Airflow stabilizing equipment and process for gluing and developing

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and particularly relates to an airflow stabilizing device and process for gluing and developing, the device comprises a base and a flow stabilizing shell arranged on the base, the flow stabilizing shell is annularly arranged, the base and the flow stabilizing shell jointly form a process chamber, the base is provided with an air inlet and an air uniformizing cavity, and the air inlet is communicated with the air uniformizing cavity. The air inlet is communicated with the air uniformizing cavity, the air uniformizing cavity is arranged at the top of the base and is annularly arranged, an air uniformizing partition plate is arranged at the top of the air uniformizing cavity, a flow stabilizing cavity corresponding to the air uniformizing cavity is arranged in the flow stabilizing shell, the air uniformizing cavity is communicated with the flow stabilizing cavity, and a plurality of air uniformizing holes are formed in the air uniformizing partition plate. An air outlet is formed in the top of the flow stabilizing shell, the air outlet is formed in the side, located in the process cavity, of the flow stabilizing shell, and the air outlet is formed downwards. According to the invention, the Bernoulli principle is utilized to drive the gas above the wafer to flow downwards, the control of the film thickness is more accurate, and the uniformity of the film thickness is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an air flow stabilizing device and process for glue coating and developing, belonging to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing. Background Art

[0002] The glue coating and developing equipment is one of the core equipment of the photolithography process. It contains multiple functional modules such as glue coating, developing, viscosity enhancement, baking, etc., among which the glue coating module is the most important. After the wafer is processed by the glue coating unit, a layer of photoresist (PR) will be evenly coated on the surface. The thickness and uniformity of the photoresist directly affect the stability of the subsequent photolithography process, and then affect the product yield. As the line width size of semiconductor devices continues to shrink, the requirements for the uniformity of photoresist coating are gradually increasing. The process effect of the glue coating unit has become an important standard in the semiconductor manufacturing industry, and improving the process effect of the glue coating unit has become the goal pursued by major chip manufacturers.

[0003] There are many forms of uneven photoresist coating on the wafer surface, all of which will lead to poor uniformity, thus affecting the uniformity of the development line width. Uniformity is usually the most difficult to adjust, and conventional coating units have limited ability to improve this type of coating condition.

[0004] Exhaust pressure and airflow state are also important process indicators of glue coating equipment. Changes in this indicator will affect the film thickness, and the impact on the edge of the wafer is even greater. Existing glue coating and development equipment generally uses FFU units (i.e. fan filter unit units) for airflow control. By adding air outlets and filters above the wafer, air conditioning is used to control the air flow from directly above the wafer. However, this structure has many internal parts and irregular shapes, which will affect the airflow above the wafer and is not conducive to the stability of the pressure inside the cavity. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention aims at the above-mentioned technical problems of the prior art and provides an air flow stabilizing device and process for glue coating and developing.

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention to solve the above technical problems is as follows:

[0007] One of the purposes of the present invention is to provide an air flow stabilizing device for glue coating and developing, comprising a base and a flow stabilizing shell arranged on the base, the flow stabilizing shell being arranged in a ring shape, the base and the flow stabilizing shell together forming a process chamber, the base being provided with an air inlet and an air uniforming chamber, the air inlet being communicated with the air uniforming chamber, the air uniforming chamber being arranged at the top of the base and being arranged in a ring shape, an air uniforming baffle being provided at the top of the air uniforming chamber, a flow stabilizing chamber being provided in the flow stabilizing shell corresponding to the air uniforming chamber, the air uniforming chamber being communicated with the flow stabilizing chamber, a plurality of air uniforming holes being provided on the air uniforming baffle, an air outlet being provided on the top of the flow stabilizing shell, the air outlet being arranged at a side of the flow stabilizing shell located at the process chamber, and the air outlet being arranged downward.

[0008] The beneficial effects of the gas flow stabilization device for coating and developing of the present invention are as follows: the present invention increases gas outlets around the top of the wafer by setting a flow stabilization shell, utilizes the Bernoulli principle to drive the gas above the wafer to flow downward, cooperates with FFU to stabilize the airflow and pressure above the wafer, controls the film thickness more accurately, and improves the uniformity of the film thickness.

[0009] On the basis of the above technical solution, the present invention can also make the following improvements:

[0010] Furthermore, the flow stabilizing shell includes an annular inner plate and an outer plate, the flow stabilizing chamber is formed between the inner plate and the outer plate, a flow stabilizing baffle is provided between the inner plate and the outer plate, and the flow stabilizing baffle divides the flow stabilizing chamber into an outer air intake flow stabilizing chamber and an inner air intake flow stabilizing chamber.

[0011] The beneficial effect of adopting the above-mentioned further technical solution is: the flow stabilization chamber is divided into an outer air intake flow stabilization chamber and an inner air intake flow stabilization chamber, the airflow flows in the two chambers to obtain different airflow velocities, and then is ejected from all around the top of the wafer to guide the flow field above the wafer, making the boundary layer of the airflow above the wafer more stable.

[0012] Furthermore, the top of the flow stabilizing baffle is bent inwardly to form a first curved top plate, the top of the outer plate is bent inwardly to form a second curved top plate, a first annular air outlet is formed between the first curved top plate and the inner plate, and a second annular air outlet is formed between the second curved top plate and the first curved top plate.

[0013] The beneficial effect of adopting the above further technical solution is that the gas is accelerated in the outer air inlet steady flow chamber and the inner air inlet steady flow chamber through the annular first air outlet and the second air outlet, and this part of the airflow does not directly act on the wafer surface, and mainly plays the role of guiding the airflow and changing the flow field above the wafer, which can make the boundary layer of the airflow above the wafer more stable and maintain the laminar state. At the same time, it plays a role in reducing the interference of external equipment parts on the airflow. In addition, the height of the formed first air outlet is lower than the height of the second air outlet. By setting the air outlets at different heights, the airflow direction is restricted respectively. The first air outlet mainly plays a role in stabilizing the flow and assists in driving the flow of the inner and outer layers of the process chamber. The second air outlet is mainly used to make the airflow produce the Bernoulli effect, drive the flow of the airflow inside the process chamber, increase the pressure difference between the low-pressure area inside the process chamber and the second air outlet, which is conducive to increasing the flow speed and flow stability of the airflow inside the process chamber.

[0014] Furthermore, an annular partition is provided in the gas uniformity cavity, and the annular partition divides the gas uniformity cavity into an outer gas uniformity ring cavity and an inner gas uniformity ring cavity. The air inlet is connected to the outer gas uniformity ring cavity, and the outer gas uniformity ring cavity is connected to the inner gas uniformity ring cavity.

[0015] The beneficial effect of adopting the above further technical solution is: dividing the uniform air cavity into an outer uniform air ring cavity and an inner uniform air ring cavity can better guide the airflow input from the air inlet, so that the gas in the uniform air cavity enters the two chambers of the steady flow cavity more evenly.

[0016] Furthermore, the air uniforming baffle is provided with a first air uniforming hole and a second air uniforming hole corresponding to the outer air intake stabilizing flow cavity and the inner air intake stabilizing flow cavity, respectively, and a plurality of the first air uniforming holes and the second air uniforming holes are respectively arranged in a ring shape.

[0017] The beneficial effect of adopting the above further technical solution is that by providing multiple annular first uniform air holes and multiple second uniform air holes, the gas entering the uniform air chamber from the air inlet can more evenly enter the outer air intake steady flow chamber and the inner air intake steady flow chamber respectively.

[0018] Furthermore, the aperture of the first air-uniform hole is larger than the aperture of the second air-uniform hole.

[0019] The beneficial effect of adopting the above further technical solution is: because the energy loss of gas increases in the annular flow, the gas can be controlled to flow evenly through outlets with different apertures, the aperture can be gradually expanded, and the outlet resistance can be reduced to achieve the purpose of uniform gas flow.

[0020] Furthermore, the annular partition is provided with an air vent, the air vent is arranged corresponding to the air inlet, and the annular partition is provided with a first guide block on both sides of the air vent.

[0021] Furthermore, a second guide block is provided in the inner uniform air ring cavity, and the second guide block is arranged corresponding to the vent.

[0022] The beneficial effect of adopting the above-mentioned further technical scheme is: the gas entering from the air inlet is guided by the first guide block and the second guide block to control the gas flow, and the gas after guidance can enter the outer uniform gas ring cavity and the inner uniform gas ring cavity more evenly, so that the gas can be discharged more stably, thereby making the gas flow above the wafer smoother.

[0023] The second object of the present invention is to provide a process for stabilizing airflow for coating and developing, which uses the above-mentioned stabilizing airflow device for coating and developing, and specifically includes the following steps:

[0024] Stage 1: Continue to take in air from the air inlet, apply glue to the center of the wafer, and rotate the wafer at a speed of 50rpm-300rpm until the end of the first stage. This stage lasts for 2s-3s;

[0025] Stage 2: Adjust the air volume at the air inlet to twice that of the first stage and maintain it. 1s-2s after the air volume is adjusted, adjust the wafer rotation speed to 1500rpm-2500rpm and continue until the end of the second stage. This stage lasts for 3s-4s.

[0026] Stage 3: Adjust the air volume at the air inlet to the same level as in stage 1 and keep it the same. Adjust the wafer rotation speed to 50rpm-300rpm and keep it until the end of stage 3. This stage lasts for 2s-3s.

[0027] Stage 4: Adjust the air volume at the air inlet to twice that of the first stage and maintain it, adjust the wafer rotation speed to 1000rpm-3500rpm until the film is formed by rotation, and continue to let air in the air inlet until the wafer stops rotating. This stage lasts for 20-50s.

[0028] The beneficial effect of the gas flow stabilization process for glue coating and development of the present invention is that after the gas enters from the air inlet, the air flow enters the outer uniform air ring cavity and the inner uniform air ring cavity through the first guide block and the second guide block, and respectively enters the outer air inlet stabilization cavity and the inner air inlet stabilization cavity through the first uniform air hole and the second uniform air hole on the uniform air baffle. The gas passes through the outer air inlet stabilization cavity and the inner air inlet stabilization cavity to the top of the stabilization shell, and flows out from the first annular air outlet and the second annular air outlet, so that the air flow is ejected toward the edge area of ​​the wafer, and the gas flows downward. Due to the Bernoulli principle, the gas above the wafer is driven to flow downward, forming an uninterrupted air flow, and blowing toward the surface of the wafer; the pressure distribution and flow field in the process chamber are controlled according to the size of the air outlet, and cooperated with the FFU to make the pressure gradient and gas flow on the wafer surface more uniform, effectively control the edge film thickness, and increase the uniformity of glue coating. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 2 It is a front view of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 3 for Figure 2 KK cross-sectional view;

[0032] Figure 4 for Figure 2 Section II of the cross-sectional view;

[0033] Figure 5 for Figure 2 JJ section cutaway view;

[0034] Figure 6 A top view of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of the uniform air chamber of the base.

[0036] The accompanying drawings are marked as follows: 100, base; 101, air inlet; 102, air uniforming baffle; 1021, first air uniforming hole; 1022, second air uniforming hole; 103, annular baffle; 104, outer air uniforming ring cavity; 105, inner air uniforming ring cavity; 106, first guide block; 107, second guide block; 108, exhaust port; 200, flow stabilizing shell; 201, inner plate; 202, outer plate; 2021, second curved top plate; 203, flow stabilizing baffle; 2031, first curved top plate; 204, outer air inlet stabilizing flow cavity; 205, inner air inlet stabilizing flow cavity; 206, first air outlet; 207, second air outlet; 300, process chamber; 301, processing platform. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The principles and features of the present invention are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The examples given are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0038] See also Figure 1-Figure 7 A flow stabilizing device for glue coating and development includes a base 100 and a flow stabilizing shell 200 arranged on the base 100, the flow stabilizing shell 200 is arranged in a ring shape, the base 100 and the flow stabilizing shell 200 together form a process chamber 300, the process chamber 300 provides a processing space for wafer glue coating, a processing platform 301 is arranged in the process chamber 300, the processing platform 301 is rotatably arranged on the base 100, and the wafer is placed on the processing platform 301 during glue coating processing.

[0039] The base 100 is provided with an air inlet 101 and an air-homogenizing cavity, the air inlet 101 is connected with the air-homogenizing cavity, the air-homogenizing cavity is arranged at the top of the base 100 and is arranged in an annular shape, the air-homogenizing baffle 102 is arranged at the top of the air-homogenizing cavity, a flow-homogenizing cavity is arranged in the flow-stabilizing shell 200 corresponding to the air-homogenizing cavity, the air-homogenizing cavity is connected with the flow-stabilizing cavity, the air-homogenizing baffle 102 is provided with a plurality of air-homogenizing holes, the top of the flow-stabilizing shell 200 is provided with an air outlet, the air outlet is arranged at one side of the flow-stabilizing shell 200 located in the process chamber 300, and the air outlet is arranged downward. The bottom of the base 100 is provided with an exhaust port 108, the exhaust port 108 is provided with a plurality of ports, the airflow ejected from the air outlet flows downward to the base 100, and is discharged from the exhaust port 108, so that the airflow can form a uniform flow in the process chamber 300.

[0040] The flow stabilizing shell 200 includes an annular inner plate 201 and an outer plate 202, wherein the flow stabilizing chamber is formed between the inner plate 201 and the outer plate 202, and a flow stabilizing baffle 203 is provided between the inner plate 201 and the outer plate 202, wherein the flow stabilizing baffle 203 divides the flow stabilizing chamber into an outer air intake flow stabilizing chamber 204 and an inner air intake flow stabilizing chamber 205.

[0041] The top of the flow stabilizing baffle 203 is bent inward to form a first curved top plate 2031, and the top of the outer plate 202 is bent inward to form a second curved top plate 2021. A first annular air outlet 206 is formed between the first curved top plate 2031 and the inner plate 201, and a second annular air outlet 207 is formed between the second curved top plate 2021 and the first curved top plate 2031.

[0042] An annular partition 103 is provided in the gas homogenizing cavity, and the annular partition 103 divides the gas homogenizing cavity into an outer gas homogenizing annular cavity 104 and an inner gas homogenizing annular cavity 105 . The gas inlet 101 is connected to the outer gas homogenizing annular cavity 104 , and the outer gas homogenizing annular cavity 104 is connected to the inner gas homogenizing annular cavity 105 .

[0043] The air uniforming baffle 102 is provided with a first air uniforming hole 1021 and a second air uniforming hole 1022 corresponding to the outer air intake stabilizing flow chamber 204 and the inner air intake stabilizing flow chamber 205, respectively. The first air uniforming hole 1021 and the second air uniforming hole 1022 are respectively provided in a plurality in a ring shape.

[0044] The aperture of the first air uniforming hole 1021 is larger than the aperture of the second air uniforming hole 1022 .

[0045] The annular partition 103 is provided with an air vent, and the air vent is arranged corresponding to the air inlet 101. The annular partition 103 on both sides of the air vent is provided with a first guide block 106.

[0046] A second guide block 107 is disposed in the inner uniform air annular cavity 105 , and the second guide block 107 is disposed corresponding to the vent.

[0047] A process for stabilizing airflow for coating and developing using the above-mentioned stabilizing airflow device for coating and developing specifically comprises the following steps:

[0048] Stage 1: Continue to take in air from the air inlet 101, apply glue to the center of the wafer, and rotate the wafer at a speed of 20 rpm until the end of the first stage. This stage lasts for 3 seconds.

[0049] Stage 2: Adjust the air volume of the air inlet 101 to twice that of the first stage and maintain it. 2 seconds after the air volume adjustment, adjust the wafer rotation speed to 2000 rpm and continue until the end of the second stage. This stage lasts for 3 seconds.

[0050] Stage 3: Adjust the air volume of the air inlet 101 to be the same as that of the first stage and keep it the same, adjust the wafer rotation speed to 200 rpm and keep it until the end of the third stage, and the duration of this stage is 2 seconds;

[0051] Stage 4: Adjust the air volume of air inlet 101 to twice that of the first stage and maintain it, adjust the wafer rotation speed to 2500rpm until the film is formed by rotation, and continue to let air in from air inlet 101 until the wafer stops rotating. This stage lasts for 50s.

[0052] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An air flow stabilizing device for coating and developing, characterized in that: The invention comprises a base (100) and a flow stabilizing shell (200) arranged on the base (100), the flow stabilizing shell (200) being arranged in an annular shape, the base (100) and the flow stabilizing shell (200) jointly forming a process chamber (300), the base (100) being provided with an air inlet (101) and an air homogenizing chamber, the air inlet (101) being connected with the air homogenizing chamber, the air homogenizing chamber being arranged at the top of the base (100) and being arranged in an annular shape, the top of the air homogenizing chamber being provided with an air homogenizing baffle (102), a flow stabilizing chamber being arranged in the flow stabilizing shell (200) corresponding to the air homogenizing chamber, the air homogenizing chamber being connected with the air homogenizing chamber, the air homogenizing baffle (102) being provided with a plurality of air homogenizing holes, the top of the flow stabilizing shell (200) being provided with an air outlet, the air outlet being arranged at a side of the flow stabilizing shell (200) located in the process chamber (300), and the air outlet being arranged downward.

2. The air flow stabilizing device for glue coating and developing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flow stabilizing housing (200) comprises an annular inner plate (201) and an outer plate (202), the flow stabilizing chamber being formed between the inner plate (201) and the outer plate (202), a flow stabilizing baffle (203) being provided between the inner plate (201) and the outer plate (202), the flow stabilizing baffle (203) dividing the flow stabilizing chamber into an outer air intake flow stabilizing chamber (204) and an inner air intake flow stabilizing chamber (205).

3. The air flow stabilizing device for coating and developing according to claim 2, characterized in that: The top of the flow stabilizing baffle (203) is bent inwardly to form a first curved top plate (2031), the top of the outer plate (202) is bent inwardly to form a second curved top plate (2021), an annular first air outlet (206) is formed between the first curved top plate (2031) and the inner plate (201), and an annular second air outlet (207) is formed between the second curved top plate (2021) and the first curved top plate (2031).

4. The air flow stabilizing device for coating and developing according to claim 3, characterized in that: An annular partition (103) is provided in the gas homogenizing cavity, and the annular partition (103) divides the gas homogenizing cavity into an outer gas homogenizing annular cavity (104) and an inner gas homogenizing annular cavity (105); the gas inlet (101) is connected to the outer gas homogenizing annular cavity (104), and the outer gas homogenizing annular cavity (104) is connected to the inner gas homogenizing annular cavity (105).

5. The air flow stabilizing device for coating and developing according to claim 4, characterized in that: The air uniforming baffle (102) is provided with a first air uniforming hole (1021) and a second air uniforming hole (1022) corresponding to the outer air intake stabilizing chamber (204) and the inner air intake stabilizing chamber (205), respectively. A plurality of the first air uniforming holes (1021) and the second air uniforming holes (1022) are respectively arranged in a ring shape.

6. The air flow stabilizing device for coating and developing according to claim 5, characterized in that: The aperture of the first air-uniform hole (1021) is larger than the aperture of the second air-uniform hole (1022).

7. The air flow stabilizing device for coating and developing according to claim 6, characterized in that: The annular partition (103) is provided with an air vent, the air vent is arranged corresponding to the air inlet (101), and the annular partition (103) on both sides of the air vent is provided with a first guide block (106).

8. The air flow stabilizing device for coating and developing according to claim 7, characterized in that: A second guide block (107) is provided in the inner uniform air annular cavity (105), and the second guide block (107) is arranged corresponding to the vent.

9. A process for stabilizing airflow for coating and developing, characterized in that: An air flow stabilizing device for coating and developing as described in any one of claims 1 to 8 is used.

10. The process for stabilizing the flow of air for coating and developing according to claim 9, characterized in that: The specific steps include: The first stage: continuously taking in air from the air inlet (101), applying glue to the center of the wafer, and rotating the wafer at a speed of 50 rpm-300 rpm until the end of the first stage. The duration of this stage is 2s-3s; The second stage: the air volume of the air inlet (101) is adjusted to twice that of the first stage and maintained. 1s-2s after the air volume is adjusted, the wafer rotation speed is adjusted to 1500rpm-2500rpm and continued until the end of the second stage. The duration of this stage is 3s-4s. The third stage: adjust the air volume of the air inlet (101) to be the same as that of the first stage and keep it, adjust the wafer rotation speed to 50rpm-300rpm and keep it until the end of the third stage, and the duration of this stage is 2s-3s; Stage 4: Adjust the air volume of the air inlet (101) to twice that of the first stage and maintain it, adjust the wafer rotation speed to 1000rpm-3500rpm until the film is formed by rotation, and continue to let air in from the air inlet (101) until the wafer stops rotating. This stage lasts for 20-50s.

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