Air inlet device and semiconductor equipment

Abstract

The invention provides an air inlet device and semiconductor equipment. The gas inlet device comprises a flow uniformizing structure and a gas distribution structure. The flow uniformizing structure comprises a plurality of annular flow uniformizing cavities and a plurality of air inlet pipelines correspondingly communicating with the annular flow uniformizing cavities. A plurality of first air outlet holes which are uniformly distributed are formed in the radial outer ring side surface of each annular uniform flow cavity; the gas distribution structure comprises a plurality of annular gas distribution cavities which are coaxially arranged with the annular flow uniformizing cavity; and the plurality of second air outlet holes are non-uniformly distributed on the outer peripheral surface of the corresponding annular air distribution cavity. The gas distribution structure can move between a first position and a second position; at the first position, the gas distribution structure surrounds the periphery of the flow uniformizing structure, and the gas inlet end of each annular gas distribution cavity is in sealed communication with the first gas outlet hole, so that gas is discharged non-uniformly through the second gas outlet hole; and at the second position, the gas distribution structure is staggered from the peripheral surface of the flow uniformizing structure, so that the first gas outlet hole is exposed in the semiconductor process chamber, and uniform gas outlet is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor equipment manufacturing, and in particular to an air intake device and a semiconductor equipment. Background Art

[0002] At present, in the chemical vapor deposition process (Chemical Vapor Deposition, referred to as CVD), the horizontal spray gas inlet device is widely used. The horizontal spray gas inlet device mainly transports the external process gas into the process chamber, and makes the process gas flow into the process chamber in a divergent form to cope with the process of multiple wafers.

[0003] However, with the continuous updating of electronic device technology, the processing requirements for chips have also become diversified, such as requiring surface uniform doping or surface non-uniform doping. However, in order to meet the uniformity requirements of chip doping, the existing horizontal spray air intake device usually needs to be able to ensure the uniformity of the ejected gas in the circumferential direction, so as to ensure that the speed of the gas in all directions on the circumference is equal as much as possible. In order to achieve this effect, the air outlet of the existing horizontal spray air intake device is usually evenly distributed on the periphery and fixed in position, which makes it unsuitable for participating in the non-uniform doping process of the chip, such as processing a concave chip surface. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and proposes an air intake device and a semiconductor device, which can be applicable to uniform and non-uniform process requirements.

[0005] In order to achieve the purpose of the present invention, a gas inlet device is provided, which is applied to a semiconductor process chamber; the gas inlet device comprises a uniform flow structure and a gas distribution structure; wherein:

[0006] The uniform flow structure comprises a plurality of coaxially arranged annular uniform flow cavities and a plurality of air inlet pipes correspondingly connected to each of the annular uniform flow cavities; the plurality of annular uniform flow cavities are stacked along the axis of the annular uniform flow cavities, and each of the annular uniform flow cavities has a plurality of uniformly distributed first air outlet holes on the outer ring side surface in the radial direction;

[0007] The gas distribution structure comprises a plurality of annular gas distribution cavities coaxially arranged with the annular uniform flow cavity, and the plurality of annular gas distribution cavities are stacked along the axis of the annular uniform flow cavity; the plurality of annular gas distribution cavities correspond to the plurality of annular uniform flow cavities one by one; the gas distribution structure comprises a plurality of second gas outlet holes respectively connected with each of the annular gas distribution cavities, and the plurality of second gas outlet holes are non-uniformly distributed on the outer peripheral surface of the corresponding annular gas distribution cavity; the gas inlet end of each of the annular gas distribution cavities is located on its inner peripheral surface;

[0008] The gas distribution structure can move between a first position and a second position along the axis of the annular uniform flow cavity;

[0009] When the gas distribution structure is located at the first position, the gas distribution structure is arranged around the outer periphery of the uniform flow structure, and the gas inlet end of each of the annular gas distribution cavities is sealed and connected with the first gas outlet hole of the corresponding annular uniform flow cavity; when the gas distribution structure is located at the second position, the gas distribution structure is staggered with the outer peripheral surface of the uniform flow structure so that the first gas outlet hole of each of the annular uniform flow cavity is exposed in the semiconductor process chamber.

[0010] Optionally, the outer peripheral surface of each of the annular gas distribution cavities is divided into a plurality of first areas and a plurality of second areas which are alternately arranged along the annular direction;

[0011] The proportion of the total outlet area of ​​all the second outlet holes in the first region to the area of ​​the first region is smaller than the proportion of the total outlet area of ​​all the second outlet holes in the second region to the area of ​​the second region.

[0012] Optionally, the aperture of the second air outlet holes in the second region is larger than the aperture of the second air outlet holes in the first region, and / or the distribution density of the second air outlet holes in the second region is larger than the distribution density of the second air outlet holes in the first region.

[0013] Optionally, a tray is provided in the process chamber, and the air inlet device is coaxially arranged with the tray; a plurality of sub-trays for carrying wafers are arranged on the tray, and the plurality of sub-trays are distributed around the central axis of the tray;

[0014] The number of the second areas is the same as the number of the sub-trays, and a plurality of the second areas can be arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of the sub-tray positions.

[0015] Optionally, the total area of ​​all the second regions accounts for less than 10% of the total area of ​​the outer circumference of the annular gas distribution cavity.

[0016] Optionally, the gas distribution structure comprises: a plurality of annular second partition plates stacked and spaced apart along the axis of the annular uniform flow chamber and an annular gas distribution plate arranged around the plurality of second partition plates;

[0017] The outer peripheries of the plurality of second partition plates are all sealedly connected to the annular air distribution plate, and the inner peripheries of the plurality of second partition plates are all capable of cooperating with the outer peripheral surface of the uniform flow structure to form the annular air distribution cavity between any two adjacent partition plates;

[0018] A plurality of the second air outlet holes are arranged on the annular air distribution plate.

[0019] Optionally, the plurality of air intake pipes are all annular air intake pipes, and the plurality of annular air intake pipes are sequentially sleeved along the radial direction of the annular uniform flow cavity;

[0020] The annular air inlet pipe is located above the corresponding annular flow-uniform cavity. The larger the diameter of the annular air inlet pipe is, the lower the annular flow-uniform cavity it is connected to is.

[0021] Optionally, it further includes a driving assembly located above the plurality of annular flow-uniform chambers, wherein the driving assembly includes a transmission member and a driving source;

[0022] The transmission member is fixed to the gas distribution structure;

[0023] The driving source is used to drive the transmission member to move along the axis direction of the flow-uniform structure.

[0024] Optionally, the driving source comprises a ring-shaped electromagnet; the transmission member is made of a ferromagnetic material;

[0025] The electromagnet is used to attract or repel the transmission member to drive the transmission member to move.

[0026] Optionally, the air intake device further comprises a mounting assembly; the outer periphery of the mounting assembly is sealedly connected to the mounting hole at the top of the process chamber;

[0027] A mounting through hole is provided in the mounting assembly; the plurality of air intake pipes and the electromagnet are both arranged inside the mounting through hole;

[0028] The transmission member is located below the electromagnet, and when the gas distribution structure is located at the second position, the transmission member and the gas distribution structure are both located inside the mounting through hole.

[0029] Optionally, the inner circumferential surface of the mounting through hole and the outer circumferential surface of the transmission member respectively have limiting bosses of matching shapes to limit the transmission member from moving downward until the gas distribution structure stops moving when the gas distribution structure is located at the first position.

[0030] Optionally, the air intake device further includes a flow control component; the flow control component is used to control the air intake flow of the multiple air intake pipes.

[0031] As another technical solution, the present invention further provides a semiconductor device, which includes a semiconductor process chamber and an air intake device as described above, wherein the air intake device is arranged in the semiconductor process chamber and is used to transport process gas into the process chamber.

[0032] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0033] The gas inlet device provided by the present invention includes a uniform flow structure with one end extending into the semiconductor process chamber and a gas distribution structure arranged around the uniform flow structure. Specifically, the uniform flow structure has a plurality of first gas outlet holes evenly distributed on its outer peripheral surface for uniform gas outlet; the gas distribution structure has second gas outlet holes unevenly distributed on its outer peripheral surface to enable uneven gas outlet; and the gas distribution structure can be moved to the periphery of the uniform flow structure and connected with the plurality of first gas outlet holes, so as to unevenly transport gas to the semiconductor process chamber; the gas distribution structure can also be moved to a position away from the periphery of the uniform flow structure, so that the plurality of evenly distributed first gas outlet holes are exposed in the reaction chamber, so as to evenly transport gas to the semiconductor process chamber. In this way, by moving the position of the gas distribution structure, the gas outlet state of the gas inlet device can be switched, so that it can be suitable for a variety of different process requirements. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of the air intake device provided by an embodiment of the present invention when the gas distribution structure is in the first position;

[0035] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of the air intake device provided by an embodiment of the present invention when the gas distribution structure is in the second position;

[0036] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a gas distribution structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 4 A partial diagram showing a case where the air intake device provided by an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a semiconductor process chamber having a plurality of sub-trays;

[0038] Figure 5 A simplified structural diagram of an air intake device and a semiconductor process chamber provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 6 A partial enlarged view of a gas distribution structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a transmission member provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 8 An intake flow curve diagram of the uniform flow structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the air intake device and the semiconductor equipment provided by the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0043] In order to solve the problem that the existing gas intake device is difficult to adapt to uniform and non-uniform process requirements, the present embodiment provides a gas intake device applied to a semiconductor process chamber, which is used to introduce external process gas into the interior of the semiconductor process chamber.

[0044] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the air intake device includes a flow-uniform structure 1 and a gas distribution structure 2 .

[0045] Among them, the uniform flow structure 1 includes a plurality of coaxially arranged annular uniform flow chambers 12 and a plurality of air inlet pipes 13 correspondingly connected to each annular uniform flow chamber 12; the plurality of annular uniform flow chambers 12 are stacked along the axis of the annular uniform flow chamber 12, and each annular uniform flow chamber 12 has a plurality of uniformly distributed first air outlet holes 11 on the radial outer ring side surface, so that the uniform flow structure 1 has a uniform air outlet function. Specifically, at least a plurality of annular uniform flow chambers 12 in the uniform flow structure 1 extend into the interior of the semiconductor process chamber. It should be noted that the above-mentioned "uniform distribution" means that the diameters of the plurality of first air outlet holes 11 are consistent and the positions are uniformly distributed on the outer peripheral surface S1 of the annular uniform flow chamber 12.

[0046] The gas distribution structure 2 includes a plurality of annular gas distribution cavities 21 coaxially arranged with the annular uniform flow cavity 12, and the plurality of annular gas distribution cavities 21 are stacked along the axis of the annular uniform flow cavity 12; the plurality of annular gas distribution cavities 21 correspond to the plurality of annular uniform flow cavities 12 one by one; Figure 3 As shown, the gas distribution structure has a plurality of second gas outlet holes 211 connected to each annular gas distribution cavity 21. Specifically, each annular gas distribution cavity 21 has an inner circumferential surface and an outer circumferential surface, the gas inlet end of each annular gas distribution cavity 21 is located on its inner circumferential surface, and the plurality of second gas outlet holes 211 corresponding to the annular gas distribution cavity 21 are unevenly distributed on the outer circumferential surface S2 of the annular gas distribution cavity 21.

[0047] Moreover, the gas distribution structure 2 can move between a first position and a second position along the axis of the annular uniform flow cavity 12. Figure 1 As shown, when the gas distribution structure 2 is in the first position, the inner circumference of the plurality of annular gas distribution cavities 21 is arranged around the uniform flow structure, and the gas inlet end of each annular gas distribution cavity 21 is opposite to the outer circumference S1 of the corresponding annular uniform flow cavity 12, and the gas inlet end is sealed and connected with the plurality of first gas outlet holes 11; Figure 2 As shown, when the gas distribution structure 2 is located at the second position, the gas distribution structure 2 is offset from the outer peripheral surface S1 of the annular uniform flow chamber 12 so that the outer peripheral surface S1 and the first gas outlet 11 thereon are exposed in the semiconductor process chamber, thereby uniformly delivering the process gas into the chamber.

[0048] In this way, by moving the position of the gas distribution structure 2, the uniform gas outlet state and the non-uniform gas outlet state of the gas inlet device can be switched, so that it can be applied to both uniform and various different process requirements. Moreover, the movement of the gas distribution structure 2 can be performed during the process, so there is no need to open the cavity, so that the process can be ensured to be continuous, and some process requirements of both non-uniform gas outlet and uniform gas outlet can be met.

[0049] In some embodiments, Figure 3 As shown, the outer peripheral surface S2 of the annular gas distribution cavity 21 of the gas distribution structure 2 is divided into a plurality of first regions A and a plurality of second regions B. The total gas outlet area of ​​all the second gas outlet holes 211 in the first region A accounts for a smaller proportion of the total gas outlet area of ​​all the second gas outlet holes 211 in the second region B in the area of ​​the second region B. In this way, the flow rate and flow velocity of the process gas flowing out of the second region B are higher than those of the process gas flowing out of the first region A, so that the gas environment inside the semiconductor process chamber forms a concentration difference in the circumferential direction of the gas distribution structure 2.

[0050] In some preferred embodiments, the total area of ​​all second regions B accounts for less than 10% of the total area of ​​the outer circumferential surfaces S2 of all annular gas distribution cavities 21 .

[0051] In some embodiments, the diameter of the second gas outlet holes 211 in the second region B is greater than the diameter of the second gas outlet holes 211 in the first region A. Since the larger the diameter of the gas outlet holes, the smaller the flow resistance and the greater the pressure drop, the flow rate and flow rate of the process gas at the second gas outlet holes 211 with a larger diameter are greater than those of the second gas outlet holes 211 with a smaller diameter; or, the distribution density of the second gas outlet holes 211 in the second region B is greater than the distribution density of the second gas outlet holes 211 in the first region A, and the greater the number of the second gas outlet holes 211, the greater the flow rate of the process gas in the region; or, the diameter and distribution density of the second gas outlet holes 211 in the second region B are greater than the diameter and distribution density of the second gas outlet holes 211 in the first region A. Specifically, the diameter and distribution density of the second gas outlet holes 211 in the first region A and the second region B can be set and processed according to process requirements.

[0052] It should be noted that, in some special cases, no air outlet may be provided in the first area A.

[0053] In some embodiments, Figure 4 As shown, a tray 3 is arranged in the semiconductor process chamber, and the air intake device is arranged coaxially with the tray 3. Specifically, the air intake device is arranged at the center of the top of the semiconductor process chamber; and the tray 3 in the semiconductor process chamber is arranged coaxially with the semiconductor process chamber, and the tray 3 can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise around its own axis.

[0054] The tray 3 is provided with a plurality of sub-trays 31 for carrying wafers, and the plurality of sub-trays 31 are distributed around the central axis of the tray 3. In some preferred embodiments, the sub-tray 31 can also rotate clockwise or counterclockwise along its own axis. The number of the second regions B is the same as the number of the sub-trays 31, and correspondingly, the number of the first regions A is also the same as the number of the sub-trays 31; and the plurality of second regions B can be arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the positions of the plurality of sub-trays 31, so as to form a corresponding non-uniform gas flow field in each sub-tray 31.

[0055] In some preferred embodiments, the plurality of sub-trays 31 are evenly distributed around the central axis of the tray 3; the number of the second regions B is the same as the number of the sub-trays 31, and the second regions B are evenly distributed in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface S2 of the annular gas distribution chamber 21. In this way, as the tray 3 rotates, each second region B can be set in a one-to-one correspondence with all the sub-trays 31. For example, when the tray 3 rotates to a position where the plurality of second regions B correspond to the central regions of the plurality of sub-trays 31, the amount of process gas in the central region of the sub-tray 31 is larger than the amount of process gas in the edge region, so that a film with a thickness in the middle and a thickness at the edge can be formed on the surface of the wafer in the sub-tray 31, meeting the process requirements for processing convex wafers. For another example, when the tray 3 rotates to a position where the plurality of second regions B correspond to the spacing regions between the plurality of sub-trays 31, the amount of process gas in the edge region of the sub-tray 31 is larger than the amount of process gas in the central region, so that a film with a thickness in the middle and a thickness at the edge can be formed on the surface of the wafer in the sub-tray 31, meeting the process requirements for processing concave wafers.

[0056] Preferably, the tray 3 and the sub-tray 31 are both made of graphite material.

[0057] In some embodiments, Figure 5 As shown, the air intake device further includes a flow control component 6. It is used to control the air intake flow of the multiple air intake pipes 13, for example, a mass flow controller (MFC). Specifically, the flow control component is, for example, arranged at the air intake end of the uniform flow structure 1. Preferably, the flow control component 6 is used to control the periodic air intake of the uniform flow structure 1 during the rotation of the tray 3, for example, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 Furthermore, when the gas distribution structure 2 is located at the first position, the gas distribution structure 2 can also be made to periodically intake air.

[0058] For example, when the tray 3 rotates to a position where the multiple second areas B correspond to the central areas of the multiple sub-trays 31, the intake air flow rate can be controlled to increase to a peak value, so that the amount of process gas in the central area of ​​the sub-tray 31 is larger than the amount of process gas in the edge area; and in the period when the multiple second areas B do not correspond to the central areas of the multiple sub-trays 31, that is, when the tray 3 rotates again to the position where the next multiple second areas B correspond to the central areas of the multiple sub-trays 31, the intake air flow rate can be controlled to be reduced to the minimum value. During this period, the remaining process gas inside the semiconductor process chamber will tend to be uniform under the drive of the wafer and the tray 3, and then uniformly doped on the surface of the wafer. In this way, after the process is carried out for a certain period of time, a film with a thick middle and thin edges can be deposited on multiple wafers in multiple sub-trays.

[0059] For another example, when the tray 3 rotates to a position where the multiple second regions B correspond to the multiple gaps between the adjacent sub-trays 31, the intake air flow rate can be controlled to increase to a peak value, so that the amount of process gas in the edge region of the sub-tray 31 is larger than the amount of process gas in the center region; and in the period when the multiple second regions B do not correspond to the gaps between the adjacent sub-trays 31, that is, when the tray 3 rotates again to the position where the multiple second regions B correspond to the multiple gaps between the adjacent sub-trays 31, the intake air flow rate can be controlled to decrease to the minimum value. During this period, the remaining process gas inside the semiconductor process chamber will tend to be uniform under the drive of the wafer and the tray 3, and then uniformly doped on the wafer surface. In this way, after the process is carried out for a certain period of time, a thin film in the middle and thick at the edge can be deposited on multiple wafers in multiple sub-trays.

[0060] In addition, the change rule of the intake flow rate of the uniform flow structure 1 in this embodiment is not limited to the following Figure 8 The air intake flow rate curve shown can also be any curve such as a sine curve, a cosine curve, a quadratic function curve, a cubic function curve, an exponential function curve, etc., which can be tested and fitted according to parameters such as the number of sub-trays 31, the size of a single wafer, the process requirements, and the rotation speed of the tray 3. Figure 5 As shown, in some embodiments, a rotation monitor 7 is also provided inside the semiconductor process chamber, which is arranged on the rotation axis of the tray 3, and is used to monitor the rotation angle of the tray 3, and send the detection signal to the flow control component 5 in real time, so that the flow control component 5 can adjust the intake flow of the uniform flow structure 1 according to the rotation angle of the tray 3.

[0061] In some embodiments, Figure 3 As shown, the gas distribution structure 2 includes a plurality of second partition plates 22 stacked and spaced apart along the axis of the annular uniform flow chamber 12 and an annular gas distribution plate 23 arranged around the plurality of second partition plates 22. Specifically, as shown in FIG. Figure 3As shown, the annular gas distribution plate 23 is generally cylindrical. The outer peripheries of the plurality of second partition plates 22 are all connected to the annular gas distribution plate 23, and the inner peripheries of the plurality of second partition plates 22 can cooperate with the outer peripheral surface S1 of the corresponding annular flow-distributing cavity 12, so that when the gas distribution structure 2 reaches the first position, the second partition plates 22 can be sealed and connected with the outer peripheral surface S1 of the corresponding annular flow-distributing cavity 12, and the above-mentioned plurality of annular gas distribution cavities 21 are formed between any two adjacent partition plates, that is, the inner peripheral surface of the annular gas distribution plate 23, the upper surface and the lower surface of the plurality of second partition plates 22 form a plurality of annular gas distribution cavities 21. The second gas outlets 211 of the plurality of annular gas distribution cavities 21 are provided on the annular gas distribution plate 23, that is, the outer peripheral surface of the annular gas distribution plate 23 is used as the outer peripheral surface S2 of the gas distribution structure.

[0062] In some embodiments, Figure 6 As shown, the multiple air intake pipes 13 are all annular air intake pipes, and the multiple annular air intake pipes are sequentially sleeved along the radial direction of the annular flow-uniform cavity 12. The annular air intake pipes are located above the corresponding annular flow-uniform cavity 12, and the larger the diameter of the annular air intake pipe, the lower the annular flow-uniform cavity 12 it is connected to.

[0063] In some specific embodiments, Figure 6 As shown, the above-mentioned multiple air intake pipes 13 are composed of, for example, a cylindrical plate, multiple air distribution pipes and multiple partition plates 14. Among them, the multiple air distribution pipes and the multiple partition plates 14 are arranged one by one, and the partition plates 14 are arranged around the outer peripheral side of the corresponding air distribution pipes and connected to the ends thereof; the multiple air distribution pipes are nested in order from small to large in diameter, and the corresponding multiple air distribution plates are stacked in order from bottom to top; the adjacent air distribution pipes are arranged at intervals, and the adjacent air distribution plates are also arranged at intervals to form multiple air intake pipes that are not connected to each other, that is, the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the adjacent cylindrical plates, the upper and lower surfaces of the adjacent partition plates 14, and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical plates surround the multiple air intake pipes, and the multiple air intake pipes 13 are stacked in the vertical direction. The first air outlets 11 of the multiple air intake pipes 13 are opened on the cylindrical plate; the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical plate is used as the outer peripheral surface S1 of the annular uniform flow chamber 12. Specifically, the plurality of inlet pipes 13 that are not interconnected can be divided into two groups, so that the process gases required for the two processes can be introduced into the two groups of inlet pipes respectively to avoid the two process gases from entering the semiconductor process chamber before entering; Figure 1 Taking the uniform flow structure 1 as an example, it has five layers of air inlet pipes 13 stacked in the vertical direction, wherein the first, third and fifth layers of air inlet pipes 13 are used to introduce the first process gas, and the second and fourth layers of air inlet pipes 13 are used to introduce the second process gas.

[0064] Moreover, the intervals between adjacent second partition plates 22 are the same as the intervals between the partition plates 14 , so that when the gas distribution structure 2 moves to the first position, the plurality of annular gas distribution cavities 21 can be connected to the plurality of intake pipes 13 in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0065] Preferably, the spacings between the multiple adjacent air distribution pipes are the same, and the spacings between the multiple adjacent air distribution plates are the same, so that the widths of the multiple air inlet pipes 13 are consistent, thereby improving the air outlet uniformity of the uniform flow structure 1.

[0066] In some preferred embodiments, the flow control assembly controls the intake air flow of each intake pipe 13. Alternatively, the flow control assembly includes a plurality of mass flow controllers connected to the intake pipes in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0067] In some embodiments, Figure 1 As shown, the air intake device also includes a driving assembly 5 located above the multiple annular uniform flow chambers 12, and the driving assembly 5 includes a transmission member 51 and a driving source 52, wherein the transmission member 51 is connected and fixed to the end of the gas distribution structure 2 away from the semiconductor process chamber; the driving source 52 is used to drive the transmission member 51 to move along the axial direction of the uniform flow structure 1, thereby driving the gas distribution structure 2 to move between the first position and the second position.

[0068] In some embodiments, the driving source 52 includes a ring-shaped electromagnet; it is usually magnetic when powered on and loses its magnetism when powered off, such as a ring-shaped electromagnetic suction cup. The transmission member 51 is made of ferromagnetic material. The electromagnet is used to attract or repel the transmission member to drive the transmission member to move. In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the air intake device further comprises a mounting assembly 4. The outer periphery of the mounting assembly 4 is sealedly connected to a mounting hole provided at the top of the semiconductor process chamber. The mounting assembly 4 is provided with a mounting through hole.

[0069] The multiple air intake ducts 13 and the electromagnets in the uniform flow structure 1 are all arranged inside the mounting through hole. Figure 1 As shown, the gas distribution structure 2 is arranged in the cylindrical space 41 between the uniform flow structure 1 and the mounting through hole. The outer periphery of the transmission member 51 can cooperate with the inner circumference of the mounting through hole to prevent the cylindrical space 41 from being connected to the environment inside the semiconductor process chamber, reduce the risk of contamination of the semiconductor process chamber, and also avoid interfering with the gas flow distribution inside the semiconductor process chamber. The transmission member 51 is located below the electromagnet, and when the gas distribution structure 2 is in the second position, the transmission member and the gas distribution structure are both located inside the mounting through hole.

[0070] When the electromagnet is energized, it is used to attract the transmission member 51, thereby driving the transmission member 51 to drive the gas distribution structure 2 to rise to the second position; when the electromagnet is de-energized, it has no attraction for the transmission member 51, and the gas distribution structure 2 will automatically descend to the second position under the action of its own gravity.

[0071] Specifically, the annular electromagnetic suction cup can be arranged above the mounting hole, for example, can be buried inside the mounting assembly 4; the transmission member 51 is annular, connected to the top of the gas distribution structure 2, and located in the cylindrical space 41 between the uniform flow structure 1 and the mounting hole.

[0072] In some embodiments, the inner circumference of the mounting through hole and the outer circumference of the transmission member respectively have bosses 42 of matching shapes to limit the transmission member from moving downward until the gas distribution structure stops moving when it is located at the first position.

[0073] Further, in some specific embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the limiting boss 42 is arranged at the bottom end of the mounting through hole and protrudes outward from the inner circumference of the mounting through hole. The inner circumference of the limiting boss 42 cooperates with the gas distribution structure 2 so that the gas distribution structure 2 and the limiting boss 42 can slide relative to each other, and the cylindrical space 41 between the uniform flow structure 1 and the mounting through hole is sealed. Figure 7 As shown, the transmission member 51 has a limiting flange 53 protruding outward from its outer circumferential surface; when the gas distribution structure 2 moves to the first position, the lower surface of the limiting flange 53 can be abutted against the upper surface of the limiting flange 53, thereby limiting the position of the gas distribution structure 2 and preventing the gas distribution structure 2 from escaping from the mounting through hole.

[0074] In some embodiments, the transmission member 51 is connected to the gas distribution structure 2 by means of threads, snap-fitting, etc., so that the operator can manually replace the gas distribution structure 2 and ensure that the connection is firm and not easy to loosen.

[0075] In some preferred embodiments, when the gas distribution structure 2 moves to the first position, its end surface is flush with the bottom surface of the uniform flow structure 1; when the gas distribution structure 2 moves to the second position, its end surface is flush with the bottom surface of the mounting assembly 4. In this way, the bottom end surface of the entire gas inlet device and the bottom end surface of the mounting assembly 4 can be ensured to be flat, thereby avoiding affecting the uniformity of the flow field inside the semiconductor process chamber.

[0076] As another technical solution, this embodiment also provides a semiconductor device, which includes a semiconductor process chamber and a gas inlet device as described above, wherein the gas inlet device is arranged in the semiconductor process chamber and is used to transport process gas into the process chamber. The semiconductor process chamber is, for example, a CVD chamber or an MOCVD chamber.

[0077] As described above, the air intake device and semiconductor equipment provided in this embodiment can switch between uniform air intake mode and non-uniform air intake mode by adjusting the position of the non-uniform gas distribution structure during the process, thereby meeting different air intake requirements of different processes.

[0078] It is to be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For those of ordinary skill in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An air intake device, used in a semiconductor process chamber; characterized in that: It includes a uniform flow structure and a gas distribution structure; wherein, The uniform flow structure comprises a plurality of coaxially arranged annular uniform flow cavities and a plurality of air inlet pipes correspondingly connected to each of the annular uniform flow cavities; the plurality of annular uniform flow cavities are stacked along the axis of the annular uniform flow cavities, and each of the annular uniform flow cavities has a plurality of uniformly distributed first air outlet holes on the outer ring side surface in the radial direction; The gas distribution structure comprises a plurality of annular gas distribution cavities coaxially arranged with the annular uniform flow cavity, and the plurality of annular gas distribution cavities are stacked along the axis of the annular uniform flow cavity; the plurality of annular gas distribution cavities correspond to the plurality of annular uniform flow cavities one by one; the gas distribution structure comprises a plurality of second gas outlet holes respectively connected with each of the annular gas distribution cavities, and the plurality of second gas outlet holes are non-uniformly distributed on the outer peripheral surface of the corresponding annular gas distribution cavity; the gas inlet end of each of the annular gas distribution cavities is located on its inner peripheral surface; The gas distribution structure can move between a first position and a second position along the axis of the annular uniform flow cavity; When the gas distribution structure is located at the first position, the gas distribution structure is arranged around the outer periphery of the uniform flow structure, and the gas inlet end of each of the annular gas distribution cavities is sealed and connected with the first gas outlet hole of the corresponding annular uniform flow cavity; when the gas distribution structure is located at the second position, the gas distribution structure is staggered with the outer peripheral surface of the uniform flow structure so that the first gas outlet hole of each of the annular uniform flow cavity is exposed in the semiconductor process chamber.

2. The air intake device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer peripheral surface of each of the annular gas distribution chambers is divided into a plurality of first areas and a plurality of second areas which are alternately arranged along the annular direction; The proportion of the total outlet area of ​​all the second outlet holes in the first region to the area of ​​the first region is smaller than the proportion of the total outlet area of ​​all the second outlet holes in the second region to the area of ​​the second region.

3. The air intake device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The aperture of the second air outlet holes in the second region is larger than the aperture of the second air outlet holes in the first region, and / or the distribution density of the second air outlet holes in the second region is larger than the distribution density of the second air outlet holes in the first region.

4. The air intake device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A tray is arranged in the process chamber, and the air inlet device is arranged coaxially with the tray; a plurality of sub-trays for carrying wafers are arranged on the tray, and the plurality of sub-trays are distributed around the central axis of the tray; The number of the second areas is the same as the number of the sub-trays, and a plurality of the second areas can be arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of the sub-tray positions.

5. The air intake device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The total area of ​​all the second regions accounts for less than 10% of the total area of ​​the outer circumference of the annular valve distribution chamber.

6. The air intake device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas distribution structure comprises: a plurality of annular second partition plates stacked and spaced apart along the axis of the annular uniform flow cavity and an annular gas distribution plate arranged around the plurality of the second partition plates; The outer peripheries of the plurality of second partition plates are all sealedly connected to the annular air distribution plate, and the inner peripheries of the plurality of second partition plates are all capable of cooperating with the outer peripheral surface of the uniform flow structure to form the annular air distribution cavity between any two adjacent partition plates; A plurality of the second air outlet holes are arranged on the annular air distribution plate.

7. The air intake device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multiple air intake pipes are all annular air intake pipes, and the multiple annular air intake pipes are sequentially sleeved along the radial direction of the annular uniform flow cavity; The annular air inlet pipe is located above the corresponding annular flow-uniform cavity. The larger the diameter of the annular air inlet pipe is, the lower the annular flow-uniform cavity it is connected to is.

8. The air intake device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also included is a driving assembly located above the plurality of annular flow-uniform chambers, the driving assembly including a transmission member and a driving source; The transmission member is fixed to the gas distribution structure; The driving source is used to drive the transmission member to move along the axis direction of the flow-uniform structure.

9. The air intake device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The driving source comprises an annular electromagnet; the transmission member is made of ferromagnetic material; The electromagnet is used to attract or repel the transmission member to drive the transmission member to move.

10. The air intake device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The air intake device further comprises a mounting assembly; the outer periphery of the mounting assembly is sealedly connected to the mounting hole at the top of the process chamber; A mounting through hole is provided in the mounting assembly; the plurality of air intake pipes and the electromagnet are both arranged inside the mounting through hole; The transmission member is located below the electromagnet, and when the gas distribution structure is located at the second position, the transmission member and the gas distribution structure are both located inside the mounting through hole.

11. The air intake device according to claim 10, characterized in that: The inner circumferential surface of the mounting through hole and the outer circumferential surface of the transmission member are respectively provided with limiting bosses of matching shapes to limit the transmission member from moving downward until the gas distribution structure stops moving when the gas distribution structure is located at the first position.

12. The air intake device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air intake device further comprises a flow control component; the flow control component is used to control the air intake flow of the plurality of air intake pipes.

13. A semiconductor device, characterized in that: It comprises a semiconductor process chamber and a gas intake device as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the gas intake device is arranged in the semiconductor process chamber and is used to transport process gas into the process chamber.

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