Cooling device and semiconductor processing equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a cooling device and semiconductor processing equipment. The cooling device comprises at least one cooling structure. The cooling structure comprises a graphite box and a tray for bearing the graphite box; the graphite box comprises a lower box body provided with at least three first through holes; the upper box body covers the lower box body, and an accommodating space for accommodating a wafer is formed between the upper box body and the lower box body; when the wafer is placed in the accommodating space, the first through hole avoids the wafer; the tray comprises a support plate; the first ejector pins are in one-to-one correspondence with the first through holes, are arranged on the top surface of the supporting plate and are used for penetrating through the corresponding first through holes and jacking the upper box body when the graphite box is placed on the supporting plate, so that the upper box body is separated from the lower box body. According to the cooling device, when the wafer is cooled, the graphite box can be opened at the same time, the cooling speed of the wafer can be improved, the action of opening the graphite box independently is not needed, and the operation is simple.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and in particular to a cooling device and semiconductor processing equipment. Background Art

[0002] Rapid Thermal Anneal (RTA) is a process of rapidly heating a wafer to about 1000°C to eliminate some defects inside the wafer and improve product performance.

[0003] An existing cooling structure such as Figure 1 As shown, the RTA process specifically places the wafer in a graphite box 10a for annealing. After the annealing is completed, when the graphite box 10a is cooled to about 400°C, a robot is used to lift the entire graphite box 10a out, and then the entire box is placed in a cooling chamber 20a for further cooling. After cooling to room temperature, the robot takes out the graphite box 10a, and finally opens the graphite box 10a to pass the wafer out.

[0004] Since the graphite box 10a is not opened when it is cooled in the cooling chamber 20a, the wafer is in a narrow space of the graphite box 10a, and the overall cooling time is relatively long, which affects the production efficiency of the entire process. Summary of the invention

[0005] In response to the above technical problems, the present application provides a cooling device and a semiconductor processing equipment, which can improve the problem of slow cooling speed caused by the graphite box not being opened when cooling the wafer in the existing cooling structure.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a cooling device, comprising at least one cooling structure; the cooling structure comprises a graphite box, and a tray for carrying the graphite box;

[0007] The graphite box comprises:

[0008] The lower box body is provided with at least three first through holes;

[0009] The upper box body is covered on the lower box body and forms a receiving space for receiving the wafer between the upper box body and the lower box body; when the wafer is placed in the receiving space, the first through hole avoids the wafer;

[0010] The tray comprises:

[0011] A support plate for supporting the graphite box

[0012] A first ejector pin corresponding one to each of the first through holes, wherein the first ejector pin is disposed on a side of the support plate facing the graphite box, and is used to penetrate the corresponding first through holes and lift up the upper box body when the graphite box is placed on the support plate, so as to separate the upper box body from the lower box body.

[0013] Optionally, the center of the wafer is located within a pattern formed by sequentially connecting the at least three first through holes.

[0014] Optionally, the lower box body is further provided with at least three second through holes, and when the wafer is placed in the accommodating space, the second through holes face the wafer;

[0015] The tray also includes:

[0016] A second ejector pin corresponding one to each of the second through holes, the second ejector pin being arranged on the side of the support plate facing the graphite box, and the height of the second ejector pin being less than the height of the first ejector pin, the second ejector pin being used to penetrate the corresponding second through holes and lift up the wafer in the graphite box when the graphite box is placed on the support plate, so that the wafer is suspended between the upper box body and the lower box body.

[0017] Optionally, the center of the wafer is located within a pattern formed by sequentially connecting the at least three second through holes.

[0018] Optionally, the first ejector pin includes: a first supporting portion connected to the supporting plate, and a second supporting portion arranged on a side of the first supporting portion away from the supporting plate;

[0019] Taking the arrangement direction of the first supporting portion and the second supporting portion as the first direction, perpendicular to the first direction, the size of the first supporting portion is larger than the size of the first through hole, and the size of the second supporting portion is smaller than the size of the first through hole; the size of the first supporting portion in the first direction is smaller than the length of the second ejector pin.

[0020] Optionally, the tray further comprises a side panel disposed on a side of the support plate facing the graphite box, the side panel is formed into a ring with an opening, the opening is used for the wafer and the graphite box to enter and exit, and the height of the side panel satisfies that: when the upper box body is lifted up, the height of the upper box body is less than the height of the side panel;

[0021] The cooling device includes at least two cooling structures stacked in a vertical direction, and the support plate of the upper cooling structure is supported on the side panel of the lower cooling structure.

[0022] Optionally, the top surface of the side panel in the cooling structure is further provided with at least one group of first connection holes and second connection holes extending in the longitudinal direction, wherein the first connection holes are through holes and the second connection holes are threaded holes;

[0023] Among any two adjacent cooling structures, the cooling structure located above is the first cooling structure, and the cooling structure located below is the second cooling structure; wherein, the first connecting hole of the first cooling structure is opposite to the second connecting hole of the second cooling structure, and the first cooling structure passes through the first connecting hole and is connected to the second connecting hole of the second cooling structure below by a connecting screw.

[0024] Optionally, the side panel is provided with a cooling medium input hole and a cooling medium output hole;

[0025] A cooling pipe is also provided in the cooling structure. The cooling pipe avoids the first ejector pin, the second ejector pin and the graphite box. Two ends of the cooling pipe are respectively connected to the cooling medium input hole and the cooling medium output hole.

[0026] Optionally, the support plate includes:

[0027] A bottom plate connected to the side panels, a top surface of the bottom plate being provided with a cooling groove, and two ends of the cooling groove being respectively connected to the cooling medium input hole and the cooling medium output hole;

[0028] A top plate, disposed on the top surface of the bottom plate and covering the cooling groove to form the cooling pipeline;

[0029] The first ejector pin and the second ejector pin are arranged on the top surface of the ejector plate.

[0030] Optionally, a notch is provided on one side of the bottom plate close to the opening.

[0031] Optionally, the cooling device further comprises: a plurality of connecting pipes;

[0032] In any two adjacent cooling structures: the cooling medium input hole of the upper cooling structure is connected to the cooling medium output hole of the lower cooling structure through a connecting pipe; or, the cooling medium output hole of the upper cooling structure is connected to the cooling medium input hole of the lower cooling structure through a connecting pipe.

[0033] Optionally, the side panel is U-shaped, and the opening of the U-shape constitutes the opening;

[0034] The cooling structure is also provided with an air cooling channel for introducing cooling gas from the outside into the cooling structure.

[0035] Optionally, the air cooling channel includes:

[0036] A first air hole, penetrating the side panel and the support plate from top to bottom, wherein the first air holes of each cooling structure are aligned and connected with each other;

[0037] At least one second air hole penetrates through the inner wall of the side panel and is communicated with the first air hole.

[0038] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a semiconductor processing device, comprising a process chamber and a transfer chamber connected to each other, wherein a cooling device as described in the above embodiments is disposed in the transfer chamber.

[0039] As described above, when the cooling device of the present application is used to cool the wafer, the graphite box is directly placed on the tray together with the wafer, and all the first ejectors pass through the corresponding first through holes, and the upper box body of the graphite box is lifted up avoiding the wafer to open the graphite box. Since at least three groups of first ejectors are arranged corresponding to the first through holes, at least three points of support are formed for the upper box body. When the graphite box is placed on the tray, the graphite box can be opened at the same time in this embodiment, which can not only increase the cooling speed of the wafer, thereby improving the production efficiency of the entire process, but also does not require an additional action of opening the graphite box, and the operation is simple. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] The drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application, and are used together with the specification to explain the principles of the present application. In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments are briefly introduced below. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative labor.

[0041] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of an existing cooling structure;

[0042] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a cooling device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 3 is a side view structural schematic diagram of a cooling structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional structure of a tray provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 5 It is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a graphite box provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 6is a schematic structural diagram of a first ejector pin provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 7 Multiple cooling structures are stacked on the rear edge Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure along the AA line;

[0048] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a structure in which a cooling pipe is formed on a tray according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Fig. 9 is a structural schematic diagram of a semiconductor processing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Fig.10 It is a front schematic diagram of a manipulator taking a graphite cartridge provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of the back side of a robot taking a graphite box provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0052] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of this application will be further described in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The above-mentioned drawings have shown clear embodiments of this application, which will be described in more detail later. These drawings and textual descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the concept of this application in any way, but to illustrate the concept of this application to those skilled in the art by referring to specific embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present application. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0054] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "includes a ..." does not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element. In addition, components, features, and elements with the same name in different embodiments of the present application may have the same meaning or different meanings, and their specific meanings need to be determined by their explanation in the specific embodiment or further combined with the context of the specific embodiment.

[0055] It should be further understood that the terms "comprising" and "including" indicate the presence of the described features, steps, operations, elements, components, items, kinds, and / or groups, but do not exclude the presence, occurrence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, items, kinds, and / or groups. The terms "or", "and / or", "including at least one of the following", etc. used in this application may be interpreted as inclusive, or mean any one or any combination. For example, "including at least one of the following: A, B, C" means "any one of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A and B and C", and for another example, "A, B or C" or "A, B and / or C" means "any one of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A and B and C". Exceptions to this definition will only occur when the combination of elements, functions, steps or operations is inherently mutually exclusive in some way.

[0056] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of this document, the first information may also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information may also be referred to as the first information. Depending on the context, as used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless otherwise indicated in the context.

[0057] It should be understood that the orientations or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "top", "bottom", "up", "down", "vertical", and "horizontal" are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description. They do not indicate or imply that the device referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0058] For ease of description, in the following embodiments, the orthogonal space formed by the horizontal plane and the vertical direction is used as an example for explanation, and this premise should not be understood as a limitation to the present application.

[0059] See also Figure 2-Figure 5 , Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cooling device provided in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 3 is a side view schematic diagram of a cooling structure provided in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 4 is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of a tray provided in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of a graphite box provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0060] The cooling device includes at least one cooling structure 100, that is, only one cooling structure 100 may be provided, or multiple cooling structures 100 may be provided. Figure 2 In the figure, six cooling structures 100 are provided as an example, and the specific number can be selected according to needs. The cooling structure 100 includes a graphite box 10 and a tray 20 for carrying the graphite box 10.

[0061] The graphite box 10 includes a lower box body 11 and an upper box body 12. The lower box body 11 is provided with at least three first through holes 111. The upper box body 12 covers the lower box body 11 and forms a receiving space for receiving the wafer 101 between the upper box body 12 and the lower box body 11. For example, the receiving space can be formed by the upper box body 12 being recessed upward to avoid the wafer 101, or it can be formed by the lower box body 11 being recessed downward to limit the position of the wafer 101 at the same time, such as Figure 5 As shown. The upper box body 12 and the lower box body 11 may also form a concave-convex matching structure at the edge so as to facilitate positioning when the cover is closed. When the wafer 101 is placed in the accommodation space, the first through hole 111 avoids the wafer 101, for example, the first through hole 111 may be arranged around the outside of the accommodation space.

[0062] The tray 20 includes a support plate 23 and first ejector pins 21 corresponding to the first through holes 111. The support plate 23 is used to support the graphite box 10. The first ejector pins 21 are arranged on the side of the support plate 23 facing the graphite box 10, for example, arranged on the top surface of the support plate 23 in the figure, and are used to penetrate the corresponding first through holes 111 and lift the upper box body 12 when the graphite box 10 is placed on the support plate 23, so as to separate the upper box body 12 from the lower box body 11.

[0063] The working principle of the cooling device of this embodiment is as follows: when cooling is required, the graphite box 10 is placed on the tray 20 together with the wafer 101, all the first ejector pins 21 pass through the corresponding first through holes 111, and the upper box body 12 of the graphite box 10 is lifted up avoiding the wafer 101 to open the graphite box 10. In this embodiment, when the graphite box 10 is placed on the tray 20 for cooling, the graphite box 10 can be opened at the same time, which can not only improve the cooling speed of the wafer 101, thereby improving the production efficiency of the entire process, but also does not require an additional action of opening the graphite box 10, and the operation is simple.

[0064] In addition, when the lower box body 11 is lifted from the bottom, the lower box body 11, the wafer 101 and the upper box body 12 can be automatically closed and then put into the process chamber for annealing. That is, the cooling device of this embodiment can realize the automatic box closing operation when taking out the wafer box.

[0065] Exemplarily, the center of the wafer 101 is located in a figure formed by sequentially connecting the first through holes 111. Since at least three groups of first ejector pins 21 are arranged corresponding to the first through holes 111, at least three points of support are formed for the upper box body 12, and the center of the wafer 101 is located in a figure formed by sequentially connecting the first through holes 111, it can be avoided that all the support points are biased to one side and cannot form a stable support for the upper box body 12.

[0066] In order to further improve the cooling speed of the wafer 101, in one embodiment, please continue to refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 , at least three second through holes 112 are also provided on the lower box body 11. When the wafer 101 is placed in the accommodation space, the second through holes 112 face the wafer 101. The tray 20 also includes second ejector pins 22 corresponding to the second through holes 112. The second ejector pins 22 are arranged on the side of the support plate 23 facing the graphite box 10, for example, arranged on the top surface of the support plate 23 in the figure, and the height of the second ejector pins 22 is less than the height of the first ejector pins 21. The second ejector pins 22 are used to penetrate the corresponding second through holes 112 and lift the wafer 101 in the graphite box 10 when the graphite box 10 is placed on the support plate 23, so that the wafer 101 is suspended between the upper box body 12 and the lower box body 11.

[0067] As described in the above embodiment, after the first ejector pin 21 lifts the upper box body 12 to open the graphite box 10, although the cooling speed of the wafer 101 can be increased, the lower surface of the wafer 101 is slowly cooled because the wafer 101 is in contact with the lower box body 11. In this embodiment, the second ejector pin 22 passes through the second through hole 112 to lift the wafer 101, so that the wafer 101 can be separated from the lower box body 11. In this embodiment, the wafer 101 can be further separated from the lower box body 11, so that the wafer 101 is suspended between the upper box body 12 and the lower box body 11, so as to further increase the cooling speed of the wafer 101, and at the same time, the cooling speed of the graphite box 10 can also be increased.

[0068] Furthermore, the center of the wafer 101 can be located in a pattern formed by sequentially connecting the second through holes 112. Since at least three groups of second ejector pins 22 are arranged corresponding to the second through holes 112, at least three points of support are formed for the wafer 101, and the center of the wafer 101 is located in a pattern formed by sequentially connecting the second through holes 112, thereby preventing all the supporting points from being biased to one side and failing to form a stable support for the wafer 101.

[0069] In order to further improve the cooling speed of the graphite box 10, in one embodiment, refer to Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 6 , Figure 6 : is a schematic diagram of the structure of a first ejector provided in an embodiment of the present application. The first ejector 21 may include: a first support portion 211 connected to a support plate 23, and a second support portion 212 disposed on a side of the first support portion 211 away from the support plate 23. With the extension direction of the first support portion 211 and the second support portion 212 as the first direction (i.e., the Z direction shown in the figure), in a direction perpendicular to the first direction, such as the X direction shown in the figure, the size of the first support portion 211 is larger than the size of the first through hole 111, and the size of the second support portion 212 is smaller than the size of the first through hole 111, that is, a step for supporting the wafer is formed at the connection between the first support portion 211 and the second support portion 212; the size of the first support portion 211 in the first direction Z is smaller than the length of the second ejector 22, so that the second ejector 22 can lift the wafer from the lower box body 11.

[0070] It should be noted that the first ejector pin 21 and the second ejector pin 22 are not limited to cylindrical shapes, and the first through hole 111 and the second through hole 112 are not limited to circular shapes, as long as they are matched with the first ejector pin 21 and the second ejector pin 22 respectively. For example, the first support portion 211, the second support portion 212 and the second ejector pin 22 of the first ejector pin 21 are cylindrical, and the first through hole 111 and the second through hole 112 are circular holes. The diameter of the first support portion 211 is larger than the diameter of the first through hole 111, and the diameter of the second support portion 212 is smaller than the diameter of the first through hole 111, that is, a step is formed at the connection between the first support portion 211 and the second support portion 212, and the two can be stepped shaft structures, and the length of the first support portion 211 is smaller than the length of the second ejector pin 22.

[0071] It should be noted that the top of the first ejector pin 21 and the second ejector pin 22 may be a conical structure, so as to facilitate the guiding and positioning when passing through the corresponding through hole. In addition, the second ejector pin 22 may be cylindrical, or may be configured in a stepped shaft shape similar to the first ejector pin 21. For example, see Figure 3 The second ejector pin 22 may include: a third support portion 221 connected to the support plate 23, and a fourth support portion 222 disposed on a side of the third support portion 221 away from the support plate 23. The dimension of the third support portion 221 in the Z direction is smaller than that of the first support portion 211, or the length of the third support portion 221 is greater than that of the first support portion 211 but at the same time the dimension in the X direction is smaller than that of the second through hole 112, so that the lower box body 11 can be lifted by the first support portion 211.

[0072] As described in the above embodiment, after the second ejector pin 22 lifts the wafer 101, although the cooling speed of the wafer 101 and the graphite box 10 can be improved, since the lower box body 11 is supported on the support plate 23 of the tray 20, the heat dissipation of the lower surface is slow, which affects the overall cooling speed of the graphite box 10. In this embodiment, the second support portion 212 of the first ejector pin 21 can pass through the first through hole 111, and the first support portion 211 cannot pass through the first through hole 111. When the wafer box 10 is placed on the tray 20 together with the wafer 101 for cooling, the second support portion 212 can pass through the first through hole 111 to lift the upper box body 12. The step formed between the first support portion 211 and the second support portion 212 can lift the lower box body 11, so that the lower box body 11 is separated from the support plate 23 of the tray 20, and the cooling speed of the lower surface of the lower box body 11 can be improved. In addition, since the length of the first supporting portion 211 is smaller than the length of the second ejector pins 22 , when the lower box body 11 is lifted up, the second ejector pins 22 can still separate the wafer 101 from the lower box body 11 .

[0073] And because the wafer 101 is in a suspended state, after cooling is completed, the wafer 101 can be directly transferred by a robot, without the need to first take out the graphite box 10 as a whole, then open the graphite box 10 and transfer the wafer 101 as in the traditional method. The cooling device of this embodiment automatically separates the wafer 101 and the graphite box 10 while cooling, which can be achieved without manual or complex mechanical structures, and can also improve the transfer efficiency of the wafer 101.

[0074] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 2-Figure 4 The present application provides a solution in which a cooling device includes at least two cooling structures 100. All cooling structures 100 are stacked in a vertical direction. Specifically, the tray 20 may further include a side panel 24 disposed on the side of the support plate 23 facing the graphite box 10. Figure 4 For example, the side panels 24 are located on the top surface of the support plate 23, and the side panels 24 are formed into a ring with an opening 241, and the opening 241 is used for the wafer and the graphite box 10 to enter and exit. For example, the ring formed by the side panels 24 can be rectangular, circular or other shapes. The height of the side panels 24 satisfies that: when the upper box body 12 is lifted up, the height of the upper box body 12 is less than the height of the side panels 24. The support plate 23 of the cooling structure 100 located above is supported on the side panels 24 of the cooling structure 100 located below.

[0075] Conventional cooling chambers such as Figure 1 In this embodiment, the trays 20 are stacked to form a basic frame of the cooling chamber, and the cooling chamber may include multiple cooling structures to cool multiple graphite boxes at the same time, which not only has a compact overall structure and saves space, but also can improve production efficiency.

[0076] It should be noted that when multiple cooling structures 100 are stacked, they can be bonded by adhesive, but this connection method has low reliability and is not convenient for maintenance. Figure 4 and Figure 7 , Figure 7 Multiple cooling structures are stacked on the rear edge Figure 4 The schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the AA line shows that the top surface of the side panel 24 in the cooling structure 100 is also provided with at least one group of first connection holes and second connection holes extending in the longitudinal direction, wherein the first connection holes are through holes and the second connection holes are threaded holes. In any two adjacent cooling structures 100, the cooling structure located above is the first cooling structure, and the cooling structure located below is the second cooling structure. The first connection hole 244 of the first cooling structure is directly opposite to the second connection hole 245 of the second cooling structure, and the connecting screw 50 passes through the first connection hole 244 and is connected to the second connection hole 245 of the second cooling structure below, thereby realizing the connection between the first cooling structure and the second cooling structure.

[0077] Take three cooling structures 100 stacked as an example, see Figure 7 , in the upper, middle and lower three-layer cooling structure 100, for the upper cooling structure and the middle cooling structure, the upper cooling structure is the first cooling structure, and the middle cooling structure is the second cooling structure; for the middle cooling structure and the lower cooling structure, the middle cooling structure is the first cooling structure, and the lower cooling structure is the second cooling structure. The top surface of the side panel 24 in each cooling structure 100 is provided with a first connecting hole 244 and a second connecting hole 245 extending in the longitudinal direction, wherein the first connecting hole 244 is a through hole, and the second connecting hole 245 is a threaded hole. The second connecting hole 245 of the second cooling structure is opposite to the first connecting hole 244 of the first cooling structure 100, and the first connecting hole 244 of the second cooling structure 100 is opposite to the second connecting hole 245 of the first cooling structure 100. That is, in any two adjacent layers of cooling structures 100, the first connection holes 244 in the first cooling structure and the first connection holes 244 in the second cooling structure are staggered in the vertical direction, and the second connection holes 245 in the first cooling structure and the second connection holes 245 in the second cooling structure are staggered in the vertical direction.

[0078] It should be noted that the first connecting hole 244 can be a straight through hole or a threaded through hole, and the second connecting hole can be a threaded through hole or a threaded blind hole, which is not particularly limited in the present application.

[0079] In order to further improve the cooling speed, the cooling device of the embodiment of the present application may also include a cooling system. Figure 2 and Figure 4 The side panel 24 of the tray 20 may also be provided with a cooling medium input hole 242 and a cooling medium output hole 243. A cooling pipe is also provided in the cooling structure 100. The cooling pipe avoids the first ejector pin 21, the second ejector pin 22 and the graphite box 10. The two ends of the cooling pipe are respectively connected to the cooling medium input hole 242 and the cooling medium output hole 243. For example, the cooling pipe may be a pipe that is conducive to heat dissipation, such as a metal pipe. A cooling medium (such as a coolant or a gas) may be input from the cooling medium input hole 242, and then the cooling medium may be recovered from the cooling medium output hole 243 to circulate and cool the cooling device.

[0080] It should be noted that the method of arranging the pipelines separately will occupy a certain space. This application provides a better arrangement method of the cooling pipelines. Figure 4 and Figure 8 , Figure 81 is a schematic diagram of a structure for forming a cooling pipe on a tray provided in an embodiment of the present application. The support plate 23 of the tray 20 may include a bottom plate 231 and a top plate 232. The bottom plate 231 is connected to the side panel 24, and a cooling groove 2311 is provided on the top surface of the bottom plate 231, and the two ends of the cooling groove 2311 are respectively connected to the cooling medium input hole 242 and the cooling medium output hole 243. The top plate 232 is arranged on the top surface of the bottom plate 231, and the cooling groove 2311 is covered to form a cooling pipe. The first ejector pin 21 and the second ejector pin 22 are arranged on the top surface of the top plate 232.

[0081] In this embodiment, the cooling pipe is formed between the bottom plate 231 and the top plate 232, so that it does not need to occupy too much space. At the same time, the specific shape of the cooling pipe can be set arbitrarily, and it will not interfere with the first ejector pin 21 and the second ejector pin 22. In addition, a notch 2312 can be set on one side of the bottom plate 231 close to the opening 241 to form an edge avoidance position of the top plate 232, so as to facilitate the removal of the top plate 232 during assembly and disassembly.

[0082] As an example, see Figure 2 The cooling device may include a plurality of connecting pipes 30, through which the cooling pipes of all cooling structures 100 are connected in series. For example, in any two adjacent cooling structures 100, the cooling medium input hole 242 of the cooling structure 100 located at the top and the cooling medium output hole 243 of the cooling structure 100 located at the bottom may be connected through a connecting pipe 30, and the cooling medium flows in from the cooling medium input hole 242 of the bottom cooling structure 100, and finally flows out from the cooling medium output hole 243 of the top cooling structure 100. Of course, the cooling medium output hole 243 of the cooling structure 100 located at the top and the cooling medium input hole 242 of the cooling structure 100 located at the bottom may also be connected through a connecting pipe 30, so that the cooling medium flows in from the top and flows out from the bottom.

[0083] In order to further improve the cooling efficiency, an air cooling system can also be set. In one embodiment, please continue to refer to Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 8 The side panel 24 may be U-shaped, and the opening of the U-shape constitutes an opening 241. The cooling structure 100 is also provided with an air cooling channel 40 for passing cooling gas from the outside into the cooling structure 100. The specific form of the air cooling channel 40 is not particularly limited in this embodiment. For example, the air cooling channel 40 may be formed by one or more holes in the side panel 24, and an external air source may blow gas into the cooling structure 100 through the holes.

[0084] As an example of a 40-channel air cooling system, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 8The air cooling channel 40 may include a first air hole 41 and at least one second air hole 42. The first air hole 41 penetrates the side panel 24 and the support plate 23 from top to bottom, and the first air holes 41 of each cooling structure 100 are aligned and connected to each other. The second air hole 42 penetrates the inner wall of the side panel 24 to communicate with the first air hole 41. The second air hole 42 may be elliptical as shown in the figure, and a larger air outlet area can improve the uniformity and stability of the air flow. The second air hole 42 may also be provided in plurality, such as a plurality of circular holes radially connected to the first air hole 41.

[0085] When in use, the bottom surface of the first air hole 41 of the lowest cooling structure 100 can be blocked, and cooling gas can be introduced from the first air hole 41 of the uppermost cooling structure 100. The gas can enter the first air hole 41 of each layer of the cooling structure 100 in turn, and flow into the corresponding cooling structure 100 from the second air hole 42, which can further improve the cooling speed of the graphite box 10 and the wafer 101.

[0086] The present application also provides a semiconductor processing device. Fig. 9 The semiconductor processing equipment may include a process chamber 500 and a transfer chamber 600 connected to each other, and a cooling device 700 as described in the above embodiments is arranged in the transfer chamber 600. The semiconductor processing equipment may be an annealing equipment.

[0087] When applying, please refer to Fig.10 and Fig.11 , Fig.10 1 is a front view of a manipulator taking a graphite cartridge provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.11 The figure is a schematic diagram of the back side of a manipulator taking a graphite box provided in an embodiment of the present application. The manipulator 800 can transfer the wafer together with the graphite box 10 from the wafer box temporary storage station 900 to the process chamber 500 for annealing. After the annealing is completed, the manipulator 800 transfers the wafer together with the graphite box 10 from the process chamber 500 to the cooling device 700 for cooling.

[0088] In conventional annealing equipment, the cooling chamber 20a can only cool one wafer at a time. In this embodiment, multiple wafers can be cooled simultaneously, and during cooling, the graphite box 10 is in an open state, so the cooling efficiency is higher and the production capacity is greater.

[0089] Regarding the cooling working principle and process of the semiconductor processing equipment in this embodiment, please refer to the description of the cooling device in the aforementioned embodiment of the present invention, which will not be repeated here.

[0090] The above is a detailed introduction to a cooling device and a semiconductor processing device provided by the present application. This article uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. It should be noted that in the present application, the descriptions of various embodiments have different emphases. For parts that are not described or recorded in detail in a particular embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0091] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application, and the patent scope of the present application is not limited thereto. The various technical features of the technical solution of the present application can be arbitrarily combined. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the various technical features in the above embodiments are described. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the specification and drawings of this application, or directly or indirectly used in other related technical fields, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, are equally included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A cooling device, characterized in that: The invention comprises at least one cooling structure; the cooling structure comprises a graphite box and a tray for carrying the graphite box; The graphite box comprises: The lower box body is provided with at least three first through holes; The upper box body is covered on the lower box body and forms a receiving space for receiving the wafer between the upper box body and the lower box body; when the wafer is placed in the receiving space, the first through hole avoids the wafer; The tray comprises: A support plate for supporting the graphite box A first ejector pin corresponding one to each of the first through holes, wherein the first ejector pin is disposed on a side of the support plate facing the graphite box, and is used to penetrate the corresponding first through holes and lift up the upper box body when the graphite box is placed on the support plate, so as to separate the upper box body from the lower box body.

2. The cooling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The center of the wafer is located in a pattern formed by sequentially connecting the at least three first through holes.

3. The cooling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower box body is also provided with at least three second through holes, and when the wafer is placed in the accommodating space, the second through holes face the wafer; The tray also includes: A second ejector pin corresponding one to each of the second through holes, the second ejector pin being arranged on the side of the support plate facing the graphite box, and the height of the second ejector pin being less than the height of the first ejector pin, the second ejector pin being used to penetrate the corresponding second through holes and lift up the wafer in the graphite box when the graphite box is placed on the support plate, so that the wafer is suspended between the upper box body and the lower box body.

4. The cooling device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The center of the wafer is located in a pattern formed by sequentially connecting the at least three second through holes.

5. The cooling device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first ejector pin comprises: a first supporting portion connected to the supporting plate, and a second supporting portion arranged on a side of the first supporting portion away from the supporting plate; Taking the extension direction of the first supporting portion and the second supporting portion as the first direction, perpendicular to the first direction, the size of the first supporting portion is larger than the size of the first through hole, and the size of the second supporting portion is smaller than the size of the first through hole; the size of the first supporting portion in the first direction is smaller than the length of the second ejector pin.

6. The cooling device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The tray further comprises a side panel disposed on the side of the support plate facing the graphite box, the side panel is formed into a ring with an opening, the opening is used for the wafer and the graphite box to enter and exit, and the height of the side panel satisfies that: when the upper box body is lifted up, the height of the upper box body is less than the height of the side panel; The cooling device includes at least two cooling structures stacked in a vertical direction, and the support plate of the upper cooling structure is supported on the side panel of the lower cooling structure.

7. The cooling device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The top surface of the side panel in the cooling structure is also provided with at least one group of first connecting holes and second connecting holes extending in the longitudinal direction, wherein the first connecting holes are through holes and the second connecting holes are threaded holes; Among any two adjacent cooling structures, the cooling structure located above is the first cooling structure, and the cooling structure located below is the second cooling structure; wherein, the first connecting hole of the first cooling structure is opposite to the second connecting hole of the second cooling structure, and the first cooling structure passes through the first connecting hole and is connected to the second connecting hole of the second cooling structure below by a connecting screw.

8. The cooling device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The side panel is provided with a cooling medium input hole and a cooling medium output hole; A cooling pipe is also provided in the cooling structure. The cooling pipe avoids the first ejector pin, the second ejector pin and the graphite box. Two ends of the cooling pipe are respectively connected to the cooling medium input hole and the cooling medium output hole.

9. The cooling device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The support plate comprises: A bottom plate connected to the side panels, a top surface of the bottom plate being provided with a cooling groove, and two ends of the cooling groove being respectively connected to the cooling medium input hole and the cooling medium output hole; A top plate, disposed on the top surface of the bottom plate and covering the cooling groove to form the cooling pipeline; The first ejector pin and the second ejector pin are arranged on the top surface of the ejector plate.

10. The cooling device according to claim 9, characterized in that: A notch is provided on one side of the bottom plate close to the opening.

11. The cooling device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The cooling device further comprises: a plurality of connecting pipes; In any two adjacent cooling structures: the cooling medium input hole of the upper cooling structure is connected to the cooling medium output hole of the lower cooling structure through a connecting pipe; or, the cooling medium output hole of the upper cooling structure is connected to the cooling medium input hole of the lower cooling structure through a connecting pipe.

12. The cooling device according to any one of claims 6 to 11, characterized in that: The side panel is U-shaped, and the opening of the U-shape constitutes the opening; The cooling structure is also provided with an air cooling channel for introducing cooling gas from the outside into the cooling structure.

13. The cooling device according to claim 12, characterized in that: The air cooling channel comprises: A first air hole, penetrating the side panel and the support plate from top to bottom, wherein the first air holes of each cooling structure are aligned and connected with each other; At least one second air hole penetrates through the inner wall of the side panel and is communicated with the first air hole.

14. A semiconductor processing device, characterized in that: It comprises a process chamber and a transmission chamber which are connected to each other, wherein the transmission chamber is provided with a cooling device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13.

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