafer's outline curve includes:

[0033] Based on the wafer's outline curve, determine the notch direction and centroid position of the wafer;

[0034] The position information of the wafer is determined based on the centroid position of the wafer and the slot direction of the wafer.

[0035] Optionally, in some embodiments, the step of controlling the wafer to move to the target position based on the wafer's position information includes:

[0036] Based on the centroid position of the wafer, the wafer is translated so that the centroid position of the wafer coincides with the center point of the wafer bearing surface;

[0037] Based on the slot direction of the wafer, the wafer support surface is controlled to rotate the wafer so that the slot direction of the wafer faces the target position.

[0038] In this application, the light emitting component of the wafer position acquisition device emits a ring-shaped light beam onto the wafer on the wafer carrier surface, ensuring that the edge of the wafer falls within the illumination range of the ring-shaped light beam. Simultaneously, the light detection component of the wafer position acquisition device includes a photodetector array distributed directly below the wafer carrier surface. By receiving the illumination of the ring-shaped light beam, the device obtains the wafer's contour information, which indicates the wafer's position information (including the notch direction and centroid position). Furthermore, the controller of the wafer position calibration device obtains the wafer's position information based on the wafer's contour information and controls the moving mechanism to move the wafer to the target position, thereby achieving wafer position calibration. Therefore, in this technical solution, the entire wafer position information confirmation process requires only one illumination detection. Furthermore, the wafer does not require any movement, including rotation, during the entire position information confirmation process; it only needs to move to the target position once via the moving mechanism after the position information is confirmed.

[0039] Therefore, wafer calibration time can be greatly reduced. Attached Figure Description

[0040] The technical solution and its beneficial effects will become apparent from the following detailed description of specific embodiments of this application, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0041] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the operation of an existing wafer position calibration device.

[0042] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the operation of the wafer position calibration device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0043] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The diagram shows the working principle of the wafer position calibration device.

[0044] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a wafer position calibration method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0045] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 The flowchart of step S130 of the wafer position calibration method shown is illustrated.

[0046] Figure 6 yes Figure 4 The flowchart of step S140 of the wafer position calibration method shown is illustrated. Detailed Implementation

[0047] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application. In the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and their technical features can be combined with each other.

[0048] Semiconductor integrated circuits integrate many components onto a single chip, and the substrate supporting these chips is the wafer. Wafers are formed from single-crystal silicon rods through numerous processes, one of which involves creating notches (also known as V-grooves) on the wafer using a chamfering mechanism. National standards specify that notch depths are 1mm and angles are 90°, forming a concave structure with a specific angle and depth. The purpose of the notches on the wafer is to identify the wafer's crystal orientation and ensure consistency of orientation throughout subsequent processes. Therefore, in all semiconductor processes, including photolithography, etching, and deposition, there is a step to determine the orientation of the wafer's notches to calibrate the wafer's position and ensure consistent orientation throughout the entire process.

[0049] In existing technologies, mainstream wafer position calibration devices are based on single-point laser detection, as illustrated in the simplified diagram below. Figure 1 As shown, 1 represents the mechanical support mechanism for wafer calibration, 2 represents the laser emitting component, 3 represents the laser detection component, 4 represents the motion mechanism, and 5 represents the wafer. The existing method uses the motion mechanism 4 to rotate the wafer 5. During the rotation of the wafer 5, the laser detector 3 generates position data at a single point. The shape of the wafer 5 is then inferred based on time and the speed of the motion mechanism 4. The centroid position of the wafer 5 is then confirmed based on the inferred shape, and the position of the wafer 5 is adjusted by the motion mechanism 4. Finally, the next rotation cycle begins, and the orientation of the notch port 51 of the wafer 5 is confirmed. It is evident that the existing wafer positioning device rotates the wafer 5 using the motion mechanism 4 and then infers the shape of the wafer 5 from the position information generated at the laser detector 3. This makes the accuracy of this method heavily dependent on the accuracy of the motion time and speed information, which can easily lead to errors in the centroid calculation of the wafer 5. This necessitates multiple rotations of the wafer 5 to continuously correct the centroid information. Furthermore, the confirmation of the centroid and the confirmation of the notch port 51 of the wafer 5 are performed separately, all of which significantly increase the wafer calibration time.

[0050] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a new solution for wafer position calibration method to solve the technical problem that existing wafer position calibration devices consume a lot of time when performing wafer position calibration.

[0051] In one embodiment, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown in the illustration, this application provides a semiconductor process apparatus, which includes a process chamber (not shown) and a wafer storage chamber (not shown) connected to the process chamber. A wafer position calibration device or a wafer position acquisition device 100 is installed in the wafer storage chamber. Specifically, the wafer position calibration device may include a controller (not shown), a moving mechanism (not shown), and the wafer position acquisition device 100. Specifically, the wafer position acquisition device 100 may include a support base 110, a light emitting component 120, and a light detection component 130. The support base 110 may specifically include a wafer support surface for supporting a wafer 200. The light emitting component 120 is located directly above the wafer support surface and is used to emit a ring-shaped light beam onto the wafer 200 on the wafer support surface, causing the edges of the wafer 200 to fall within the illumination range of the ring-shaped light beam. The photodetector assembly 130 may specifically include a photodetector array distributed directly below the wafer carrier surface, used to obtain the contour information of the wafer 200 by receiving illumination from a ring beam, the contour information being used to indicate the position information of the wafer 200. The controller described above is used to obtain the position information of the wafer 200 based on the contour information of the wafer 200 obtained by the wafer position acquisition device 100; and to control the moving mechanism to operate based on the position information, causing the wafer 200 to move to the target position, thereby achieving position calibration of the wafer 200. More specifically, the position information may include the notch position (i.e., notch direction) of the wafer 200 and the position of the wafer 200 on the wafer carrier surface; the target position may include the position to which the notch of the wafer 200 needs to be rotated and the position of the wafer 200 on the wafer carrier surface.

[0052] Understandably, the wafer support surface on the support base 110 used to support the wafer 200 should be slightly smaller than the size of the smallest wafer, so that when a wafer 200 of any size larger than or equal to the smallest wafer is supported on this wafer support surface, the support surface can be completely covered. The coverage area of ​​the photodetector array should be much larger than the size of the wafer 200, mainly set within a certain size range directly below the wafer support surface, and can maintain a default state directly below the wafer support surface, that is, no corresponding photodetector can be set here. This ensures that when the edge of the wafer 200 falls into the illumination range of the ring beam, part of the ring beam illuminates the edge of the wafer 200, and the other part of the ring beam illuminates the photodetector array, so that the photodetector array can detect the contour information of the wafer 200. At the same time, the controller can obtain the position information of the wafer 200 based on the contour information. This position information may specifically include the centroid of the wafer 200 and the notch direction of the notch 210 of the wafer 200. The detailed detection process will be further explained in the method embodiments below, and will not be repeated here.

[0053] Furthermore, to better facilitate the arrangement of the photodetector array, it can be directly distributed in a matrix on the upper surface of the support platform 140 of the entire device, or distributed in a ring array on the upper surface of the support platform 140 of the entire device. Simultaneously, to minimize the measurement error of the photodetector array on the position information of the wafer 200, the height difference between the wafer bearing surface of the support base 110 and the upper surface should be as small as possible, so that the surface of the wafer 200 and the surface of the photodetector array are as close as possible to the same horizontal plane. Specifically, the photodetector array can be a CCD matrix.

[0054] In this application, the light emitting component 120 of the wafer position acquisition device 100 emits a ring-shaped light beam towards the wafer 200 on the wafer carrier surface, ensuring that the edge of the wafer 200 falls within the illumination range of the ring-shaped light beam. Simultaneously, the light detection component 130 of the wafer position acquisition device 100 includes a photodetector array distributed directly below the wafer carrier surface. By receiving the illumination of the ring-shaped light beam, it can obtain the wafer's contour information, which indicates the wafer 200's position information (including the notch direction and centroid position of the wafer 200). Furthermore, the controller of the wafer position calibration device can acquire the wafer's position information based on the wafer's contour information and drive the moving mechanism to move the wafer 200 to the target position, thereby achieving the position calibration of the wafer 200. As can be seen, in this technical solution, the confirmation of the wafer position information can be completed with only one irradiation detection. At the same time, the wafer 200 does not need to perform any movement, including rotation, during the confirmation of the position information. It only needs to move to the target position once by the moving mechanism after the position information is confirmed. Therefore, wafer calibration time can be greatly saved.

[0055] In some examples, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the light emitting assembly 120 specifically includes a collimating light source 21 and a conical lens 122. The collimating light source 121 is positioned directly opposite the center of the wafer support surface, emitting a collimated beam of a predetermined diameter d1. This collimated beam can be, for example, a laser beam. The conical lens 122 is located in the illumination path of the collimated beam. The collimated beam forms Bessel beam characteristics through the conical lens 122, converting the collimated beam into a ring beam, making the width d2 of this ring beam half the predetermined diameter d1, i.e., d2 = d1 / 2. This is because the collimated beam undergoes refraction and reflection when passing through the conical lens 122, causing a change in the direction of light propagation. When the incident angle meets the requirements of the internal angle of the conical lens 122, the light will be reflected multiple times along the inside of the conical lens 122, forming a small-angle rotation. This rotation can change the direction of the beam, which has a very narrow lateral distribution width. As the light is continuously reflected through the triangular plane, its trajectory gradually shifts and wraps around, thus forming a ring-shaped light spot. This phenomenon is called beam rotation or optical vortex mode. To better emit a collimated beam and to better convert the collimated beam into the desired ring beam, the collimating light source 121 may be, for example, a laser, and the conical lens 122 may be, for example, a conical lens.

[0056] In some examples, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, to better ensure that the edge of wafer 200 falls within the irradiation range of the annular beam, when the annular beam falls on the plane where wafer 200 is located on the wafer support surface, the diameter of wafer 200 should be greater than the inner ring diameter d3 of the annular beam and smaller than the outer ring diameter d4 of the annular beam. Preferably, d4 = wafer diameter + d2 is preferred, so that the edge of wafer 200 falls into the middle of the annular beam. At this time, the width d2 of the annular beam also determines the standard value (spec value) of the wafer calibration device 100. When the centroid of wafer 200 deviates from the center point of the wafer support surface of the support base 110 by a distance exceeding the standard value, it is considered that the workstation needs to be recalibrated before the wafer position is calibrated again. That is, the standard value can be equal to half the width d2 of the annular beam.

[0057] Meanwhile, since the outer ring diameter d4 of the annular beam is directly proportional to the height L from the apex of the conical lens 122 to the wafer 200 (this direct proportionality can be derived from the law of refraction and the tangent theorem: assuming the refraction angle is θ and the incident angle is π / 2-(π / 2-α)=α, then nsinα=sinθ; the tangent theorem gives d4=2Ltan(θ-α), and according to n>1, we can get θ>α, so the coefficient in the linear relationship between d4 and L is positive, indicating a direct proportional relationship. Since the base angle α of the conical lens 122 is very small, based on the small angle approximation principle nsinα=sinθ, we can get θ=nα): d3=2L*tan[(n-1)α];

[0058] Where n is the refractive index of the conical lens 122, which is related to the material of the conical lens 122. Due to this optical characteristic, the position calibration of wafers 200 of different sizes can be achieved by adjusting the height L. At this time, the wafer position acquisition device 100 also includes a liftable bracket 150 for supporting and fixing the light emitting component 120, so that the vertical distance from the light emitting component 120 to the wafer 200 on the wafer support surface is adjustable. Thus, by changing the height L, different outer ring diameters d4 of the annular beam are formed to correspond to the position calibration of wafers 200 of different sizes. Taking a prism 122 with a refractive index n of 1.8 and an α angle of 30 degrees as an example, and a laser beam diameter of 20 mm, the following approximate formula can be used to calculate: tan[(1.8-1)*30°]=0.445, d4=300mm+10mm, L=d4 / (2*0.445)≈348mm. That is, when the diameter of wafer 200 is 300mm, the above height L needs to be adjusted to approximately 348mm.

[0059] In this way, compared to existing wafer position calibration devices that are only for the position calibration of wafers of a single size, this wafer position calibration device can be compatible with the position calibration of wafers of different sizes without changing the calibration equipment.

[0060] In some examples, the aforementioned moving mechanism may specifically include a rotation mechanism and a translation mechanism. The rotation mechanism can be used to drive the support base 110 to rotate; that is, the rotation mechanism can act directly on the support base 110, causing its wafer support surface to rotate the wafer 200 on the wafer support surface, thereby causing the notch direction of the wafer 200 to face the target direction. This rotation mechanism can be, for example, a motor. The translation mechanism can be used to drive the wafer 200 on the wafer support surface to translate relative to the wafer support surface; that is, the translation mechanism acts directly on the wafer 200 on the wafer support surface. Specifically, it can be a robotic arm positioned above the wafer support surface to directly grasp the wafer 200 on the wafer support surface, causing the wafer 200 to translate relative to the wafer support surface, thereby aligning the centroid of the wafer 200 with the center point of the wafer support surface. Alternatively, a power mechanism positioned below the wafer carrier surface can be used. This power mechanism supports the edge of the wafer 200 via multiple rising ejector pins, causing the wafer 200 to translate relative to the wafer carrier surface, thereby aligning the centroid of the wafer 200 with the center point of the wafer carrier surface. Further, the controller controls the rotation mechanism to drive the carrier base 110 to rotate based on position information (i.e., the notch direction of the wafer 200), thereby rotating the wafer 200 to a target position (i.e., the target notch direction); and controls the translation mechanism to translate the wafer 200 to a target position (i.e., the target centroid position) based on position information (i.e., the centroid position of the wafer 200).

[0061] In one embodiment, this application also provides a wafer position acquisition device for semiconductor process equipment. The structure and function of the wafer position acquisition device can be specifically referred to the wafer position acquisition device 100 in the above embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0062] In one embodiment, this application also provides a wafer position calibration device for semiconductor process equipment. The structure and function of the wafer position calibration device can be referred to the wafer position calibration device in the above embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0063] In one embodiment, such as Figure 4 As shown in the figure, this application provides a wafer position calibration method, which specifically includes the following steps:

[0064] Step S110: A ring beam is emitted onto the wafer on the wafer carrier surface, so that the edge of the wafer falls into the illumination range of the ring beam.

[0065] It is understandable that, such as Figure 2 As shown, when the wafer 200 is placed on the wafer support surface of the support base 110, an annular beam of light can be emitted to the wafer 200 through the light emitting component 120, so that the edge of the wafer 200 falls into the illumination range of the annular beam of light.

[0066] Furthermore, based on the above description, to better ensure that the edge of wafer 200 falls within the illumination range of the annular beam, when the annular beam falls on the plane where wafer 200 is located, the diameter of wafer 200 should be greater than the inner ring diameter d3 of the annular beam and smaller than the outer ring diameter d4 of the annular beam. Preferably, d4 = wafer diameter + d2 is generally preferred, ensuring that the edge of wafer 200 falls within the middle of the annular beam. Simultaneously, since the outer ring diameter d4 of the annular beam is directly proportional to the height L of wafer 200 from the apex of the conical lens 122: d3 = 2L * tan[(n-1)α]; where n is the refractive index of the conical lens 122, which is related to the material of the conical lens 122. Due to this optical characteristic, the position calibration of wafers 200 of different sizes can be achieved by adjusting the height L. At this time, the vertical distance between the light emitting component 120 and the wafer 200 on the wafer carrier surface can be adjusted by the liftable bracket 150. By changing the height L, different outer ring diameters d4 of the annular beam can be formed, thereby ensuring that the edges of wafers 200 of different sizes can fall into the irradiation range of the annular beam.

[0067] Step S120: Receive the illumination of the ring beam to detect the contour information of the wafer.

[0068] It can be understood that when the edge of the wafer 200 falls within the illumination range of the ring beam through the above-described method steps, the light detection component 130 can receive the illumination of the ring beam to detect the outline information of the wafer. Specifically, the outline information of the wafer can be obtained by encoding the data of the photodetector array of the light detection component when the photodetector array receives the illumination of the ring beam.

[0069] Specifically, the data encoding steps of this method can be achieved by forming a corresponding XY coordinate system on the surface where the photodetector array is located. In this way, the wafer 200 can partially block the ring beam, thereby forming a corresponding blocked ring spot in the photodetector array. The photodetector array can then obtain the contour information of the wafer by detecting this blocked ring spot. This contour information should include the coordinates of each point along the edge of the wafer 200.

[0070] Step S130: Obtain the position information of the wafer based on the wafer's outline information.

[0071] It is understandable that after obtaining the outline information of the wafer 200 through the above methods and steps, the position information of the wafer 200 can be obtained by analyzing and calculating the outline information of the wafer 200. The position information may specifically include the slot direction and centroid position of the wafer 200.

[0072] Step S140: Based on the wafer's position information, control the wafer to move to the target position.

[0073] It is understandable that once the position information of the wafer 200 is obtained through the above methods and steps, the wafer 200 can be controlled to move to the target position based on the position information of the wafer 200. Specifically, this can be achieved through the aforementioned moving mechanism, that is, by moving the wafer 200, the centroid of the wafer 200 coincides with the center point of the wafer bearing surface, and the notch direction of the wafer 200 faces the target direction.

[0074] In this way, in the technical solution of this embodiment, the confirmation of the entire wafer position information can be completed with only one irradiation detection. At the same time, the wafer 200 does not need to perform any movement, including rotation, during the confirmation of the position information. It only needs to move to the target position once by the moving mechanism after the position information is confirmed. Therefore, wafer calibration time can be greatly saved.

[0075] In some examples, to better confirm the wafer's location information, the process of performing the above method step "obtaining the wafer's location information based on the wafer's outline information" is as follows:

[0076] Step S131: Fit the wafer's outline curve based on the wafer's contour information, and determine whether the wafer's outline curve is complete.

[0077] It is understandable that after obtaining the wafer's contour information through the above methods, the wafer's shape curve can be fitted based on the wafer's contour information, and the completeness of the wafer's shape curve can be determined. Based on the above description, when the centroid of wafer 200 deviates from the center point of the bearing surface of the support base 110 by a distance exceeding the standard value, it is considered that the workstation needs to be recalibrated. Therefore, this method can confirm whether the distance between the centroid of wafer 200 and the center point of the wafer bearing surface of the support base 110 exceeds the standard value by judging whether the wafer's shape curve is complete. This is because when the distance between the centroid of wafer 200 and the center point of the wafer bearing surface of the support base 110 exceeds the standard value, a portion of the edge of wafer 200 will exceed the irradiation range of the annular beam, resulting in the inability to obtain complete contour information of wafer 200. Ultimately, this leads to an incomplete shape curve. Therefore, when it is determined that the wafer's shape curve is incomplete, the workstation needs to be recalibrated before the wafer position is calibrated.

[0078] Step S132: When it is determined that the outer shape curve of the wafer is complete, the position information of the wafer is determined based on the outer shape curve of the wafer.

[0079] Understandably, when the wafer's outline curve is determined to be complete using the above methods, its positional information can be determined based on this curve. The specific process is as follows: First, based on the wafer's outline curve, determine the notch direction (i.e., the orientation of the notch 210) and centroid position (i.e., the coordinates of its centroid, which can be determined using the least squares method based on the wafer's outline curve). Then, integrate the centroid position and notch direction of the wafer to determine its positional information.

[0080] In some examples, to better control the wafer movement to the target position, the process of executing the above method step "controlling the wafer movement to the target position based on the wafer's position information" is as follows:

[0081] Step S141: Based on the centroid position of the wafer, control the wafer to translate so that the centroid position of the wafer coincides with the center point of the wafer bearing surface.

[0082] It is understandable that, such as Figure 2 As shown, in order to move the wafer 200 to the target position, that is, to achieve the position calibration of the wafer 200, it is first necessary to ensure that the centroid position of the wafer 200 coincides with the center point position of the wafer support surface. At this time, the wafer 200 can be translated according to the centroid position of the wafer 200 obtained from the position information of the wafer 200 obtained by the above method steps. Specifically, the wafer 200 is translated relative to the wafer support surface until the centroid position of the wafer 200 coincides with the center point position of the wafer support surface.

[0083] Step S142: Based on the slot direction of the wafer, control the wafer support surface to rotate the wafer so that the slot direction of the wafer faces the target position.

[0084] It is understandable that, such as Figure 2 As shown, in order to move the wafer 200 to the target position, that is, to achieve the position calibration of the wafer 200, it is necessary to ensure that the centroid of the wafer 200 coincides with the center point of the wafer support surface, and then control the wafer 200 to rotate according to the slot direction of the wafer 200 obtained from the position information of the wafer 200 obtained in the above method steps. Specifically, the wafer support surface is controlled to drive the wafer 200 to rotate until the slot direction of the wafer 200 faces the target position, thus completing the position calibration of the wafer 200.

[0085] Although this application has been shown and described with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent variations and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art based on a reading and understanding of this specification and drawings. This application includes all such modifications and variations and is limited only by the scope of the appended claims. In particular, with respect to the various functions performed by the aforementioned components, the terminology used to describe such components is intended to correspond to any component (unless otherwise indicated) that performs the specified function of said component (e.g., is functionally equivalent to it), even if structurally not equivalent to the disclosed structure performing the functions in the exemplary implementations of this specification shown herein.

[0086] That is, the above description is only an embodiment of this application and does not limit the patent scope of this application. Any equivalent structural or procedural changes made using the content of this application’s specification and drawings, such as the combination of technical features between different embodiments, or direct or indirect application in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of this application.

[0087] Furthermore, it should be understood that in the description of this application, the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application. Additionally, for structural elements with the same or similar characteristics, this application may use the same or different reference numerals for identification. Moreover, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0088] In this application, the term "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, illustration, or description." Any embodiment described as "exemplary" in this application is not necessarily to be construed as more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments. This application has been provided above to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use it. Various details have been set forth in the above description for purposes of explanation. It should be understood that those skilled in the art will recognize that this application can be implemented without using these specific details. In other embodiments, well-known structures and processes are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the description of this application with unnecessary detail. Therefore, this application is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is consistent with the broadest scope of the principles and features disclosed in this application.

Claims

1. A wafer positioning device, used in semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that, The wafer location acquisition device includes: A support base includes a wafer support surface, which is used to support a wafer; A light emitting component, located directly above the wafer support surface, is used to emit a ring-shaped light beam onto the wafer on the wafer support surface, so that the edge of the wafer falls within the illumination range of the ring-shaped light beam; The photodetector assembly includes a photodetector array distributed directly below the wafer support surface and maintained in a default state directly below the wafer support surface. When the edge of the wafer falls into the illumination range of a ring beam, a portion of the ring beam illuminates the edge of the wafer, and another portion of the ring beam illuminates the photodetector array. The photodetector array is used to obtain the contour information of the wafer by receiving the illumination of the ring beam once, and the contour information is used to indicate the position information of the wafer.

2. The wafer position acquisition device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The light emitting component includes a collimating light source and a conical lens, wherein... The collimated light source is used to emit a collimated beam of a predetermined diameter directly facing the center of the wafer support surface; The conical lens is located in the illumination path of the collimated beam and is used to convert the collimated beam into the annular beam, such that the width of the annular beam is half of the predetermined diameter.

3. The wafer position acquisition device according to claim 2, characterized in that, When the annular beam falls on the plane of the wafer on the wafer support surface, the diameter of the wafer is greater than the inner ring diameter of the annular beam and smaller than the outer ring diameter of the annular beam.

4. The wafer position acquisition device according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The position acquisition device also includes a liftable bracket for supporting and fixing the light emitting component, so that the vertical distance between the light emitting component and the wafer on the wafer carrier surface is adjustable.

5. A wafer position calibration device, used in semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that, The wafer position calibration system includes a controller, a moving mechanism, and a wafer position acquisition device as described in any one of claims 1-4; wherein... The controller is used to obtain the wafer's position information based on the wafer's outline information obtained by the wafer position acquisition device; and to control the moving mechanism to work based on the position information, so that the wafer moves to the target position.

6. The wafer position calibration device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The moving mechanism includes a rotating mechanism and a translating mechanism; the rotating mechanism is used to drive the bearing base to rotate. The translation mechanism is used to drive the wafer on the wafer carrier surface to translate relative to the wafer carrier surface; The controller is used to control the rotating mechanism to drive the support base to rotate according to the position information so as to rotate the wafer to the target position; and is used to control the translation mechanism to drive the wafer to translate to the target position according to the position information.

7. The wafer position calibration device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the wafer's position information based on the wafer's outline information obtained by the wafer position acquisition device includes: The wafer's outline curve is fitted based on the wafer's contour information, and it is determined whether the wafer's outline curve is complete. When it is determined that the outer shape curve of the wafer is complete, the position information of the wafer is determined based on the outer shape curve of the wafer.

8. The wafer position calibration device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The step of determining the position information of the wafer based on the wafer's outline curve includes: Based on the wafer's outline curve, determine the notch direction and centroid position of the wafer; The position information of the wafer is determined based on the centroid position and the slot direction of the wafer.

9. A semiconductor process apparatus, characterized in that, It includes a process chamber and a wafer temporary storage chamber connected to the process chamber, wherein the wafer temporary storage chamber is provided with a wafer position acquisition device as described in any one of claims 1-4 or a wafer position calibration device as described in any one of claims 5-8.

10. A wafer position calibration method, characterized in that, The wafer position calibration method, performed using the wafer position acquisition device as described in any one of claims 1-4 or the wafer position calibration device as described in any one of claims 5-8, includes the following steps: A ring beam of light is emitted toward the wafer on the wafer carrier surface, so that the edge of the wafer falls into the illumination range of the ring beam; The wafer is illuminated by the ring beam to detect its contour information. Based on the wafer's outline information, the wafer's position information is obtained; Based on the wafer's position information, the wafer is controlled to move to the target position.

11. The wafer position calibration method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the position information of the wafer based on the wafer's contour information includes: The wafer's outline curve is fitted based on the wafer's contour information, and it is determined whether the wafer's outline curve is complete. When it is determined that the outer shape curve of the wafer is complete, the position information of the wafer is determined based on the outer shape curve of the wafer.

12. The wafer position calibration method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The step of determining the position information of the wafer based on the wafer's outline curve includes: Based on the wafer's outline curve, determine the notch direction and centroid position of the wafer; The position information of the wafer is determined based on the centroid position and the slot direction of the wafer.

13. The wafer position calibration method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The step of controlling the wafer to move to the target position based on the wafer's position information includes: Based on the centroid position of the wafer, the wafer is translated so that the centroid position of the wafer coincides with the center point of the wafer bearing surface; Based on the slot direction of the wafer, the wafer support surface is controlled to rotate the wafer so that the slot direction of the wafer faces the target position.

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