Load locking assembly and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a load locking assembly and semiconductor process equipment, the load locking assembly is used for the semiconductor process equipment, and the load locking assembly comprises a load locking cavity; a pre-pressure-regulating chamber; the control valve is connected between the load locking chamber and the pre-pressure-regulating chamber; when the control valve is in a closed state, the air pressure in the pressure pre-regulating chamber is pre-regulated to be different from the air pressure in the load locking chamber, so that a pressure difference is formed; and when the control valve is in an open state, the pre-pressure-regulating chamber is communicated with the load locking chamber so as to regulate the air pressure in the load locking chamber. According to the load locking assembly, the air pressure in the pre-pressure-regulating chamber can be pre-regulated when other steps are carried out by adding the pre-pressure-regulating chamber, and after the pre-pressure-regulating chamber is communicated with the load locking chamber, the interior of the load locking chamber rapidly reaches a vacuum state or an atmospheric state, so that the waiting time of wafers in the transmission process is shortened, and the transmission efficiency of the whole machine is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular to a load locking component and semiconductor process equipment. Background Art

[0002] The load lock chamber is a very important part for semiconductor process equipment. Semiconductor process equipment may include an equipment front end module, a vacuum transmission module and at least one process module. Processes such as etching, deposition, and degumming are completed in the process module. The chamber environment in the process module and the vacuum transmission module is generally in a vacuum state, while the equipment front end module is in an atmospheric state. Therefore, a load lock chamber located between the vacuum transmission module and the equipment front end module is required to transition between the vacuum and atmospheric environments.

[0003] like Figure 1 In the top view shown, the equipment front-end module 1', the load lock chamber 2', the vacuum transmission module 3' and the process module 4' are connected in sequence. The vacuum transmission module 3' has a vacuum chamber, and a gate valve is arranged between the vacuum chamber and the chambers of the multiple process modules 4'. A vacuum manipulator is arranged in the vacuum chamber, and gate valves are arranged between one end of the load lock chamber 2' and the vacuum chamber, and between the other end of the load lock chamber 2' and the equipment front-end module 1'. The gate valve controls the on-off of both sides of the gate valve by opening and closing.

[0004] When the wafer needs to be transferred between the vacuum chamber and the load lock chamber 2', the two gate valves must be closed first, and the load lock chamber 2' must be evacuated. After the evacuation is completed, the gate valve between the vacuum chamber and the load lock chamber 2' is opened to achieve the transfer of the wafer between the two. When the wafer needs to be moved between the load lock chamber 2' and the front-end module of the equipment, the two gate valves must be closed first, and the load lock chamber 2' must be inflated. After the inflation is completed, the gate valve between the load lock chamber 2' and the front-end module of the equipment is opened to achieve the transfer of the wafer between the two.

[0005] However, in the prior art, during the switching process between the vacuum state and the atmospheric state of the load lock chamber, the inflation and exhaust time is too long, and the wafer needs to wait for a long time during the transmission process, resulting in a decrease in the transmission efficiency of the entire machine. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present invention aims to at least solve the problem in the prior art that during the switching process between the vacuum state and the atmospheric state of the load lock chamber, the inflation and exhaust time is too long, and the wafer needs to wait for a long time during the transmission process, resulting in reduced transmission efficiency of the whole machine.

[0007] To achieve the purpose of the present invention, a load lock assembly is provided. The load lock assembly is used in semiconductor process equipment, comprising: a load lock chamber; a pre-pressure regulating chamber, the volume of the pre-pressure regulating chamber is larger than the volume of the load lock chamber; a control valve, the control valve is connected between the load lock chamber and the pre-pressure regulating chamber, the control valve has an open state for connecting the load lock chamber with the pre-pressure regulating chamber and a closed state for blocking the load lock chamber from the pre-pressure regulating chamber; in the closed state of the control valve, the interior of the pre-pressure regulating chamber is pre-regulated to a gas pressure state different from that of the load lock chamber, forming a pressure difference; in the open state of the control valve, the pre-pressure regulating chamber is connected to the load lock chamber, and under the action of the pressure difference, the pre-pressure regulating chamber extracts gas from the load lock chamber or fills gas into the load lock chamber to adjust the gas pressure in the load lock chamber.

[0008] Further, the pre-pressure regulating chamber includes: a pre-evacuation chamber, which is connected to the load locking chamber through an exhaust pipeline; the control valve includes: a first control valve, which is arranged on the exhaust pipeline and is used to control the on-off of the exhaust pipeline; and / or the pre-pressure regulating chamber includes: a pre-inflation chamber, which is connected to the load locking chamber through an inflation pipeline; the control valve includes: a second control valve, which is arranged on the inflation pipeline and is used to control the on-off of the inflation pipeline.

[0009] Further, the load lock chamber includes a first load lock chamber and a second load lock chamber, the pre-evacuation chamber is located below the first load lock chamber, and the pre-filling chamber is located below the second load lock chamber.

[0010] Further, an exhaust port is provided inside the load lock chamber, and the exhaust port is communicated with the first end of the air extraction pipeline.

[0011] Furthermore, the pre-evacuation chamber is connected to a vacuum pump so that the interior of the pre-evacuation chamber is pre-adjusted to a vacuum state.

[0012] Furthermore, it also includes: an auxiliary air pumping pipeline, a first end of which is connected to the vacuum pump, and the other end of which is connected to the load locking chamber, for pumping air from the load locking chamber; and a third control valve, which is arranged on the auxiliary air pumping pipeline and is used to control the on-off of the auxiliary air pumping pipeline.

[0013] Furthermore, it also includes: an adsorption device, which is arranged in the load lock chamber and is used to support and fix the wafer. The adsorption device is connected to the pre-vacuum chamber, and the pre-vacuum chamber is used to provide an adsorption force for adsorbing the wafer.

[0014] Furthermore, the adsorption device includes: a bracket, which is arranged in the load lock chamber, the bracket has a supporting surface for supporting the wafer, and the bracket has an adsorption channel inside, the first end of the adsorption channel is connected to the pre-vacuum chamber, and the second end of the adsorption channel extends to the supporting surface to form an adsorption hole for adsorbing the wafer.

[0015] Furthermore, the adsorption device also includes: an adsorption pipeline, a first end of the adsorption pipeline is connected to the first end of the adsorption channel, and a second end of the adsorption pipeline is connected to the pre-evacuation chamber; a fourth control valve, the fourth control valve is arranged on the adsorption pipeline, and is used to control the on-off of the adsorption pipeline.

[0016] Furthermore, an air inlet is provided inside the load lock chamber, the air inlet is communicated with the first end of the air charging pipeline, and the air inlet is arranged outside the wafer placement area.

[0017] Furthermore, the pre-filling chamber is connected to an air source so that the interior of the pre-filling chamber is pre-adjusted to an atmospheric state.

[0018] Furthermore, the load locking assembly also includes: an auxiliary air filling pipeline, a first end of which is connected to the air source, and the other end of which is connected to the load locking chamber, for inflating the load locking chamber; a fifth control valve, which is arranged on the auxiliary air filling pipeline and is used to control the on-off of the auxiliary air filling pipeline.

[0019] Furthermore, according to a second aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor process equipment is disclosed, comprising: at least one process module, a vacuum transfer module, and the above-mentioned load lock assembly, wherein the process module and the load lock assembly are both connected to the vacuum transfer module.

[0020] Further, the load locking assembly includes: the pre-pressure regulating chamber includes: a pre-evacuation chamber and a pre-charging chamber, the pre-evacuation chamber is connected to the load locking chamber through an exhaust pipeline; the pre-charging chamber is connected to the load locking chamber through an inflation pipeline; the control valve includes: a first control valve and a second control valve, the first control valve is arranged on the exhaust pipeline, and the second control valve is arranged on the inflation pipeline, for controlling the on-off of the inflation pipeline; the semiconductor process equipment also includes: a controller, the controller is used to control the working state of the first control valve and the second control valve; the semiconductor process equipment has an inflation state and an exhaust state; in the exhaust state, the first control valve is opened and the second control valve is closed; in the inflation state, the first control valve is closed and the second control valve is opened.

[0021] The load lock assembly for semiconductor process equipment of the present invention can pre-adjust the air pressure in the pre-adjusting chamber when performing other steps by adding a pre-adjusting chamber, so as to form a pressure difference between the pre-adjusting chamber and the load lock chamber. When it is necessary to adjust the air pressure in the load lock chamber, the pre-adjusting chamber is directly used to evacuate or inflate the load lock chamber. Since the volume of the pre-adjusting chamber is larger than that of the load lock chamber, after being connected with the load lock chamber, the pre-adjusting chamber can quickly evacuate the gas from the inside of the load lock chamber or fill the gas into the load lock chamber, so that the inside of the load lock chamber quickly reaches a vacuum state or an atmospheric state, thereby reducing the waiting time of the wafer during the transmission process and improving the transmission efficiency of the whole machine. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a load lock chamber in the prior art;

[0023] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of a load locking assembly according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of a load locking assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of a load locking assembly according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the connection between the pre-evacuation chamber and the load lock chamber pipeline of the load lock assembly according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure inside the load lock chamber according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 7It is a schematic diagram of the connection between the pre-filling chamber and the load lock chamber pipeline of the load lock assembly according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 8 It is a schematic structural diagram of an adsorption device of a load locking assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Fig. 9 A step diagram of a control method for gas extraction of semiconductor process equipment according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Fig.10 The specific process of the control method for exhaust gas of semiconductor process equipment according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Fig.11 A step diagram of a method for controlling gas filling of semiconductor process equipment according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Fig.12 The specific process of the control method for the gas filling of the semiconductor process equipment according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] List of reference numerals:

[0035] 10. Load lock chamber; 10a. First load lock chamber; 10b. Second load lock chamber; 11. Exhaust port; 12. Air inlet; 20. Pre-pressure regulating chamber; 20a. Pre-evacuation chamber; 20b. Pre-charging chamber; 30. Control valve; 30a. First control valve; 30b. Second control valve; 40a. Vacuum pipeline; 40b. Charging pipeline; 50a. Vacuum pump; 50b. Gas source; 60a. Auxiliary vacuum pipeline; 60b. Auxiliary charging pipeline; 70a. Third control valve; 70b. Fifth control valve; 80. Adsorption device; 81. Bracket; 811. Support platform; 812. Support column; 82. Adsorption channel; 83. Adsorption pipeline; 84. Fourth control valve; 90. Balance valve; 100. Equipment front-end module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the load locking assembly for semiconductor process equipment, semiconductor process equipment and control method thereof provided by the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0037] like Figure 2 As shown, the first embodiment of the present invention discloses a load lock assembly for semiconductor process equipment, including: a load lock chamber 10 , a pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 and a control valve 30 .

[0038] The load lock chamber 10 is used to accommodate wafers; the volume of the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 is greater than that of the load lock chamber 10; the control valve 30 is connected between the load lock chamber 10 and the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20, and the control valve 30 has an open state that connects the load lock chamber 10 with the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 and a closed state that blocks the load lock chamber 10 from the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20; in the closed state of the control valve 30, the inside of the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 is pre-adjusted to a gas pressure state different from that of the load lock chamber 10, forming a pressure difference; in the open state of the control valve 30, the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 is connected to the load lock chamber 10, and under the action of the pressure difference, the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 extracts the gas in the load lock chamber 10 or fills the gas into the load lock chamber 10 to adjust the gas pressure in the load lock chamber 10.

[0039] When in use, for example, when the load lock chamber 20 needs to be switched from the atmospheric state to the vacuum state, the control valve 30 is closed, the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 is connected to the vacuum pump 50a, and the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 is pre-vacuumed by the vacuum pump 50a. When the control valve 30 is opened, the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 is connected to the load lock chamber 10. Under the action of the pressure difference, the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 will quickly extract the gas in the load lock chamber 10, thereby quickly switching the load lock chamber 10 to the vacuum state. When it is necessary to switch the load lock chamber 20 from the vacuum state to the atmospheric state, the control valve 30 is closed, and the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 is connected to the gas source 50b. The gas source 50b is used to pre-form a pressure slightly higher than the normal atmospheric pressure in the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20. When the control valve 30 is opened, the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 is connected to the load lock chamber 10. Under the action of the pressure difference, the gas in the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 will be quickly filled into the load lock chamber 10, thereby quickly switching the load lock chamber 10 to the atmospheric state.

[0040] That is to say, a pressure difference is formed by pre-adjusting the interior of the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 to a different air pressure state from that of the load lock chamber 10. When the control valve 30 is opened, the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 is connected to the load lock chamber 10. Under the effect of the pressure difference, the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 will quickly extract the gas in the load lock chamber 10, or the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 will quickly fill the load lock chamber 10 with gas, so that the pressures of the two reach a balanced state, so as to adjust the air pressure in the load lock chamber 10.

[0041] It can be seen that the load lock assembly for semiconductor process equipment of the present invention can pre-adjust the air pressure in the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 when performing other steps by adding the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20, so as to form a pressure difference between the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 and the load lock chamber 10. When it is necessary to adjust the air pressure in the load lock chamber 10, the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 is directly used to evacuate or inflate the load lock chamber 10. Since the volume of the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 is larger than that of the load lock chamber 10, after being connected with the load lock chamber 10, the pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 can quickly evacuate the gas from the inside of the load lock chamber 10 or fill the gas into the load lock chamber 10, so that the inside of the load lock chamber 10 quickly reaches a vacuum state or an atmospheric state, thereby reducing the waiting time of the wafer during the transmission process and improving the transmission efficiency of the whole machine.

[0042] like Figure 3 The second embodiment of the present invention shown in the figure discloses a load lock assembly including: a load lock chamber 10, a pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 and a control valve 30. The pre-pressure regulating chamber 20 includes: a pre-evacuation chamber 20a, a pre-charge chamber 20b, and the control valve 30 includes: a first control valve 30a and a second control valve 30b.

[0043] The load lock chamber 10 is used to accommodate wafers; the volume of the pre-evacuation chamber 20a is greater than the volume of the load lock chamber 10, the pre-evacuation chamber 20a is connected to the load lock chamber 10, and is used to extract gas from the load lock chamber 10; the volume of the pre-filling chamber 20b is greater than the volume of the load lock chamber 10, the pre-filling chamber 20b is connected to the load lock chamber 10, and is used to fill gas into the load lock chamber 10; the first control valve 30a is arranged between the load lock chamber 10 and the pre-evacuation chamber 20a, and is used to control the connection and disconnection between the load lock chamber 10 and the pre-evacuation chamber 20a; the second control valve 30b is arranged between the load lock chamber 10 and the pre-filling chamber 20b, and is used to control the connection and disconnection between the load lock chamber 10 and the pre-filling chamber 20b.

[0044] During use, the pre-evacuation chamber 20a can be evacuated in advance to form a vacuum state inside the pre-evacuation chamber 20a. Similarly, the pre-filling chamber 20b can be inflated in advance to make the pre-filling chamber 20b be in an atmospheric state or a state slightly higher than atmospheric pressure.

[0045] When it is necessary to switch the load lock chamber 10 from the atmospheric state to the vacuum state, since the pre-vacuum chamber 20a is in a vacuum state in advance and the volume of the pre-vacuum chamber 20a is greater than the volume of the load lock chamber 10, after the first control valve 30a is opened and the second control valve 30b is closed, the load lock chamber 10 is connected with the pre-vacuum chamber 20a. At the moment when the load lock chamber 10 is connected with the pre-vacuum chamber 20a, the gas in the load lock chamber 10 will be quickly pumped out by the pre-vacuum chamber 20a, so that the load lock chamber 10 quickly reaches a vacuum state, so that the pressures of the two are balanced.

[0046] Similarly, when the load lock chamber 10 needs to be switched from a vacuum state to an atmospheric state, since the pre-fill chamber 20b is in an atmospheric state or a state slightly higher than the atmospheric state in advance, and the volume of the pre-fill chamber 20b is larger than the volume of the load lock chamber 10, after the first control valve 30a is closed and the second control valve 30b is opened, the load lock chamber 10 is connected with the pre-fill chamber 20b. At the moment when the load lock chamber 10 is connected with the pre-fill chamber 20b, the gas in the pre-fill chamber 20b will be quickly filled into the load lock chamber 10, so that the load lock chamber 10 quickly reaches an atmospheric state or a state close to the atmospheric state, so that the pressures of the two are balanced.

[0047] It can be seen that the load lock assembly for semiconductor process equipment of the present invention can pre-evacuate the pre-evacuation chamber 20a and inflate the pre-inflation chamber 20b by adding the pre-evacuation chamber 20a and the pre-inflation chamber 20b, so that the pre-evacuation chamber 20a and the pre-inflation chamber 20b are in a usable state at any time. When needed, the load lock chamber 10 is immediately evacuated or inflated by the pre-evacuation chamber 20a and the pre-inflation chamber 20b. Since the volume of the pre-evacuation chamber 20a and the pre-inflation chamber 20b is larger than that of the load lock chamber 10, after being connected with the load lock chamber 10, the pre-evacuation chamber 20a and the pre-inflation chamber 20b can quickly extract gas from the inside of the load lock chamber 10 or fill gas into the load lock chamber 10, so that the inside of the load lock chamber 10 quickly reaches a vacuum state or an atmospheric state, thereby reducing the waiting time of the wafer during the transmission process and improving the transmission efficiency of the whole machine.

[0048] It should be noted that in the second embodiment, a load lock chamber 10 is equipped with a pre-evacuation chamber 20a and a pre-filling chamber 20b, and the load lock chamber 10 can be evacuated and filled by the pre-evacuation chamber 20a and the pre-filling chamber 20b respectively. However, this is not restrictive. Figure 4In the third embodiment shown, its structure is basically the same as that of the second embodiment, except that, in this embodiment, there are two load lock chambers 10, namely a first load lock chamber 10a and a second load lock chamber 10b, and there are one pre-vacuum chamber 20a and one pre-filling chamber 20b, and the first load lock chamber 10a is communicated with the pre-vacuum chamber 20a and the pre-filling chamber 20b, respectively, and the second load lock chamber 10b is communicated with the pre-vacuum chamber 20a and the pre-filling chamber 20b, respectively. This method can improve the turnover efficiency. Therefore, without violating the working principle, the above situations are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0049] In addition, in the third embodiment, the pre-evacuation chamber 20a is located below the first load lock chamber 10a, and the pre-filling chamber 20b is located below the second load lock chamber 10b. This arrangement can reduce the floor space of the equipment and improve the space utilization in the vertical direction.

[0050] In such Figure 3 and Figure 5 In the second embodiment shown, the load lock assembly further includes: an air extraction pipeline 40a, a first end of the air extraction pipeline 40a is connected to the interior of the load lock chamber 10, and the other end of the air extraction pipeline 40a is connected to the interior of the pre-exhaust chamber 20a, and a first control valve 30a is provided on the air extraction pipeline 40a for controlling the on-off of the air extraction pipeline 40a. Figure 5 As shown, the load lock chamber 10 is connected to the equipment front-end module 100, the pre-pumping chamber 20a is arranged adjacent to the equipment front-end module 100 and is located below the load lock chamber 10, and the first control valve 30a and the air extraction pipeline 40a are located between the load lock chamber 10 and the pre-pumping chamber 20a. This arrangement can reduce the floor space of the equipment and improve the space utilization in the vertical direction.

[0051] When the first control valve 30a is opened, the interior of the load lock chamber 10 is connected to the interior of the pre-vacuum chamber 20a through the vacuum pipe 40a, so that the gas in the load lock chamber 10 is pumped out of the pre-vacuum chamber 20a. When it is necessary to inflate the interior of the load lock chamber 10, the first control valve 30a is closed to prevent the gas from being pumped away by the pre-vacuum chamber 20a.

[0052] It should be noted that if Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , in this embodiment, an exhaust port 11 is provided inside the load lock chamber 10. The exhaust port 11 is provided at the bottom of the load lock chamber 10 and is located below the wafer placement position. The exhaust port 11 is connected to the first end of the exhaust pipe 40a. Since the load lock chamber 10 is connected to the pre-exhaust chamber 20a, the gas in the load lock chamber 10 needs to be quickly exhausted. Therefore, Figure 6As shown, the size of the exhaust port 11 is larger so that more gas can be discharged in a short time.

[0053] It is understandable that in order to facilitate the vacuuming of the pre-vacuum chamber 20a, Figure 5 As shown, the pre-vacuum chamber 20a is connected to the vacuum pump 50a. By connecting to the vacuum pump 50a, the pre-vacuum chamber 20a can be evacuated in advance by the vacuum pump 50a before the wafer is transported, so that the interior of the pre-vacuum chamber 20a is pre-adjusted to a vacuum state. Therefore, when the wafer needs to be transported, the load lock chamber 10 can be evacuated immediately, thereby improving the transmission efficiency of the entire machine.

[0054] like Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, the load lock assembly also includes: an auxiliary air extraction pipeline 60a and a third control valve 70a. The first end of the auxiliary air extraction pipeline 60a is connected to the vacuum pump 50a, and the other end of the auxiliary air extraction pipeline 60a is connected to the load lock chamber 10, which is used to evacuate the load lock chamber 10; the third control valve 70a is arranged on the auxiliary air extraction pipeline 60a, and is used to control the on-off of the auxiliary air extraction pipeline 60a.

[0055] In order to prevent the air pressure in the load lock chamber 10 from failing to reach a preset vacuum state after the pre-vacuum chamber 20a is connected to the load lock chamber 10, an auxiliary air pumping line 60a is provided. After the first control valve 30a between the pre-vacuum chamber 20a and the load lock chamber 10 is closed, the vacuum pump 50a can continue to pump air into the load lock chamber 10 through the auxiliary air pumping line 60a, so that the air pressure in the load lock chamber 10 can reach a preset vacuum state.

[0056] In such Figure 3 and Figure 7 In the second embodiment shown, the load lock assembly further includes: an air charging line 40b, a first end of the air charging line 40b is connected to the load lock chamber 10, and the other end of the air charging line 40b is connected to the pre-charge chamber 20b, and a second control valve 30b is provided on the air charging line 40b for controlling the on and off of the air charging line 40b. Figure 7 As shown, the load lock chamber 10 is connected to the equipment front-end module 100, the pre-filling chamber 20b is arranged adjacent to the equipment front-end module 100 and is located below the load lock chamber 10, and the second control valve 30b and the inflation pipeline 40b are located between the load lock chamber 10 and the pre-filling chamber 20b. This arrangement can reduce the floor space of the equipment and improve the space utilization in the vertical direction.

[0057] When the second control valve 30b is opened, the interior of the load lock chamber 10 is connected with the interior of the pre-filling chamber 20b through the inflation pipeline 40b, so that the gas in the pre-filling chamber 20b is filled into the load lock chamber 10. When it is necessary to inflate the interior of the load lock chamber 10, the second control valve 30b is closed to prevent the pre-filling chamber 20b from filling the gas into the load lock chamber 10.

[0058] It should be noted that if Figure 6 As shown, in this embodiment, an air inlet 12 is provided inside the load lock chamber 10, and the air inlet 12 is provided at the bottom of the load lock chamber 10, and the air inlet 12 is connected to the first end of the gas charging pipeline 40b. Since the load lock chamber 10 is connected with the pre-charge chamber 20b, the load lock chamber 10 will be quickly filled with gas, so a large airflow will be generated in a short time, and the airflow will be blown out from the air inlet 12, which is easy to cause the wafer to move. In order to avoid the influence of the airflow on the wafer, the setting position of the air inlet 12 is located outside the wafer placement area, so that the air inlet 12 is far away from the position of the wafer, thereby reducing the influence of the airflow on the wafer. It should be noted that due to the limited internal space of the load lock chamber 10, in order to facilitate the avoidance of the wafer, the size of the air inlet 12 is relatively small compared with the size of the exhaust port 11. Therefore, in order to ensure that the gas can be quickly filled into the load lock chamber 10 through the air inlet 12, there are multiple air inlets 12, and the multiple air inlets 12 are spaced along the circumferential direction to ensure that more gas can be discharged in a short time. Preferably, in this embodiment, if Figure 6 As shown, the number of the air inlets 12 is 4, but this is not restrictive. In some other embodiments not shown in the figure, the number of the air inlets 12 can still be 2, 3, or 5, etc.

[0059] It is understandable that in order to facilitate the inflation of the pre-inflated chamber 20b, as Figure 7 As shown, the pre-filled chamber 20b is connected to a gas source 50b (for example, a compressed air source). By connecting to the gas source 50b, the pre-filled chamber 20b can be inflated in advance through the gas source 50b before the wafer is transported, so that the interior of the pre-filled chamber 20b is pre-adjusted to an atmospheric state or a state slightly higher than atmospheric pressure. Therefore, when the wafer needs to be transported, gas can be immediately filled into the load lock chamber 10, thereby improving the transmission efficiency of the entire machine.

[0060] like Figure 3As shown, the load lock assembly further includes: a balance valve 90, which is disposed on the load lock chamber 10 and is used to balance the air pressure inside and outside the load lock chamber 10. In order to prevent the air pressure inside the load lock chamber 10 from being higher or lower than the external atmospheric pressure after the pre-filling chamber 20b is connected to the load lock chamber 10, the balance valve 90 is provided. After the load lock chamber 10 is filled, the balance valve 90 is opened to allow the load lock chamber 10 to be connected to the external atmosphere, so that the air pressure inside the load lock chamber 10 is consistent with that outside.

[0061] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, Figure 3 and Figure 7 As shown, the load locking assembly also includes: an auxiliary air filling pipeline 60b and a fifth control valve 70b, wherein a first end of the auxiliary air filling pipeline 60b is connected to the air source 50b, and the other end of the auxiliary air filling pipeline 60b is connected to the load locking chamber 10, and is used to inflate the load locking chamber 10; the fifth control valve 70b is arranged on the auxiliary air filling pipeline 60b, and is used to control the on-off of the auxiliary air filling pipeline 60b.

[0062] In addition to the above-mentioned balancing valve 90 to balance the load lock chamber 10 with the external air pressure, the auxiliary air charging pipeline 60b and the fifth control valve 70b can also be used to adjust the air pressure in the load lock chamber 10. By providing the auxiliary air charging pipeline 60b, after the second control valve 30b between the pre-charge chamber 20b and the load lock chamber 10 is closed, the air source 50b can continue to charge the load lock chamber 10 through the auxiliary air charging pipeline 60b, so that the air pressure in the load lock chamber 10 can reach a preset air pressure state.

[0063] In such Figure 3 and Figure 8 In the second embodiment shown, in order to ensure the stability of the wafer during the inflation or exhaust process of the load lock chamber 10, it also includes: an adsorption device 80, which is arranged in the load lock chamber 10, and is used to support and fix the wafer. The adsorption device 80 is connected to the pre-exhaust chamber 20a, and the pre-exhaust chamber 20a is used to provide an adsorption force for adsorbing the wafer. By arranging the adsorption device 80, after the wafer is placed on the adsorption device 80, the adsorption force generated by the pre-exhaust chamber 20a can be used to fix the wafer, thereby avoiding the airflow formed in the inflation or exhaust process of the load lock chamber 10 to affect the wafer.

[0064] Specifically, if Figure 8As shown, the adsorption device 80 includes: a bracket 81, an adsorption pipeline 83 and a fourth control valve 84. The bracket 81 is arranged in the load lock chamber 10, and the bracket 81 has a support surface for supporting the wafer. The bracket 81 has an adsorption channel 82 inside, and the first end of the adsorption channel 82 is connected to the pre-evacuation chamber 20a, and the second end of the adsorption channel 82 extends to the support surface to form an adsorption hole for adsorbing the wafer.

[0065] Specifically, the bracket 81 includes a support platform 811 and a support column 812. The support platform 811 is arranged in the load locking chamber 10. There are multiple support columns 812, and the multiple support columns 812 are circumferentially spaced on the support platform 811. Each support column 812 has a supporting end and a connecting end that are relatively arranged. The connecting end of the support column 812 is connected to the support platform 811, and the supporting end of the support column 812 is formed with a supporting surface for supporting the wafer; two sub-adsorption channels connected in sequence are arranged inside the support platform 811 and the support column 812, and the two sub-adsorption channels are connected to form an adsorption channel 82, the first end of the adsorption channel 82 is connected to the first end of the adsorption pipeline 83, and the second end of the adsorption channel 82 extends to the supporting surface of the support column 812 to form an adsorption hole for adsorbing the wafer, and the second end of the adsorption pipeline 83 is connected to the pre-evacuation chamber 20a; the fourth control valve 84 is arranged on the adsorption pipeline 83, and is used to control the on-off of the adsorption pipeline 83.

[0066] When in use, the wafer can be placed on the support 81 first, and the supporting surfaces of the multiple support columns 812 on the support 81 jointly support the wafer. When the load lock chamber 10 needs to be inflated or evacuated, the first control valve 30a can be opened first to make the ground adsorption hole generate suction, and the wafer and the support column 812 are fixed by suction, thereby preventing the wafer from being blown off due to excessive airflow, and improving the reliability of transmission.

[0067] According to the present invention, a semiconductor process equipment is also disclosed, comprising: a process module, a vacuum transmission module, a device front-end module, a controller and the above-mentioned load lock assembly, wherein the process module, the vacuum transmission module, the transition chamber and the device front-end module are connected in sequence. The vacuum transmission module has a vacuum chamber, the device front-end module has an atmospheric chamber, the load lock chamber 10 is connected to the vacuum chamber and the atmospheric chamber respectively, a first gate valve is arranged between the load lock chamber 10 and the vacuum chamber, and a second gate valve is arranged between the load lock chamber 10 and the atmospheric chamber, and the controller is used to control the working states of the first gate valve, the second gate valve, the first control valve 30a and the second control valve 30b.

[0068] The semiconductor process equipment has a charging state and a pumping state; in the pumping state, the first control valve 30a is opened and the second control valve 30b is closed; in the charging state, the first control valve 30a is closed and the second control valve 30b is opened.

[0069] When in use, the second gate valve needs to be opened first, the wafer is transferred from the atmospheric chamber to the load lock chamber 10, and then the second gate valve is closed, the semiconductor process equipment enters the exhaust state, the first control valve 30a is opened, the second control valve 30b is closed, the load lock chamber 10 is evacuated, and after the load lock chamber 10 is evacuated, the first gate valve is opened to transfer the wafer to the vacuum chamber, thereby realizing the process of transferring the wafer from the equipment front-end module to the vacuum transfer module. Conversely, when the wafer needs to be taken out, the first gate valve needs to be opened first, the wafer is transferred from the vacuum chamber to the load lock chamber 10, and then the first gate valve is closed, the semiconductor process equipment enters the filling state, the first control valve 30a is closed, the second control valve 30b is opened, and the load lock chamber 10 is filled with air. After the air pressure in the load lock chamber 10 is balanced with the air pressure in the atmospheric chamber, the second gate valve is opened to transfer the wafer to the atmospheric chamber, thereby realizing the process of transferring the wafer from the vacuum transfer module to the equipment front-end module.

[0070] According to a third aspect of the present invention, Fig. 9 As shown, a control method for the above-mentioned semiconductor process equipment is also disclosed, and the control method includes the following steps:

[0071] S110: closing the first gate valve and the second gate valve;

[0072] S120: Control the first control valve 30a to open to reduce the air pressure in the load lock chamber 10. After the first control valve 30a is opened for a preset time, close the first control valve 30a to restore the air pressure in the pre-evacuation chamber 20a to an initial state. After the load lock chamber 10 reaches the preset air pressure value, execute step S130.

[0073] S130: Open the first gate valve and execute the next process step.

[0074] When it is necessary to evacuate the load lock chamber 10, first close the first gate valve and the second gate valve to form a closed space in the load lock chamber 10. Then, by opening the first control valve 30a, the pre-evacuation chamber 20a is connected to the load lock chamber 10. Since the pre-evacuation chamber 20a is in a vacuum state and the volume of the pre-evacuation chamber 20a is greater than the volume of the load lock chamber 10, at the moment when the load lock chamber 10 is connected to the pre-evacuation chamber 20a, the gas in the load lock chamber 10 will be quickly evacuated by the pre-evacuation chamber 20a, so that the load lock chamber 10 quickly reaches a vacuum state. After the first control valve 30a is opened for a preset time, the pressure of the pre-evacuation chamber 20a and the load lock chamber 10 is balanced, and the first control valve 30a can be closed so that the air pressure in the pre-evacuation chamber 20a can gradually return to the initial state, ready for the next use. At the same time, after the transition chamber reaches the preset air pressure, the first gate valve can be opened to put in or take out the wafer.

[0075] Furthermore, if Fig.10 As shown, step S120 specifically includes the following steps:

[0076] S121: Open the first control valve 30a;

[0077] S122: After the first control valve 30a is opened for a preset time, the first control valve 30a is closed to restore the air pressure in the pre-evacuation chamber 20a to an initial state;

[0078] S123: Acquire the air pressure value P1 in the load lock chamber 10 and acquire the first preset air pressure value P2;

[0079] S124: compare P1 and P2;

[0080] S125: According to the comparison result, selectively execute step S130.

[0081] Step S125 specifically includes the following steps:

[0082] If P1>P2, the third control valve 70a is opened and the process returns to step S123;

[0083] If P1≤P2, the third control valve 70a is closed and step S130 is executed.

[0084] The control method of the present invention can control the opening and closing of the first control valve 30a on the auxiliary exhaust pipe 60a according to the air pressure value in the load lock chamber 10. If the air pressure value in the load lock chamber 10 does not meet the standard, the load lock chamber 10 can continue to be exhausted through the vacuum pump 50a and the auxiliary exhaust pipe 60a, so that the air pressure in the load lock chamber 10 can reach a preset vacuum state, thereby improving reliability.

[0085] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, Fig.11 As shown, a control method for the above-mentioned semiconductor process equipment is also disclosed, and the control method includes the following steps:.

[0086] The control method comprises the following steps:

[0087] S210: closing the first gate valve and the second gate valve;

[0088] S220: Control the second control valve 30b to open to increase the air pressure in the load lock chamber 10. After the second control valve 30b is opened for a preset time, close the second control valve 30b to restore the air pressure in the pre-filling chamber 20b to an initial state. After the load lock chamber 10 reaches the preset air pressure value, execute step S230.

[0089] S230: Open the second gate valve and execute the next process step.

[0090] When the load lock chamber 10 needs to be inflated, the first gate valve and the second gate valve are closed first to form a closed space in the load lock chamber 10. Then, the second control valve 30b is opened to connect the pre-filling chamber 20b with the load lock chamber 10. Since the pre-filling chamber 20b is in the atmospheric state or slightly higher than the atmospheric state and the volume of the pre-filling chamber 20b is larger than the volume of the load lock chamber 10, at the moment when the load lock chamber 10 is connected with the pre-filling chamber 20b, the gas in the pre-filling chamber 20b will quickly fill the load lock chamber 10, so that the load lock chamber 10 quickly reaches the atmospheric state or close to the atmospheric state. After the second control valve 30b is opened for a preset time, the pressure of the pre-filling chamber 20b and the load lock chamber 10 is balanced, and the second control valve 30b can be closed so that the air pressure in the pre-filling chamber 20b can gradually return to the initial state, ready for the next use. At the same time, after the transition chamber reaches a preset air pressure, the second gate valve can be opened to put the wafer in or take it out.

[0091] Furthermore, if Fig.12 As shown, step S230 specifically includes the following steps:

[0092] S221: Open the second control valve 30b;

[0093] S222: After a preset time, close the second control valve 30b and open the balance valve 90;

[0094] S223: obtaining the air pressure value P1 in the load lock chamber 10, obtaining the external air pressure value P3, and obtaining the preset pressure difference value ΔP0;

[0095] S224: Calculate the difference △P between P1 and P3, and compare △P0 with △P;

[0096] S225: Selectively execute step S230 according to the comparison result.

[0097] Furthermore, step S225 specifically includes the following steps:

[0098] If |P|≤△P0, close the balancing valve 90 and execute step S230;

[0099] If |P|>△P0, the balancing valve 90 is kept open and the process returns to step S233.

[0100] The control method of the present invention can control the opening and closing of the balancing valve 90 according to the air pressure value in the load locking chamber 10. If the air pressure value in the load locking chamber 10 does not meet the standard (the air pressure value is too low or too high), the balancing valve 90 can be used to connect the inside of the load locking chamber 10 with the outside, so that the air pressure inside and outside the load locking chamber 10 is gradually balanced, thereby improving reliability.

[0101] Furthermore, in order to prevent the wafer from slipping due to excessive airflow when filling the load lock chamber 10, step S210 further includes the following steps:

[0102] Open the fourth control valve 84, and the adsorption device 80 is turned on, so that the wafer is adsorbed on the adsorption device 80;

[0103] Step S230 also includes the following steps:

[0104] Before opening the second gate valve, the fourth control valve 84 is closed to close the adsorption device 80 .

[0105] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the controller includes: a storage unit and a processing unit, on which an executable program is stored; when the processing unit calls the executable program, the above control method can be implemented. Preferably, in this embodiment, the controller is a host computer or a slave computer in the above semiconductor process equipment.

[0106] According to the control method of the present invention, after the wafer is placed on the adsorption device 80, the fourth control valve 84 can be opened to enable the adsorption device 80 to generate suction to fix the wafer, thereby preventing the airflow formed during the inflation or evacuation process of the load lock chamber 10 from affecting the wafer.

[0107] It is to be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For those of ordinary skill in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A load lock assembly for semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: include: a load lock chamber (10); a pre-pressure regulating chamber (20), wherein the volume of the pre-pressure regulating chamber (20) is greater than the volume of the load lock chamber (10); a control valve (30), the control valve (30) being connected between the load lock chamber (10) and the pre-pressure regulating chamber (20), the control valve (30) having an open state for connecting the load lock chamber (10) with the pre-pressure regulating chamber (20) and a closed state for blocking the load lock chamber (10) from the pre-pressure regulating chamber (20); When the control valve (30) is in a closed state, the interior of the pre-pressure adjustment chamber (20) is pre-adjusted to a different air pressure state from that of the load lock chamber (10), thereby forming a pressure difference; When the control valve (30) is in an open state, the pre-pressure regulating chamber (20) is connected to the load lock chamber (10). Under the action of the pressure difference, the pre-pressure regulating chamber (20) extracts gas from the load lock chamber (10) or fills gas into the load lock chamber (10) to adjust the gas pressure in the load lock chamber (10).

2. The load lock assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that The pre-pressure regulating chamber (20) comprises: a pre-evacuation chamber (20a), wherein the pre-evacuation chamber (20a) is connected to the load lock chamber (10) via an evacuation pipeline (40a); The control valve (30) comprises: a first control valve (30a), the first control valve (30a) being arranged on the air extraction pipeline (40a) and being used for controlling the on-off of the air extraction pipeline (40a); and / or The pre-pressure regulating chamber (20) comprises: a pre-charge chamber (20b), wherein the pre-charge chamber (20b) is connected to the load lock chamber (10) via a charge pipe (40b); The control valve (30) comprises: a second control valve (30b), wherein the second control valve (30b) is arranged on the inflation pipeline (40b) and is used to control the on-off of the inflation pipeline (40b).

3. The load lock assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that The load lock chamber (10) comprises a first load lock chamber (10a) and a second load lock chamber (10b), the pre-evacuation chamber (20a) is located below the first load lock chamber (10a), and the pre-filling chamber (20b) is located below the second load lock chamber (10b).

4. The load lock assembly according to claim 2, wherein: An exhaust port (11) is provided inside the load lock chamber (10), and the exhaust port (11) is communicated with the first end of the exhaust pipeline (40a).

5. The load lock assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The pre-evacuation chamber (20a) is connected to a vacuum pump (50a) so that the interior of the pre-evacuation chamber (20a) is pre-adjusted to a vacuum state.

6. The load lock assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that Also includes: an auxiliary exhaust pipeline (60a), wherein a first end of the auxiliary exhaust pipeline (60a) is in communication with the vacuum pump (50a), and the other end of the auxiliary exhaust pipeline (60a) is in communication with the load lock chamber (10), and is used for exhausting the load lock chamber (10); A third control valve (70a), the third control valve (70a) being arranged on the auxiliary air extraction pipeline (60a) and being used for controlling the on-off of the auxiliary air extraction pipeline (60a).

7. The load lock assembly of claim 2, wherein: Also includes: The adsorption device (80) is arranged in the load lock chamber (10) and is used to support and fix the wafer. The adsorption device (80) is connected to the pre-evacuation chamber (20a), and the pre-evacuation chamber (20a) is used to provide an adsorption force for adsorbing the wafer.

8. The load lock assembly of claim 7, wherein: The adsorption device (80) comprises: A support (81) is arranged in the load lock chamber (10), the support (81) has a support surface for supporting a wafer, an adsorption channel (82) is provided inside the support (81), a first end of the adsorption channel (82) is communicated with the pre-evacuation chamber (20a), and a second end of the adsorption channel (82) extends to the support surface to form an adsorption hole for adsorbing the wafer.

9. The load lock assembly of claim 8, wherein: The adsorption device (80) further comprises: an adsorption pipeline (83), wherein a first end of the adsorption pipeline (83) is in communication with a first end of the adsorption channel (82), and a second end of the adsorption pipeline (83) is in communication with the pre-extraction chamber (20a); A fourth control valve (84), the fourth control valve (84) is arranged on the adsorption pipeline (83) and is used to control the on-off of the adsorption pipeline (83).

10. The load lock assembly of claim 2, wherein: An air inlet (12) is arranged inside the load lock chamber (10), the air inlet (12) is in communication with the first end of the air charging pipeline (40b), and the air inlet (12) is arranged outside the wafer placement area.

11. The load lock assembly of claim 2, wherein: The pre-filling chamber (20b) is connected to an air source (50b) so that the interior of the pre-filling chamber (20b) is pre-adjusted to an atmospheric state.

12. The load lock assembly of claim 11, wherein: The load lock assembly further comprises: an auxiliary air-inflating pipeline (60b), wherein a first end of the auxiliary air-inflating pipeline (60b) is in communication with the air source (50b), and another end of the auxiliary air-inflating pipeline (60b) is in communication with the load-locking chamber (10), and is used for inflating the load-locking chamber (10); A fifth control valve (70b), the fifth control valve (70b) is arranged on the auxiliary air-charging pipeline (60b) and is used to control the on-off of the auxiliary air-charging pipeline (60b).

13. The load lock assembly of claim 2, wherein: The load lock assembly further comprises: A balancing valve (90) is provided on the load lock chamber (10) and is used to balance the gas pressure inside and outside the load lock chamber (10).

14. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: include: At least one process module, a vacuum transfer module, and a load lock assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the process module and the load lock assembly are both connected to the vacuum transfer module.

15. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 14, characterized in that: The load lock assembly comprises: The pre-pressure regulating chamber (20) comprises: a pre-evacuation chamber (20a) and a pre-charge chamber (20b); the pre-evacuation chamber (20a) is connected to the load lock chamber (10) via an evacuation pipeline (40a); the pre-charge chamber (20b) is connected to the load lock chamber (10) via an charge pipeline (40b); The control valve (30) comprises: a first control valve (30a) and a second control valve (30b), wherein the first control valve (30a) is arranged on the air extraction pipeline (40a), and the second control valve (30b) is arranged on the air charging pipeline (40b), and is used to control the on-off of the air charging pipeline (40b); The semiconductor process equipment further comprises: a controller, the controller being used to control the working states of the first control valve (30a) and the second control valve (30b); The semiconductor process equipment has a gas filling state and a gas extraction state; In the air extraction state, the first control valve (30a) is opened and the second control valve (30b) is closed; In the inflation state, the first control valve (30a) is closed and the second control valve (30b) is opened.

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