Corrugated pipe assembly and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a corrugated pipe assembly and semiconductor process equipment, the corrugated pipe assembly is suitable for the semiconductor process equipment comprising a chamber main body and a lifting mechanism, the corrugated pipe assembly comprises a corrugated pipe body and a purging assembly, the corrugated pipe body comprises a first connecting end and a second connecting end, the first connecting end is in sealing connection with the chamber main body, and the second connecting end is in sealing connection with the chamber main body; the second connecting end is connected to a lifting table of the lifting mechanism in a sealed mode so that the corrugated pipe body can be driven by the lifting mechanism to stretch out and draw back. The purging assembly is communicated with the inner cavity of the corrugated pipe body so as to blow air into the inner cavity of the corrugated pipe body and is used for preventing process particles in the reaction cavity from entering the inner cavity of the corrugated pipe body; therefore, the bottom of the base and the inner wall of the corrugated pipe body do not generate residue and accumulation of process byproducts, so that the process chamber does not need to be cleaned after the base is lifted, and the production efficiency of semiconductor process equipment can be effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, and in particular to a bellows assembly and semiconductor process equipment. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of semiconductor technology, the requirements for thin film deposition are getting higher and higher, especially the precise control of film thickness and the uniformity of thin films are becoming more and more stringent. Compared with traditional physical vapor deposition such as physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD), the advantages of atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology are more prominent, which can accurately control the film thickness, uniformity and consistency, and has low impurity content.

[0003] In related ALD process equipment, a bellows assembly is arranged between the lifting mechanism and the chamber body so that the base in the chamber body can be connected to the lifting mechanism by transmission and at the same time ensure the airtightness of the reaction place. However, during the atomic layer deposition process, particles that affect the quality of thin film generation will be generated. Since there is a gap between the inner wall of the bellows assembly and the base, the particles will remain and accumulate in this gap, so that the entire process chamber needs to be cleaned, affecting the overall production capacity of the ALD process equipment. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the present application provides a bellows assembly, which can prevent process particles in the reaction chamber from entering the inner cavity of the bellows body, thereby saving cleaning time and improving production efficiency. In addition, the present application also provides a semiconductor process equipment including the bellows assembly.

[0005] In order to achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solutions:

[0006] A bellows assembly is suitable for semiconductor process equipment including a chamber body and a lifting mechanism, the bellows assembly comprising:

[0007] The bellows body comprises a first connection end and a second connection end, wherein the first connection end is sealedly connected to the chamber body, and the second connection end is sealedly connected to the lifting platform of the lifting mechanism, so that the bellows body can be extended and retracted under the drive of the lifting mechanism;

[0008] A purge assembly is communicated with the inner cavity of the bellows body to blow air into the inner cavity of the bellows body, so as to prevent process particles in the inner cavity of the chamber body from entering the inner cavity of the bellows body.

[0009] Optionally, the first connecting end and the chamber body are connected via an upper flange, and the upper flange and the chamber body are sealed via an upper sealing ring, and an air guide channel of the purge assembly is provided on the upper flange, and the purge gas can cool the upper sealing ring when flowing through the air guide channel.

[0010] Optionally, the first connecting end and the chamber body are connected via an upper flange, the bellows body comprises a first pipe segment and a second pipe segment distributed axially, and the first pipe segment and the second pipe segment are connected via a middle flange;

[0011] Furthermore, it also includes a guide structure connecting the upper flange and the middle flange, so that the middle flange can move along the axial direction of the bellows body.

[0012] Optionally, the guide structure includes a guide sleeve disposed on one of the upper flange and the middle flange, and a guide rod disposed on the other, the guide sleeve and the guide rod are both located outside the inner cavities of the upper flange and the middle flange, and are both disposed along the axial direction of the bellows body;

[0013] Wherein, the guide rod extends into the guide sleeve and is slidably matched with the guide sleeve.

[0014] Optionally, the guide rod is a telescopic rod whose length can be changed;

[0015] and / or,

[0016] The guide rod is arranged on the middle flange and can move axially relative to the middle flange.

[0017] Optionally, the second connecting end and the lifting platform are connected via a lower flange, and the guide structure comprises a guide rod extending axially from between the upper flange and the middle flange to between the middle flange and the lower flange, and the guide rod can abut against the lower flange and can change its length.

[0018] Optionally, the second connection end is connected to the lifting platform via a lower flange, and at least one of the upper flange, the middle flange and the lower flange is provided with an air guide channel, and the air guide channel comprises:

[0019] A main air channel, one end of which extends to the outside of the bellows body to connect to the air source of the purge assembly;

[0020] an annular air passage, arranged around the axis of the bellows body and connected to the other end of the main air passage;

[0021] The bronchus has one end connected to the annular airway and the other end connected to the inner cavity of the bellows body, and a plurality of bronchus are distributed in the circumferential direction of the annular airway.

[0022] Optionally, the air guide channel arranged on the upper flange and / or arranged on the middle flange is a radial air guide channel;

[0023] In a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the bellows body, the inner wall of the bellows body forms a circumference, and one end of the tributary of the radial air-guiding channel connected to the inner cavity of the bellows body extends along a straight line in the plane, and the straight line is a tangent to the circumference.

[0024] Optionally, the air guide channel provided on the lower flange is an axial air guide channel;

[0025] One end of the lateral airway of the axial air guide channel communicating with the inner cavity of the bellows body extends in the axial direction of the bellows body so that the flow direction of the purge airflow flowing out of the axial air guide channel is in the axial direction of the bellows body.

[0026] Optionally, a liquid cooling channel is provided on the lower flange for cooling a lower sealing ring provided on the lower flange.

[0027] Optionally, the purge assembly includes a flow control module for controlling the flow of the purge gas.

[0028] A semiconductor process equipment, comprising:

[0029] Chamber body;

[0030] The lifting mechanism comprises a driving system and a lifting platform, wherein the driving system is drivingly connected to the lifting platform;

[0031] A bellows assembly, which is the bellows assembly mentioned above;

[0032] The base includes a bearing part and a supporting part. The bearing part is located in the inner cavity of the chamber body and has a bearing surface for bearing the substrate. In the axial direction of the bellows body, the bearing surface is the upper surface of the bearing part. In the axial direction of the bellows body, one end of the supporting part is connected to the bearing part, and the other end passes through the chamber body and extends to the inner cavity of the bellows body.

[0033] The bellows assembly provided in the present application includes a purge assembly. During the process, the purge assembly continuously introduces purge gas into the inner cavity of the bellows body, thereby forming an airflow from the inner cavity of the bellows body to the inner cavity of the chamber body between the inner cavity of the bellows body and the inner cavity of the chamber body. In this way, when process by-products enter the connecting area between the inner cavity of the bellows body and the inner cavity of the chamber body under the action of gravity and other factors, the above-mentioned airflow will drive the process by-products to move to other areas of the inner cavity of the chamber body, thereby preventing process particles in the inner cavity of the chamber body from entering the inner cavity of the bellows body. In this way, the bottom of the base and the inner wall of the bellows body will not produce residual and accumulation of process by-products, so that during the process of raising and lowering the base, no process by-products or process particles will enter the inner cavity of the chamber body from the inner cavity of the bellows body, and there is no need to clean the process chamber, which can effectively improve the production efficiency of semiconductor process equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application 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 embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying any creative work.

[0035] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a part of the structure of a semiconductor process equipment in the related art;

[0036] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of a bellows assembly in the related art;

[0037] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a part of the structure of a semiconductor process equipment provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a bellows assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the upper flange;

[0040] Figure 6 for Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of the upper flange along the AA direction;

[0041] Figure 7 for Figure 4 The cross-sectional view of the middle flange along the BB direction;

[0042] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a lower flange provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Fig. 9 for Figure 8 A cross-sectional view of the lower flange along the CC direction;

[0044] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of a combined airflow field formed in the inner cavity of a bellows provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of the structure of a guide rod provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Fig.12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the bellows assembly in the first state;

[0047] Fig.13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the bellows assembly in the second state;

[0048] Fig.14 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the bellows assembly in the third state.

[0049] exist Figure 1-Figure 2 middle:

[0050] 01-chamber body, 02-lifting mechanism, 03-base, 04-substrate, 05-bellows assembly, 06-upper sealing ring, 07-lower sealing ring, 08-upper limit block, 09-lower limit block.

[0051] exist Figure 3-Figure 14 middle:

[0052] 1-chamber body, 2-lifting mechanism, 3-base, 4-substrate, 5-bellows assembly, 6-lifting platform, 7-upper flange, 8-middle flange, 9-lower flange, 10-guide sleeve, 11-guide rod, 12-ferrule joint, 13-transfer tube, 14-throttle valve, 15-upper main airway, 16-upper annular airway, 17-upper branch airway, 18-guide hole, 19-middle main airway, 20-middle annular airway, 21-middle branch airway, 22-lower main airway, 23-lower branch airway, 24-liquid outlet pipe, 25-liquid inlet pipe, 26-liquid cooling channel, 27-upper locking nut, 28-lower locking nut, 29-upper sealing ring, 30-lower sealing ring, 31-sealing groove, 32-lower annular airway;

[0053] 301 - supporting part, 302 - bearing part, 501 - first pipe section, 502 - second pipe section, 1101 - first rod, 1102 - second rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0055] Atomic layer deposition technology is widely used in scenarios with smaller processes due to its advantages such as precise control of film thickness, high uniformity and consistency, and low impurity content. The smaller the process, the more attention will be paid to the number and size of particles. The performance of particles will ultimately affect the power consumption, performance, reliability and yield rate of semiconductor devices, and for end customers, it will affect the cost. Based on this, in some related technologies, the requirements for particle size have reached tens of nanometers or even a few nanometers, and the number of particles is required to be controlled at a dozen or even a few.

[0056] The particles mentioned above are mainly divided into two categories according to their sources: mechanical particles and process particles. Mechanical particles are particles generated by the valves (e.g. pneumatic valves, butterfly valves, angle valves, gate valves, etc.) and workpieces in the equipment during the entire process (process and non-process) due to collisions, corrosion, etc. Process particles are particles generated by the reaction precursors that cannot be completely purged due to reasons such as short gas purge time or insufficient flow rate during the process, resulting in the reaction precursors remaining in the reaction chamber or pipeline, and then reacting abnormally with another reaction precursor, and the by-products formed into particles.

[0057] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the semiconductor process equipment in the related art includes a chamber body 01, a base 03, a bellows assembly 05, a lifting mechanism 02, a sealing ring and a substrate 04. Among them, the chamber body 01 mainly provides a vacuum place required for the reaction, the sealing ring includes an upper sealing ring 06 and a lower sealing ring 07, one end of the bellows assembly 05 is connected to the chamber body 01 through the upper sealing ring 06, and the other end is connected to the lifting platform of the lifting mechanism 02, the base 03 includes a bearing part and a supporting part, wherein the bearing part is located in the inner cavity of the chamber body 01, used to bear the substrate 04, and can provide the reaction temperature required for the substrate 04 to deposit a thin film, one end of the supporting part is connected to the bearing part, and the other end extends to the inner cavity of the bellows assembly 05 and is connected to the lifting platform, and the end of the bellows assembly 05 close to the lifting platform seals the connection between the supporting part and the lifting platform, so that the vacuum environment required for the reaction is formed in the inner cavity of the chamber body 01 and the inner cavity of the bellows assembly 05. In addition, as Figure 1As shown, the lifting mechanism 02 includes an upper limit block 08 and a lower limit block 09. In different ALD thin film process processes, or different film thickness process processes of the same ALD thin film process, the driving structure of the lifting mechanism 02 drives the lifting platform to move between the upper limit block 08 and the lower limit block 09, thereby driving the bearing part of the base 03 to move to the position required by the process.

[0058] There is a gap between the inner wall of the bellows assembly 05 and the base 03 of the semiconductor process equipment in the above-mentioned related technology. In the ALD process engineering, process by-products will enter the above-mentioned gap during the reaction process and adhere to the bottom of the base 03 and the inner surface of the bellows assembly 05. With the accumulation of process time and the lifting and lowering of the base 03, the by-products remaining on the bottom of the base 03 and the bellows assembly 05 will fall off, thereby generating a large number of process particles that affect the quality of film generation. Based on this, in order to control the number of particles, the entire process chamber needs to be cleaned, which affects the production efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment. In addition, since the positions of the upper limit block 08 and the lower limit block 09 are fixed, the semiconductor process equipment in the above-mentioned related technology can only meet the process position requirements of a single position.

[0059] In view of the problem of low production efficiency caused by process by-products entering the inner cavity of the bellows assembly 05 in the above-mentioned related technologies, as Figure 3-Figure 14 As shown, the embodiment of the present application provides a novel bellows assembly 5, which is applied to a semiconductor process equipment suitable for performing an ALD process. The bellows assembly 5 includes a bellows body and a purge assembly, wherein:

[0060] The bellows body is a tube body connected by foldable corrugated sheets along the folding and retracting direction, and includes a first connecting end and a second connecting end, and the first connecting end and the second connecting end are respectively two ends of the bellows body in the axial direction (the axial direction in the embodiment of the present application refers to the extension direction of the axis of the bellows). Among them, the first connecting end is sealed and connected to the chamber body 1. During implementation, the first connecting end and the chamber body 1 can be sealed and connected by welding, or by a connecting piece. In addition, the part of the chamber body 1 where this sealed connection is formed is the part of the chamber body 1 that surrounds the bottom opening, that is, the first connecting end of the bellows body is connected to the edge of the bottom opening of the chamber body 1, so that the inner cavity of the bellows body is connected to the inner cavity of the chamber body 1; the second connecting end is sealed and connected to the lifting platform 6 of the lifting mechanism 2, so that the bellows body can be retracted and retracted under the drive of the lifting mechanism 2; similarly, the second connecting end and the lifting platform 6 can be sealed and connected by welding, or by a connecting piece.

[0061] The purge assembly is a assembly capable of introducing purge gas into the inner cavity of the bellows body. It is connected with the inner cavity of the bellows body to blow air into the inner cavity of the bellows body to prevent process particles in the inner cavity of the chamber body 1 from entering the inner cavity of the bellows body.

[0062] Since the bellows assembly 5 is provided with a purge assembly, during the process, the purge assembly continuously introduces purge gas into the inner cavity of the bellows body, thereby forming an airflow from the inner cavity of the bellows body to the inner cavity of the chamber body 1 between the inner cavity of the bellows body and the inner cavity of the chamber body 1. In this way, when process by-products enter the connecting area between the inner cavity of the bellows body and the inner cavity of the chamber body 1 under the action of gravity and other factors, the above-mentioned airflow will drive the process by-products to move to other areas of the inner cavity of the chamber body 1, thereby preventing process particles in the inner cavity of the chamber body 1 from entering the inner cavity of the bellows body. In this way, no process by-products will remain on the bottom of the base 3 and the inner wall of the bellows body. Therefore, during the process of raising and lowering the base 3, no process by-products or process particles will enter the inner cavity of the chamber body 1 from the inner cavity of the bellows body, and there is no need to clean the process chamber, which can effectively improve the production efficiency of semiconductor process equipment.

[0063] In an optional embodiment, the first connection end and the chamber body 1 are connected through the upper flange 7, that is, the upper flange 7 is used as a transition connector, and the first connection end of the bellows body and the chamber body 1 are respectively connected to different parts of the upper flange 7 to achieve a sealed connection between the first connection end and the chamber body 1. During assembly, the first connection end of the bellows body can be welded and fixed to the portion of the upper flange 7 used to connect the bellows body, and the portion used to connect the bellows body can be the portion surrounding the central through hole in the bottom end face of the upper flange 7. In this case, the first connection end of the bellows is welded and fixed to the bottom edge of the central through hole of the upper flange 7; or the portion used to connect the bellows body can also be the portion of the inner wall of the upper flange 7 forming the central through hole. In this case, the first connection end of the bellows is welded and fixed to the inner wall of the central through hole of the upper flange 7. Of course, in specific implementation, according to the different shapes of the upper flange 7, the position in the upper flange 7 for connecting the bellows body can also be adaptively adjusted. For example, when the upper flange 7 has a protrusion surrounding the central through hole and facing the bellows body at one end close to the bellows body, the position in the upper flange 7 for connecting the bellows body can also be the outer circumference of the protrusion. The upper flange 7 and the chamber body 1 are preferably threadedly connected, and the sealing of the connection position is ensured by setting an upper sealing ring 29 (such as a rubber sealing ring or a polytetrafluoroethylene sealing ring, etc.). With such a setting, when maintaining the equipment in the later stage, the bellows assembly 5 and the chamber body 1 can be separated by loosening the threaded connection between the upper flange 7 and the chamber body 1, making the disassembly and assembly between the bellows assembly 5 and the chamber body 1 more convenient. The upper flange 7 and the chamber body 1 can be connected specifically by bolts. When implemented, multiple (for example, 3, 6 or 8, etc.) axial through holes are opened on the upper flange 7, and the multiple axial through holes are evenly arranged around the central through hole of the upper flange 7 and have the same size; the part of the chamber body 1 connected to the first connecting end (that is, the part of the chamber body 1 that surrounds the bottom opening) is correspondingly opened with multiple countersunk holes, and the countersunk holes have internal threads. When assembling, the bolts are passed through the axial through holes of the upper flange 7 and then tightened in the countersunk holes of the chamber body 1. In addition, when implemented specifically, the threaded connection between the upper flange 7 and the chamber body 1 can also be achieved by a threaded structure integrally formed on the upper flange 7. Of course, without considering the convenience of disassembly and assembly, the upper flange 7 and the chamber body 1 can also be fixed by welding.

[0064] Furthermore, on the basis of an upper sealing ring 29 being arranged between the upper flange 7 and the chamber body 1, as Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, the upper flange 7 is provided with an air guide channel of the purge assembly (in an optional embodiment, the air guide channel can be provided on the upper flange 7 and at least one of the middle flange 8 and the lower flange 9 described later, but it is preferred that the air guide channels are provided on the upper flange 7, the middle flange 8 and the lower flange 9. To facilitate the distinction between the air guide channels provided on the middle flange 8 and the lower flange 9, the air guide channel provided on the upper flange 7 will be referred to as the upper channel below). The purge gas can cool the upper sealing ring 29 in the process of flowing through the upper channel, which is beneficial to increase the service life of the upper sealing ring 29 and thereby reduce the operation and maintenance costs. Figure 5 As shown, in a specific implementation, a sealing groove 31 surrounding the central through hole of the upper flange 7 can be provided at one end of the upper flange 7 connected to the chamber body 1, and the upper sealing ring 29 is provided inside the sealing groove 31. On the one hand, the position of the upper sealing ring 29 can be limited to improve the assembly accuracy and the sealing effect; on the other hand, the bottom wall and the side wall of the sealing groove 31 can be used as the surface in the upper flange 7 for conducting the heat of the upper sealing ring 29, thereby facilitating the improvement of the cooling efficiency and the cooling effect of the upper sealing ring 29. In addition, regarding the upper channel, it can be a through hole or a groove opened on the upper flange 7, and the through hole or the groove is arranged close to the upper channel. When the purge gas with a lower temperature flows through the through hole or the groove, the portion of the upper flange 7 where the through hole or the groove is formed will be cooled, thereby forming a temperature difference between the upper sealing ring 29 and the cooled portion, so that the heat in the upper sealing ring 29 is transferred to the cooled portion, thereby realizing the cooling of the upper sealing ring 29. Regarding the position of the upper channel relative to the upper sealing ring 29, in specific implementation, an adaptive design can be performed as needed. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this. It can be understood that the closer the distance between the upper channel and the upper sealing ring 29 is, the more conducive it is for the purge gas flowing through the upper channel to take away the heat from the upper sealing ring 29.

[0065] It should be understood that the above-mentioned arrangement of the upper channel on the upper flange 7 is only an exemplary implementation of the upper channel, but the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the upper channel can also be formed by a pipe fixed to the surface of the upper flange 7 .

[0066] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the upper passage includes an upper main airway 15, an upper annular airway 16 and an upper bronchial airway 17, wherein:

[0067] One end of the upper main air passage 15 extends to the outside of the bellows body, and is used to connect to the gas source of the purge assembly. That is, the upper main air passage 15 includes a connection portion protruding outside the circumference of the bellows body, and the connection portion is used to connect to the gas source of the purge assembly. In specific implementation, the structure forming the above connection portion can be a protruding portion of the upper flange 7, that is, the circumferential side of the upper flange 7 has a protruding portion extending in a direction away from its axis, and a hole is opened on the protruding portion to form the connection portion of the upper main air passage 15; in addition, the structure forming the above connection portion can also be a tubular structure fixed to the upper flange 7.

[0068] The upper annular air duct 16 is opened in the upper flange 7 and is arranged around the axis of the bellows body. It can specifically be an annular hole opened in the upper flange 7, and the annular hole is arranged around the axis of the bellows body. The shape of the annular hole can be rectangular, irregular or circular, preferably circular; in addition, the upper annular air duct 16 is connected to the other end of the upper main air duct 15, so that during the process, the purge gas flowing out from the gas source can flow into the upper annular air duct 16 after passing through the upper main air duct 15, and realize uniform distribution on the circumference of the bellows body by flowing in the upper annular air duct 16.

[0069] One end of the upper air duct 17 is connected to the upper annular air duct 16, and the other end is connected to the inner cavity of the bellows body. Similarly, the upper air duct 17 can also be a hole-like structure on the upper flange 7, one end of which is connected to the upper annular air duct 16, and the other end is formed on the inner wall of the bellows body; further, there are multiple upper air ducts 17 distributed in the circumferential direction of the upper annular air duct 16 (for example, 6, 8, etc., the present application does not limit the flow area and the number of upper air ducts 17, as long as it can meet specific process requirements). In this way, during the process, the purge airflow in the annular air duct can flow into the inner cavity of the bellows body through the upper air duct 17. At the same time, since there are multiple upper air ducts 17 and they are distributed in the circumferential direction of the upper annular air duct 16, multiple circumferentially distributed air outlets can be formed on the inner wall of the bellows body, and then in the radial cross section of the inner cavity of the bellows body, the distribution of the purge airflow is more uniform, which is conducive to improving the purge effect.

[0070] On the basis of the above structure of the upper channel, in a preferred embodiment, the upper main airway 15 is configured as a linear airway, so that the resistance of the purge airflow through the upper main airway 15 can be reduced, thereby reducing energy loss; in addition, the extension direction of the upper main airway 15 is the direction close to or away from the axis of the bellows body, and the upper annular airway 16 is configured as a circular ring, the arrangement plane of the upper annular airway 16 is perpendicular to the axis of the bellows body, and the center of the circle surrounded by the upper annular airway 16 falls on the axis of the bellows body, so that the purge air in the upper main airway 15 When the airflow enters the upper annular airway 16, it can flow evenly to the two sides of the upper annular airway 16 connected to the upper main airway 15; further, the upper branch airway 17 is also a linear airway to reduce the resistance of the purge airflow flowing through the upper main airway 15. At the same time, multiple upper branch airways 17 are evenly distributed in the circumference of the upper annular airway 16, and the position where any upper branch airway 17 connects to the upper annular airway 16 is staggered from the position where the upper main airway 15 connects to the upper annular airway 16, so as to improve the uniformity of the purge airflow entering the multiple upper branch airways 17, thereby helping to improve the purge effect. Furthermore, the flow area of ​​the upper branch airway 17 can be set to be smaller than the flow area of ​​the upper annular airway 16, so as to improve the uniformity of the purge airflow entering the multiple upper branch airways 17.

[0071] Furthermore, the air guide channel (i.e., the upper channel) provided on the upper flange 7 is a radial air guide channel, that is, the flow direction of the airflow flowing from the upper channel into the interior of the bellows body is perpendicular to the axial direction of the bellows body; specifically, in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the bellows body, the inner wall of the bellows body forms a circumference, and one end of the upper branch airway 17 connected to the inner cavity of the bellows body extends in a straight line in the plane, and the straight line is a tangent to the circumference, that is, the upper branch airway 17 in this embodiment extends in a horizontal direction (the horizontal direction here refers to the direction parallel to the radial cross section of the bellows body) , and the extension direction of the part of the upper branch airway 17 near the outlet end is the tangent direction of the above-mentioned circle, so that the purge gas flows out from the upper branch airway 17 along the tangent direction of the above-mentioned circle, and then the purge gas flow enters the inner cavity of the bellows body, and can form a circumferential airflow field, and form a gaseous "isolation wall" in a plane perpendicular to the circumference of the bellows body, which is used to prevent the process by-products in the inner cavity of the chamber body 1 from entering the inner cavity of the bellows body, so that the process by-products can be extracted by the exhaust system of the semiconductor process equipment, thereby reducing the risk of particle generation. In addition, in the above-mentioned setting, the purge gas flow flows out from the upper branch airway 17 and hits the inner wall of the upper flange 7, which is more conducive to reducing the temperature of the upper flange 7 and the upper sealing ring 29.

[0072] It should be understood that the above is only an exemplary arrangement of the upper channel, but the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the upper annular air channel 16 can also be replaced with an upper arc-shaped air channel arranged around the axial direction of the bellows body, and according to the number of upper arc-shaped air channels, the upper main air channels 15 provided in the corresponding number are respectively connected with different upper arc-shaped air channels. In addition, without considering the effect of blocking the process reverse products, the flow direction of the purge gas flowing out of the upper branch air channel 17 can also be inclined upward, that is, the extension direction of the part of the upper branch air channel 17 close to the gas outlet can also be set to be inclined upward.

[0073] In an alternative embodiment, if Fig.10 As shown, the bellows body includes a first pipe segment 501 and a second pipe segment 502 distributed axially, and the first pipe segment 501 and the second pipe segment 502 are connected through the middle flange 8, that is, the middle flange 8 is used as a transition connector, and the first pipe segment 501 of the bellows and the second pipe segment 502 of the bellows are respectively connected to different parts of the middle flange 8 to achieve the connection between the first pipe segment 501 and the second pipe segment 502. During assembly, the first pipe segment 501 can be welded and fixed to the part of the middle flange 8 used to connect the first pipe segment 501, and similarly, the second pipe segment 502 can also be welded and fixed to the part of the middle flange 8 used to connect the second pipe segment 502. For details, please refer to the welding connection between the first connecting end of the bellows and the upper flange 7, and the embodiments of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0074] Furthermore, it also includes a guiding structure (a sleeve guiding structure or a structure composed of a slider and a slide rail, etc.) connecting the upper flange 7 and the middle flange 8 to enable the middle flange 8 to move axially along the bellows body; that is, the bellows assembly 5 also includes a guiding structure that can limit the moving direction of the middle flange 8 relative to the upper flange 7. During the expansion and contraction process of the bellows body, the above-mentioned guiding structure is used to guide the movement of the middle flange 8 relative to the upper flange 7, which can effectively resist the influence of the vacuum force on the bellows structure during movement, improve the strength of the entire bellows structure in a vacuum state, and thus help to improve the stability of semiconductor process equipment.

[0075] It should be understood that the above text only provides an exemplary description of the structure of the bellows body by taking the bellows body including the first pipe segment 501 and the second pipe segment 502 as an example, but the present application is not limited to this. In a specific implementation, the bellows body may also include a third pipe segment and a fourth pipe segment, etc., and adjacent pipe segments are connected by a middle flange 8.

[0076] In an optional embodiment, the second connection end and the lifting platform 6 are connected through the lower flange 9, that is, the lower flange 9 is used as a transition connection piece, and the second connection end of the bellows body and the lifting platform 6 are respectively connected to different parts of the lower flange 9 to achieve a sealed connection between the second connection end and the lifting platform 6. During assembly, the second connection end of the bellows body can be welded and fixed to the part of the lower flange 9 used to connect the bellows body. For details, please refer to the welding connection between the first connection end of the bellows and the upper flange 7, and the embodiments of this application will not be repeated here. Similarly, the connection method between the lower flange 9 and the lifting platform 6 can refer to the connection method between the upper flange 7 and the chamber body 1, and the embodiments of this application will not be repeated here.

[0077] Further, on the basis of setting the guiding structure, such as Figure 4 , Fig.10 , Fig.11 , Fig.12 , Fig.13 as well as Fig.14 As shown, the guide structure includes a guide rod 11 extending axially from between the upper flange 7 and the middle flange 8 to between the middle flange 8 and the lower flange 9, that is, the guide structure includes the guide rod 11, and one end of the guide rod 11 in the axial direction (hereinafter referred to as the first abutting end for the convenience of description) is located between the upper flange 7 and the middle flange 8, and the other end (hereinafter referred to as the second abutting end for the convenience of description) is located between the middle flange 8 and the lower flange 9; in addition, the guide rod 11 can abut against the lower flange 9 and can change its length, that is, the second abutting end of the guide rod 11 can abut on the lower flange 9, and the length of the guide rod 11 can be adjusted. It can be understood that in the semiconductor process equipment, the expansion and contraction amount of the bellows assembly 5 is equal to the displacement amount of the base 3 (the base 3 here is a structure in the semiconductor process equipment that provides the reaction temperature required for the substrate 4 to deposit a thin film and carries the substrate 4. The above-mentioned substrate 4 refers to the basic material used to deposit a thin film in the ALD process, and its surface directly participates in the chemical reaction with the precursor, thereby growing the required thin film layer by layer). That is to say, by adjusting the expansion and contraction amount of the bellows assembly 5, the purpose of adjusting the process position of the base 3 can be achieved simultaneously; in this embodiment, the guide rod 11 of the guide structure is located between the upper flange 7 and the lower flange 9, and when the bellows assembly 5 is in an extreme compression state, the first abutting portion of the guide rod 11 abuts against the upper flange 7, and the second abutting portion of the guide rod 11 abuts against the lower flange 9. In this way, by adjusting the length of the guide rod 11, the expansion and contraction amount of the bellows assembly 5 in the extreme compression state can be adjusted, and then the process position of the base 3 can be adjusted, so that the semiconductor process equipment using the bellows assembly 5 of this embodiment can meet the process requirements of different positions.

[0078] In an optional embodiment, the guide structure includes a guide sleeve 10 arranged on one of the upper flange 7 and the middle flange 8. The guide sleeve 10 is a structure formed on the upper flange 7 or the middle flange 8 and has an axially extending guide hole, or the guide sleeve 10 can also be a structure fixedly connected to the upper flange 7 or the middle flange 8 and has an axially extending guide hole; in addition, the guide structure also includes a guide rod 11 arranged on the other of the upper flange 7 and the middle flange 8, which is more conducive to improving the assembly efficiency and assembly accuracy of the guide rod 11. The guide sleeve 10 and the guide rod 11 are both located outside the inner cavity of the upper flange 7 and the middle flange 8, and are both arranged along the axial direction of the bellows body. During the process, the guide rod 11 extends into the guide sleeve 10, specifically into the guide hole of the guide sleeve 10, and slides with the guide sleeve 10. In this way, during the expansion and contraction process of the bellows body, the above-mentioned guide structure can guide the movement of the middle flange 8 relative to the upper flange 7, which can effectively resist the influence of the vacuum force on the bellows structure during the movement, improve the strength of the entire bellows structure in a vacuum state, and thus help to improve the stability of semiconductor process equipment.

[0079] It should be understood that the guide sleeve 10 and the guide rod 11 mentioned above are only an exemplary implementation of the guide structure, but the present application is not limited to this. For example, the guide structure may also be a slide rail and a slider respectively arranged on the upper flange 7 and the middle flange 8, wherein the extension direction of the slide rail is the axial direction of the bellows body, and the slide rail and the slider are slidably matched, so that the purpose of constraining the moving direction of the middle flange 8 can also be achieved; that is, in some other embodiments, the guide sleeve 10 structure may not be provided, but the slide rail and the slider may be provided, and the cooperation between the slide rail and the slider may be utilized to replace the cooperation between the guide sleeve 10 and the guide rod 11 mentioned above.

[0080] Further, on the basis that the guide structure includes a guide sleeve 10 and a guide rod 11, the guide rod 11 is set as a telescopic rod with variable length, which can be a pneumatic telescopic rod, an electric telescopic rod or a threaded telescopic rod, preferably a threaded telescopic rod. During the process, by changing the length of the guide rod 11, the distance between the upper flange 7 and the middle flange 8 in the extreme compression state of the bellows assembly 5 can also be adjusted. In this way, when a channel for introducing a purge airflow into the inner cavity of the bellows body is provided on the middle flange 8 or between the middle flange 8 and the upper flange 7 (for example, the middle channel provided on the middle flange 8 below), by adjusting the distance between the upper flange 7 and the middle flange 8 in the extreme compression state of the bellows assembly 5, the flow field formed in the inner cavity of the bellows body can also be adjusted, which is more conducive to improving the purge effect.

[0081] Furthermore, on the basis of the adjustable length of the guide rod 11, the guide rod 11 is arranged on the middle flange 8 and is able to move axially relative to the middle flange 8. In this way, the overall length of the guide rod 11 can be increased or decreased while ensuring that the length of the upper extension section (the upper extension section here refers to: the length of the guide rod 11 extending out of the middle flange 8 in the direction of the upper flange 7 in the assembled state) remains unchanged. Alternatively, the length of the upper extension section can be increased or decreased while maintaining the overall length of the guide rod 11 unchanged. In this way, the adjustability of the axial length of each section in the bellows body under the extreme compression state of the bellows assembly 5 is improved. During the process, the length of each section in the bellows body under the extreme compression state can be adjusted according to process requirements, which is only beneficial to improving particle performance.

[0082] For example, in some embodiments, the guide rod 11 is a threaded telescopic rod. Figure 10-Figure 14As shown, the guide rod 11 includes a first rod 1101 and a second rod 1102, wherein one end of the first rod 1101 connected to the second rod 1102 is provided with an axially extending threaded connection hole, and one end of the second rod 1102 connected to the first rod 1101 is provided with a threaded connection head adapted to the above-mentioned threaded hole. During the process, the length of the guide rod 11 can be adjusted by adjusting the length of the threaded connection head of the second rod 1102 screwed into the threaded connection hole of the first rod 1101, thereby meeting the requirements of different process positions. In addition, the guide rod 11 is fixed to the middle flange 8 by a threaded structure, and the threaded structure includes an external thread formed on the circumferential outer side of the guide rod 11 (including the first rod 1101 and the second rod 1102), as well as an upper locking nut 27 and a lower locking nut 28, and the internal thread of the upper locking nut 27 and the internal thread of the lower locking nut 28 are both adapted to the external thread on the circumferential outer side of the above-mentioned guide rod 11, and an axially extending guide hole 18 is provided on the middle flange 8. During assembly, the guide rod 11 is controlled to pass through the above-mentioned guide hole 18, and the upper locking nut 27 and the lower locking nut 28 are respectively screwed into the guide rod 11 from both ends of the guide rod 11, so as to clamp the guide rod 11 on the middle flange 8 by using the upper locking nut 27 and the lower locking nut 28. That is to say, in the assembled state, the upper locking nut The distance between 27 and the lower locking nut 28 is always equal to the thickness of the middle flange 8. On this basis, by adjusting the distance between the upper locking nut 27 (or the lower locking nut 28) and the first abutting portion (i.e., the end portion of the guide rod 11 that can abut against the upper flange 7), the relative position relationship between the middle flange 8 and the base 3 can be adjusted when the bellows assembly 5 is compressed to the extreme position. In this way, when a channel for introducing a purge airflow into the inner cavity of the bellows body is provided on the middle flange 8 or between the middle flange 8 and the upper flange 7 (for example, the middle channel provided on the middle flange 8 below), by adjusting the distance between the upper flange 7 and the middle flange 8 under the extreme compression state of the bellows assembly 5, the flow field formed in the inner cavity of the bellows body can also be adjusted, which is more conducive to improving the purge effect.

[0083] Furthermore, in some embodiments, a gas guide channel for guiding the purge gas is provided on the middle flange 8. To facilitate the distinction between the gas guide channel provided on the upper flange 7 and the gas guide channel provided on the middle flange 8, the gas guide channel provided on the middle flange 8 is referred to as the middle channel hereinafter. Figure 7 As shown, the middle passage includes a middle main airway 19, a middle annular airway 20 and a middle bronchial airway 21, wherein:

[0084] One end of the middle main air passage 19 extends to the outside of the bellows body, and is used to connect to the gas source of the purge assembly. That is, the middle main air passage 19 includes a connection portion protruding outside the circumference of the bellows body, and the connection portion is used to connect to the gas source of the purge assembly. In specific implementation, the structure forming the above connection portion can be a protruding part of the middle flange 8, that is, the circumferential side of the middle flange 8 has a protruding part extending in a direction away from its axis, and a hole is opened on the protruding part to form the connection portion of the middle main air passage 19; in addition, the structure forming the above connection portion can also be a tubular structure fixed to the middle flange 8.

[0085] The middle annular air channel 20 is opened in the middle flange 8 and is arranged around the axis of the bellows body. It can be specifically an annular hole opened in the middle flange 8, and the annular hole is arranged around the axis of the bellows body. The shape of the annular hole can be rectangular, irregular or circular, preferably circular; in addition, the middle annular air channel 20 is connected to the other end of the middle main air channel 19, so that during the process, the purge gas flowing out from the gas source can flow into the middle annular air channel 20 after passing through the middle main air channel 19.

[0086] One end of the middle air channel 21 is connected to the middle annular air channel 20, and the other end is connected to the inner cavity of the bellows body. Similarly, the middle air channel 21 can also be a hole-like structure on the middle flange 8, one end of which is connected to the middle annular air channel 20, and the other end is formed on the inner wall of the bellows body; further, there are multiple middle air channels 21 distributed in the circumferential direction of the middle annular air channel 20 (for example, 6, 8, etc., the present application does not limit the flow area and the number of the middle air channels 21, as long as it can meet the specific process requirements). In this way, during the process, the purge airflow in the annular air channel can flow into the inner cavity of the bellows body through the middle air channel 21. At the same time, since there are multiple middle air channels 21 and they are distributed in the circumferential direction of the middle annular air channel 20, multiple circumferentially distributed air outlets can be formed on the inner wall of the bellows body, and then in the radial cross section of the inner cavity of the bellows body, the distribution of the purge airflow is more uniform, which is conducive to improving the purge effect.

[0087] On the basis of the above structure of the middle channel, in a preferred embodiment, the middle main airway 19 is set as a straight airway, so that the resistance of the purge airflow passing through the middle main airway 19 can be reduced, thereby reducing energy loss; in addition, the extension direction of the middle main airway 19 is close to or away from the axis of the bellows body, and the middle annular airway 20 is set as a circular ring, the layout plane of the middle annular airway 20 is perpendicular to the axis direction of the bellows body, and the center of the circle surrounded by the middle annular airway 20 falls on the axis of the bellows body, so that the purge air in the middle main airway 19 When the airflow enters the middle annular airway 20, it can flow evenly to the two sides of the middle annular airway 20 connected to the middle main airway 19; further, the middle branch airway 21 is also a linear airway to reduce the resistance of the purge airflow flowing through the middle main airway 19. At the same time, multiple middle branch airways 21 are evenly distributed in the circumference of the middle annular airway 20, and the position where any middle branch airway 21 connects to the middle annular airway 20 is staggered with the position where the middle main airway 19 connects to the middle annular airway 20, so as to improve the uniformity of the purge airflow entering the multiple middle branch airways 21, thereby helping to improve the purge effect. Furthermore, the flow area of ​​the middle branch airway 21 can be set to be smaller than the flow area of ​​the middle annular airway 20, so as to improve the uniformity of the purge airflow entering the multiple middle branch airways 21.

[0088] Furthermore, the air guide channel (i.e., the middle channel) provided on the middle flange 8 is a radial air guide channel, that is, the flow direction of the airflow flowing from the middle channel into the interior of the bellows body is perpendicular to the axial direction of the bellows body; specifically, Figure 7 As shown, in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the bellows body, the inner wall of the bellows body forms a circumference, and one end of the middle airway 21 communicating with the inner cavity of the bellows body extends along a straight line in the plane, and the straight line is a tangent to the circumference. That is to say, the middle airway 21 in this embodiment extends in a horizontal direction (the horizontal direction here refers to a direction parallel to the radial cross section of the bellows body), and the extension direction of the part of the middle airway 21 close to the gas outlet end is the tangent direction of the circumference, so that the purge gas flows out from the middle airway 21 along the tangent direction of the circumference, thereby making After the purge airflow enters the inner cavity of the bellows body, a circumferential airflow field can be formed (the flow direction of the airflow in the airflow field is clockwise or counterclockwise, but it needs to be ensured that: when the upper channel and the middle channel are provided at the same time, and the upper channel and the middle channel both form circumferential airflow fields, the flow directions of the airflows in the two airflow fields should be consistent), and an air curtain is formed in a direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the bellows body, which is used to block the process by-products in the inner cavity of the chamber body 1 from entering the inner cavity of the bellows body for a second time, thereby further reducing the risk of particle generation.

[0089] It should be understood that the above is only an exemplary arrangement of the middle channel, but the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the above-mentioned middle annular air channel 20 can also be replaced with a middle arc-shaped air channel arranged around the axial direction of the bellows body, and according to the number of middle arc-shaped air channels, the middle main air channels 19 provided in the corresponding number are respectively connected with different middle arc-shaped air channels. In addition, without considering the effect of blocking the process reverse products, the flow direction of the purge gas flowing out of the middle branch air channel 21 can also be inclined upward, that is, the extension direction of the part of the middle branch air channel 21 close to the gas outlet can also be set to be inclined upward.

[0090] Furthermore, in some embodiments, a gas guide channel for guiding the purge gas is provided on the lower flange 9. To facilitate the distinction between the gas guide channel provided on the upper flange 7 and the middle flange 8, the gas guide channel provided on the lower flange 9 is referred to as the lower channel hereinafter. Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, the lower passage includes a lower main airway 22, a lower annular airway 32 and a lower bronchial airway 23, wherein:

[0091] One end of the lower main air passage 22 extends to the outside of the bellows body, and is used to connect to the gas source of the purge assembly. That is, the lower main air passage 22 includes a connection portion protruding from the outside of the circumference of the bellows body, and the connection portion is used to connect to the gas source of the purge assembly. In specific implementation, the structure forming the above connection portion can be a protruding portion of the lower flange 9, that is, the circumferential side of the lower flange 9 has a protruding portion extending in a direction away from its axis, and a hole is opened on the protruding portion to form the connection portion of the lower main air passage 22; in addition, the structure forming the above connection portion can also be a tubular structure fixed to the lower flange 9.

[0092] The lower annular air duct 32 is opened in the lower flange 9 and is arranged around the axis of the bellows body. It can be specifically an annular hole opened in the lower flange 9, and the annular hole is arranged around the axis of the bellows body. The shape of the annular hole can be rectangular, irregular or circular, preferably circular; in addition, the lower annular air duct 32 is connected to the other end of the lower main air duct 22, so that during the process, the purge gas flowing out from the gas source can flow into the lower annular air duct 32 after passing through the lower main air duct 22.

[0093] One end of the lower air duct 23 is connected to the lower annular air duct 32, and the other end is connected to the inner cavity of the bellows body. Similarly, the lower air duct 23 can also be a hole-like structure on the lower flange 9, one end of which is connected to the lower annular air duct 32, and the other end is formed on the inner wall of the bellows body; further, there are multiple lower air ducts 23 distributed in the circumferential direction of the lower annular air duct 32 (for example, 6, 8, etc., the present application does not limit the flow area and the number of the lower air ducts 23, as long as it can meet the specific process requirements). In this way, during the process, the purge airflow in the annular air duct can flow into the inner cavity of the bellows body through the lower air duct 23. At the same time, since there are multiple lower air ducts 23 and they are distributed in the circumferential direction of the lower annular air duct 32, multiple circumferentially distributed air outlets can be formed on the inner wall of the bellows body, and then in the radial cross section of the inner cavity of the bellows body, the distribution of the purge airflow is more uniform, which is conducive to improving the purge effect.

[0094] On the basis of the above structure of the lower channel, in a preferred embodiment, the lower main airway 22 is configured as a linear airway, so that the resistance of the purge airflow through the lower main airway 22 can be reduced, thereby reducing energy loss; in addition, the extension direction of the lower main airway 22 is close to or away from the axis of the bellows body, and the lower annular airway 32 is configured as a circular ring, the layout plane of the lower annular airway 32 is perpendicular to the axis of the bellows body, and the center of the circle surrounded by the lower annular airway 32 falls on the axis of the bellows body, so that the purge air under the lower main airway 22 When the airflow enters the lower annular airway 32, it can flow evenly to the two sides of the lower annular airway 32 connected to the lower main airway 22; further, the lower branch airway 23 is also a linear airway to reduce the resistance of the purge airflow flowing through the lower main airway 22. At the same time, multiple lower branch airways 23 are evenly distributed in the circumference of the lower annular airway 32, and the position where any lower branch airway 23 connects to the lower annular airway 32 is staggered from the position where the lower main airway 22 connects to the lower annular airway 32, so as to improve the uniformity of the purge airflow entering the multiple lower branch airways 23, thereby helping to improve the purge effect. Furthermore, the flow area of ​​the lower branch airway 23 can be set to be smaller than the flow area of ​​the lower annular airway 32, so as to improve the uniformity of the purge airflow entering the multiple lower branch airways 23.

[0095] Furthermore, the air guide channel (i.e., the lower channel) provided on the lower flange is an axial air guide channel, that is, the flow direction of the airflow flowing from the lower channel into the interior of the bellows body is parallel to the axial direction of the bellows body. Specifically, one end of the lower branch airway 23 connected to the inner cavity of the bellows body extends in the axial direction of the bellows body, so that the flow direction of the purge airflow flowing out of the axial air guide channel is the axial direction of the bellows body, and the outlet end of the lower branch airway 23 is located on the end face of the inner cavity of the bellows body in the lower flange 9; after the purge gas enters through the lower annular airway 32, it passes through a plurality of lower branch airways 23 evenly distributed around the circumference, and enters the inner cavity of the bellows body vertically upward, forming a vertically upward airflow field, which cooperates with the horizontal airflow field formed by the above-mentioned upper channel and the middle channel in the inner cavity of the bellows body, and can form a combined airflow field in the inner cavity of the bellows body (the combined flow field is shown in the appendix of the specification). Fig.10 ), providing an upward thrust to process by-products, thereby effectively reducing the risk of particle generation.

[0096] It should be understood that the above is only an exemplary arrangement of the lower channel, but the present application is not limited to this. For example, the above-mentioned lower annular air duct 32 can also be replaced with a lower arc-shaped air duct arranged around the axial direction of the bellows body, and according to the number of lower arc-shaped air ducts, the corresponding number of lower main air ducts 22 are respectively connected to different lower arc-shaped air ducts.

[0097] Further, continue as Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, a liquid cooling channel 26 is provided on the lower flange 9 for cooling the lower sealing ring 30 provided on the lower flange 9. The liquid inlet and the liquid outlet of the liquid cooling channel 26 are respectively connected to the liquid inlet pipe 25 and the liquid outlet pipe 24. During the process, the coolant (such as cooling water, cooling oil, etc.) enters the liquid cooling channel 26 through the liquid inlet pipe 25, and then forms a temperature gradient in the lower sealing ring 30 and the lower flange 9 for forming a local portion of the liquid cooling channel 26, so that the heat in the lower sealing ring 30 is transferred to the coolant through the lower flange 9, thereby effectively reducing the temperature of the lower sealing ring 30. In this way, the service life of the lower sealing ring 30 can be effectively improved.

[0098] The lower sealing ring 30 is a sealing ring used to seal the second connection end of the bellows body, and can be specifically a sealing ring arranged between the lower flange 9 and the lifting platform 6 , and / or a sealing ring arranged between the lower flange 9 and the base 3 .

[0099] like Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the purge assembly includes a flow control module for controlling the flow of the purge gas; during the process, by adjusting the flow of the purge gas, the flow velocity of the purge gas after entering the inner cavity of the bellows body and the flow field formed can be changed. Based on this, during the specific implementation process, the flow of the purge gas can be adjusted in real time through the flow control module according to the process requirements, which is beneficial to improve the purge effect and thus improve the particle performance during the process.

[0100] In an optional embodiment, the flow control module includes a throttle valve 14, which is connected to the upper channel and / or the middle channel and / or the lower channel of the purge assembly through a transfer tube 13 and a ferrule joint 12. Specifically, Figure 4 As shown, one end of the transfer tube 13 is connected to the throttle valve 14, and the other end is connected to the ferrule joint 12. The other end of the ferrule joint 12 is connected to the upper branch airway 17 of the upper channel and / or the middle branch airway 21 of the middle channel and / or the lower branch airway 23 of the lower channel of the purge assembly. During the process, the opening of the throttle valve 14 is adjusted to adjust the flow rate of the purge gas entering the bellows body. Further, in a preferred embodiment, the purge assembly includes an upper channel, a middle channel and a lower channel, and the air inlet end of the upper channel, the air inlet end of the middle channel and the air inlet end of the lower channel are all connected to the throttle valve 14 through the ferrule joint 12 and the adapter tube 13, so that the flow rate of the purge gas entering the inner cavity of the bellows body can be increased (for example: only the opening of the throttle valve 14 connected to the upper channel can be adjusted, or only the opening of the throttle valve 14 connected to the middle channel can be adjusted, or the opening of all throttle valves 14 can be adjusted at the same time), which is more conducive to improving the purge effect. In addition, during the specific implementation, the throttle valve 14 can be replaced by a needle valve or a mass flow controller.

[0101] Further, for ease of understanding, the working principle of the bellows assembly 5 in the embodiment of the present application is exemplarily described below through a specific embodiment:

[0102] like Figure 12-14 As shown, the bellows assembly 5 in this embodiment includes a bellows body, a purge assembly and a guide structure, wherein the bellows body includes a first connecting end and a second connecting end, the first connecting end is connected to the chamber body 1 through an upper flange 7, and the second connecting end is connected to the lifting platform 6 of the lifting mechanism 2 through a lower flange 9, and the bellows body includes a first pipe segment 501 and a second pipe segment 502, and the first pipe segment 501 and the second pipe segment 502 are connected through a middle flange 8; the purge assembly includes an upper channel, a middle channel and a lower channel; the guide structure includes a guide rod 11 arranged on the middle flange 8 and a guide sleeve 10 arranged on the upper flange 7.

[0103] like Fig.12As shown in FIG. 1 , when the lifting platform 6 of the lifting mechanism 2 starts to move upward, the first pipe section 501 and the second pipe section 502 begin to be subjected to forces of different magnitudes, and the first pipe section 501 begins to be compressed first, and the guide rod 11 in the guide structure moves upward synchronously with the middle flange 8 until the end of the guide rod 11 abuts against the upper flange 7 (at this time, the position of the end of the guide rod 11 relative to the upper flange 7 can be referred to in the attached figure of the specification). Fig.13 ); At this time, restricted by the guide rod 11, when the lifting platform 6 continues to move upward, the relative positions of the upper flange 7 and the middle flange 8 remain unchanged, and the lower flange 9 continues to move, such as Fig.14 As shown, when the other end of the guide rod 11 abuts against the end face of the lower flange 9, the lifting platform 6 will not be able to continue to move in the original direction due to the limitation of the guide rod 11. At this time, the base 3 moves to the required process position. As mentioned above, during the entire movement, when the middle flange 8 approaches the upper flange 7, the guide structure can guide the movement of the middle flange 8 relative to the upper flange 7, thereby improving the strength of the entire bellows structure under vacuum. In addition, when the base 3 is in the process position, the two ends of the guide rod 11 are completely in contact with the upper flange 7 and the lower flange 9 respectively, which can further improve the stress of the bellows body, thereby improving the strength of the entire bellows structure and improving reliability. During the process, the purge gas is continuously introduced into the inner cavity of the bellows body through the upper channel, the middle channel and the lower channel, thereby forming a combined airflow field in the inner cavity of the bellows body, which can effectively prevent the process by-products from entering the inner cavity of the bellows body, thereby helping to improve the particle performance.

[0104] It should be noted that: the present application does not limit the type and temperature of the purge gas, as long as it meets the specific process requirements. In addition, in the specific implementation process, the temperature of the upper flange 7, the middle flange 8 and the lower flange 9 can be controlled to be not too low, so that the process byproducts are not easy to condense at the above positions, reducing the particle risk to a certain extent.

[0105] In addition, if Figure 3As shown, an embodiment of the present application further provides a semiconductor process equipment, which is suitable for performing an ALD process, and includes a chamber body 1, a lifting mechanism 2, a bellows assembly 5 and a base 3, wherein: the chamber body 1 is a physical structure for forming a reaction chamber in the semiconductor process equipment, and has a cavity inside, which is the above-mentioned reaction chamber; the lifting mechanism 2 includes a drive system and a lifting platform 6, and the drive system is drive-connected to the lifting platform 6; the bellows assembly 5 is the above-mentioned bellows assembly 5, and it should be noted that: since the semiconductor process equipment includes the above-mentioned bellows assembly 5, the beneficial effects brought about by the bellows assembly 5 to the semiconductor process equipment are detailed in the above discussion and will not be repeated here. The base 3 is a structure for providing a substrate 4 (substrate 4 refers to the basic material used to deposit thin films in the ALD process, and its surface directly participates in the chemical reaction with the precursor to grow the desired thin film layer by layer) in the semiconductor process equipment, and supporting the reaction temperature required for depositing the thin film, and supporting the substrate 4, which includes a supporting part 302 and a supporting part 301, wherein the supporting part 302 has a supporting surface for supporting the substrate 4, and in the axial direction of the bellows body, the supporting surface is the upper surface of the supporting part 302 in the height direction; in the axial direction of the bellows body, one end of the supporting part 301 is connected to the supporting part 302, and the other end passes through the chamber body 1 and extends to the inner cavity of the bellows body.

[0106] The basic principles of the present application are described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, strengths, effects, etc. mentioned in the present application are only examples and not limitations, and it cannot be considered that these advantages, strengths, effects, etc. are required by each embodiment of the present application. In addition, the specific details disclosed above are only for the purpose of illustration and ease of understanding, not for limitation, and the above details do not limit the present application to being implemented by adopting the above specific details.

[0107] The block diagrams of the devices, apparatuses, equipment, and systems involved in this application are only illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that they must be connected, arranged, and configured in the manner shown in the block diagram. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, these devices, apparatuses, equipment, and systems can be connected, arranged, and configured in any manner. Words such as "including", "comprising", "having", etc. are open words, referring to "including but not limited to", and can be used interchangeably with them. The words "or" and "and" used here refer to the words "and / or" and can be used interchangeably with them, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The words "such as" used here refer to the phrase "such as but not limited to", and can be used interchangeably with them.

[0108] It should also be noted that in the apparatus, device and method of the present application, each component or each step can be decomposed and / or recombined. Such decomposition and / or recombination should be regarded as equivalent solutions of the present application.

[0109] The above description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present application. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but rather to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0110] It should be understood that the qualifiers "first", "second", "third", "fourth", "fifth" and "sixth" used in the description of the embodiments of the present application are only used to more clearly explain the technical solutions and cannot be used to limit the scope of protection of the present application.

[0111] The above description has been given for the purpose of illustration and description. In addition, this description is not intended to limit the embodiments of the present application to the forms disclosed herein. Although multiple example aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those skilled in the art will recognize certain variations, modifications, changes, additions and sub-combinations thereof.

Claims

1. A bellows assembly, characterized in that: Suitable for semiconductor process equipment including a chamber body and a lifting mechanism, the bellows assembly includes: The bellows body comprises a first connection end and a second connection end, wherein the first connection end is sealedly connected to the chamber body, and the second connection end is sealedly connected to the lifting platform of the lifting mechanism, so that the bellows body can be extended and retracted under the drive of the lifting mechanism; A purge assembly is communicated with the inner cavity of the bellows body to blow air into the inner cavity of the bellows body, so as to prevent process particles in the inner cavity of the chamber body from entering the inner cavity of the bellows body.

2. The bellows assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first connecting end and the chamber body are connected via an upper flange, and the upper flange and the chamber body are sealed via an upper sealing ring. An air guide channel of the purge assembly is provided on the upper flange, and the purge gas can cool the upper sealing ring when flowing through the air guide channel.

3. The bellows assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first connecting end and the chamber body are connected via an upper flange, the bellows body comprises a first pipe segment and a second pipe segment distributed axially, and the first pipe segment and the second pipe segment are connected via a middle flange; Furthermore, it also includes a guide structure connecting the upper flange and the middle flange, so that the middle flange can move along the axial direction of the bellows body.

4. The bellows assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: The guide structure comprises a guide sleeve arranged on one of the upper flange and the middle flange, and a guide rod arranged on the other, wherein the guide sleeve and the guide rod are both located outside the inner cavities of the upper flange and the middle flange, and are both arranged along the axial direction of the bellows body; Wherein, the guide rod extends into the guide sleeve and is slidably matched with the guide sleeve.

5. The bellows assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: The guide rod is a telescopic rod whose length can be changed; and / or, The guide rod is arranged on the middle flange and can move axially relative to the middle flange.

6. The bellows assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second connecting end and the lifting platform are connected via a lower flange, and the guide structure comprises a guide rod extending axially from between the upper flange and the middle flange to between the middle flange and the lower flange, and the guide rod can abut against the lower flange.

7. The bellows assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second connection end is connected to the lifting platform through a lower flange, and at least one of the upper flange, the middle flange and the lower flange is provided with an air guide channel, and the air guide channel includes: A main air channel, one end of which extends to the outside of the bellows body to connect to the air source of the purge assembly; an annular air passage, arranged around the axis of the bellows body and connected to the other end of the main air passage; The bronchus has one end connected to the annular airway and the other end connected to the inner cavity of the bellows body, and a plurality of bronchus are distributed in the circumferential direction of the annular airway.

8. The bellows assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: The air guide channel arranged on the upper flange and / or arranged on the middle flange is a radial air guide channel; In a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the bellows body, the inner wall of the bellows body forms a circumference, and one end of the tributary of the radial air-guiding channel connected to the inner cavity of the bellows body extends along a straight line in the plane, and the straight line is a tangent to the circumference.

9. The bellows assembly according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The air guide channel arranged on the lower flange is an axial air guide channel; One end of the lateral airway of the axial air guide channel communicating with the inner cavity of the bellows body extends in the axial direction of the bellows body so that the flow direction of the purge airflow flowing out of the axial air guide channel is in the axial direction of the bellows body.

10. The bellows assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: The lower flange is provided with a liquid cooling channel for cooling the lower sealing ring provided on the lower flange.

11. The bellows assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The purge assembly includes a flow control module for controlling the flow of the purge gas.

12. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: include: Chamber body; The lifting mechanism comprises a driving system and a lifting platform, wherein the driving system is drivingly connected to the lifting platform; A bellows assembly, which is the bellows assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 11; The base includes a bearing part and a supporting part. The bearing part is located in the inner cavity of the chamber body and has a bearing surface for bearing the substrate. In the axial direction of the bellows body, the bearing surface is the upper surface of the bearing part. In the axial direction of the bellows body, one end of the supporting part is connected to the bearing part, and the other end passes through the chamber body and extends to the inner cavity of the bellows body.

Images