Device and method for reducing particle dust of wafer epitaxy equipment

Abstract

A device for reducing particle dust of wafer epitaxy equipment comprises an adsorption device for ensuring that the particle dust does not overflow; the atmospheric manipulator is used for grabbing, placing and carrying a combined body of the base plate, the carrier plate ring and the carrier plate, the adsorption device comprises a cavity, a dust collection air pipe, a blowing and sucking cleaning head and a lower cleaning head are arranged in the cavity, and a rotating mechanism is further arranged in the adsorption device. Through cooperation of the blowing and sucking cleaning head, the lower cleaning head and the rotating mechanism, particle dust on the upper surface and the lower surface of a base plate, a carrier plate ring, a carrier plate and a combination of the base plate, the carrier plate ring and the carrier plate can be adsorbed and cleaned, the situation that the particle dust accumulation amount of the carrier plate ring and the carrier plate exceeds a certain threshold value, and the reject ratio is caused can be prevented, the production efficiency of a factory is greatly improved, and the production cost is reduced. The production cost is reduced; by arranging the atmospheric manipulator, particle dust falling from the carrier plate only pollutes the upper surface of the protective sleeve, and cross contamination of the particle dust of the carrier plate is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, and in particular to a device and method for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment. Background Art

[0002] At present, the epitaxial layer of the substrate is generally grown by the vapor phase method, usually using a method based on horizontal airflow induction heating. This method generally uses a flat disk-shaped graphite base as a substrate support and heat conduction platform.

[0003] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in the figure, the common substrate graphite base generally consists of three parts. The top part is the substrate, and the quartz carrier ring is used to support the substrate. The carrier ring is placed on a disc-shaped graphite disk. After the three parts are assembled outside the chamber, they are placed in the substrate epitaxial chamber as a whole to grow epitaxial films.

[0004] During the whole process, there are two places where dust particles are easily generated, which will cause contamination on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate, affecting the quality of the epitaxial film and the process quality of the subsequent substrate. One is that during the transmission of the graphite base, particles fall off due to contact friction, causing dust pollution; the other is that during the vapor phase epitaxial growth process, the quartz carrier ring will also grow particles that are easy to fall off, causing dust pollution.

[0005] At the same time, the existing assembly methods are also very easy to pollute the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate. One is to use manual assembly, manually assembling the substrate, carrier ring and graphite disk. The stains on the surface of the hands can easily cause contamination where the front of the substrate is touched, and it is also easy to cause the carrier ring and the graphite disk to touch and vibrate during transportation, causing particles to fall off and cause dust pollution. In addition, manual assembly also requires waiting for the temperature of the carrier ring and the graphite disk to cool to room temperature before taking and placing. The waiting time is long and the efficiency is low. If there is negligence, it is easy to cause scalding accidents.

[0006] Another method is to use an automated disassembly mechanism to combine the substrate, carrier ring and graphite disk, and then use a manipulator or robot to move the assembly to the airlock chamber (LLC) of the substrate epitaxial chamber, and then use a manipulator or robot to move the assembly into the substrate epitaxial chamber for epitaxial film growth. This back and forth process will cause multiple contaminations to the substrate.

[0007] For example, the patent document of a wafer automatic transmission method with the patent application publication number CN116544160A describes the entire process of automatic unloading and loading of wafers. This patent only avoids contacting the front of the substrate. The patent application publication number CN115588638A is a wafer transmission system and transmission method for silicon carbide epitaxial equipment. This method can avoid the problem of contamination caused by contacting the front of the substrate. However, when the vacuum adsorption claw of the atmospheric manipulator is transporting the assembly, the surface of the claw is easily contaminated by particles and dust falling off the graphite disk due to contact and friction with the graphite disk. After the process is completed, when the atmospheric manipulator removes the substrate from the assembly, the contaminated claw will further contaminate the back of the substrate. In addition, during the transportation process, the particles that grow on the quartz carrier ring and are easy to fall off are also prone to dust pollution.

[0008] Therefore, it is necessary to develop a method and device to reduce the contamination of wafers caused by the falling of dust particles during the assembly, disassembly and transportation of substrates, carrier rings and graphite disks. Summary of the invention

[0009] The purpose of the present invention is to propose a device and method for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment, aiming to solve the technical problems in the prior art that particles fall from the upper and lower surfaces of the carrier ring, and graphite particles fall during transportation and cross-contaminate the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate.

[0010] To achieve the above object, the present invention proposes a device for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment, which is used in substrate epitaxial equipment. The device comprises:

[0011] The adsorption device is a sealed cavity to ensure that the particle dust does not escape;

[0012] The atmospheric manipulator cooperates with the adsorption device to grasp, place and transport the combination of substrate, carrier ring and carrier plate.

[0013] Furthermore, the adsorption device includes a chamber, which is composed of panels located on the front and rear surfaces, side panels on the left and right sides, and a top plate and a bottom plate, one of which is provided with at least one taking window, and a protective door lifting mechanism is provided below.

[0014] Furthermore, the protective door lifting mechanism includes a protective door slide rail and a lifting cylinder, a plurality of quick-connect connectors are provided on one side of the protective door slide rail, and a protective door is provided above the protective door slide rail, a U-shaped baffle for anti-collision is provided on the outside of the protective door, the protective door slide rail and the protective door are fixedly connected through a connecting plate, and the protective door is also fixed on the bottom plate, and a sealing ring is provided on the protective door.

[0015] Furthermore, the chamber is provided with at least one dust suction duct, the bottom end of the dust suction duct is fixed on the bottom plate, the top end is connected to at least one blowing and suction cleaning head, one side of the blowing and suction cleaning head is connected to a slide cylinder, and the slide cylinder and one side of the dust suction duct are simultaneously fixed on the inner surface of one of the side plates.

[0016] Furthermore, the slide cylinder includes a cylinder base and a slider and a slide rail located on the cylinder base, and the slide cylinder also includes a slide sensor.

[0017] Furthermore, the blowing and suction cleaning head is provided with a roller soft brush for further removing particulate dust.

[0018] Furthermore, the adsorption device is provided with a rotating mechanism and an exhaust fan, the rotating mechanism includes a box body, at least one lower cleaning head is provided on the top of the box body, a base is provided at the bottom of the box body, the base is fixedly connected to the bottom plate, a lower bearing fixing plate and a motor fixing plate are provided above the base, wherein the upper surfaces of the lower bearing fixing plate and the motor fixing plate are located on the same horizontal line, an upper bearing fixing plate is provided above the lower bearing fixing plate, a rotating motor is provided below the motor fixing plate, a driven mechanism is provided on the upper surfaces of the lower bearing fixing plate and the motor fixing plate, a rotating shaft is provided on the upper surface of the upper bearing fixing plate, a vacuum suction cup is provided on the rotating shaft, the vacuum suction cup is used to adsorb the combination of the carrier ring and the carrier plate, and the exhaust fan includes a filter screen and axial flow fan blades arranged in sequence from bottom to top.

[0019] Furthermore, the driven mechanism includes a driven synchronous wheel, an active synchronous wheel and a synchronous belt. The rotating motor drives the active synchronous wheel, which drives the driven synchronous wheel to move through the synchronous belt, thereby driving the vacuum suction cup to rotate.

[0020] Furthermore, the atmospheric manipulator includes a base and a fixed flange located on the base, and a first manipulator arm, a second manipulator arm and a gripper hand are provided on the fixed flange, wherein the first manipulator arm, the second manipulator arm and the gripper hand are connected in sequence, and a vacuum nozzle is provided on the gripper hand, and the vacuum nozzle is used to adsorb the protective cover, and an anti-slip pad is provided on the surface of the protective cover.

[0021] Furthermore, a first rotary drive motor is provided in the first robotic arm, a second rotary drive motor is provided in the second robotic arm, wherein a third rotary drive motor is provided at the connection between the gripper hand and the second robotic arm, the first rotary drive motor is used to drive the first robotic arm, the second rotary drive motor is used to drive the second robotic arm, the third rotary drive motor is used to drive the gripper hand, and a robotic arm lifting motor is provided in the base.

[0023] Furthermore, the device also includes a substrate calibrator, a substrate material box, a material bin, a monitoring camera and an industrial camera.

[0024] The present invention also proposes a method for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment, which specifically comprises the following steps:

[0025] Step 1: Cooperate with the substrate calibrator and the pre-taught point, the atmospheric manipulator moves to the top of the silo, extends the gripper hand under the protective cover, and absorbs the protective cover by vacuum adsorption, so that the protective cover is fixed on the upper surface of the gripper hand;

[0026] Step 2: Cooperate with the substrate calibrator and the pre-taught point, the atmospheric manipulator moves to the middle of the silo, extends the gripper with the protective cover fixed on the upper surface under the carrier ring and carrier plate assembly, and takes out the carrier ring and carrier plate assembly by lifting;

[0027] Step 3: The protective door of the adsorption device is lowered and opened. With the help of the substrate calibrator and the pre-taught points, the atmospheric manipulator places the combination of the carrier ring and the carrier plate into the rotating mechanism of the adsorption device through the pick-up window on the panel, and the protective door is raised and closed.

[0028] Step 4: The blowing and suction cleaning head descends, and the blowing and suction are turned on at the same time. The lower cleaning head turns on suction, and the vacuum suction cup on the rotating mechanism turns on vacuum adsorption, and then drives the combination of the carrier ring and the carrier plate to rotate at a constant speed. The blowing and suction cleaning head and the lower cleaning head simultaneously suck away the particle dust on the upper and lower surfaces of the carrier ring and the carrier plate combination, and the exhaust fan sucks away the remaining particle dust raised by the blowing and suction cleaning head and the lower cleaning head;

[0029] Step 5. After the particle dust adsorption is completed, the blowing and suction cleaning head rises, and the blowing and exhaust are turned off at the same time. The lower cleaning head turns off the exhaust, the rotating mechanism stops rotating, the vacuum adsorption is turned off, the exhaust fan stops running, the protective door drops and opens, and the atmospheric manipulator takes away the combination of the carrier ring and the carrier plate through the taking window on the panel, completing the particle dust adsorption and removal process on the upper and lower surfaces of the carrier ring and the carrier plate.

[0030] The present invention provides a device and method for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment, which at least has the following features:

[0031] Beneficial effects:

[0032] 1. Through the cooperation of the blowing and suction cleaning head, the lower cleaning head and the rotating mechanism, the particle dust on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate, the carrier ring and the carrier plate and their combination can be adsorbed and cleaned, and the accumulation of particle dust on the carrier ring and the carrier plate can be prevented from exceeding a certain threshold, which seriously affects the production of the wafer process and causes a defective rate. In addition, since the previous wafer epitaxial equipment needs to be regularly shut down to replace the carrier ring and the carrier plate, the present invention can instantly remove the particle dust generated by the carrier ring and the carrier plate through the cooperation of the three, without the need for frequent shutdowns for replacement, which greatly improves the production efficiency of the factory and reduces production costs;

[0033] 2. Through the cooperation of the adsorption device and the atmospheric manipulator, only the upper surface of the protective cover is in contact with the bottom surface of the carrier plate, and the dust particles dropped from the carrier plate will only contaminate the upper surface of the protective cover. When the atmospheric manipulator only needs to carry the substrate, only the upper surface of the gripper hand contacts the back of the substrate, which will not cause cross contamination of dust particles on the carrier plate;

[0034] 3. By setting up an exhaust fan, the remaining dust particles raised by the blowing and suction cleaning head and the lower cleaning head can be immediately removed by exhaust, thereby enhancing the cleaning effect of this patent;

[0035] 4. By setting up the slide cylinder, the blowing and suction cleaning head can move up and down on the slide rail, which can not only clean the particle dust generated by the carrier ring and the carrier plate at multiple angles, but also cooperate with the atmospheric manipulator to move the carrier ring and the carrier plate assembly faster and more accurately after cleaning, to prevent the atmospheric manipulator and the blowing and suction cleaning head from colliding and causing damage, and also avoid the particle dust generated by the collision. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying creative work.

[0037] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of wafer separation of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a wafer assembly of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the overall assembly of the device for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment according to the present invention;

[0040] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the overall assembly of the adsorption device of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the adsorption device of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0042] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the adsorption device of the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0043] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the lifting mechanism of the protective door of the adsorption device accessory of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the slide cylinder of the adsorption device accessory of the present invention;

[0045] Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the rotating mechanism of the adsorption device accessories of the present invention;

[0046] Fig.10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the exhaust fan as an accessory of the adsorption device of the present invention;

[0047] Fig.11 This is a schematic diagram of the overall assembly structure of the atmospheric manipulator of the present invention;

[0048] Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the atmospheric manipulator gripper of the present invention.

[0049] In the attached figure:

[0050] 11. Base plate; 12. Plate carrier ring; 13. Plate carrier plate; 2. Adsorption device; 21. Chamber; 211. Panel; 212. Side plate; 213. Top plate; 214. Bottom plate; 215. Pick-up window; 216. Exhaust fan; 2161. Filter; 2162. Axial fan blade; 22. Protective door lifting mechanism; 221. Protective door slide rail; 222. Lifting cylinder; 23. Connecting plate; 24. U-shaped baffle; 25. Protective door; 251. Sealing ring; 26. Dust suction duct; 27. Blowing and suction cleaning head; 28. Slide cylinder; 281. Cylinder base; 282. Sliding block; 283. Slide rail; 284. Slide sensor; 29. ​​Rotating mechanism; 290. Box; 291. Lower cleaning head; 292, base; 293, lower bearing fixing plate; 294, motor fixing plate; 295, upper bearing fixing plate; 296, rotating motor; 297, driven mechanism; 2971, driven synchronous wheel; 2972, active synchronous wheel; 2973, synchronous belt; 298, rotating shaft; 299, vacuum suction cup; 3, atmospheric manipulator; 31, base; 32, fixing flange; 33, third rotating drive motor; 34, first manipulator arm; 35, second manipulator arm; 36, first rotating drive motor; 37, second rotating drive motor; 38, gripper; 39, protective cover; 4, substrate calibrator; 5, substrate material box; 6, material bin; 7, monitoring camera; 8, industrial camera.

[0051] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0053] In the above description of this specification, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "fixed", "installed", "connected" or "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, with regard to the term "connection", it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral one; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. Therefore, unless otherwise clearly defined in this specification, those skilled in the art can understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0054] According to the above description of this specification, those skilled in the art may also understand that the terms used below, such as "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "length", "width", "thickness", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", etc., which indicate the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings of this specification, and are only for the purpose of facilitating the explanation of the scheme of the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than explicitly or implicitly indicating that the device or element involved must have the specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, the above-mentioned orientation or position relationship terms cannot be understood or interpreted as limitations on the scheme of the present invention.

[0055] In addition, if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or suggesting their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but they must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in the field to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0056] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2, a device for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment, used for substrate epitaxial equipment. Common wafers generally include three parts, the top is the substrate 11, the quartz carrier ring 12 that supports the substrate, and the carrier ring is placed on a disc-shaped carrier plate 13. After the three are assembled outside the chamber, they are placed in the substrate 11 epitaxial chamber as a whole to grow epitaxial thin films. In this specific embodiment, the carrier plate 13 is a graphite plate, which can of course be replaced by other materials according to actual needs.

[0057] See also Figure 3 The device for reducing particle dust of wafer epitaxial equipment in the present invention includes: an adsorption device 2, an atmospheric manipulator 3, a substrate calibrator 4, a substrate material box 5, a material bin 6, a monitoring camera 7 and an industrial camera 8.

[0058] In this specific embodiment, the substrate calibrator 4 includes a visual positioning component (not shown) and a correction component (not shown), and the correction component has the freedom of movement in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction and the rotation around the Z-axis. X and Y are horizontal directions, and Z is a vertical direction. And through the visual recognition of the substrate calibrator 4 and the freedom of movement in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction and the rotation around the Z-axis of the correction component, the substrate 11, the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13 can be calibrated and positioned.

[0059] In this specific embodiment, two substrate material boxes 5 are provided. Of course, several, including but not limited to two, may be provided according to actual needs. The substrate material boxes 5 are used to store substrate materials to prevent the substrate 11 from being contaminated. The material bin is used to store the combination of the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13. The top of the material bin 6 is provided with a bracket, which is used to store the protective cover.

[0060] In this specific embodiment, two monitoring cameras 7 are provided, which are respectively located at the diagonal positions of the device. Of course, several monitoring cameras, including but not limited to two, may be provided according to the actual needs. The monitoring cameras 7 are used to photograph and record the placement of the substrate 11, the carrier ring 12, the carrier plate 13 and the assembly. The industrial camera 8 uses a high-definition resolution camera.

[0061] Furthermore, the adsorption device 2 and the atmospheric manipulator 3 are the main components of the present invention. The adsorption device 2 is a sealed cavity to ensure that particulate dust does not overflow.

[0062] See also Figures 4 to 6Furthermore, the adsorption device 2 includes a chamber 21, which is a sealed body. Specifically, the chamber 21 is surrounded by six surfaces, namely, panels 211 located at the front and rear surfaces, side panels 212 located at the left and right sides, a top plate 213, and a bottom plate 214. At least one access window 215 is provided on one of the panels 211. Of course, multiple access windows 215 can also be provided according to the actual needs. Specifically, the length and width of the access window 215 are preferably designed according to the size of the substrate 11, the carrier ring 12, the carrier plate 13, and the assembly. A protective door lifting mechanism 22 is provided below the chamber 21, and the protective door lifting mechanism 22 is also located below the panel 211 with the access window 215.

[0063] See also Figure 7 Furthermore, the protective door lifting mechanism 22 includes a protective door slide rail 221 and a lifting cylinder 222. Of course, other lifting drive modes can also be selected according to the actual needs, such as: a servo motor or stepper motor with a multi-degree-of-freedom configuration drives the linear module. A plurality of quick-connect connectors 223 are provided on one side of the protective door slide rail 221, and a protective door 25 is provided above the protective door slide rail 221. A U-shaped baffle 24 for anti-collision is provided on the outside of the protective door 25. The U-shaped baffle 24 can further prevent the substrate 11, the carrier ring 12, the carrier plate 13 and the assembly in the chamber 21 from generating particulate dust after the protective door 25 collides. The protective door slide rail 221 is fixedly connected to the protective door 25 through the connecting plate 23, and the protective door 25 is fixed on the bottom plate 214 at the same time. A sealing ring 251 is provided on the protective door 25. The protective door 25 moves up and down linearly under the action of the protective door lifting mechanism 22. When the protective door lifting mechanism 22 rises, the protective door 25 is closed, and the taking window 215 on the panel 211 is immediately closed; when the protective door lifting mechanism 22 falls, the protective door 25 is opened, and the taking window 215 on the panel 211 is immediately exposed.

[0064] See also Figure 5 and Figure 6 Furthermore, at least one dust suction duct 26 is provided in the chamber 21, the bottom end of the dust suction duct 26 is fixed on the bottom plate 214, and at least one blowing and suction cleaning head 27 is connected to the top end. A PVA material roller soft brush can be added to the blowing and suction cleaning head 27 to further remove particulate dust. Of course, soft brushes of other materials can also be added according to actual needs, including but not limited to PVA material roller soft brushes.

[0065] See also Figure 8Furthermore, a slide cylinder 28 is connected to one side of the blowing and suction cleaning head 27, and the slide cylinder 28 and one side of the dust suction air duct 26 are fixed to the inner surface of one of the side plates 212. Specifically, the slide cylinder 28 includes a cylinder base 281 and a slider 282 and a slide rail 283 located on the cylinder base, and the slide cylinder 28 also includes a slide sensor 284 for sensing the slide cylinder 28. Of course, other lifting drive modes can also be selected according to actual needs, such as: a servo motor or stepper motor with multiple degrees of freedom drives a linear module drive.

[0066] Please combine Figure 5 , see Fig. 9 , further, a rotating mechanism 29 is provided in the adsorption device 2, including a box body 290, and the box body 290 is a sealed hollow structure. At least one lower cleaning head 291 is provided on the top of the box body 290, and the lower cleaning head 291 is used to adsorb the particles and dust on the lower surface of the substrate 11, the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13 as well as the assembly. Specifically, a base 292 is provided at the bottom of the box body 290, and the base 292 is fixedly connected to the bottom plate 214. A lower bearing fixing plate 293 and a motor fixing plate 294 are provided above the base 292, wherein the upper surfaces of the lower bearing fixing plate 293 and the motor fixing plate 294 are located on the same horizontal line, an upper bearing fixing plate 295 is provided above the lower bearing fixing plate 293, and a rotating motor 296 is provided below the motor fixing plate 294. The driving method of the rotating motor 296 also includes a servo motor or a stepping motor, and a rotating cylinder.

[0067] Furthermore, a driven mechanism 297 is provided on the upper surface of the lower bearing fixing plate 293 and the motor fixing plate 294, and a rotating shaft 298 is provided on the upper surface of the upper bearing fixing plate 295. A vacuum suction cup 299 is provided on the rotating shaft 298. The vacuum suction cup 299 is used to absorb the combination of the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13. The driven mechanism 297 includes a driven synchronous wheel 2971, an active synchronous wheel 2972 ​​and a synchronous belt 2973. The rotating motor 296 drives the active synchronous wheel 2972, and drives the driven synchronous wheel 2971 to move through the synchronous belt 2973, thereby driving the vacuum suction cup 299 to rotate. Of course, the driven mechanism 297 can also be replaced with a harmonic reducer or a planetary reducer according to actual needs.

[0068] In this way, through the cooperation of the blowing and suction cleaning head 27, the lower cleaning head 291 and the rotating mechanism 29, the particulate dust on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate 11, the carrier ring 12, the carrier plate 13 and their combination can be adsorbed and cleaned, and the growth particles that are easy to fall off on the upper and lower surfaces of the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13 are effectively removed. It can also prevent the accumulation of particulate dust on the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13 from exceeding a certain threshold, seriously affecting the production of the wafer process and causing a defective rate. In addition, since the previous wafer epitaxial equipment needed to be shut down regularly to replace the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13, the present invention can instantly remove the particulate dust generated by the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13 through the cooperation of the three, without the need for frequent shutdowns for replacement, greatly improving the factory's production efficiency and reducing production costs.

[0069] See also Fig.10 Furthermore, an exhaust fan 216 is also provided in the adsorption device 2, including a filter screen 2161 and an axial flow fan blade 2162 arranged in sequence from bottom to top. By providing the exhaust fan 216, the remaining particulate dust raised by the blowing and suction cleaning head 27 and the lower cleaning head 291 can be immediately removed by exhaust, thereby enhancing the cleaning effect of the present invention.

[0070] See also Figures 11-12 Furthermore, the atmospheric manipulator 3 cooperates with the adsorption device 2 to grasp, place and transport the combination of the substrate 11, the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13.

[0071] Furthermore, the atmospheric manipulator 3 includes a base 31 and a fixed flange 32 located on the base 31, and a first manipulator arm 34, a second manipulator arm 35 and a gripper hand 38 are provided on the fixed flange 32, wherein the first manipulator arm 34, the second manipulator arm 35 and the gripper hand 38 are connected in sequence, and a vacuum suction nozzle is provided on the gripper hand 38, and the vacuum suction nozzle is used to adsorb the protective cover 39, and an anti-slip pad is provided on the surface of the protective cover 39.

[0072] Specifically, the first mechanical arm 34 is provided with a first rotary drive motor 36, the second mechanical arm 35 is provided with a second rotary drive motor 37, wherein a third rotary drive motor 33 is provided at the connection between the gripper hand 38 and the second mechanical arm 35, the first rotary drive motor 36 is used to drive the first mechanical arm 34, the second rotary drive motor 37 is used to drive the second mechanical arm 35, the third rotary drive motor 33 is used to drive the gripper hand 38, and a manipulator lifting motor (not shown) is also provided in the base 31. Among them, the first rotary drive motor 36 and the second rotary drive motor 37 respectively control the vertical, radial and rotational movement of the first mechanical arm 34 and the second mechanical arm 35, i.e., the Z axis, the R axis and the θ axis. The manipulator lifting motor is used to control the raising and lowering of the atmospheric manipulator 3, and to remove or place the materials required by the atmospheric manipulator 3 from the corresponding components.

[0073] Of course, according to the actual needs, the atmospheric manipulator 3 can be a cylindrical coordinate underactuated single-arm single-gripper three-axis manipulator or a cylindrical coordinate underactuated double-arm double-gripper four-axis manipulator or a multi-joint single-arm single-gripper four-axis manipulator, or even a multi-joint single-arm double-gripper five-axis atmospheric manipulator, etc. The movement of the first manipulator 34 and the second manipulator 35 can drive the gripper 38 to move, thereby performing the combined disassembly and transportation of the substrate 11, the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13.

[0074] Specifically, the gripper hand 38 is provided with a vacuum nozzle (not shown) for adsorbing the protective cover 39 . The surface of the protective cover 39 is provided with an anti-skid pad (not shown) to prevent the carrier plate 13 from sliding when the carrier plate 13 is transported.

[0075] Specifically, the working principle of the atmospheric manipulator 3 is as follows: first, the protective cover 39 is placed on the top of the silo 6 . During the assembly, disassembly and transportation process of the substrate 11, the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13, when the atmospheric manipulator 3 needs to transport the combination of the substrate 11, the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13, or needs to transport the combination of the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13, the gripper hand 38 of the atmospheric manipulator 3 first adsorbs the protective cover 39 placed on the silo 6, so that the protective cover 39 is fixed on the upper surface of the gripper hand 38. In this way, when the combination is lifted and transported, only the upper surface of the protective cover 39 and the combination, that is, the upper surface of the protective cover 39 and the bottom surface of the carrier plate 13 are in contact, and the particulate dust dropped from the carrier plate 13 will only contaminate the upper surface of the protective cover 39; the atmospheric manipulator 3 moves to the middle of the silo 6, and extends the gripper hand 38 with the protective cover 39 adsorbed and fixed on the upper surface into the bottom of the combination of the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13, and takes out the combination of the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13 by lifting.

[0076] When the atmospheric manipulator 3 only needs to carry the substrate 11, the atmospheric manipulator 3 puts the protective cover 39 back on the silo 6 and only uses the gripper hand 38 to directly absorb and carry the substrate 11. At this time, the upper surface of the gripper hand 38 contacts the back side of the substrate 11, and will not cause cross-contamination of particle dust on the carrier plate 13.

[0077] The present invention also provides a method for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment, including the above-mentioned device for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment, specifically comprising the following steps:

[0078] Step 1: Cooperate with the substrate calibrator 4 and the pre-taught point, the atmospheric manipulator 3 moves to the top of the silo 6, extends the gripper hand 38 under the protective cover 39, and absorbs the protective cover 39 by vacuum adsorption, so that the protective cover 39 is fixed to the upper surface of the gripper hand 38.

[0079] Step 2, cooperate with the substrate calibrator 4, the atmospheric manipulator 3 moves to the middle of the silo 6 at the pre-taught point, and extends the gripper hand 38 with the protective cover 39 adsorbed and fixed on the upper surface under the combination of the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13, and takes out the combination of the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13 by lifting.

[0080] Step 3, the protective door 25 of the adsorption device 2 is lowered and opened, and in cooperation with the substrate calibrator 4, the atmospheric manipulator 3 places the combination of the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13 into the rotating mechanism 29 of the adsorption device through the picking window 215 on the panel 211 at the pre-taught point, and the protective door 25 is raised and closed.

[0081] In step three, when the protective door lifting mechanism 22 moves downward, the protective door 25 opens and the access window 215 on the panel 211 is exposed. When the protective door lifting mechanism 22 moves upward, the protective door 25 closes and the access window 215 on the panel 211 is closed.

[0082] Step 4: The blowing and suction cleaning head 27 is lowered under the linear action of the slide cylinder 28, and the blowing and exhausting functions start at the same time. The lower cleaning head 291 inhales air, and the vacuum suction cup 299 on the rotating mechanism 29 starts vacuum adsorption, and then drives the combination of the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13 to rotate at a constant speed. The blowing and suction cleaning head 27 and the lower cleaning head 291 simultaneously suck away the particles and dust on the upper and lower surfaces of the combination of the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13, and the exhaust fan 216 sucks away the remaining particles and dust raised by the blowing and suction cleaning head 27 and the lower cleaning head 291;

[0083] Step 5. After the adsorption of particulate dust is completed, the blowing and suction cleaning head 27 rises, and the blowing and exhausting are completed at the same time. The suction of the lower cleaning head 291 is completed, the rotating mechanism 29 stops working, the vacuum adsorption is turned off, the exhaust fan 216 stops running, the protective door 25 descends and opens, and the atmospheric manipulator 3 takes away the combination of the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13 through the taking window 215 on the panel 211, completing the particulate dust adsorption and removal process on the upper and lower surfaces of the carrier ring 12 and the carrier plate 13.

[0084] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made by using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings under the inventive concept of the present invention, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment, used for substrate epitaxial equipment, characterized in that: The device comprises: An adsorption device (2), wherein the adsorption device (2) is a sealed cavity to ensure that the particle dust does not overflow; The atmospheric manipulator (3) cooperates with the adsorption device (2) and is used to grasp, place and transport the combination of the substrate (11), the carrier ring (12) and the carrier plate (13).

2. The device for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adsorption device (2) comprises a chamber (21), wherein the chamber (21) is composed of panels (211) located at the front and rear surfaces, side panels (212) at the left and right sides, a top plate (213) and a bottom plate (214), wherein at least one taking window (215) is provided on one of the panels (211), and a protective door lifting mechanism (22) is provided below.

3. The device for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The protective door lifting mechanism (22) comprises a protective door slide rail (221) and a lifting cylinder (222); a plurality of quick-connect connectors are provided on one side of the protective door slide rail (221); a protective door (25) is provided above the protective door slide rail (221); a U-shaped baffle (24) for collision prevention is provided on the outer side of the protective door (25); the protective door slide rail (221) and the protective door (25) are fixedly connected via a connecting plate (23); and the protective door (25) is simultaneously fixed on the bottom plate (214); and a sealing ring is provided on the protective door (25).

4. The device for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: At least one dust suction duct (26) is provided in the chamber (21); the bottom end of the dust suction duct (26) is fixed on the bottom plate (214); the top end is connected to at least one blowing and suction cleaning head (27); one side of the blowing and suction cleaning head (27) is connected to a slide cylinder (28); the slide cylinder (28) and one side of the dust suction duct (26) are simultaneously fixed on the inner surface of one of the side plates (212).

5. The device for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The slide cylinder (28) comprises a cylinder base (281) and a slider (282) and a slide rail (283) located on the cylinder base (281); the slide cylinder (28) also comprises a slide sensor (284).

6. The device for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The blowing and suction cleaning head is provided with a soft roller brush for further removing particulate dust.

7. The device for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The adsorption device (2) is provided with a rotating mechanism (29) and an exhaust fan (216), the rotating mechanism (29) comprises a box body (290), the top of the box body (290) is provided with at least one lower cleaning head (291), the bottom of the box body (290) is provided with a base (292), the base (292) is fixedly connected to the bottom plate (214), a lower bearing fixing plate (293) and a motor fixing plate (294) are provided above the base (292), the upper surfaces of the lower bearing fixing plate (293) and the motor fixing plate (294) are located on the same horizontal line, and the upper surface of the lower bearing fixing plate (293) is provided with a lower bearing fixing plate (293). An upper bearing fixing plate (295) is provided on the side, a rotating motor (296) is provided below the motor fixing plate (294), a driven mechanism (297) is provided on the upper surface of the lower bearing fixing plate (293) and the motor fixing plate (294), a rotating shaft (298) is provided on the upper surface of the upper bearing fixing plate (295), a vacuum suction cup (299) is provided on the rotating shaft (298), and the vacuum suction cup (299) is used to adsorb the combination of the carrier ring (12) and the carrier plate (13), and the exhaust fan (216) includes a filter screen (2161) and an axial flow fan blade (2162) arranged in sequence from bottom to top.

8. The device for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that: The driven mechanism (297) comprises a driven synchronous wheel (2971), an active synchronous wheel (2972) and a synchronous belt (2973); the rotating motor (296) drives the active synchronous wheel (2972), which drives the driven synchronous wheel (2971) to move through the synchronous belt (2973), thereby driving the vacuum suction cup (299) to rotate.

9. The device for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The atmospheric manipulator (3) comprises a base (31) and a fixed flange (32) located on the base (31); a first manipulator arm (34), a second manipulator arm (35) and a gripper hand (38) are provided on the fixed flange (32); the first manipulator arm (34), the second manipulator arm (35) and the gripper hand (38) are connected in sequence; a vacuum suction nozzle is provided on the gripper hand (38); the vacuum suction nozzle is used to adsorb a protective cover (39); and a non-slip pad is provided on the surface of the protective cover (39).

10. The device for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that: The first mechanical arm (34) is provided with a first rotation drive motor (36), and the second mechanical arm (35) is provided with a second rotation drive motor (37), wherein a third rotation drive motor (33) is provided at the connection between the gripper hand (38) and the second mechanical arm (35). The first rotation drive motor (36) is used to drive the first mechanical arm (34), the second rotation drive motor (37) is used to drive the second mechanical arm (35), and the third rotation drive motor (33) is used to drive the gripper hand (38), and a mechanical arm lifting motor is provided in the base (31).

11. The device for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The device also includes a substrate calibrator (4), a substrate material box (5), a material bin (6), a monitoring camera (7) and an industrial camera (8).

12. The device for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The carrier plate (13) is a graphite plate.

13. A method for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment, comprising the device for reducing particle dust in wafer epitaxial equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that: The specific steps include: Step 1: Cooperate with the substrate calibrator (4), the atmospheric manipulator (3) moves to the top of the silo (6) at the pre-taught point, and extends the gripper (38) under the protective cover (39), and absorbs the protective cover (39) by vacuum adsorption, so that the protective cover (39) is fixed to the upper surface of the gripper (38); Step 2: Cooperate with the substrate calibrator (4), and move the atmospheric manipulator (3) to the middle of the silo (6) at the pre-taught point. Extend the gripper (38) with the protective cover (39) fixed on the upper surface to the bottom of the carrier ring (12) and the carrier plate (13) assembly, and take out the carrier ring (12) and the carrier plate (13) assembly by lifting. Step 3: The protective door (25) of the adsorption device (2) is lowered and opened, and in cooperation with the substrate calibrator (4), the atmospheric manipulator (3) places the combination of the carrier ring (12) and the carrier plate (13) through the pick-up window (215) on the panel and into the rotating mechanism (29) of the adsorption device (2), and the protective door (25) is raised and closed; Step 4: The blowing and suction cleaning head (27) descends, and the blowing and exhausting functions start at the same time. The lower cleaning head (291) inhales air, and the vacuum suction cup (299) on the rotating mechanism starts vacuum adsorption, and then drives the combination of the carrier ring (12) and the carrier plate (13) to rotate at a constant speed. The blowing and suction cleaning head (27) and the lower cleaning head (291) simultaneously suck away the particles and dust on the upper and lower surfaces of the combination of the carrier ring (12) and the carrier plate (13), and the exhaust fan (216) sucks away and empties the remaining particles and dust raised by the blowing and suction cleaning head (27) and the lower cleaning head (291); Step 5. After the adsorption of particulate dust is completed, the blowing and suction cleaning head (27) rises, and at the same time, the blowing and exhausting are completed, the lower cleaning head (291) completes the suction, the rotating mechanism (29) stops working, the vacuum adsorption is turned off, the exhaust fan (216) stops running, the protective door (25) descends and opens, and the atmospheric manipulator (3) removes the combination of the carrier ring (12) and the carrier plate (13) through the taking window (215) on the panel, completing the particulate dust adsorption and removal process on the upper and lower surfaces of the carrier ring (12) and the carrier plate (13).

Images