Bellows assembly and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The present application provides a bellows assembly and semiconductor process equipment, wherein the bellows assembly is suitable for semiconductor process equipment including a chamber body and a lifting mechanism, which includes a bellows body and a purge assembly, the bellows body including a first connecting end and a second connecting end, the first connecting end is sealed and connected to the chamber body, and the second connecting end is sealed and 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; the purge assembly is connected to the inner cavity of the bellows body to blow air into the inner cavity of the bellows body, which is used to prevent process particles in the reaction chamber 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, and there is no need to clean the process chamber after the base is raised or lowered, which can effectively improve the production efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment.

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 becoming increasingly stringent, especially the precise control of film thickness and film uniformity. Compared with traditional physical vapor deposition such as physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology has more prominent advantages. It can precisely control the thickness, uniformity and consistency of the film, 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, while ensuring 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. Due to the gap between the inner wall of the bellows assembly and the base, the particles will remain and accumulate in this gap, thereby requiring the entire process chamber 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 that can prevent process particles in a 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 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 includes a first connecting end and a second connecting end, wherein the first connecting end is sealedly connected to the chamber body, and the second connecting 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] The 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 through an upper flange, and the upper flange and the chamber body are sealed by 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.

[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, the invention further comprises a guide structure connecting the upper flange and the middle flange so as to enable the middle flange to move along the axial direction of the bellows body.

[0012] Optionally, the guide structure includes a guide sleeve provided on one of the upper flange and the middle flange, and a guide rod provided 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 provided 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 with variable length;

[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 includes 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 connecting end is connected to the lifting platform via a lower flange, and an air guide channel is provided on at least one of the upper flange, the middle flange, and the lower flange, and the air guide channel includes:

[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 channel, arranged around the axis of the bellows body and connected to the other end of the main air channel;

[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 provided on the upper flange and / or provided 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 branch 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 the 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] A lifting mechanism, comprising a drive system and a lifting platform, wherein the drive 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 factors such as gravity, 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 following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without any creative work.

[0035] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a portion 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 portion of the structure of a semiconductor process equipment provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram 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 Cross-sectional view of the middle flange along the BB direction;

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

[0043] Figure 9 for Figure 8 Cross-sectional view of the lower flange along the CC direction;

[0044] Figure 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] Figure 11 A schematic structural diagram of a guide rod provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 12 is a structural schematic diagram of the bellows assembly in the first state;

[0047] Figure 13 is a schematic structural diagram of the bellows assembly in the second state;

[0048] Figure 14 It is a structural schematic diagram 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-adapter 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-support 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 this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts 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 is paid to the number and size of particles. The performance of particles will ultimately affect the power consumption, performance, reliability and yield of semiconductor devices, and for end customers, it will affect the cost level. 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 particles.

[0056] The particles mentioned above are primarily categorized by their source into two main categories: mechanical particles and process particles. Mechanical particles are generated by collisions, corrosion, and other factors during the movement of valves (e.g., pneumatic valves, butterfly valves, angle valves, gate valves, etc.) and workpieces in the equipment throughout the entire process (both process and non-process). Process particles are particles generated during the process when precursors cannot be completely purged due to factors such as short gas purge times or insufficient flow rates. These precursors remain in the reaction chamber or piping, where they react abnormally with other precursors, resulting in the formation of byproducts that form 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, the end of the bellows assembly 05 close to the lifting platform seals the connection part 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. During 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 supporting 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. As the process time accumulates and the base 03 is raised and lowered, 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, affecting 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] Aiming at 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, Figure 3-Figure 14 As shown, the embodiment of the present application provides a novel bellows assembly 5, which is applied to semiconductor process equipment suitable for performing ALD process. The bellows assembly 5 includes a bellows body and a purge assembly, wherein:

[0060] The bellows body is a tube body connected along the folding and retracting direction using foldable corrugated sheets, which includes a first connecting end and a second connecting end, and the first connecting end and the second connecting end are respectively the 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). The first connecting end is sealed with the chamber body 1. During implementation, the first connecting end and the chamber body 1 can be sealed 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 with 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 by welding or by a connecting piece.

[0061] The purge assembly is a component that can introduce purge gas into the inner cavity of the bellows body. It is connected to 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 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 factors such as gravity, 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, thereby eliminating the need to clean the process chamber, which can effectively improve the production efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment.

[0063] In an optional embodiment, the first connection end and the chamber body 1 are connected via the upper flange 7, that is, the upper flange 7 is a transition connection piece, 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. 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 circumferential outer side of the above-mentioned protrusion. The upper flange 7 and the chamber body 1 are preferably threadedly connected, and the sealing of the connection position is ensured by providing 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. During implementation, multiple (for example, 3, 6, or 8, etc.) axial through holes are provided on the upper flange 7. These multiple axial through holes are evenly arranged around the central through hole of the upper flange 7 and have the same size. The portion of the chamber body 1 connected to the first connection end (i.e., the portion of the chamber body 1 that forms the bottom opening) is correspondingly provided with multiple countersunk holes, and the countersunk holes have internal threads. During assembly, the bolts are passed through the axial through holes of the upper flange 7 and tightened into the countersunk holes of the chamber body 1. In addition, during specific implementation, 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, if convenient disassembly and assembly are not necessary, the upper flange 7 and the chamber body 1 can also be fixed by welding.

[0064] Furthermore, on the basis of the upper sealing ring 29 being provided between the upper flange 7 and the chamber body 1, as shown in FIG. 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 air guide channels are provided on the upper flange 7, the middle flange 8 and the lower flange 9. To facilitate the distinction between it and 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 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. The upper sealing ring 29 is disposed within the sealing groove 31. On the one hand, this can limit the position of the upper sealing ring 29 to improve assembly accuracy and sealing effect. On the other hand, the bottom wall and side walls of the sealing groove 31 can serve as surfaces in the upper flange 7 for dissipating heat from the upper sealing ring 29, thereby facilitating improved cooling efficiency and effect of the upper sealing ring 29. Furthermore, the upper passage can be a through-hole or groove provided in the upper flange 7, and the through-hole or groove is disposed proximate to the upper passage. When the purge gas with a lower temperature flows through the through-hole or groove, it cools the portion of the upper flange 7 where the through-hole or groove is formed, thereby creating a temperature difference between the upper sealing ring 29 and the portion being cooled, causing the heat in the upper sealing ring 29 to be transferred to the portion being cooled, thereby cooling the upper sealing ring 29. Regarding the position of the upper channel relative to the upper sealing ring 29, during specific implementation, an adaptive design can be made as needed. The embodiments of the present application do 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, 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 channel 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 duct 15 extends outside the bellows body, connecting to the purge assembly's air source. Specifically, the upper main air duct 15 includes a connecting portion that protrudes outside the bellows body's circumference, and this connecting portion is used to connect to the purge assembly's air source. In practice, this connecting portion can be formed by a protruding portion of the upper flange 7. Specifically, the upper flange 7 has a protruding portion extending away from its axis, with a hole formed in the protruding portion to form the connection portion for the upper main air duct 15. Alternatively, this connecting portion can be a tubular structure fixed to the upper flange 7.

[0068] The upper annular air channel 16 is opened in the upper flange 7 and is arranged around the axis of the bellows body. It can be specifically 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 channel 16 is connected to the other end of the upper main air channel 15. In this way, during the process, the purge gas flowing out from the gas source can flow into the upper annular air channel 16 after passing through the upper main air channel 15, and is uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction of the bellows body by flowing in the upper annular air channel 16.

[0069] One end of the upper air branch 17 is connected to the upper annular air channel 16, and the other end is connected to the inner cavity of the bellows body. Similarly, the upper air branch 17 can also be a hole-like structure on the upper flange 7, one end of which is connected to the upper annular air channel 16, and the other end is formed on the inner wall of the bellows body. Furthermore, there are multiple upper air branches 17 distributed circumferentially on the upper annular air channel 16 (for example, 6, 8, etc., this application does not limit the flow area and the number of upper air branches 17, as long as they can meet 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 upper air branch 17. At the same time, since there are multiple upper air branches 17 and they are distributed circumferentially on the upper annular air channel 16, multiple circumferentially distributed air outlets can be formed on the inner wall of the bellows body, thereby making the distribution of the purge airflow more uniform within the radial cross-section of the inner cavity of the bellows body, 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 air channel 15 is configured as a straight air channel, so that the resistance of the purge air flow through the upper main air channel 15 can be reduced, thereby reducing energy loss; in addition, the extension direction of the upper main air channel 15 is close to or away from the axis of the bellows body, and the upper annular air channel 16 is configured as a circular ring, the arrangement plane of the upper annular air channel 16 is perpendicular to the axis of the bellows body, and the center of the circle surrounded by the upper annular air channel 16 falls on the axis of the bellows body, so that the purge air in the upper main air channel 15 Upon entering the upper annular airway 16, the airflow can flow evenly to both sides of the upper annular airway 16 that connect to the upper main airway 15. Furthermore, the upper branch airways 17 are also linear airways to reduce the resistance of the purge airflow through the upper main airway 15. At the same time, multiple upper branch airways 17 are evenly distributed around the circumference of the upper annular airway 16. Furthermore, the location where any upper branch airway 17 connects to the upper annular airway 16 is staggered from the location where the upper main airway 15 connects to the upper annular airway 16. This improves the uniformity of the purge airflow entering the multiple upper branch airways 17, thereby enhancing 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 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 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 air channel 17 communicating with 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 air channel 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) Furthermore, the portion of the upper branch airway 17 near the outlet extends in the direction of the tangent to the aforementioned circle. This allows the purge gas to flow out of the upper branch airway 17 along the tangent to the aforementioned circle. This allows the purge gas to form a circumferential airflow field after entering the inner cavity of the bellows body. This forms a gaseous "isolation wall" in a plane perpendicular to the circumference of the bellows body, preventing process byproducts in the inner cavity of the chamber body 1 from entering the inner cavity of the bellows body. This allows the process byproducts to be extracted by the exhaust system of the semiconductor process equipment, thereby reducing the risk of particle generation. Furthermore, with the aforementioned arrangement, the purge gas flow, after flowing out of the upper branch airway 17, impacts 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 arrangement of the upper passages is merely an exemplary arrangement, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the aforementioned upper annular air passage 16 can be replaced with an upper curved air passage arranged axially around the bellows body. A corresponding number of upper main air passages 15 can be provided, depending on the number of upper curved air passages provided, to connect to different upper curved air passages. Furthermore, without regard to the effect of blocking process product generation, the purge gas flowing out of the upper branch air passage 17 can also be directed upwardly. That is, the portion of the upper branch air passage 17 near the outlet end can also be configured to extend in an upwardly inclined direction.

[0073] In an alternative embodiment, if Figure 10 As shown, the bellows body includes an axially distributed first pipe section 501 and a second pipe section 502, which are connected via a middle flange 8. That is, with the middle flange 8 serving as a transitional connector, the first pipe section 501 and the second pipe section 502 of the bellows are respectively connected to different portions of the middle flange 8 to achieve the connection between the first pipe section 501 and the second pipe section 502. During assembly, the first pipe section 501 can be welded and fixed to the portion of the middle flange 8 used for connection to the first pipe section 501. Similarly, the second pipe section 502 can also be welded and fixed to the portion of the middle flange 8 used for connection to the second pipe section 502. For details, please refer to the welded connection between the first connecting end of the bellows and the upper flange 7, which will not be described in detail in this embodiment of the present application.

[0074] Furthermore, it also includes a guide structure (a sleeve guide 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 guide structure that can limit the movement 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 guide 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 improve the stability of semiconductor process equipment.

[0075] It should be understood that the above is only an example of the bellows body including the first pipe segment 501 and the second pipe segment 502, which is an exemplary description of the structure of the bellows body, but the present application is not limited to this. In specific implementation, the bellows body can 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] Furthermore, on the basis of setting the guide structure, such as Figure 4 、 Figure 10 、 Figure 11 、 Figure 12 、 Figure 13 as well as Figure 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 (for the convenience of description, referred to as the first abutting end hereinafter) is located between the upper flange 7 and the middle flange 8, and the other end (for the convenience of description, referred to as the second abutting end hereinafter) 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 (here, the base 3 is a structure in the semiconductor process equipment that provides the reaction temperature required for the substrate 4 to deposit a thin film and supports the substrate 4. The above-mentioned substrate 4 refers to the basic material used for depositing thin films 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, 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 the extreme compression state, the first abutment portion of the guide rod 11 abuts the upper flange 7, and the second abutment portion of the guide rod 11 abuts 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. Alternatively, 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. This 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 movement, improve the strength of the entire bellows structure in a vacuum state, and thus help improve the stability of semiconductor process equipment.

[0079] It should be understood that the guide sleeve 10 and 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 slide together, so that the purpose of constraining the movement 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] Furthermore, 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 specifically 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 ultimate 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 ultimate compression state of the bellows assembly 5, the flow field formed in the inner cavity of the bellows body can also be adjusted, thereby being 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 set 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: in the assembled state, the length of the guide rod 11 extending out of the middle flange 8 in the direction toward the upper flange 7) 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 10-14As 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, which 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. 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 to the middle flange 8 using the upper locking nut 27 and the lower locking nut 28. That is, 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 (that is, the end 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. Figure 7 As shown, the middle channel includes the middle main airway 19, the middle annular airway 20 and the middle bronchial airway 21, wherein:

[0084] One end of central main air passage 19 extends outside the bellows body for connection to the purge assembly's air source. Specifically, central main air passage 19 includes a connecting portion that protrudes outside the bellows body's circumference, and this connecting portion is used to connect to the purge assembly's air source. In practice, this connecting portion can be formed by a protruding portion of central flange 8. Specifically, central flange 8 has a protruding portion extending away from its axis, with a hole formed in the protruding portion to form the connection portion for central main air passage 19. Alternatively, this connecting portion can be a tubular structure fixed to central 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. Furthermore, there are multiple middle air channels 21 distributed circumferentially around the middle annular air channel 20 (for example, 6, 8, etc., and this application does not limit the flow area and number of middle air channels 21, as long as they can meet 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, because there are multiple middle air channels 21 and they are distributed circumferentially around the middle annular air channel 20, multiple circumferentially distributed air outlets can be formed on the inner wall of the bellows body, thereby making the distribution of the purge airflow more uniform within the radial cross-section of the inner cavity of the bellows body, thereby facilitating an improved purge effect.

[0087] On the basis of the above structure of the middle channel, in a preferred embodiment, the middle main air channel 19 is set as a straight air channel, so that the resistance of the purge air flow through the middle main air channel 19 can be reduced, thereby reducing energy loss; in addition, the extension direction of the middle main air channel 19 is close to or away from the axis of the bellows body, and the middle annular air channel 20 is set as a circular ring, the arrangement plane of the middle annular air channel 20 is perpendicular to the axis of the bellows body, and the center of the circle surrounded by the middle annular air channel 20 falls on the axis of the bellows body, so that the purge air in the middle main air channel 19 Upon entering the central annular airway 20, the airflow can flow evenly to both sides of the central annular airway 20 connected to the central main airway 19. Furthermore, the central branch airway 21 is also a linear airway to reduce the resistance of the purge airflow through the central main airway 19. At the same time, multiple central branch airways 21 are evenly distributed around the circumference of the central annular airway 20, and the location where any central branch airway 21 connects to the central annular airway 20 is staggered from the location where the central main airway 19 connects to the central annular airway 20. This improves the uniformity of the purge airflow entering the multiple central branch airways 21, thereby facilitating an enhanced purge effect. Furthermore, the flow area of ​​the central branch airway 21 can be set to be smaller than the flow area of ​​the central annular airway 20, thereby improving the uniformity of the purge airflow entering the multiple central 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 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, as 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, the middle airway 21 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 middle airway 21 near the gas outlet end is the tangent direction of the circumference. In this way, 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 airflow 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 arrangement of the central channel is merely an example, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the aforementioned central annular air channel 20 can be replaced with a central arc-shaped air channel arranged along the axis of the bellows body. Depending on the number of central arc-shaped air channels provided, a corresponding number of central main air channels 19 can be provided to communicate with different central arc-shaped air channels. Furthermore, without regard to the effect of blocking process product generation, the purge gas flowing out of the central branch air channel 21 can also be directed upwardly. That is, the portion of the central branch air channel 21 near the outlet end can also be configured to extend in an upwardly inclined direction.

[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 Figure 9 As shown, the lower passage includes the lower main airway 22, the lower annular airway 32 and the lower bronchial airway 23, wherein:

[0091] One end of the lower main air duct 22 extends outside the bellows body, connecting to the purge assembly's air source. Specifically, the lower main air duct 22 includes a connecting portion that protrudes outside the bellows body's circumference, and this connecting portion is used to connect to the purge assembly's air source. In practice, this connecting portion can be formed by a protruding portion of the lower flange 9. Specifically, the lower flange 9 has a protruding portion extending away from its axis, with a hole formed in the protruding portion to form the connection portion for the lower main air duct 22. Alternatively, this connecting portion can 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. In this way, 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 branch 23 is connected to the lower annular air channel 32, and the other end is connected to the inner cavity of the bellows body. Similarly, the lower air branch 23 can also be a hole-like structure on the lower flange 9, one end of which is connected to the lower annular air channel 32, and the other end is formed on the inner wall of the bellows body. Furthermore, there are multiple lower air branches 23 distributed circumferentially around the lower annular air channel 32 (for example, 6, 8, etc., this application does not limit the flow area and the number of lower air branches 23, as long as they can meet 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 lower air branch 23. At the same time, since there are multiple lower air branches 23 and they are distributed circumferentially around the lower annular air channel 32, multiple circumferentially distributed air outlets can be formed on the inner wall of the bellows body, thereby making the distribution of the purge airflow more uniform within the radial cross-section of the inner cavity of the bellows body, 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 air duct 22 is configured as a straight air duct, so that the resistance of the purge airflow flowing through the lower main air duct 22 can be reduced, thereby reducing energy loss; in addition, the extension direction of the lower main air duct 22 is close to or away from the direction of the axis of the bellows body, and the lower annular air duct 32 is configured as a circular ring, the arrangement plane of the lower annular air duct 32 is perpendicular to the axis direction of the bellows body, and the center of the circle surrounded by the lower annular air duct 32 falls on the axis of the bellows body, so that the purge air under the lower main air duct 22 Upon entering the lower annular air duct 32, the airflow can flow evenly along both sides of the lower annular air duct 32, connecting to the lower main air duct 22. Furthermore, the lower branch air ducts 23 are also linear air ducts to reduce the resistance of the purge airflow through the lower main air duct 22. At the same time, multiple lower branch air ducts 23 are evenly distributed around the circumference of the lower annular air duct 32, and the location where any lower branch air duct 23 connects to the lower annular air duct 32 is staggered from the location where the lower main air duct 22 connects to the lower annular air duct 32. This improves the uniformity of the purge airflow entering the multiple lower branch air ducts 23, thereby enhancing the purge effect. Furthermore, the flow area of ​​the lower branch air duct 23 can be set to be smaller than the flow area of ​​the lower annular air duct 32, thereby improving the uniformity of the purge airflow entering the multiple lower branch air ducts 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 vertical upward airflow field, which cooperates with the horizontal airflow field formed in the inner cavity of the bellows body by the above-mentioned upper channel and middle channel, and can form a combined airflow field in the inner cavity of the bellows body (the combined flow field can be seen in the appendix of the specification). Figure 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 set, 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 Figure 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 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 the liquid cooling channel 26. 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 above-mentioned lower sealing ring 30 is a sealing ring used to close the second connection end of the bellows body, which can specifically be 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. Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment, the purge assembly includes an upper channel, a middle channel, and a lower channel, and the air inlet ends of the upper channel, the middle channel, and the lower channel are all connected to a throttle valve 14 via a ferrule joint 12 and a transfer tube 13. In this way, 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 simultaneously), thereby further improving the purge effect. In addition, during specific implementation, the throttle valve 14 can be replaced with a needle valve or a mass flow controller.

[0101] Furthermore, 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 section 501 and a second pipe section 502, and the first pipe section 501 and the second pipe section 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 Figure 12As shown, 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 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 the appendix of the manual). Figure 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 Figure 14 As shown, when the other end of the guide rod 11 abuts the end face of the lower flange 9, the lifting platform 6 will be unable to continue moving in the original direction due to the restriction of the guide rod 11. At this time, the base 3 moves to the required process position. As mentioned above, during the entire movement process, 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 in full contact with the upper flange 7 and the lower flange 9 respectively, which can further improve the stress situation of the bellows body, thereby improving the strength of the entire bellows structure and improving reliability. During the process, 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 process byproducts from entering the inner cavity of the bellows body, thereby helping to improve particle performance.

[0104] It should be noted that this application does not restrict the type or temperature of the purge gas, as long as it meets specific process requirements. Furthermore, in practice, the purge gas temperature can be controlled to prevent the upper flange 7, middle flange 8, and lower flange 9 from becoming too low, thereby preventing process byproducts from condensing at these locations and reducing particle risk to a certain extent.

[0105] In addition, if Figure 3As shown, an embodiment of the present application also provides a semiconductor process equipment, which is suitable for performing an ALD process, including 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 driven and connected to the lifting platform 6; the bellows assembly 5 is the above-mentioned bellows assembly 5. 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 discussed in detail above and will not be repeated here. The base 3 is a structure that provides the substrate 4 (the 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, thereby growing the required thin films layer by layer) in the semiconductor process equipment and supports the reaction temperature required for depositing thin films and supports the substrate 4. It 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 have been described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, strengths, and effects mentioned in this application are merely illustrative and not restrictive, and it should not be assumed that these advantages, strengths, and effects are required of each embodiment of this application. In addition, the specific details disclosed above are merely illustrative and facilitating understanding, and are not restrictive. The above details do not limit this application to necessarily being implemented using the above specific details.

[0107] The block diagrams of the devices, devices, equipment, and systems involved in this application are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that they must be connected, arranged, or configured in the manner shown in the block diagrams. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, these devices, devices, equipment, and systems can be connected, arranged, or configured in any manner. Words such as "include," "comprise," "have," and the like are open-ended words, meaning "including but not limited to," and can be used interchangeably therewith. The words "or" and "and" used herein refer to the words "and / or" and can be used interchangeably therewith, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The word "such as" used herein refers to the phrase "such as but not limited to," and can be used interchangeably therewith.

[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, and 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 be accorded 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 illustrate the technical solutions and cannot be used to limit the scope of protection of the present application.

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

Claims

1. A bellows assembly, characterized in that: Applicable to semiconductor process equipment including a chamber body and a lifting mechanism, the bellows assembly comprising: The bellows body includes a first connecting end and a second connecting end, the first connecting end being sealedly connected to the chamber body, and the second connecting end being 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; the first connecting end and the chamber body are connected by an upper flange; the bellows body includes a first pipe segment and a second pipe segment distributed axially, and the first pipe segment and the second pipe segment are connected by a middle flange; a purge assembly, communicating 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; 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; the guide structure includes a guide sleeve arranged on one of the upper flange and the middle flange, and a guide rod arranged on the other, the guide sleeve and the guide rod are both located outside the inner cavity of the upper flange and the middle flange, and are both arranged along the axial direction of the bellows body; the guide rod extends into the guide sleeve and slides with the guide sleeve; the guide rod is a telescopic rod with variable length so as to be able to adjust the distance between the upper flange and the middle flange under the extreme compression state of the bellows assembly, and a channel for introducing a purge airflow into the inner cavity of the bellows body is provided on the middle flange or between the middle flange and the upper flange.

2. The bellows assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The upper flange and the chamber body are sealed by an upper sealing ring. An air guide channel of the purge assembly is provided on the upper flange. The purge gas can cool the upper sealing ring when flowing through the air guide channel.

3. The bellows assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The guide rod is arranged on the middle flange and can move axially relative to the middle flange.

4. The bellows assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The second connecting end and the lifting platform are connected via a lower flange. The guide structure includes a guide rod extending axially from between the upper flange and the middle flange to between the middle flange and the lower flange. The guide rod can abut against the lower flange.

5. The bellows assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The second connecting end is connected to the lifting platform via a lower flange, and an air guide channel is provided on at least one of the upper flange, the middle flange and the lower flange, 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 channel, arranged around the axis of the bellows body and connected to the other end of the main air channel; 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.

6. The bellows assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that The air guide channel provided on the upper flange and / or provided 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 branch 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.

7. The bellows assembly according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The air guide channel provided 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.

8. The bellows assembly according to claim 5, wherein: The lower flange is provided with a liquid cooling channel for cooling the lower sealing ring provided on the lower flange.

9. The bellows assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The purge assembly includes a flow control module for controlling the flow of the purge gas.

10. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: include: Chamber body; A lifting mechanism, comprising a drive system and a lifting platform, wherein the drive system is drivingly connected to the lifting platform; A bellows assembly, comprising the bellows assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9; 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.

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