Process chamber of semiconductor equipment and semiconductor equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a process chamber of semiconductor equipment and the semiconductor equipment, the process chamber of the semiconductor equipment comprises a cavity, an air inlet structure and an air exhaust structure, the cavity is internally provided with a process space for processing a wafer, the side wall of the process space is provided with a wafer conveying port and an air inlet, the air inlet is opposite to the wafer conveying port, and the air inlet is provided with an air outlet. The opening widths of the wafer conveying opening and the air inlet are the same and are greater than or equal to the diameter of a wafer; the gas inlet structure is arranged at the gas inlet and is communicated with an external gas source so as to provide process gas into the process space; and the exhaust structure is arranged at the wafer conveying opening and is used for exhausting gas in the process space out of the cavity. The opening widths of the wafer conveying port and the gas inlet are the same, and the opening widths of the wafer conveying port and the gas inlet are greater than or equal to the diameter of the wafer, so that the uniformity of gas inlet and gas outlet is improved, the process gas can effectively fill the upper part of the wafer, and the uniformity of the film thickness of the wafer is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and more specifically, relates to a process chamber of a semiconductor device and a semiconductor device. Background Art

[0002] Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP) is an advanced monolithic heat treatment process equipment, which is widely used in ion implantation annealing, oxide growth, stress relief and densification processes. RTP equipment uses halogen infrared lamps as heat sources, and heats the wafer to 300℃-1200℃ in a very short time through an extremely fast heating rate. During the insulation stage, the wafer must be maintained at the target temperature for a period of time, usually for a few seconds to a few minutes, to ensure that the required processing reaction is fully carried out. Film thickness uniformity is an important criterion for measuring equipment performance. In order to ensure the uniformity of wafer film thickness, the process gas is required to flow evenly over the wafer surface. At present, in RTP equipment, such as Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the connection part between the existing exhaust structure and the cavity is in the shape of a trumpet. During the process, the wafer rotates clockwise, so that the process gas flows over the wafer and reacts with the wafer. Since the exhaust port is in the shape of a trumpet, the process gas enters the cavity from the air inlet and flows toward the exhaust port with a tendency to gradually converge. In addition, the gas flow rate in the cavity is asymmetric, which is not conducive to the formation of a film of uniform thickness on the surface of the wafer, resulting in uneven film thickness at the edge of the wafer. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a process chamber for semiconductor equipment and semiconductor equipment, aiming to solve the technical problem of uneven film thickness at the edge of a wafer in the prior art.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, according to one aspect of the present invention, a process chamber of a semiconductor device is provided, comprising a cavity, an air intake structure and an exhaust structure, wherein the cavity has a process space for processing wafers, and the side walls of the process space are provided with a wafer transfer port and an air intake port, the air intake port and the wafer transfer port are arranged opposite to each other, wherein the opening widths of the wafer transfer port and the air intake port are the same, and the opening widths of the wafer transfer port and the air intake port are greater than or equal to the wafer diameter; the air intake structure is arranged at the air intake port and is connected to an external gas source to provide process gas into the process space; the exhaust structure is arranged at the wafer transfer port, and is used to discharge the gas in the process space out of the cavity.

[0005] Optionally, the exhaust structure has an exhaust hole and a film transmission channel connected to the exhaust hole, the film transmission channel is connected to the film transmission port, and the exhaust hole is used to communicate with an exhaust pipe for exhausting gas, wherein the number of the exhaust holes is multiple.

[0006] Optionally, the exhaust structure includes an adapter block and an air uniforming plate, the adapter block has a first chamber connected to the film transmission port and a second chamber connected to the exhaust pipe, an air uniforming plate is arranged between the first chamber and the second chamber, and a plurality of exhaust holes are arranged on the air uniforming plate; wherein the film transmission channel is composed of the first chamber and the air uniforming plate.

[0007] Optionally, the plurality of exhaust holes are evenly distributed.

[0008] Optionally, the plurality of exhaust holes are distributed symmetrically with respect to the center.

[0009] Optionally, the cross-section of the exhaust hole is circular, elliptical, oblong, polygonal or irregular.

[0010] Optionally, the process chamber of the semiconductor equipment also includes a cooling component, the cooling component includes a cooling pipeline and a cooling cavity connected to the cooling pipeline, the cooling pipeline is arranged in the adapter block, wherein the cooling cavity has a cooling cavity, the exhaust pipe is passed through the cooling cavity, and the outer wall of the exhaust pipe is spaced apart from the inner wall of the cooling cavity.

[0011] Optionally, the cooling cavity body has an inlet connected to the cooling cavity, the inlet is used to introduce cooling medium, and the adapter block is provided with an outlet, the outlet is used to discharge the cooling medium, wherein one end of the cooling pipeline is connected to the cooling cavity, and the other end of the cooling pipeline is connected to the outlet.

[0012] Optionally, the exhaust pipe includes a cooling section and an exhaust section connected to the cooling section, wherein the cooling section is arranged in the cooling cavity and is connected to the film transfer port, the exhaust section is located outside the cooling cavity, and the cross-section of the exhaust section gradually decreases from close to the cooling section to away from the cooling section.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor device is provided, comprising a process chamber of the semiconductor device described in any one of the above embodiments.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the process chamber of the semiconductor equipment and the semiconductor equipment provided by the present invention have the following beneficial effects: (1) By making the opening widths of the wafer transfer port and the air inlet the same and greater than or equal to the wafer diameter, the process gas can effectively fill the top of the wafer, improving the uniformity of air intake and exhaust, and improving the uniformity of wafer film thickness; (2) By arranging opposite film transfer ports and air inlets on the side walls of the process space in the cavity, by arranging an air inlet structure at the air inlet and an exhaust structure at the film transfer port, the process gas can enter through the air inlet, pass through the process space in the cavity, and then be discharged from the cavity through the film transfer port. The exhaust structure can realize the exhaust function through the film transfer port, without the need to reprocess the cavity, thus saving costs; (3) Since the wafer transfer port and the air inlet are arranged relative to each other, during the wafer transfer process, the process gas and air can be counteracted, thereby preventing air from entering the process space through the wafer transfer port. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0016] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the simulation of the flow velocity distribution of the streamlines in the cavity of the existing process equipment; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the simulation of the cross-sectional airflow velocity distribution at 1 mm above the wafer in the chamber of the existing process equipment; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the simulation of the cross-sectional airflow velocity distribution at 3mm above the wafer in the chamber of the existing process equipment; Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a process chamber of a semiconductor device provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a simulation of flow velocity distribution of streamlines in a process chamber of a semiconductor device provided by an embodiment of the invention; Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a simulation of the cross-sectional airflow velocity distribution at 1 mm above the wafer in a process chamber of a semiconductor device provided by an embodiment of the invention; Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a simulation of the cross-sectional airflow velocity distribution at 3 mm above the wafer in a process chamber of a semiconductor device provided by an embodiment of the invention; Figure 8 An overall schematic diagram of an exhaust structure provided for an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 9 A schematic cross-sectional view of an exhaust structure provided in an embodiment of the invention; Fig.10 A schematic diagram of a gas exhaust temperature simulation of a process chamber of a semiconductor device provided by an embodiment of the invention.

[0017] The reference numerals in the above drawings are as follows: 10. Cavity; 101. Process space; 102. Film transfer port; 103. Air inlet; 20. Air intake structure; 30. Exhaust structure; 301. Exhaust hole; 302. Film transmission channel; 31. Exhaust pipe; 311. Cooling section; 312. Exhaust section; 32. Adapter block; 321. First chamber; 322. Second chamber; 323. Exit; 33. Air-distributing plate; 40. Wafer; 50. Cooling assembly; 501. Cooling pipeline; 502. Cooling cavity; 503. Inlet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0019] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0020] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0021] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0022] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0023] Please refer to Figure 4As shown, in an embodiment of the present invention, a process chamber of a semiconductor device is provided, including a cavity 10, an air inlet structure 20 and an exhaust structure 30, wherein the cavity 10 has a process space 101 for processing a wafer 40, and a film transfer port 102 and an air inlet 103 are provided on the side wall of the process space 101, the air inlet 103 is arranged opposite to the film transfer port 102, wherein the opening widths of the film transfer port 102 and the air inlet 103 are the same, and the opening widths of the film transfer port 102 and the air inlet 103 are greater than or equal to the diameter of the wafer 40; the air inlet structure 20 is arranged at the air inlet 103, and is connected to an external gas source to provide process gas into the process space 101; the exhaust structure 30 is arranged at the film transfer port 102, and is used to discharge the gas in the process space 101 out of the cavity 10. During the process, the wafer 40 is placed in the process space 101, and the process gas enters the process space 101 from the air inlet structure 20 through the air inlet 103, passes over the wafer 40, and then enters the exhaust structure 30 and is discharged from the chamber 10 through the wafer transfer port 102. Figures 5 to 7 It can be seen from the simulation results of the gas flow direction and flow field that the streamlines are close to parallel flow in the process of flowing into and out of the wafer 40, and are in a concentric circle state above the wafer 40. The streamlines are in an ideal distribution state, and the process gas flows evenly over the wafer 40 in the chamber, thereby improving the uniformity of the film thickness on the surface of the wafer 40. Before the process is carried out, the wafer 40 needs to be transferred to the process space 101. At this time, the external air will enter the process space 101 through the wafer transfer port 102 along with the wafer 40. The air intake structure 20 allows the process gas to enter the process space 101 through the air intake port 103. Since the wafer transfer port 102 and the air intake port 103 are arranged relative to each other, the process gas entering the air intake port 103 and the air entering the air transfer port 102 collide, thereby preventing the air from entering the process space 101, and the gas in the process space 101 is discharged from the cavity 10 through the exhaust structure 30, which greatly reduces the air content in the cavity 10 during the wafer transfer process.

[0024] By applying the above technical solution of the present invention, the opening widths of the wafer conveying port 102 and the air inlet 103 are the same, and the opening widths of the wafer conveying port 102 and the air inlet 103 are greater than or equal to the diameter of the wafer 40, so that the process gas can effectively fill the top of the wafer 40, improve the uniformity of air intake and exhaust, and improve the uniformity of the film thickness of the wafer 40; by arranging the wafer conveying port 102 and the air inlet 103 opposite to each other on the side wall of the process space 101 in the cavity 10, and by arranging the air inlet structure 20 at the air inlet 103, the process gas can effectively fill the top of the wafer 40, improve the uniformity of air intake and exhaust, and improve the uniformity of the film thickness of the wafer 40; An exhaust structure 30 is arranged at the port 102, so that the process gas can enter through the air inlet 103, pass through the process space 101 in the cavity 10, and then be discharged from the cavity through the wafer transfer port 102. The exhaust structure 30 can realize the exhaust function through the wafer transfer port 102, and there is no need to reprocess the cavity 10, thereby saving costs. Since the wafer transfer port 102 and the air inlet 103 are relatively arranged, during the wafer transfer process of the wafer 40, the process gas and the air can be counteracted, thereby preventing the air from entering the process space 101 through the wafer transfer port 102.

[0025] See also Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, in some embodiments, the exhaust structure 30 has an exhaust hole 301 and a wafer conveying channel 302 connected to the exhaust hole 301, the wafer conveying channel 302 is connected to the wafer conveying port 102, and the exhaust hole 301 is used to communicate with the exhaust pipe 31 for exhausting gas, wherein the number of the exhaust holes 301 is multiple. The wafer conveying channel 302 is used for both the input and output of the wafer 40, and is also used to introduce gas into the exhaust pipe 31 to achieve gas exhaust. In this embodiment, by providing multiple exhaust holes 301, the gas can be dispersed and discharged, thereby improving the uniformity of the process gas on the upper surface of the wafer 40.

[0026] See also Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, in some embodiments, the exhaust structure 30 includes a transfer block 32 and an air-distributing plate 33. The transfer block 32 has a first chamber 321 connected to the wafer transfer port 102 and a second chamber 322 connected to the exhaust pipe 31. An air-distributing plate 33 is provided between the first chamber 321 and the second chamber 322, and a plurality of exhaust holes 301 are provided on the air-distributing plate 33. The wafer transfer channel 302 is composed of the first chamber 321 and the air-distributing plate 33. By providing the transfer block 32, there is no need to reprocess the original cavity. By providing the first chamber 321, the second chamber 322 and the air-distributing plate 33 in the transfer block 32, and by providing a plurality of exhaust holes 301 on the air-distributing plate 33, the first chamber 321 and the second chamber 322 are connected to each other. The first chamber 321 is used for both the input and output of the wafer 40 and for buffering the gas so that the gas is dispersed and discharged through the plurality of exhaust holes 301.

[0027] See also Figure 8 and Fig. 9As shown, in some embodiments, the plurality of exhaust holes 301 are evenly distributed. Specifically, the plurality of exhaust holes 301 are evenly distributed along the width of the wafer transfer port 102, and the width of the wafer transfer port 102 is greater than or equal to the diameter of the wafer 40. Through the above arrangement, the gas can be evenly dispersed and discharged, which is beneficial to the uniformity of the distribution of the industrial gas on the upper surface of the wafer 40 and improves the uniformity of the wafer film thickness.

[0028] See also Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, in some embodiments, the plurality of exhaust holes 301 are centrally symmetrically distributed. Since the plurality of exhaust holes 301 are centrally symmetrically distributed, the distribution state of the gas above the wafer 40 can be further improved, so that the airflow distribution above the wafer 40 presents a concentric circle state, which is beneficial to improve the uniformity of the film thickness on the surface of the wafer 40.

[0029] In some embodiments, the cross-section of the exhaust hole 301 is circular, elliptical, oblong, polygonal, or irregular.

[0030] See also Figure 4 , Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, in some embodiments, the process chamber of the semiconductor equipment further includes a cooling assembly 50, the cooling assembly 50 includes a cooling pipeline 501 and a cooling cavity 502 connected to the cooling pipeline 501, the cooling pipeline 501 is arranged in the adapter block 32, wherein the cooling pipeline 501 is arranged along the circumference of the film transfer port 102, and can fully cool the gas flowing out of the film transfer port 102; the cooling cavity 502 has a cooling cavity, the exhaust pipe 31 is arranged in the cooling cavity, and the outer wall of the exhaust pipe 31 is spaced from the inner wall of the cooling cavity 502. Since the temperature of the semiconductor equipment after the process is too high, the excessively high temperature not only easily causes damage to equipment parts (for example, rear-end vacuum gauges, measuring switches, etc.), but also causes personal injury. By arranging a cooling pipeline 501 inside the adapter block 32 and a cooling cavity 502 outside the exhaust pipe 31, the exhaust gas is doubly cooled inside and outside the adapter block 32, which can quickly and effectively reduce the temperature of the exhaust gas, eliminate the impact of high-temperature exhaust on the back-end equipment, increase the service life of the back-end equipment, and avoid harm to personnel caused by high-temperature gas.

[0031] See also Figure 8 and Fig. 9As shown, in some embodiments, the cooling cavity 502 has an inlet 503 connected to the cooling cavity, and the inlet 503 is used to introduce a cooling medium. The adapter block 32 is provided with an outlet 323, and the outlet 323 is used to discharge the cooling medium, wherein one end of the cooling pipeline 501 is connected to the cooling cavity, and the other end of the cooling pipeline 501 is connected to the outlet 323. The cooling medium can be a liquid, such as cooling water, or a gas. Taking a typical 1050℃ RTO process as an example, 1050℃ is used for explanation. During the process, cooling water is used as the cooling medium, the cooling water flow rate is 10L / min, the cooling water temperature is 20℃, and the ambient temperature is 20℃. Fig.10 As shown, it can be seen from the simulation results that the temperature after cooling through the cooling pipeline 501 and the cooling cavity 502 is lower than 50° C., which meets the national standard of less than 65° C.

[0032] See also Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, in some embodiments, the exhaust pipe 31 includes a cooling section 311 and an exhaust section 312 connected to the cooling section 311, wherein the cooling section 311 is disposed in the cooling cavity and is connected to the film transfer port 102, and the exhaust section 312 is located outside the cooling cavity, and a cross-section of the exhaust section 312 gradually decreases from close to the cooling section 311 to away from the cooling section 311.

[0033] The present invention further provides a semiconductor device, comprising a process chamber of the semiconductor device described in any of the above embodiments. It is understandable that the beneficial effects of the above semiconductor device can be found in the relevant description of the process chamber of the above semiconductor device, which will not be repeated here.

[0034] In summary, the process chamber and semiconductor device of the semiconductor device provided by the present embodiment have at least the following beneficial technical effects: (1) By making the opening widths of the wafer transfer port 102 and the air inlet 103 the same and the opening widths of the wafer transfer port 102 and the air inlet 103 greater than or equal to the diameter of the wafer 40, the process gas can effectively fill the top of the wafer 40, thereby improving the uniformity of air intake and exhaust and improving the uniformity of the film thickness of the wafer 40; (2) By arranging opposite film transfer ports 102 and air inlet ports 103 on the side walls of the process space 101 in the cavity 10, by arranging an air inlet structure 20 at the air inlet port 103, and arranging an exhaust structure 30 at the film transfer port 102, the process gas can enter through the air inlet port 103, pass through the process space 101 in the cavity 10, and then be discharged from the cavity through the film transfer port 102. The exhaust structure 30 can realize the exhaust function through the film transfer port 102, without the need to reprocess the cavity 10, thereby saving costs; (3) Since the wafer transfer port 102 and the air inlet 103 are arranged relative to each other, during the wafer transfer process of the wafer 40, the process gas and the air can be counteracted, thereby preventing the air from entering the process space 101 through the wafer transfer port 102; (4) By providing a cooling pipeline 501 inside the adapter block 32 and a cooling cavity 502 outside the exhaust pipe 31, the exhaust gas is cooled both inside and outside the adapter block 32, which can quickly and effectively reduce the temperature of the exhaust gas, eliminate the impact of high-temperature exhaust gas on the back-end equipment, increase the service life of the back-end equipment, and prevent high-temperature gas from causing harm to personnel.

[0035] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and only specifically describe the technical principles of the present invention. These descriptions are only for explaining the principles of the present invention and cannot be interpreted as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention in any way. Based on the explanations here, any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention, and other specific implementations of the present invention that can be associated with by technicians in this field without creative labor, should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A process chamber of a semiconductor device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a cavity, an air inlet structure and an exhaust structure, wherein the cavity has a process space for processing a wafer, and a wafer conveying port and an air inlet are arranged on the side wall of the process space, wherein the air inlet is arranged opposite to the wafer conveying port, wherein the opening widths of the wafer conveying port and the air inlet are the same, and the opening widths of the wafer conveying port and the air inlet are greater than or equal to the wafer diameter; The air inlet structure is arranged at the air inlet and is connected to an external air source to provide process gas into the process space; The exhaust structure is arranged at the film transfer port and is used to discharge the gas in the process space out of the cavity.

2. The process chamber of the semiconductor device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The exhaust structure has an exhaust hole and a film transmission channel connected to the exhaust hole, the film transmission channel is connected to the film transmission port, and the exhaust hole is used to communicate with an exhaust pipe for exhausting gas, wherein the number of the exhaust holes is multiple.

3. The process chamber of the semiconductor device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The exhaust structure includes an adapter block and an air-distributing plate, wherein the adapter block has a first chamber connected to the film transmission port and a second chamber connected to the exhaust pipe, the air-distributing plate is arranged between the first chamber and the second chamber, and the air-distributing plate is provided with a plurality of the exhaust holes; Wherein, the film transmission channel is composed of the first chamber and the air uniforming plate.

4. The process chamber of the semiconductor device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The plurality of exhaust holes are evenly distributed.

5. The process chamber of the semiconductor device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The plurality of exhaust holes are centrally symmetrically distributed.

6. The process chamber of the semiconductor device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cross section of the exhaust hole is circular, elliptical, oblong, polygonal or irregular.

7. The process chamber of the semiconductor device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a cooling component, which includes a cooling pipeline and a cooling cavity connected to the cooling pipeline, the cooling pipeline is arranged in the adapter block, wherein the cooling cavity has a cooling cavity, the exhaust pipe is passed through the cooling cavity, and the outer wall of the exhaust pipe is spaced apart from the inner wall of the cooling cavity.

8. The process chamber of the semiconductor device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The cooling cavity body has an inlet connected to the cooling cavity, the inlet is used to introduce cooling medium, and the adapter block is provided with an outlet, the outlet is used to discharge the cooling medium, wherein one end of the cooling pipeline is connected to the cooling cavity, and the other end of the cooling pipeline is connected to the outlet.

9. The process chamber of the semiconductor device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The exhaust pipe includes a cooling section and an exhaust section connected to the cooling section, wherein the cooling section is arranged in the cooling cavity and is connected to the film transmission port, the exhaust section is located outside the cooling cavity, and the cross-section of the exhaust section gradually decreases from close to the cooling section to away from the cooling section.

10. A semiconductor device, characterized in that: A process chamber comprising the semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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