Wafer carrier apparatus and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The application discloses a wafer carrying device and a semiconductor process equipment, and relates to the technical field of semiconductors. The wafer carrying device is used for removing corrosive gas remaining on the surface of a wafer, and comprises a device main body, a movable door and a carrier for carrying the wafer. The movable door is movably connected with the device main body. The carrier is arranged in a containing cavity of the device main body. The carrier has a wafer carrying part. The carrier is provided with a gas injection port. The device main body is provided with a gas extraction port which is in communication with the containing cavity. In the case that the movable door is in sealing cooperation with the device main body, the gas injection port sprays process gas to the wafer, and the process gas is extracted through the gas extraction port. The scheme can solve the problem that the efficiency of removing corrosive gas remaining on the surface of a wafer by a wafer carrying device is low.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of semiconductor technology, and particularly relates to a wafer carrying device and a semiconductor process equipment. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the process fields of DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), 3D NAND (NAND Flash Memory) and logic chips, a part of corrosive gas, such as hydrogen bromide, chlorine, hydrogen chloride and the like, is left on the wafer surface after the completion of the etching process. The part of corrosive gas is brought into the process front-end module, such as EFEM (Equipment Front End Module), along with the wafer transmission. There is a certain amount of water vapor in the EFEM (water vapor is present in the air, that is, the so-called "humidity", although the EFEM has a humidity control function, but it is impossible to completely remove the water vapor). At this time, the corrosive gas combines with the part of water vapor to form acidic substances, and the acidic substances can corrode the wafer and other parts of the equipment.

[0003] In actual application, in order to remove the corrosive gas on the wafer surface, the process gas is usually introduced into the accommodation space of the wafer carrying device to remove the corrosive gas on the wafer surface. However, the above cleaning method has low efficiency in removing the corrosive gas on the wafer surface, especially for some corrosive gas which is almost impossible to remove. SUMMARY

[0004] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a wafer carrying device and a semiconductor process equipment, which can solve the problem of low efficiency in removing the corrosive gas left on the wafer surface by the wafer carrying device.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application is implemented as follows:

[0006] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a wafer carrying device for removing corrosive gas left on the wafer surface, comprising a device main body, a movable door and a carrying member for carrying a wafer, the movable door is movably connected with the device main body, the carrying member is arranged in an accommodation cavity of the device main body, the carrying member has a wafer carrying part, the carrying member is provided with a gas injection port, and the device main body is provided with a gas extraction port in communication with the accommodation cavity.

[0007] Under the condition that the movable door is sealingly matched with the device main body, the gas injection port sprays process gas to the wafer, and the process gas is extracted through the gas extraction port.

[0008] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a semiconductor process equipment, comprising a process front-end module, wherein the process front-end module comprises a module main body and the wafer carrying device as described above, and the wafer carrying device is arranged in the accommodating space of the module main body.

[0009] In the embodiments of the present application, the carrying member for carrying the wafer is provided with a jet port, and the device main body of the wafer carrying device is provided with an air exhaust port in communication with the accommodating cavity. In the case that the movable door is in sealing cooperation with the device main body, the jet port sprays the process gas to the wafer. At this time, the flow rate of the process gas is relatively large, and the process gas has a certain kinetic energy, which is beneficial to improve the efficiency of removing the corrosive gas on the surface of the wafer. In addition, the process gas sprayed by the jet port to the wafer has a purging effect, which can cool the wafer. At the same time, the process gas in the accommodating cavity is exhausted by the air exhaust port. At this time, the air exhaust port and the jet port form an air flow channel, so as to accelerate the flow rate of the process gas, so as to further improve the efficiency of removing the corrosive gas on the surface of the wafer and the cooling efficiency. In addition, in the process of removing the corrosive gas on the surface of the wafer, the sealing cooperation between the movable door and the device main body can prevent the gas in the device main body from polluting other components.

[0010] In addition, when the wafer carrying device disclosed in the present application is placed in the process front-end module of the semiconductor process equipment, a special cleaning chamber does not need to be separately arranged, and process chambers can be reserved for other processes, which is beneficial to improve the efficiency of processing wafers. In addition, since the wafer cassette for storing wafers is usually in communication with the accommodating space of the module main body of the process front-end module, the wafer carrying device is placed in the process front-end module in the present application, and after the wafer cleaning is completed, the wafer can be directly transferred into the wafer cassette. In addition, after the movable door is opened, the pressure in the device main body is less than the pressure in the EFEM under the action of the air exhaust port, so that the gas flow in the EFEM flows into the device main body, and the gas in the device main body does not flow into the EFEM, thereby preventing the components in the EFEM from being corroded. In addition, the wafer carrying device disclosed in the present application has a small volume, occupies a small space, and has a small influence on other devices in the process front-end module. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 The structure diagram of the wafer carrying device disclosed in the embodiments of the present application;

[0012] Figures 2 to 4 The sectional view of the wafer carrying device disclosed in the embodiments of the present application in different viewing angles;

[0013] Figure 5 The bottom view of the wafer carrying device disclosed in the embodiments of the present application;

[0014] Figure 6 The sectional view of the wafer carrying device disclosed in the embodiments of the present application.

[0015] Legend:

[0016] 100-device body, 110-exhaust port, 120-bottom plate, 121-avoidance opening, 122-first guide slot, 123-second guide slot, 130-frame, 140-first side plate, 150-second side plate, 160-back plate, 170-top plate;

[0017] 200-movable door;

[0018] 300-wafer;

[0019] 400-carrier, 410-wafer carrying part, 420-jet port, 430-air inlet channel, 440-first vertical column, 450-second vertical column;

[0020] 500-air inlet assembly, 510-first joint, 520-air inlet hose, 530-second joint;

[0021] 600-heating member, 610-first heating belt, 620-second heating belt, 630-third heating belt, 640-fourth heating belt, 650-fifth heating belt;

[0022] 710-housing, 720-driving mechanism, 721-driving source, 722-screw rod, 723-nut, 730-guide rod, 740-connecting block;

[0023] 800-exhaust hood;

[0024] 910-first protective cover, 920-second protective cover. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all the other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without any creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0026] 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 thus used 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 are not limited in number, 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 front and rear associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0027] The wafer carrying device and semiconductor process equipment provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below in combination with the drawings, through specific embodiments and application scenarios.

[0028] As Figures 1 to 6As shown, the embodiment of the present application discloses a wafer carrying device for removing corrosive gas remaining on the surface of the wafer 300. Optionally, the corrosive gas can be at least one of hydrogen bromide, chlorine, hydrogen chloride, and of course other gases, which are not specifically limited by the embodiment of the present application. The wafer carrying device comprises a device main body 100, a movable door 200, and a carrying member 400 for carrying the wafer 300. Optionally, the device main body 100 comprises a frame 130, a bottom plate 120, a first side plate 140, a second side plate 150, a back plate 160, and a top plate 170. The bottom plate 120, the first side plate 140, the second side plate 150, the back plate 160, and the top plate 170 are detachably arranged in the frame 130 and surround a containing cavity to facilitate disassembly. Of course, the bottom plate 120, the first side plate 140, the second side plate 150, the back plate 160, and the top plate 170 can be welded to the frame 130 to improve the sealing of the containing cavity, which is not specifically limited herein. The movable door 200 is movably connected to the device main body 100, which can be rotationally or slidably connected to the device main body 100. The carrying member 400 is arranged in the containing cavity of the device main body 100. Optionally, the carrying member 400 is detachably arranged on the bottom plate 120 of the device main body 100 to facilitate disassembly of the carrying member 400. Further optionally, the carrying member 400 is arranged on the bottom plate 120 by screws, and of course other connection methods such as insertion can also be used, which are not specifically limited herein. The carrying member 400 has a wafer carrying portion 410, and the carrying member 400 is provided with a gas injection port 420. Optionally, the gas injection port 420 is located above the wafer carrying portion 410, so that the process gas injected by the gas injection port 420 can fully act on the surface of the wafer 300. The device main body 100 is provided with an air outlet 110 which is in communication with the containing cavity. The process gas injected by the gas injection port 420 can be used to remove the corrosive gas remaining on the surface of the wafer 300. Of course, if the process requirement of the wafer 300 is not to remove the corrosive gas remaining on the surface of the wafer 300, but only to cool or achieve other purposes through the process gas injected by the gas injection port 420, it also belongs to the protection scope of the wafer carrying device disclosed by the embodiment of the present application.

[0029] When the movable door 200 is in sealing cooperation with the device body 100, that is, the movable door 200 closes the opening of the device body 100, the gas injection port 420 sprays the process gas to the wafer 300, at this time, the flow rate of the process gas is large, and has a certain kinetic energy, which is beneficial to improve the efficiency of removing the corrosive gas on the surface of the wafer 300; and the process gas sprayed by the gas injection port 420 to the wafer 300 has a sweeping effect, which can cool the wafer 300; at the same time, the process gas in the accommodating cavity is extracted through the gas extraction port 110, at this time, the gas extraction port 110 and the gas injection port 420 form an air flow channel, thereby accelerating the flow rate of the process gas, to further improve the efficiency of the process gas to remove the corrosive gas on the surface of the wafer 300 and the cooling efficiency. Therefore, the embodiment of the present application can solve the problem that the efficiency of removing the corrosive gas remaining on the surface of the wafer 300 by the wafer carrying device is low.

[0030] It should be noted that, since the temperature of the wafer 300 is high, if the temperature of the process gas is low, when the gas injection port 420 sprays the process gas to the surface of the wafer 300, due to the large temperature difference, the wafer 300 is easily broken. Based on this, optionally, the process gas is a high-temperature process gas, thereby reducing the temperature difference between the process gas and the wafer 300, and further protecting the wafer 300. Of course, the temperature of the high-temperature process gas is still lower than the temperature of the wafer 300.

[0031] Optionally, the wafer carrying part 410 can be provided with only one layer; or the number of the wafer carrying part 410 is at least two layers, the wafer carrying parts 410 are arranged at intervals, the gas injection ports 420 are provided in at least two groups, and each group of the gas injection ports 420 and each layer of the wafer carrying parts 410 are arranged alternately, at this time, the carrying piece 400 can carry at least two wafers, thereby improving the cleaning efficiency. The carrying piece 400 is also provided with the gas inlet channel 430, the gas inlet channel 430 is in communication with each layer of the gas injection ports 420, thereby supplying gas to each layer of the gas injection ports 420 through one gas inlet channel 430, which is beneficial to simplify the structure of the carrying piece 400 and reduce the manufacturing difficulty. Of course, each layer of the gas injection ports 420 can also be provided with the gas inlet channel 430.

[0032] In an alternative embodiment, the wafer carrying device further comprises an air inlet assembly 500, one end of the air inlet assembly 500 is connected with the air outlet 420, and the other end of the air inlet assembly 500 extends through the device main body 100 to the outside of the accommodating cavity and is connected with the air source, so as to continuously supply air to the air outlet 420. The air inlet assembly 500 comprises a first connector 510, an air inlet hose 520 and a second connector 530 connected in sequence, the first connector 510 is arranged on the device main body 100, and optionally, the first connector 510 can be clamped on the top plate 170 of the device main body 100 by two nuts, and the first connector 510 is threadedly connected with the two nuts respectively, so as to improve the firmness of the first connector 510; further optionally, the first connector 510 can be a connector with a sealing ring, so as to improve the sealing between the first connector 510 and the device main body 100. The second connector 530 is arranged on the carrying member 400, and the two ends of the air inlet hose 520 are sealingly connected with the first connector 510 and the second connector 530 respectively, so as to improve the sealing of the air inlet assembly 500, so that the air outlet 420 has sufficient pressure, and the process gas ejected from the air outlet 420 has sufficient kinetic energy; and the air inlet hose 520 is relatively flexible and convenient to arrange. Of course, the air inlet hose 520 can also be replaced by a hard pipe, which has no bending property and is less flexible than the air inlet hose 520.

[0033] In the embodiment in which the carrying member 400 is further provided with the air inlet channel 430, one end of the air inlet assembly 500 is connected with the air inlet channel 430, and the other end of the air inlet assembly 500 extends through the device main body 100 to the outside of the accommodating cavity, so that only one set of air inlet assembly 500 is needed, which is beneficial to save the manufacturing cost of the wafer carrying device and is convenient to install.

[0034] Optionally, the air suction rate of the air suction port 110 can be equal to the air injection rate of the air outlet 420, at this time, the rate of the process gas entering the accommodating cavity is small, and the process gas is easy to accumulate in the accommodating cavity, thereby reducing the cleaning efficiency. Therefore, in other alternative embodiments, the air suction rate of the air suction port 110 is greater than the air injection rate of the air outlet 420, at this time, the pressure in the accommodating cavity is less than the pressure outside the device main body 100, that is, the internal pressure of the wafer carrying device is controlled to be less than the internal pressure of the EFEM, so that the process gas can smoothly enter the accommodating cavity of the wafer carrying device, avoiding the overflow of the process gas due to poor sealing of the wafer carrying device, thereby preventing the parts in the EFEM from being corroded; at the same time, it can also avoid the process gas from being retained in the accommodating cavity, which is beneficial to improve the working efficiency of the wafer carrying device.

[0035] Optionally, the carrier 400 can be a ring-shaped support; or in other embodiments, the carrier 400 comprises a first column 440 and a second column 450 which are spaced apart and have a wafer accommodating space between the first column 440 and the second column 450, i.e. the wafer 300 is located between the first column 440 and the second column 450, the first column 440 has a first wafer carrier portion, the second column 450 has a second wafer carrier portion, and the first wafer carrier portion and the second wafer carrier portion are coplanar to form a wafer carrier portion 410, at this time, the two ends of the wafer 300 opposite to each other are supported on the first wafer carrier portion and the second wafer carrier portion respectively, and the central region of the wafer 300 can be suspended, thereby increasing the contact area with the process gas. Optionally, the first column 440 and the second column 450 can each be provided with a gas injection port 420; or in other embodiments, one of the first column 440 and the second column 450 is provided with a gas injection port 420, i.e. only the first column 440 or the second column 450 is provided with a gas injection port 420, and the gas suction port 110 is formed in the side wall of the device main body 100, and optionally, one of the first side plate 140 and the second side plate 150 is provided with the gas suction port 110. The gas suction port 110 faces the gas injection port 420, at this time, the gas flow channel formed between the gas suction port 110 and the gas injection port 420 extends in the horizontal direction, i.e. the gas flow channel flows along the surface of the wafer 300, which not only can accelerate the cleaning efficiency of the wafer 300, but also can improve the utilization rate of the process gas, thereby saving costs.

[0036] In further optional embodiments, the first column 440 is provided with a gas injection port 420, and optionally, the number of the first column 440 can be one, at this time, the first column 440 can adopt a fan ring structure, and the cross-sectional area thereof can be set to be relatively large to increase the support area of the first wafer support portion, thereby improving the stability of the wafer 300; or the number of the first column 440 is at least two, and each first column 440 is spaced apart along the circumference of the wafer 300, at this time, the cross-sectional area of each first column 440 can be set to be relatively small, on the basis of ensuring the stability of the wafer 300, the contact area between the wafer 300 and the first column 440 is reduced, thereby increasing the contact area between the wafer 300 and the process gas and improving the cleaning efficiency of the wafer 300; in addition, the plurality of gas injection ports 420 simultaneously inject the process gas to the wafer 300, which is conducive to further improving the cleaning efficiency of the wafer 300.

[0037] Optionally, the number of the second column 450 can be one; or the number of the second column 450 can be at least two, and each second column 450 is spaced apart along the circumference of the wafer 300, at this time, the cross-sectional area of each second column 450 can be set to be relatively small, on the basis of ensuring the stability of the wafer 300, the contact area between the wafer 300 and the second column 450 is reduced, thereby increasing the contact area between the wafer 300 and the process gas and improving the cleaning efficiency of the wafer 300.

[0038] Optionally, the first column 440 and the second column 450 can be fixed on the bottom plate 120 of the device body 100 and cannot move, at this time, the bearing member 400 can only bear a wafer 300 of one size, and the applicable range is small. Therefore, in another optional embodiment, at least one of the first column 440 and the second column 450 is slidably arranged on the bottom plate 120 of the device body 100, so that the first column 440 and the second column 450 can be relatively close or far away, thereby adjusting the distance between the first column 440 and the second column 450 to adapt to wafers 300 of different sizes, and the applicable range of the bearing member 400 is improved. Optionally, the bearing member 400 can be mainly used to adapt to 8-inch and 12-inch wafers 300, and of course can also adapt to wafers 300 of other sizes, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0039] Optionally, the bottom plate 120 of the device body 100 can be provided with a first guide groove 122 and a second guide groove 123, the first column 440 is slidably arranged in the first guide groove 122, and the second column 450 is slidably arranged in the second guide groove 123, so that the first column 440 and the second column 450 slide along the first guide groove 122 and the second guide groove 123 respectively, avoiding deviation, and being beneficial to improving the efficiency of adjusting the first column 440 and the second column 450. Further, when the positions of the first column 440 and the second column 450 are determined, they can be fixed by screws.

[0040] Optionally, the wafer bearing device further comprises a first protective cover 910 and a second protective cover 920, the first protective cover 910 and the second protective cover 920 are arranged on the bottom plate 120 and are located below the bottom plate 120, the first protective cover 910 covers the first guide groove 122, the second protective cover 920 covers the second guide groove 123, and the first protective cover 910 and the second protective cover 920 are in sealing cooperation with the bottom plate 120, thereby improving the sealing performance of the accommodation cavity.

[0041] Since the temperature of the wafer 300 is high, if the temperature in the accommodation cavity is low, when the wafer 300 is placed on the bearing member 400, due to the large temperature difference, the wafer 300 is easy to be broken. Based on this, optionally, the wafer bearing device further comprises a heating member 600, the heating member 600 wraps at least a part of the device body 100, thereby heating the device body 100, so that the heat of the device body 100 diffuses into the accommodation cavity, thereby reducing the temperature difference between the inside of the accommodation cavity and the wafer 300, to further protect the wafer 300. Of course, the temperature inside the accommodation cavity is still lower than the temperature of the wafer 300.

[0042] It should be noted that in the process of wrapping the device main body 100 with the heating element 600, if a screw or a thermocouple structure is encountered, a hole can be punched on the heating element 600 to avoid it.

[0043] Optionally, in the embodiment in which the device main body 100 includes the frame 130, the bottom plate 120, the first side plate 140, the second side plate 150, the back plate 160, and the top plate 170, the heating element 600 includes a first heating band 610, a second heating band 620, a third heating band 630, a fourth heating band 640, and a fifth heating band 650, the first heating band 610 wraps at least a portion of the bottom plate 120, the second heating band 620 wraps at least a portion of the first side plate 140, the third heating band 630 wraps at least a portion of the second side plate 150, the fourth heating band 640 wraps at least a portion of the back plate 160, and the fifth heating band 650 wraps at least a portion of the top plate 170, so as to facilitate the arrangement of the heating element 600.

[0044] In another alternative embodiment, the bottom plate 120 of the device main body 100 is provided with an avoiding opening 121, and the wafer carrying device further includes a shell 710 and a driving mechanism 720, the shell 710 is arranged on the bottom plate 120 and is located below the bottom plate 120, and the shell 710 is detachably connected to the bottom plate 120 by screws, or can be directly welded to the bottom plate 120, which is not limited here. The driving mechanism 720 is arranged in the shell 710, and the driving mechanism 720 is detachably connected to the shell 710 by screws. The driving mechanism 720 is connected to the movable door 200, and the driving mechanism 720 can drive the movable door 200 to rise and fall, so that at least a part of the movable door 200 extends out of the shell 710 through the avoiding opening 121 and sealingly cooperates with the device main body 100. The movable door 200 in this scheme is arranged below the device main body 100, so that the wafer carrying device occupies a smaller space in the horizontal plane, and when the wafer carrying device is arranged in the front-end module of the equipment, the influence on other structures can be reduced. Of course, the shell 710, the driving mechanism 720, and the movable door 200 can all be arranged on one side of the device main body 100, i.e., the left side or the right side, and at this time the movable door 200 can slide in the horizontal direction.

[0045] Optionally, at least one of the device main body 100 and the movable door 200 can be provided with a position detection element to detect the specific position of the movable door 200, and according to the detection result of the position detection element, it is determined whether the movable door 200 sealingly cooperates with the device main body 100, so as to control whether the air jet port 420 sprays the process gas to the wafer 300, thereby improving the working efficiency of the air jet port 420.

[0046] In a further optional embodiment, the driving mechanism 720 comprises a driving source 721 and a transmission member connected between the driving source 721 and the movable door 200, the driving source 721 drives the movable door 200 to lift through the transmission member, at this time, the transmission member needs to occupy a certain height, which will increase the height of the wafer carrying device. In view of this, the driving mechanism 720 further comprises a screw rod 722 and a nut 723, the driving source 721 is arranged outside the shell 710, one end of the screw rod 722 is connected with the bottom plate 120, the other end of the screw rod 722 passes through the shell 710 and is connected with the driving source 721, the nut 723 is threadedly matched with the screw rod 722, and the movable door 200 is connected with the nut 723. Optionally, the movable door 200 can be detachably connected with the nut 723 through a screw, and of course can be directly welded to the nut 723, which is not limited specifically herein. The driving source 721 drives the nut 723 to lift along the extension direction of the screw rod 722. In this scheme, the movable door 200 and the screw rod 722 are arranged side by side, in the vertical direction, the screw rod 722 does not need to occupy extra space, which is conducive to improving the structural compactness of the wafer carrying device and reducing the height of the wafer carrying device, and the stability is better; in addition, the nut 723 is threadedly matched with the screw rod 722, which is conducive to accurately controlling the lifting speed of the movable door 200.

[0047] In the process of lifting the movable door 200 along the extension direction of the screw rod 722 by the nut 723, the screw rod 722 not only plays a driving role, but also has a guiding function, but at this time, the screw rod 722 needs to be located at the middle position of the movable door 200, otherwise the movable door 200 is easy to tilt in the lifting process; or in other embodiments, the wafer carrying device further comprises a guide rod 730 and a connecting block 740, the guide rod 730 is arranged in the shell 710, and optionally, the guide rod 730 is detachably connected with the shell 710 through a screw, and of course can be directly welded to the shell 710, which is not limited specifically herein. The guide rod 730 is arranged side by side with the screw rod 722, and both are located on the same side of the movable door 200, the connecting block 740 is slidably sleeved on the guide rod 730, and the connecting block 740 is connected with the movable door 200. Optionally, the movable door 200 is detachably connected with the connecting block 740 through a screw, and of course can be directly welded to the connecting block 740, which is not limited specifically herein. In this scheme, the screw rod 722 and the guide rod 730 can be located at both ends of the movable door 200 to avoid tilting of the movable door 200 in the lifting process, and at the same time, the setting flexibility of the screw rod 722 can be reduced; and the movable door 200 is connected with the connecting block 740 and the nut 723 respectively, which is conducive to improving the connection area of the movable door 200, thereby improving the stability of the movable door 200.

[0048] In an optional embodiment, the wafer carrying device further comprises an exhaust cover 800 arranged on the outer surface of the device main body 100. Optionally, the exhaust cover 800 is detachably connected to the device main body 100 by screws to facilitate disassembly. Of course, the exhaust cover 800 can also be connected by other means, which is not specifically limited here. The exhaust cover 800 is in sealing cooperation with the device main body 100. One end of the exhaust cover 800 is in communication with the exhaust port 110, so that the process gas in the containing cavity is discharged through the exhaust cover 800. Optionally, when the wafer carrying device is arranged in the equipment front end module, the other end of the exhaust cover 800 can extend out of the equipment front end module, so as to avoid the process gas from entering the process chamber of the equipment front end module to contaminate other structures.

[0049] Optionally, the exhaust port 110 can be a circular port, a triangular port, a rectangular port, etc. Alternatively, the exhaust port 110 is a strip-shaped port, which can not only ensure a large exhaust area, but also prevent impurities from the outside from entering the containing cavity, and can also ensure a large pressure difference between the inside and outside of the containing cavity to meet the demand for exhaust.

[0050] Optionally, when the exhaust port 110 is a strip-shaped port, the strip-shaped port can be arranged horizontally, and the length of the strip-shaped port is less than the diameter of the wafer 300, so as to prevent the wafer 300 from being sucked away.

[0051] Optionally, the number of the exhaust ports 110 can be one. If the cross-sectional area of the exhaust port 110 is large, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the containing cavity is small, which will result in a small suction force. If the cross-sectional area of the exhaust port 110 is small, the suction force is large, but the exhaust efficiency is low. Therefore, the number of the exhaust ports 110 is at least two, and each exhaust port 110 is arranged in sequence and at intervals. In this way, each exhaust port 110 can have sufficient suction force, and the exhaust efficiency is high.

[0052] Based on the wafer carrying device disclosed in the embodiments of the present application, the embodiments of the present application further disclose a semiconductor process equipment, which comprises a process front end module. The process front end module comprises a module main body and the wafer carrying device according to any of the above embodiments. The wafer carrying device is arranged in the containing space of the module main body.

[0053] When the wafer carrying device is arranged in the accommodating space of the module main body of the process front-end module, the wafer carrying device has the following working process: after the robot calibrates the wafer 300, the robot lifts the wafer 300 to the front of the frame 130 of the device main body 100, the driving mechanism 720 drives the movable door 200 to descend to the fully open state after receiving the descending signal, then the robot places the wafer 300 on the carrying piece 400, the robot retracts, and then the driving mechanism 720 drives the movable door 200 to rise to the closed state after receiving the rising signal; then the jet port 420 sprays the process gas to the wafer 300, at this time, the flow rate of the process gas is large, and has a certain kinetic energy, which is beneficial to improve the efficiency of removing the corrosive gas on the surface of the wafer 300; and the process gas sprayed by the jet port 420 to the wafer 300 has a sweeping effect, which can cool the wafer 300; at the same time, the process gas in the accommodating cavity is extracted through the suction port 110, at this time, the suction port 110 and the jet port 420 form an air flow channel, which is beneficial to accelerate the flow rate of the process gas, so as to further improve the efficiency of removing the corrosive gas on the surface of the wafer 300 and the cooling efficiency.

[0054] When the movable door 200 is opened, the jet port 420 will immediately stop spraying the process gas, at this time, under the action of the suction port 110, the pressure in the device main body 100 is less than the pressure in the EFEM, so that the gas flow in the EFEM flows into the device main body 100, and the gas in the device main body 100 will not flow into the EFEM, thereby preventing the parts in the EFEM from being corroded.

[0055] In addition, the wafer carrying device disclosed in the application can be placed in the process front-end module of the semiconductor process equipment, so that a separate cleaning chamber is not needed, process chambers can be reserved for other processes, which is beneficial to improve the efficiency of processing wafers; and since the wafer storage cassette is usually communicated with the accommodating space of the module main body of the process front-end module, the wafer carrying device disclosed in the application is placed in the process front-end module, and after the wafer 300 is cleaned, the wafer 300 can be directly transferred into the wafer storage cassette; in addition, the wafer carrying device disclosed in the application has a small volume, occupies a small space, and has a small influence on other devices in the process front-end module.

[0056] It should be noted that during the process of processing the wafer 300 by the semiconductor process equipment, the suction port 110 can continuously work to ensure that the pressure in the device main body 100 is always less than the pressure outside the device main body 100 (i.e. in the EFEM), thereby preventing other parts from being corroded.

[0057] Optionally, when the wafer carrying part 410 is at least two layers, the robot can place the wafers 300 in sequence one by one, and in the state that the wafers 300 are full, the robot can take the wafers in sequence one by one, so as to avoid taking out the wafers 300 which are not cleaned completely.

[0058] The embodiments of the present application are described above in conjunction with the drawings, but the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and the specific embodiments described above are only illustrative but not restrictive, and those skilled in the art can make many forms under the inspiration of the present application without departing from the purpose of the present application and the scope protected by the claims, which all belong to the protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A wafer carrying device for removing residual corrosive gas from a wafer surface, characterized by, The wafer carrying device comprises a device body (100), a movable door (200) and a carrier (400) for carrying a wafer (300), the movable door (200) is movably connected with the device body (100), the carrier (400) is arranged in a containing cavity of the device body (100), the carrier (400) has a wafer carrying part (410), the carrier (400) is provided with a jet port (420), the device body (100) is provided with an air exhaust port (110) in communication with the containing cavity, In the case that the movable door (200) is in sealing cooperation with the device body (100), the jet port (420) sprays process gas to the wafer (300), and the process gas is exhausted through the air exhaust port (110).

2. The wafer carrier apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The jet port (420) is located above the wafer carrying part (410), the number of the wafer carrying part (410) is at least two layers, each layer of the wafer carrying part (410) is arranged in a spaced manner, each group of the jet port (420) is arranged in an alternating manner with each layer of the wafer carrying part (410), the carrier (400) is further provided with an air inlet channel (430), the air inlet channel (430) is in communication with each layer of the jet port (420) respectively.

3. The wafer carrier apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The wafer carrying device further comprises an air inlet assembly (500), one end of the air inlet assembly (500) is in communication with the jet port (420), the other end of the air inlet assembly (500) extends out of the containing cavity through the device body (100), the air inlet assembly (500) comprises a first joint (510), an air inlet hose (520) and a second joint (530) which are in communication in sequence, the first joint (510) is arranged on the device body (100), the second joint (530) is arranged on the carrier (400), and the air inlet hose (520) is in sealing cooperation with the first joint (510) and the second joint (530) respectively.

4. The wafer carrier apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The air exhaust rate of the air exhaust port (110) is greater than the jet rate of the jet port (420).

5. The wafer carrier apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The carrier (400) comprises a first vertical column (440) and a second vertical column (450) arranged in a spaced manner, the first vertical column (440) and the second vertical column (450) have a wafer containing space therebetween, the first vertical column (440) has a first wafer carrying part, the second vertical column (450) has a second wafer carrying part, the first wafer carrying part and the second wafer carrying part are arranged in a coplanar manner to form the wafer carrying part (410), one of the first vertical column (440) and the second vertical column (450) is provided with the jet port (420), the air exhaust port (110) is arranged on the sidewall of the device body (100), and the air exhaust port (110) faces the jet port (420).

6. The wafer carrier apparatus of claim 5, wherein, The first stand (440) is provided with the air jet (420), and the number of the first stands (440) is at least two, and each of the first stands (440) is sequentially and spacedly arranged along the circumference of the wafer (300).

7. The wafer carrier apparatus of claim 5, wherein, At least one of the first stand (440) and the second stand (450) is slidably arranged on the bottom plate (120) of the device body (100), so that the first stand (440) and the second stand (450) can be relatively close or far away.

8. The wafer carrier apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The wafer carrying device further comprises a heating member (600), and the heating member (600) wraps at least a part of the device body (100).

9. The wafer carrier apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The bottom plate (120) of the device body (100) is provided with a avoiding opening (121), and the wafer carrying device further comprises a shell (710) and a driving mechanism (720), the shell (710) is arranged on the bottom plate (120), and the shell (710) is located below the bottom plate (120), the driving mechanism (720) is arranged in the shell (710), the driving mechanism (720) is connected with the movable door (200), and the driving mechanism (720) can drive the movable door (200) to rise and fall, so that at least a part of the movable door (200) extends to outside the shell (710) through the avoiding opening (121) and is in sealing cooperation with the device body (100).

10. The wafer carrier apparatus of claim 9, wherein, The driving mechanism (720) comprises a driving source (721), a lead screw (722) and a nut (723), the driving source (721) is arranged in the shell (710) and located outside the shell (710), one end of the lead screw (722) is connected with the bottom plate (120), the other end of the lead screw (722) penetrates through the shell (710) and is connected with the driving source (721), the nut (723) is in threaded cooperation with the lead screw (722), the movable door (200) is connected with the nut (723), and the driving source (721) drives the nut (723) to rise and fall along the extension direction of the lead screw (722) through the lead screw (722).

11. The wafer carrier apparatus of claim 10, wherein, The wafer carrying device further comprises a guide rod (730) and a connecting block (740), the guide rod (730) is arranged in the shell (710), the guide rod (730) is arranged side by side with the lead screw (722) and located on the same side of the movable door (200), and the connecting block (740) is slidably sleeved on the guide rod (730), and the connecting block (740) is connected with the movable door (200).

12. The wafer carrier apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The wafer carrying device further comprises an exhaust cover (800), the exhaust cover (800) is arranged on the outer surface of the device body (100), the exhaust cover (800) is in sealing cooperation with the device body (100), and one end of the exhaust cover (800) is connected with the air suction port (110).

13. The wafer carrier apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The air suction port (110) is a strip-shaped port. The number of the suction ports (110) is at least two, and each of the suction ports (110) is arranged in sequence and at intervals.

14. A semiconductor process apparatus characterized by comprising: The process front end module comprises a module main body and a wafer carrying device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, and the wafer carrying device is arranged in a containing space of the module main body.

Images