Semiconductor process equipment and sealing door mechanism thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a semiconductor process equipment and a sealing door mechanism thereof, and belongs to the technical field of semiconductors. The sealing door mechanism is used for sealing a first opening of a process chamber of the semiconductor process equipment, and comprises a sealing disc, a sealing element and an isolation pad. The sealing disc is used for closing the first opening of the process chamber. A heat insulation plate is arranged on an upper surface of the sealing disc. A purge gap is arranged between the sealing disc and the heat insulation plate. The heat insulation plate is provided with a second opening. The second opening is in communication with the purge gap. The semiconductor process equipment comprises the sealing door mechanism and the process chamber. The process chamber is provided with the first opening. The sealing door mechanism is used for sealing the first opening. In this way, the first opening of the process chamber is sealed by the sealing door mechanism. In a purge state, no wafer boat exists in the process chamber. The wafer boat does not affect the flow rate and the uniformity of the purge gas, realizes a dead angle-free purge process, and is favorable to improving the purge effect and the purge efficiency.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of semiconductor technology, and particularly relates to a semiconductor process equipment and a sealing door mechanism thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the technical field of semiconductor technology, many semiconductor process equipments have process chambers, which need to be heated during the process and have a process door to close the first opening of the process chamber to prevent heat dissipation outside the process chamber. Specifically, the bottom of the process chamber is provided with a first opening, and the process door carries a boat for carrying a wafer. The process door can drive the wafer-carrying boat to rise so that the boat extends into the process chamber through the first opening, and at the same time, the process door closes the first opening, and at this time, the process chamber can carry out the process. After the process is completed, the process door drives the boat to descend, the first opening is opened, the boat is extended out of the process chamber through the first opening, and then the wafer transfer device outside is used to transfer the wafer between the wafer box and the boat.

[0003] However, since by-products such as particles are generated during the process, these by-products are left on the wall of the process chamber, which are easy to fall off and fall onto the surface of the wafer during the process, affecting the process effect of the wafer, so it is necessary to purge the process chamber after the process is completed to purge the by-products such as particles out of the process chamber.

[0004] In the related art, the process door is directly used to seal the first opening in the purging state, that is, after the process is completed, the process door drives the boat to descend, then the wafer transfer device takes away the wafer carried by the boat, and the process door continues to rise to seal the first opening, so that the process chamber is in a closed state, at this time, the purge gas is introduced into the process chamber to purge the by-products such as particles. However, since the boat exists in the process chamber, the purge gas flow is affected by the boat, there is a dead angle for purging, the uniformity of purging is poor, and the purging effect is poor. Moreover, the process door is needed to participate in closing the first opening during the purging process and the process, so the purging process and the process of loading and unloading the wafer cannot be carried out at the same time, resulting in a long process cycle and low process efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment. SUMMARY

[0005] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a semiconductor process equipment and a sealing door mechanism thereof, which can solve the problem of poor purging effect caused by using the process door to seal the first opening in the purging state in the related art.

[0006] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a sealing door mechanism of a semiconductor process equipment, configured to seal a first opening of a process chamber of the semiconductor process equipment, the sealing door mechanism comprising a sealing disc and a heat insulation plate, the sealing disc being configured to close the first opening of the process chamber, the heat insulation plate being arranged on an upper surface of the sealing disc, a purge gap being arranged between the sealing disc and the heat insulation plate, the heat insulation plate being provided with a second opening, the second opening being in communication with the purge gap.

[0007] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present application also provide a semiconductor process equipment comprising a process chamber and the sealing door mechanism described above, the process chamber being provided with a first opening, the sealing door mechanism being configured to seal the first opening.

[0008] In the embodiments of the present application, in the purge state, the first opening of the process chamber is sealed by the sealing door mechanism, and the first opening does not need to be sealed by the process door, so that in the purge state, there is no wafer boat in the process chamber, and the wafer boat does not affect the flow rate and uniformity of the purge gas, realizing a dead angle-free purge process, which is conducive to improving the purge effect and efficiency; in addition, the process door and the sealing door mechanism seal the first opening in the process state and the purge state respectively, so that the wafer boat loading and unloading process and the purge process can be carried out simultaneously, saving the time for separate purge, and being conducive to improving the utilization rate and process efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment.

[0009] In addition, when the sealing door mechanism seals the first opening, the gas in the process chamber enters the purge gap through the second opening, the gas pressure above the heat insulation plate tends to be equal to the gas pressure in the purge gap, and the heat insulation plate is in a force balance state, avoiding the impact of the sealing disc due to the unbalanced force of the heat insulation plate, and further avoiding the breakage of the heat insulation plate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 is a front view of the sealing door mechanism disclosed by the embodiments of the present application;

[0011] Figure 2 Figure 1 is an enlarged view of A in FIG. 4;

[0012] Figure 3 is a structural schematic view of the sealing door mechanism disclosed by the embodiments of the present application;

[0013] Figure 4 is a top view of the sealing door mechanism disclosed by the embodiments of the present application;

[0014] Figure 5 is a structural schematic view of the heat insulation plate disclosed by the embodiments of the present application;

[0015] Figure 6 is a structural schematic view of the semiconductor process equipment in the process state disclosed by the embodiments of the present application;

[0016] Figure 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a semiconductor process equipment in a process of opening a first opening by a process door after a process is completed, disclosed by an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 8 is a structural schematic diagram of a semiconductor process equipment in a case that a sealing door mechanism seals a first opening, disclosed by an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 9 is a structural schematic diagram of a semiconductor process equipment in a purge state, disclosed by an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 10 is a structural schematic diagram of a semiconductor process equipment after a purge is completed, disclosed by an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 11 is a structural schematic diagram of a semiconductor process equipment in a case that a sealing door mechanism opens a first opening after a purge is completed, disclosed by an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022] 10 - sealing door mechanism,

[0023] 100 - sealing disc, 110 - groove, 111 - support structure, 120 - sealing groove,

[0024] 200 - sealing member,

[0025] 300 - isolation pad, 310 - connecting portion, 311 - fastener, 320 - isolation portion,

[0026] 400 - heat insulation plate, 400a - second opening, 400b - purge gap,

[0027] 500 - support arm,

[0028] 600 - rotation mechanism,

[0029] 700 - linear drive mechanism,

[0030] 20 - process chamber, 21 - first opening, 22 - gas inlet, 23 - gas outlet,

[0031] 30 - process door,

[0032] 40 - wafer boat, 41 - wafer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] With reference to the drawings, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, but not all of them. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0034] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first", "second", etc. are generally of a kind and do not limit the number of objects, for example, the first object can be one or more. In addition, "and / or" in the specification and claims indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / ", generally indicates that the objects before and after are in a "or" relationship.

[0035] The semiconductor process equipment and its sealing door mechanism provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings, through specific embodiments and their application scenarios.

[0036] Please refer to Figures 1-11 The embodiments of the present application disclose a sealing door mechanism 10 of a semiconductor process equipment, which is used to seal a first opening 21 of a process chamber 20 of the semiconductor process equipment. Optionally, the sealing door mechanism 10 is used to seal the first opening 21 of the process chamber 20 of the semiconductor process equipment in a purge state, so as to prevent heat in the process chamber 20 from being dissipated to a loading area. Of course, the sealing door mechanism 10 can also seal the first opening 21 in other states except purge. Specifically, in the case that the semiconductor process equipment is in a purge state, the sealing door mechanism 10 seals the first opening 21 of the process chamber 20.

[0037] It should be noted that the sealing door mechanism 10 is different from a process door 30 of the semiconductor process equipment, and the process door 30 is used to seal the first opening 21 of the process chamber 20 in a process state.

[0038] Reference Figures 2-5As shown, the sealing door mechanism 10 comprises a sealing disc 100 and a heat insulation plate 400, the sealing disc 100 is used to close the first opening 21 of the process chamber 20, the sealing disc 100 can adopt a round plate structure made of metal material, but the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto, the sealing disc 100 can also adopt other structures such as a square plate. The heat insulation plate 400 is arranged on the upper surface of the sealing disc 100, and the heat insulation plate 400 can be directly placed on the upper surface of the sealing disc 100, or the sealing disc 100 further comprises a support structure 111, and the support structure 111 supports the heat insulation plate 400, so that the heat insulation plate 400 is stably arranged on the upper surface of the sealing disc 100. Further, the support structure 111 can be a column which directly supports the lower surface of the heat insulation plate 400, or the support structure 111 can be a stepped structure which supports the lower surface and the side wall surface of the heat insulation plate 400, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific structure of the support structure 111.

[0039] In this way, when the sealing disc 100 closes the first opening 21 of the process chamber 20, the heat insulation plate 400 is used to insulate the process chamber 20, so as to prevent the heat in the process chamber 20 from being lost.

[0040] The heat insulation plate 400 can be a quartz structure, and the material of the heat insulation plate 400 is the same as that of the process chamber 20. Of course, the material of the heat insulation plate 400 can be different from that of the process chamber 20, and the heat insulation plate 400 can adopt other structures other than quartz.

[0041] In the embodiment of the present application, in the purge state, the sealing door mechanism 10 is used to seal the first opening 21 of the process chamber 20, and the process door 30 is not needed to seal the first opening 21 in the purge state, so that in the purge state, there is no crystal boat 40 in the process chamber 20, and the crystal boat 40 does not affect the flow rate and uniformity of the purge gas, so as to realize the dead angle-free purge process, which is beneficial to improve the purge effect and efficiency; and the process door 30 and the sealing door mechanism 10 seal the first opening 21 in the process state and the purge state respectively, so that the process of loading and unloading the wafer 41 by the crystal boat 40 and the purge process can be carried out at the same time, the time for separate purge is saved, and the utilization rate and process efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment are improved.

[0042] In the embodiment, the purge gap 400b is arranged between the sealing disc 100 and the heat insulation plate 400, and the heat insulation plate 400 is provided with the second opening 400a which is in communication with the purge gap 400b. Alternatively, the lower surface of the heat insulation plate 400 and the upper surface of the sealing disc 100 can directly form the purge gap 400b, or the upper surface of the sealing disc 100 is provided with other structures which form the purge gap 400b with the lower surface of the heat insulation plate 400, and the specific structure of the purge gap 400b is not limited in the embodiment; the second opening 400a can be a square opening, a circular opening or the like, and the specific structure of the second opening 400a is not limited in the embodiment; the second opening 400a can be in direct communication with the purge gap 400b or in indirect communication.

[0043] In this way, when the sealing door mechanism 10 seals the first opening 21, the gas in the process chamber 20 enters the purge gap 400b through the second opening 400a, the air pressure above the heat insulation plate 400 tends to be equal to the air pressure in the purge gap 400b, and the heat insulation plate 400 is in a force balance state, thereby avoiding the heat insulation plate 400 from impacting the sealing disc 100 due to unbalanced force and further avoiding the heat insulation plate 400 from being broken.

[0044] In an alternative embodiment, as shown in Figure 2 , the upper surface of the sealing disc 100 is provided with the groove 110, and the heat insulation plate 400 is located in the groove 110. The groove wall surface of the groove 110 and the heat insulation plate 400 form the purge gap 400b, and alternatively, the groove wall surface of the groove 110 can include a groove side wall and a groove bottom wall, the groove bottom wall can be a planar structure, and the groove side wall can be perpendicular to the groove bottom wall or be arranged obliquely relative to the groove bottom wall, and of course, the groove 110 can also adopt other structures, and the structure of the groove 110 is not limited in the embodiment.

[0045] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the groove 110 can be a circular groove, the heat insulation plate 400 is a circular structure, and the heat insulation plate 400 cooperates with the groove 110; the support structure 111 can be arranged on the groove side wall of the groove 110 to stably locate the heat insulation plate 400 in the groove 110.

[0046] By using the groove 110 to limit the position of the heat insulation plate 400, the heat insulation plate 400 is prevented from being displaced relative to the sealing disc 100 due to the influence of the purge gas flow in the embodiment. Moreover, by arranging the groove 110 to form the purge gap 400b, the contact area between the heat insulation plate 400 and the sealing disc 100 is reduced, and the risk of the heat insulation plate 400 being broken due to impacting the sealing disc 100 is further reduced.

[0047] Of course, in other embodiments, the heat insulation plate 400 may not have the groove 110 provided, and the lower surface of the heat insulation plate 400 and the upper surface of the sealing plate 100 directly form a purging gap 400b.

[0048] In one alternative embodiment, the second opening 400a is formed inside the insulation plate 400 and is adjacent to the edge of the insulation plate 400.

[0049] In another embodiment, reference Figure 5 As shown, the second opening 400a is provided at the edge of the heat insulation plate 400. In this way, it is more convenient to provide the second opening 400a at the edge of the heat insulation plate 400, and it is also convenient to put the heat insulation plate 400 into and out through the second opening 400a located at the edge.

[0050] In a further embodiment, the edge of the second opening 400a is arc-shaped, and the second opening 400a is smoothly connected to the edge of the heat insulation plate 400. Optionally, the edge of the second opening 400a is arc-shaped, and the second opening 400a is smoothly connected to the edge of the heat insulation plate 400 via an arc.

[0051] In this embodiment, the edges of the second opening 400a and the connection between the second opening 400a and the edge of the insulation board 400 are all made of smooth connection structure, which helps to reduce stress and avoid stress concentration caused by bending structure.

[0052] Of course, in other embodiments, the edge of the second opening 400a may be a non-arc structure. Optionally, the second opening 400a may be a square structure. The second opening 400a and the edge of the heat insulation plate 400 may be directly bent and connected.

[0053] In one alternative embodiment, the number of second openings 400a is one.

[0054] In another embodiment, reference Figure 5 As shown, at least two second openings 400a are provided at intervals along the direction extending from the edge of the heat insulation plate 400. Optionally, each second opening 400a is provided at the edge of the heat insulation plate 400, wherein two second openings 400a are provided opposite to each other, and the shape and size of each second opening 400a may be the same or different.

[0055] In this embodiment, the number of second openings 400a is increased. When the residue in the process chamber 20 is purged, the purging gas can quickly enter the purging gap 400b through multiple second openings 400a, so that the air pressure above the heat insulation plate 400 and the air pressure in the purging gap 400b quickly become equal, ensuring that the heat insulation plate 400 is quickly in a balanced state, and more effectively preventing the sealing plate 100 from being impacted.

[0056] In the scheme of the present application, referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the sealing door mechanism 10 further comprises a sealing member 200, which is arranged on the upper surface of the sealing disc 100, is located at the periphery of the heat insulation plate 400, and protrudes from the upper surface of the sealing disc 100 to seal the gap between the sealing disc 100 and the process chamber 20. Optionally, the sealing member 200 can be a sealing ring made of a flexible material and arranged concentrically with the sealing disc 100, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto as long as the sealing member 200 can seal the first opening 21 of the process chamber 20.

[0057] Optionally, as shown in Figure 2 The upper surface of the sealing disc 100 is provided with a sealing groove 120, and the sealing member 200 is arranged in the sealing groove 120. Further optionally, the sealing groove 120 and the sealing member 200 are both annular structures.

[0058] In this way, when the sealing door mechanism 10 seals the first opening 21 of the process chamber 20, the sealing member 200 seals the gap between the process chamber 20 and the sealing disc 100, and a static sealing structure is formed between the sealing member 200 and the process chamber 20, so that the by-products such as particles are less likely to enter the process chamber 20, avoiding the by-products such as particles from diffusing to the surface of the wafer 41 in the process state and affecting the process effect of the wafer 41, which is beneficial to improve the sealing performance.

[0059] Of course, in other embodiments, the upper surface of the sealing disc 100 can not be provided with the sealing member 200, and the gap between the sealing disc 100 and the process chamber 20 can be sealed by other structures outside the sealing disc 100 or outside the process chamber 20.

[0060] In optional embodiments, the sealing door mechanism 10 further comprises an isolation pad 300, which is arranged on the upper surface of the sealing disc 100, is located at the periphery of the sealing member 200, and protrudes from the upper surface of the sealing disc 100 to isolate the sealing disc 100 and the process chamber 20. The isolation pad 300 can be made of engineering plastic, specifically PEEK (Polyetheretherketone), of course, it can also be made of other engineering plastics or other materials other than engineering plastics.

[0061] Optionally, the isolation pad 300 is located at the periphery of the sealing ring. The isolation pad 300 can be in a block structure, a strip structure or even a ring structure. The specific structure of the isolation pad 300 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application, and the isolation pad 300 can only isolate the sealing disc 100 and the process chamber 20. Further optionally, the sealing member 200 and the isolation pad 300 are in a ring structure. The sealing disc 100, the heat insulation plate 400, the groove 110, the sealing member 200 and the isolation pad 300 are concentrically arranged. The sealing member 200 and the isolation pad 300 are located outside the groove 110.

[0062] By using the embodiment, the sealing door mechanism 10 is additionally provided with the isolation pad 300. When the sealing disc 100 closes the first opening 21 of the process chamber 20, the sealing member 200 seals the gap between the process chamber 20 and the sealing disc 100. At the same time, the isolation pad 300 isolates the sealing disc 100 from the process chamber 20, so as to avoid the direct contact between the sealing disc 100 and the process chamber 20 when the pressing force between the sealing disc 100 and the process chamber 20 is large. In this way, the local process chamber 20 is avoided from being broken by collision, and the safety of the process chamber 20 is effectively ensured.

[0063] Of course, in other embodiments, the sealing door mechanism 10 can not be provided with the isolation pad 300. The thickness of the sealing member 200 is increased to prevent the direct contact between the sealing disc 100 and the process chamber 20.

[0064] In optional embodiments, as shown in Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the sealing door mechanism 10 further includes a linear driving mechanism 700, a rotary mechanism 600 and a support arm 500. The first end of the support arm 500 is connected with the sealing disc 100. The support arm 500 can drive the sealing disc 100 to move, so as to close or open the first opening 21. The rotary mechanism 600 is connected with the second end of the support arm 500. The rotary mechanism 600 drives the support arm 500 to rotate the sealing disc 100. The linear driving mechanism 700 is connected with the rotary mechanism 600. The linear driving mechanism 700 can drive the rotary mechanism 600 to drive the support arm 500 and the sealing disc 100 to synchronously ascend and descend. The rotary mechanism 600 and the linear driving mechanism 700 work in cooperation, so as to switch the sealing disc 100 between the first position and the second position.

[0065] Specifically, when the sealing disc 100 is located at the first position, i.e., the position of the sealing disc 100 in Figure 3 , the sealing disc 100 closes the first opening 21. The sealing member 200 seals the first opening 21. At this time, the process chamber 20 can start the purging process. When the sealing disc 100 is located at the second position, i.e., the position of the sealing disc 100 in Figure 3At the position shown by the dotted line, the sealing disc 100 opens the first opening 21, and the process door 30 can seal the first opening 21, at this time, the process chamber 20 can open the process.

[0066] The rotary mechanism 600 can be a driving member that provides rotary driving force, such as a driving motor or a pneumatic motor, and the linear driving mechanism 700 can include a driving member that provides linear driving force, such as a pneumatic cylinder, an electric cylinder, or a linear module. Alternatively, the first end of the support arm 500 and the sealing disc 100, the second end of the support arm 500 and the driving shaft of the rotary mechanism 600, and the housing of the rotary mechanism 600 and the linear driving mechanism 700 can be connected by welding, bonding, or the like.

[0067] In an alternative embodiment, the sealing member 200 is a sealing ring, and the shape of the sealing ring can be the same as that of the first opening 21 of the process chamber 20. Alternatively, the first opening 21 is a square opening, and the sealing ring is a square ring structure; or the first opening 21 is a circular opening, and the sealing ring is a circular ring structure. The isolation pad 300 is an arc structure that extends along the circumference of the sealing ring.

[0068] In another embodiment, the isolation pad 300 is a ring structure that surrounds the sealing ring. Alternatively, the isolation pad 300 can be located at the periphery of the sealing ring, and the isolation pad 300 and the sealing ring are concentrically arranged.

[0069] With the embodiment, the extension length of the isolation pad 300 along the circumference of the sealing ring is increased, and thus the isolation area between the process chamber 20 and the sealing disc 100 is increased, effectively avoiding direct contact between the sealing disc 100 and the process chamber 20, further avoiding local breakage of the process chamber 20 due to collision, and further improving the safety performance of the process chamber 20.

[0070] In an alternative embodiment, the isolation pad 300 is arranged at the edge of the sealing disc 100, and the isolation pad 300 is located on the upper surface of the sealing disc 100. The isolation pad 300 only includes the isolation portion 320, and the isolation portion 320 is in contact with the upper surface of the sealing disc 100.

[0071] In another embodiment, the isolation pad 300 further includes a connecting portion 310 that is connected to the isolation portion 320 by bending, and the connecting portion 310 is connected to the side surface of the sealing disc 100. Alternatively, the connecting portion 310 and the side surface of the sealing disc 100 can be fixedly connected by welding, bonding, or the like; the connecting portion 310 and the isolation portion 320 can be a split structure, and the connecting portion 310 and the isolation portion 320 are fixedly connected by welding, bonding, or the like. Of course, the connecting portion 310 and the isolation portion 320 can also be formed into an integrated structure by injection molding.

[0072] In this embodiment, the isolation pad 300 is connected to the sealing disc 100 through the connecting portion 310, so that the position of the isolation portion 320 is fixed relative to the sealing disc 100, and the position of the isolation portion 320 is prevented from being deviated. In addition, the connecting portion 310 extends to the side surface of the sealing disc 100 and is connected to the sealing disc 100, so that the operation of connecting does not affect the isolation portion 320, and the isolation portion 320 effectively isolates the sealing disc 100 and the process chamber 20.

[0073] In a further embodiment, the connecting portion 310 is detachably connected to the side surface of the sealing disc 100. Alternatively, the connecting portion 310 can be connected to the side surface of the sealing disc 100 through clamping, bolt connection or the like. Further alternatively, the connecting portion 310 can be provided with an opening, the side surface of the sealing disc 100 is provided with a threaded hole, and a fastener 311 such as a screw or a bolt is used to penetrate the opening and extend into the threaded hole to connect the sealing disc 100 and the connecting portion 310. Alternatively, one of the connecting portion 310 and the side surface of the sealing disc 100 is provided with a clamping block, and the other is provided with a clamping groove, and the clamping block can extend into the clamping groove to achieve clamping connection between the sealing disc 100 and the connecting portion 310.

[0074] In this embodiment, a detachable connection mode is used, so that the isolation pad 300 is convenient to install and detach, and the isolation pad 300 can be replaced as needed to continuously ensure that the sealing disc 100 is effectively isolated from the process chamber 20, thereby prolonging the service life of the process chamber 20.

[0075] Of course, in other embodiments, the connecting portion 310 can also be fixedly connected to the side surface of the sealing disc 100 through welding, bonding or the like.

[0076] In an alternative embodiment, the height of the isolation pad 300 protruding from the sealing disc 100 is greater than or equal to the height of the sealing member 200 protruding from the sealing disc 100. Alternatively, the height of the isolation portion 320 protruding from the sealing disc 100 is greater than or equal to the height of the sealing ring protruding from the sealing disc 100.

[0077] In another embodiment, as shown in Figure 2 the height of the isolation pad 300 protruding from the sealing disc 100 is less than the height of the sealing member 200 protruding from the sealing disc 100. Alternatively, the height of the isolation portion 320 protruding from the sealing disc 100 is less than the height of the sealing ring protruding from the sealing disc 100.

[0078] In this embodiment, the protruding height of the sealing member 200 is relatively large, and the protruding height of the isolation pad 300 is relatively small, so that the process chamber 20 is first pressed against the sealing member 200 to seal the gap between the process chamber 20 and the sealing disc 100, and the protruding height of the isolation pad 300 is prevented from being too large to affect the sealing between the process chamber 20 and the sealing disc 100.

[0079] Based on the disclosed sealing door mechanism 10, the embodiments of the present application further disclose a semiconductor process equipment, referring to Figures 7-11 As shown in the figure, the semiconductor process equipment comprises the sealing door mechanism 10 and a process chamber 20, the process chamber 20 is provided with a first opening 21, and the sealing door mechanism 10 is used to seal the first opening 21.

[0080] Optionally, the process chamber 20 can be a vertical process tube, the top of the process tube is a closed structure, the bottom of the process tube is an open structure to form the first opening 21, the process chamber 20 is provided with a gas inlet 22 and a gas outlet 23, the gas inlet 22 can introduce a purge gas into the inside of the process chamber 20, and the gas outlet 23 can supply the purge gas to be discharged out of the process chamber 20, wherein the purge gas can be but is not limited to nitrogen.

[0081] By using the embodiment, the sealing door mechanism 10 of the semiconductor process equipment is additionally provided with the isolation pad 300, when the sealing disc 100 closes the first opening 21 of the process chamber 20, the sealing member 200 seals the gap between the process chamber 20 and the sealing disc 100, at the same time, the isolation pad 300 isolates the sealing disc 100 from the process chamber 20, avoiding the direct contact between the sealing disc 100 and the process chamber 20 when the pressing force between the sealing disc 100 and the process chamber 20 is large, and further avoiding the local part of the process chamber 20 from being broken by collision, effectively improving the safety of the process chamber 20.

[0082] In the optional embodiment, the heat insulation plate 400 is arranged to be spaced apart from at least two second openings 400a, when the sealing door mechanism 10 seals the first opening 21, the two second openings 400a are respectively opposite to the gas inlet 22 and the gas outlet 23. In this way, the purge gas entering from the gas inlet 22 can conveniently enter the purge gap 400b through the second opening 400a, and is discharged through the other second opening 400a through the gas outlet 23, which is more conducive to the rapid flow of the purge gas in the purge gap 400b.

[0083] In the optional embodiment, the semiconductor process equipment further comprises a process door 30 and a wafer boat 40, the process door 30 is used to seal the first opening 21 in a process state, the wafer boat 40 is used to carry a wafer 41, the wafer boat 40 is arranged on the process door 30, and the process door 30 can drive the wafer boat 40 carrying the wafer 41 to move. In the case that the semiconductor process equipment is in the process state, the process door 30 seals the first opening 21, and the wafer boat 40 extends into the process chamber 20. In the case that the semiconductor process equipment is in a purge state, the sealing door mechanism 10 seals the first opening 21.

[0084] Specifically, referring to Figure 6As shown, process gate 30 seals the first opening 21, the semiconductor process equipment is in the process state, and particles and other residues gradually remain on the inner wall of the process chamber 20. At this time, the sealing disk 100 is in the second position; when the process is completed, refer to Figure 7 As shown, process gate 30 lowers the crystal boat 40 and wafer 41, opening the first opening 21; during the process where the crystal boat 40 and wafer 41 leave the process chamber 20, and then other transfer equipment transports the wafer 41, which has completed the process, carried by the crystal boat 40, to the process chamber 20, refer to... Figure 8 As shown, the sealing disc 100 switches from the second position to the first position, and the sealing disc 100 seals the first opening 21 of the process chamber 20. Further reference... Figure 9 As shown, when the semiconductor process equipment starts the purging process, purging gases such as nitrogen are introduced into the process chamber 20 through the air inlet 22. The purging gases purge the residues in the process chamber 20 and carry the residues out through the exhaust port 23. After the purging process is completed, refer to... Figure 10 As shown, the sealing disk 100 switches from the first position to the second position, and the sealing disk 100 opens the first opening 21. At the same time, other transfer devices transfer the unprocessed wafer 41 to the crystal boat 40. Further reference... Figure 11 As shown, process gate 30 drives the crystal boat 40 and wafer 41 to rise, thereby sealing the first opening 21, and the semiconductor process equipment restarts the process.

[0085] In this embodiment, the semiconductor process equipment seals the first opening 21 of the process chamber 20 in the purging state through the sealing door mechanism 10, eliminating the need to seal the first opening 21 using the process door 30 in the purging state. As a result, there is no crystal boat 40 in the process chamber 20 during the purging state, and the crystal boat 40 does not affect the flow rate or uniformity of the purging gas, achieving a purging process without dead angles, which is beneficial to improving the purging effect and efficiency. Moreover, since the process door 30 and the sealing door mechanism 10 seal the first opening 21 in the process state and the purging state respectively, the process of loading and unloading the wafer 41 from the crystal boat 40 can be carried out simultaneously with the purging process, saving the time of separate purging, which is beneficial to improving the utilization rate and process efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment.

[0086] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A sealing door mechanism for a semiconductor process apparatus, used to seal the first opening (21) of the process chamber (20) of the semiconductor process apparatus, characterized in that, The sealing door mechanism (10) includes a sealing disc (100) and a heat insulation plate (400). The sealing disc (100) is used to close the first opening (21) of the process chamber (20). The heat insulation plate (400) is disposed on the upper surface of the sealing disc (100). A purge gap (400b) is provided between the sealing disc (100) and the heat insulation plate (400). The heat insulation plate (400) is provided with a second opening (400a), which communicates with the purge gap (400b).

2. The sealing door mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper surface of the sealing disc (100) is provided with a groove (110), the heat insulation plate (400) is located in the groove (110), and the purging gap (400b) is formed between the groove wall surface of the groove (110) and the heat insulation plate (400).

3. The sealing door mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second opening (400a) is formed at the edge of the insulation plate (400).

4. The sealing door mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, The edge of the second opening (400a) is arc-shaped, and the second opening (400a) is smoothly connected to the edge of the heat insulation plate (400).

5. The sealing door mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, At least two second openings (400a) are provided at intervals along the direction extending from the edge of the heat insulation plate (400).

6. The sealing door mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sealing door mechanism further includes a sealing element (200), which is disposed on the upper surface of the sealing disc (100). The sealing element (200) is located around the heat insulation plate (400) and protrudes from the upper surface of the sealing disc (100) to seal the gap between the sealing disc (100) and the process chamber (20).

7. The sealing door mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that, The sealing door mechanism also includes an isolation pad (300), which is disposed on the upper surface of the sealing disc (100). The isolation pad (300) is located around the sealing element (200) and protrudes from the upper surface of the sealing disc (100) to isolate the sealing disc (100) from the process chamber (20).

8. The sealing door mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, The isolation pad (300) is disposed on the edge of the sealing disc (100). The isolation pad (300) includes a connecting part (310) and an isolation part (320) connected together. The isolation part (320) is in contact with the upper surface of the sealing disc (100), and the connecting part (310) is connected to the side surface of the sealing disc (100).

9. The sealing door mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that, The connecting part (310) is detachably connected to the side surface of the sealing disc (100).

10. The sealing door mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, The height of the isolation pad (300) protruding from the sealing disc (100) is less than the height of the sealing element (200) protruding from the sealing disc (100).

11. A semiconductor process apparatus, characterized in that, Includes a sealing door mechanism (10) as described in any one of claims 1-10 and a process chamber (20), the process chamber (20) having a first opening (21), the sealing door mechanism (10) being used to seal the first opening (21).

12. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 11, characterized in that, The semiconductor process equipment also includes a process gate (30) and a crystal boat (40), the crystal boat (40) being used to carry a wafer (41), the crystal boat (40) being disposed at the process gate (30).

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