Pressure control device of loading cavity, wafer transmission device and method and equipment thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a pressure control device of a loading cavity, a wafer transmission device and a method and equipment thereof, the pressure control device comprises a backfilling pipeline, a valve, a flow limiter and a diffuser, an air inlet of the backfilling pipeline is connected with an air source, an air outlet of the backfilling pipeline is communicated with the loading cavity, and the valve is connected with the flow limiter. The valve, the flow limiter and the diffuser are sequentially arranged on the backfilling pipeline in the direction from the air inlet to the air outlet. According to the invention, under the action of the flow limiter and the diffuser, the flow velocity of the air flow is reduced, the uniformity is improved, and slow backfilling of the loading cavity is realized, so that the pressure in the loading cavity is always kept greater than the pressure of the front-end module in the subsequent wafer transfer process, and the air flow always flows from the loading cavity to the front-end module; the environment in the loading cavity is effectively protected from being affected by the outside, the clean environment in the cavity is guaranteed, and the particle effect is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a pressure control device for a loading chamber, a wafer transmission device, and a method and equipment thereof. Background Art

[0002] In the semiconductor manufacturing process, the wafer transfer system is a key link connecting different process equipment. Its main function is to transfer wafers from one process station to another under the premise of ensuring cleanliness and accuracy. The load lock (LL) serves as a buffer between the external environment and the high vacuum or controlled environment, and plays a vital role in the entry and exit of wafers in the main processing area. The front-end module (EFEM) is responsible for handling the entry and exit of wafers under atmospheric pressure and works with the load lock to achieve safe wafer transfer. When the LL and EFEM transfer wafers, the pressure condition between the two is a key consideration. Usually, in order to facilitate the transfer of wafers, the LL will be adjusted to the same air pressure as the EFEM during the transfer process, that is, atmospheric pressure. However, this process also brings potential risks: if the internal environment of the EFEM is not well controlled, such as high particle concentration, humidity or chemical contaminants, these adverse factors may enter the LL with the airflow. Since the pressures in the two chambers are almost equal, there is a lack of an effective pressure gradient to prevent the flow of contaminants, which may cause particles to flow from the EFEM to the LL, thereby affecting the cleanliness in the LL. This situation will not only threaten the surface quality of the wafers that are about to enter a high vacuum or controlled environment, but may also have an adverse effect on subsequent processes, such as reducing the yield or increasing the risk of defects. Summary of the invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present invention provide a pressure control device for a loading chamber, a wafer transfer device and a method and equipment thereof, which are intended to solve the problem of particle contamination caused by particles flowing from EFEM to LL during the existing wafer transfer.

[0004] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a pressure control device for a loading chamber, comprising: a backfill pipeline, a valve, a flow restrictor and a diffuser, wherein an air inlet of the backfill pipeline is connected to an air source, an air outlet of the backfill pipeline is connected to the loading chamber, and the valve, the flow restrictor and the diffuser are sequentially arranged on the backfill pipeline in a direction from the air inlet to the air outlet.

[0005] Furthermore, a flow limiting hole is provided on the cross section of the flow limiter, and the aperture of the flow limiting hole is smaller than the diameter of the backfill pipeline.

[0006] Furthermore, a perforated plate is provided on the cross section of the diffuser, and a plurality of holes are evenly arranged on the perforated plate.

[0007] Furthermore, the valve is a pneumatic diaphragm valve.

[0008] Furthermore, the pressure control device also includes a vacuum gauge, which is connected to the loading chamber and is used to detect the pressure in the loading chamber.

[0009] In a second aspect, the present invention further provides a wafer transfer device, comprising: a front-end module, a loading chamber, a gate valve and a pressure control device, wherein the pressure control device is the pressure control device of the first aspect, and the gate valve is arranged between the front-end module and the loading chamber.

[0010] In a third aspect, the present invention further provides a wafer transmission method, which is applied to the wafer transmission device of the second aspect, and the method comprises:

[0011] detecting the pressure in the loading chamber to determine whether the pressure in the loading chamber is equal to the atmospheric pressure;

[0012] If the pressure in the loading chamber is equal to the atmospheric pressure, closing the backfill pneumatic valve of the loading chamber;

[0013] Control the valve in the backfill line to open and open the gate valve for wafer transfer.

[0014] Furthermore, before the step of detecting the pressure in the loading chamber and determining whether the pressure in the loading chamber is equal to the atmospheric pressure, it also includes: controlling the backfill pneumatic valve of the loading chamber to open for backfilling until the loading chamber is backfilled from a vacuum state to an atmospheric state.

[0015] Furthermore, the step of controlling the valve in the backfill pipeline to open and opening the gate valve to transfer the wafer includes: controlling the valve in the backfill pipeline to open; determining whether the pressure in the loading chamber is greater than the atmospheric pressure; if the pressure in the loading chamber is greater than the atmospheric pressure, opening the gate valve to transfer the wafer; if the pressure in the loading chamber is not greater than the atmospheric pressure, returning to the step of controlling the valve in the backfill pipeline to open.

[0016] In a fourth aspect, the present invention further provides a thin film deposition device, comprising the wafer transfer device of the second aspect, wherein the wafer transfer device performs the wafer transfer method of the third aspect.

[0017] The present invention provides a pressure control device for a loading chamber, a wafer transmission device and a method and equipment thereof. The pressure control device comprises: a backfilling pipeline, a valve, a flow restrictor and a diffuser. The air inlet of the backfilling pipeline is connected to an air source, and the air outlet of the backfilling pipeline is connected to the loading chamber. The valve, the flow restrictor and the diffuser are all arranged on the backfilling pipeline, the valve is close to the air inlet of the backfilling pipeline, the diffuser is close to the air outlet of the backfilling pipeline, and the flow restrictor is located between the valve and the diffuser. The airflow enters from the air inlet of the backfilling pipeline, passes through the valve, the flow restrictor and the diffuser in sequence, and enters the loading chamber through the air outlet of the backfilling pipeline. Since the airflow passes through the flow restrictor and the diffuser, under the action of the flow restrictor and the diffuser, the airflow velocity is reduced and the uniformity is improved, thereby realizing slow backfilling of the loading chamber. In this way, in the subsequent wafer transmission process, the pressure in the loading chamber is always kept greater than the pressure of the front-end module, so that the airflow always flows from the loading chamber to the front-end module, effectively protecting the environment in the loading chamber from external influences, ensuring the clean environment in the chamber, and improving the particle effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without paying any creative work.

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a pressure control device for a loading chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic flow chart of the steps of the wafer transfer method according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0021] Figure 3 A schematic flow chart of the steps of a wafer transfer method according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0022] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of sub-steps of a wafer transfer method according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0023] Reference numerals:

[0024] 11. Valve; 12. Flow restrictor; 13. Diffuser; 14. Vacuum gauge; 2. Loading chamber; 3. Front end module; 4. Gate valve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] The directional terms mentioned in the present invention, such as "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "inner", "outer", "side", etc., are only referenced to the directions of the attached drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are used to illustrate and understand the present invention, but are not used to limit the present invention. In addition, in the drawings, structures with similar or identical structures are represented by the same reference numerals.

[0027] During the wafer transfer process between the loading chamber (LL) and the front-end module (EFEM), since both are under atmospheric pressure, if the internal environment of the EFEM is not good, it may have a negative impact on the environment in the LL. Specifically, during the wafer transfer operation, because the air pressure on both sides of the LL and EFEM is basically the same, it causes undesirable factors in the EFEM, such as particles and other contaminants, to easily enter the LL through airflow exchange, thereby affecting its cleanliness.

[0028] To this end, the embodiments of the present invention propose a pressure control device for a loading chamber, a wafer transfer device and a method and equipment thereof, which solve the problem of particle contamination caused by the flow of particles from the EFEM to the LL during the existing wafer transfer. The loading chamber is slowly backfilled through the backfill pipeline, so that the pressure of the loading chamber is always greater than the pressure of the front-end module, and the airflow always flows from the loading chamber to the front-end module, effectively protecting the environment in the loading chamber from external influences.

[0029] The embodiment of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem of LL particle pollution, and the specific ideas are as follows:

[0030] By adding a slow backfill pipeline to the loading chamber, air can be slowly inflated into the loading chamber. In this way, the pressure in the loading chamber after slow backfilling is greater than the pressure in the front-end module, and the direction of the airflow flows from the loading chamber to the front-end module. At this time, the gate valve between the loading chamber and the front-end module is opened to transfer the particles, which effectively protects the environment in the loading chamber from external influences. The particles in the front-end module will not flow into the loading chamber, ensuring a clean environment in the chamber and improving the particle effect.

[0031] In order to better understand the above technical solution, the above technical solution will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0032] See also Figure 1-Figure 4An embodiment of the present invention shows a pressure control device, which is applied to a loading chamber 2. The pressure control device includes: a backfill pipeline, a valve 11, a flow restrictor 12 and a diffuser 13. The air inlet of the backfill pipeline is connected to the air source, and the air outlet of the backfill pipeline is connected to the loading chamber 2. Along the direction from the air inlet to the air outlet, the valve 11, the flow restrictor 12 and the diffuser 13 are arranged on the backfill pipeline in sequence.

[0033] Specifically, the backfill pipeline of this embodiment has an air inlet and an air outlet, the air inlet is connected to the air source, and the air outlet is connected to the loading chamber 2, and the airflow outside the backfill pipeline can enter the loading chamber 2. The air source provides the gas for inflation, and the gas can be nitrogen. It should be noted that the backfill pipeline of this embodiment is an additional pipeline, and the loading chamber 2, in addition to the backfill pipeline of this embodiment, also has a special backfill pipeline for backfilling the loading chamber 2 from a vacuum state to an atmospheric state. The valve 11, the flow restrictor 12 and the diffuser 13 are arranged on the backfill pipeline in sequence, wherein the valve 11 is close to the air inlet, the diffuser 13 is close to the air outlet, and the flow restrictor 12 is located between the valve 11 and the diffuser 13. The airflow provided by the air source enters from the air inlet of the backfill pipeline, passes through the valve 11, the flow restrictor 12 and the diffuser 13 in sequence, and finally enters the loading chamber 2 through the air outlet of the backfill pipeline. Usually, the air flow velocity from the air source is very fast. If the air flow velocity is not limited after the valve 11 is opened, the excessive air flow will blow the wafers off-center and may also affect particles. Therefore, in this embodiment, a flow limiter 12 and a diffuser 13 are arranged behind the valve 11, and slow backfilling is achieved through the action of the flow limiter 12 and the diffuser 13.

[0034] Specifically, the flow restrictor 12 (Flow Restrictor) is a component used to limit the gas flow rate. It achieves the flow limiting effect by reducing the cross-sectional area of ​​the channel or increasing the flow resistance. The flow restrictor 12 can control the flow rate of the gas so that it enters the chamber at a lower speed. The flow resistance is increased by the flow restrictor 12, which limits the flow of the gas, so that the amount of gas entering the system per unit time is reduced, which directly leads to a slower speed of the inflation process. In addition, the flow restrictor 12 can also help maintain the pressure stability during the inflation process and avoid pressure fluctuations caused by excessive gas flow. The flow diffuser 13 (Flow Diffuser) is a component used to change the gas flow characteristics. It is installed at the gas outlet of the pipeline. Its main function is to disperse the high-speed, concentrated airflow into a low-speed, uniform airflow, thereby reducing the impact of the airflow on the surrounding environment, such as reducing the impact force and improving the uniformity of gas distribution. The diffuser 13 is mainly used to further reduce the air flow velocity. Even after passing through the restrictor 12, the gas may still have a relatively high velocity. The diffuser 13 further reduces the air flow velocity by expanding the cross-sectional area of ​​the air flow, ensuring that the gas enters the cavity in a slower and more uniform manner, ensuring that the entire inflation process is smoother and more uniform, and by dispersing the air flow, the impact force of the gas on the cavity is reduced, avoiding blowing the wafer off-center or raising particles.

[0035] Through this embodiment, the combined use of the flow restrictor 12 and the diffuser 13 can achieve the effect of slow inflation by controlling the gas flow and reducing the air flow speed; wherein, the flow restrictor 12 is responsible for limiting the gas flow to ensure a slow inflation speed; the diffuser 13 further slows down the air flow speed and improves the uniformity and safety of inflation by expanding the air flow cross-sectional area and evenly distributing the gas. This combination method can not only achieve slow inflation, but also improve the stability and reliability of the inflation process, effectively protecting the environment in the loading chamber 2 from external influences, and ensuring a clean environment in the chamber.

[0036] In one embodiment, a flow limiting hole is provided on the cross section of the flow limiter 12, and the aperture of the flow limiting hole is smaller than the diameter of the backfill pipeline. Specifically, there are various structural types of the flow limiter 12, for example, a throttle valve type flow limiter 12, an orifice plate type flow limiter 12, a venturi tube type flow limiter 12, a capillary type flow limiter 12, a vortex type flow limiter 12, etc., which can be set by a person skilled in the art according to actual needs. This embodiment adopts an orifice plate type flow limiter 12, and a plate with a fixed aperture is installed in the pipeline. The plate is installed in the cross section of the flow limiter 12, and a flow limiting hole is opened in the center of the plate. The flow limiting hole is a small hole, and its aperture is smaller than the diameter of the backfill pipeline. The flow limiting hole with a small aperture reduces the cross-sectional area of ​​the pipeline, increases the flow resistance, and reduces the flow rate of the airflow, thereby reducing the flow rate of the airflow. The aperture size of the flow limiting hole can be set according to actual needs and is not limited here. The shape of the flow limiting hole can be circular, elliptical or polygonal. The most suitable geometric shape can be selected according to actual needs and is not limited here.

[0037] In one embodiment, a perforated plate is provided on the cross section of the diffuser 13, and a number of holes are evenly arranged on the perforated plate. Specifically, there are many types of structures of the diffuser 13, for example, a porous plate diffuser 13, a mesh diffuser 13, a spiral diffuser 13 and a jet diffuser 13, etc., which can be set by a person skilled in the art according to actual needs. This embodiment adopts a porous plate diffuser 13, which is composed of one or more layers of perforated plates with tiny holes. The perforated plate is arranged on the cross section of the diffuser 13, and a number of holes are evenly arranged on the perforated plate, and the aperture of the hole is very small. The diameter, number, shape and arrangement of the holes can be designed according to specific needs. Specifically, the diameter of the hole directly affects the speed and distribution of the airflow. A smaller aperture will lead to higher resistance, which will reduce the airflow speed, but may increase noise and pressure drop; a larger aperture will make the airflow speed higher, but the distribution may not be as uniform as a small hole; therefore, the selection of the aperture needs to be optimized and adjusted according to the specific flow requirements and pressure loss. The number of holes determines the degree of dispersion of the airflow. More holes can make the airflow more evenly distributed, but it will also increase the manufacturing cost and processing difficulty. Usually, the number of holes will be determined according to the cross-sectional area of ​​the pipeline and the required airflow distribution effect. The arrangement of the holes has a great influence on the uniformity of the airflow. Common arrangements include: concentric circle arrangement, rectangular grid arrangement, random arrangement, etc. In addition to circular holes, holes of other shapes can also be used, such as elliptical, square or polygonal. Holes of different shapes will affect the flow characteristics of the airflow. For example, elliptical holes can provide a larger flow area in certain directions, while square holes can reduce edge effects. Through this embodiment, when the high-speed airflow passes through the orifice plate, the airflow is divided into multiple small airflows, each of which enters the downstream area through a small hole. Due to the small aperture on the orifice plate, the airflow will generate a certain resistance when passing through the hole, resulting in a decrease in the airflow speed. At the same time, the presence of multiple small holes makes the airflow gradually spread in the downstream area, forming a more uniform airflow distribution.

[0038] In one embodiment, the valve 11 is a pneumatic diaphragm valve. Specifically, a pneumatic diaphragm valve is a valve 11 driven by compressed air, which uses a diaphragm to isolate the fluid from the moving parts of the valve 11, thereby achieving control of the fluid in the pipeline. The working principle of the pneumatic diaphragm valve is that when compressed air enters the pneumatic actuator, it pushes the diaphragm in the piston or cylinder to move, so that the diaphragm moves up or down. The up and down movement of the diaphragm changes the opening and closing state of the flow channel in the valve body, thereby controlling the flow of the fluid. When the compressed air is discharged, the spring or other reset mechanism will restore the diaphragm to the initial position, closing or opening the valve 11. The pneumatic diaphragm valve has the advantages of fast response, good sealing performance and long service life. It is driven by compressed air and can complete the opening and closing action in a short time, and will not generate mechanical friction, reducing particulate pollution. This embodiment uses a pneumatic diaphragm valve to make the operation of the valve 11 faster and more accurate, and can complete the opening and closing within a few milliseconds, ensuring the real-time and accuracy of pressure control. Furthermore, there is no direct contact between mechanical parts, which improves the particle effect and also prolongs the service life of the valve 11 and reduces maintenance costs.

[0039] In one embodiment, the pressure control device further includes a vacuum gauge 14, which is connected to the loading chamber 2 and is used to detect the pressure in the loading chamber 2. Specifically, during the pressure control process of the loading chamber 2, it is necessary to accurately monitor the pressure changes in the chamber in real time so as to effectively adjust the pressure to avoid excessive or low pressure, which affects the process quality and product yield. To this end, the present embodiment adds a vacuum gauge 14 to the pressure control device, which is connected to the loading chamber 2 and is used to detect the pressure in the chamber in real time. The vacuum gauge 14 can provide high-precision pressure measurement, covering a wide range from atmospheric pressure to ultra-high vacuum. The vacuum gauge 14 can convert the detected pressure signal into an electrical signal to indicate the opening and closing of the valve 11 of the backfill pipeline, ensuring that the pressure in the loading chamber 2 is always kept within the desired range. It should be noted that the vacuum gauge 14 can be selected from different types, such as Pirani gauge, ionization gauge or cold cathode gauge, etc., to adapt to different pressure measurement ranges and accuracy requirements. Those skilled in the art can set it according to actual needs, which is not limited here.

[0040] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a wafer transfer device, comprising: a front-end module 3, a loading chamber 2, a gate valve 4 and a pressure control device, wherein the pressure control device is the pressure control device of the above embodiment, and the gate valve 4 (SLV) is arranged between the front-end module 3 and the loading chamber 2. The pressure control device has been described in detail in the above embodiment, and will not be described again for the sake of brevity of the specification.

[0041] Through this embodiment, the backfill pipeline is used to slowly inflate the loading chamber 2, so that the pressure in the loading chamber 2 is greater than the pressure in the front-end module 3, and the direction of the airflow always flows from the loading chamber 2 to the front-end module 3. Even if there is particle contamination, it can only flow from the loading chamber 2 to the front-end module 3, and the particles in the front-end module 3 will not flow to the loading chamber 2. At this time, the gate valve 4 between the loading chamber 2 and the front-end module 3 is opened to transfer the particles, which effectively protects the environment in the loading chamber 2 from external influences, ensures the clean environment in the chamber, and improves the particle effect.

[0042] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a wafer transmission method, which is applied to the wafer transmission device of the above embodiment. The wafer transmission device has been described in detail in the above embodiment, and for the sake of brevity of the description, it will not be repeated here. The method comprises steps: S1-S3.

[0043] S1 detects the pressure in the loading chamber to determine whether the pressure in the loading chamber is equal to the atmospheric pressure;

[0044] S2: If the pressure in the loading chamber is equal to the atmospheric pressure, closing the backfill pneumatic valve of the loading chamber;

[0045] S3 controls the valve in the backfill line to open and opens the gate valve for wafer transfer.

[0046] In this embodiment, first, a vacuum gauge is used to monitor the pressure in the loading chamber in real time to determine whether it has returned to atmospheric pressure. Then, when it is confirmed that the pressure in the loading chamber is equal to the atmospheric pressure, the backfill pneumatic valve is closed to stop the gas inflow. It should be noted that the backfill pneumatic valve here refers to the backfill pneumatic valve on the backfill pipeline of the loading chamber that is specifically used for backfilling, rather than the valve in the slow backfill pipeline of this embodiment. Finally, under the premise of ensuring the pressure balance inside and outside the loading chamber, the valve on the backfill pipeline is controlled to open for slow inflation, and the gate valve between the front-end module and the loading chamber is opened to start wafer transfer. In the process of slow inflation, it can be ensured that the pressure in the loading chamber is always greater than the external pressure, that is, the pressure in the front-end module. In this way, the direction of the airflow during the wafer transfer process is always from the loading chamber to the front-end module, which effectively protects the environment in the loading chamber from external influences and ensures a clean environment in the chamber.

[0047] In one embodiment, as shown in the figure, before step S1, the method further includes step S0.

[0048] S0. Control the backfill pneumatic valve of the loading chamber to open for backfilling until the loading chamber is backfilled from a vacuum state to an atmospheric state.

[0049] In this embodiment, before detecting the pressure in the loading chamber and determining whether it is equal to the atmospheric pressure, the backfill pneumatic valve on the backfill pipe of the loading chamber that is specifically used for backfilling is first controlled to open, and gas is introduced through the backfill pipe to increase the air pressure, and the loading chamber is gradually backfilled from a vacuum state to an atmospheric state, so that the loading chamber and the atmosphere maintain an air pressure balance. Because the gate valve needs to be opened during subsequent wafer transmission, the loading chamber is connected to the atmosphere. If the loading chamber is still vacuum at this time, the atmospheric pressure is greater than the pressure in the loading chamber, and pollutants in the atmosphere will enter the loading chamber, causing particle contamination. Therefore, in order to avoid this, it is first necessary to backfill the loading chamber to an atmospheric state to prevent pollutants in the atmosphere from entering the loading chamber during subsequent wafer transmission, thereby improving the particle effect and ensuring the wafer quality.

[0050] In one embodiment, as shown in the figure, the step S3 also includes steps: S31-S34.

[0051] S31, control the valve in the backfill pipeline to open;

[0052] S32, determining whether the pressure in the loading chamber is greater than the atmospheric pressure;

[0053] S33, if the pressure in the loading chamber is greater than the atmospheric pressure, opening the gate valve to transfer the wafer;

[0054] S34: If the pressure in the loading chamber is not greater than the atmospheric pressure, return to the step of controlling the valve in the backfill pipeline to open.

[0055] In this embodiment, during the wafer transmission process, in order to ensure that the airflow always flows from the loading chamber to the front-end module, it is necessary to ensure that the pressure in the loading chamber is always greater than the atmospheric pressure. Because the air pressure in the front-end module is the same as the atmospheric pressure, it is ensured that the pressure in the loading chamber is always greater than the atmospheric pressure, that is, it is ensured that the pressure in the loading chamber is always greater than the pressure in the front-end module. Specifically, the valve in the backfill pipeline is opened to start slow inflation, and the vacuum gauge continuously detects the pressure in the loading chamber, and judges and compares the pressure in the loading chamber with the atmospheric pressure. If the pressure in the loading chamber is greater than the atmospheric pressure, the plug valve can be opened for wafer transmission. If the pressure in the loading chamber is not greater than the atmospheric pressure, it is impossible to ensure that the airflow flows from the loading chamber to the front-end module at this time, and there is a risk of particle contamination. Therefore, the valve in the backfill pipeline is still opened, and the loading chamber is slowly inflated until the pressure in the loading chamber increases to a state greater than the atmospheric pressure, and then the wafer is transmitted to ensure that the entire wafer transmission process is in a state where the airflow always flows from the loading chamber to the front-end module. Through this embodiment, it can be ensured that when the gate valve is opened, the pressure in the loading chamber is always slightly higher than the atmospheric pressure, thereby maintaining the direction of the airflow from the loading chamber to the front-end module. This not only effectively blocks the intrusion of foreign particles and maintains the cleanliness of the loading chamber, but also improves the safety and reliability of the wafer transmission process. It can also reduce the reverse flow of airflow caused by pressure imbalance, further reducing the risk of contamination.

[0056] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a thin film deposition device, comprising the wafer transfer device of the above embodiment, wherein the wafer transfer device performs the wafer transfer method of the above embodiment. The wafer transfer device and the wafer transfer method have been described in detail in the above embodiment, and for the sake of brevity of the specification, they will not be repeated here.

[0057] Through this embodiment, when the pressure in the loading chamber is backfilled to the atmospheric state, before the gate valve is opened, the pneumatic diaphragm valve is opened, and the loading chamber is slowly inflated through the flow limiter and the diffuser to ensure that the pressure in the loading chamber is always greater than the pressure of the front-end module, so that the airflow direction is always from the loading chamber to the front-end module, effectively protecting the environment in the loading chamber from external influences and ensuring a clean environment in the chamber.

[0058] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of various equivalent modifications or replacements within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, and these modifications or replacements should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A pressure control device for a loading chamber, characterized in that: include: A backfill pipeline, a valve, a flow restrictor and a diffuser, wherein the air inlet of the backfill pipeline is connected to the air source, the air outlet of the backfill pipeline is communicated with the loading chamber, and the valve, the flow restrictor and the diffuser are sequentially arranged on the backfill pipeline in the direction from the air inlet to the air outlet.

2. The pressure control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A flow limiting hole is provided on the cross section of the flow limiter, and the aperture of the flow limiting hole is smaller than the diameter of the backfill pipeline.

3. The pressure control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A perforated plate is arranged on the cross section of the diffuser, and a plurality of holes are evenly arranged on the perforated plate.

4. The pressure control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The valve is a pneumatic diaphragm valve.

5. The pressure control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a vacuum gauge, which is connected to the loading chamber and is used to detect the pressure in the loading chamber.

6. A wafer transfer device, characterized in that: include: A front-end module, a loading chamber, a gate valve and a pressure control device, wherein the pressure control device is the pressure control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and the gate valve is arranged between the front-end module and the loading chamber.

7. A wafer transmission method, characterized in that: Applied to the wafer transfer device according to claim 6, the method comprises: detecting the pressure in the loading chamber to determine whether the pressure in the loading chamber is equal to the atmospheric pressure; If the pressure in the loading chamber is equal to the atmospheric pressure, closing the backfill pneumatic valve of the loading chamber; Control the valve in the backfill line to open and open the gate valve for wafer transfer.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that Before the step of detecting the pressure in the loading chamber and determining whether the pressure in the loading chamber is equal to the atmospheric pressure, the method further includes: The backfill pneumatic valve of the loading chamber is controlled to open to perform backfilling until the loading chamber is backfilled from a vacuum state to an atmospheric state.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The step of controlling the valve in the backfill pipeline to open and opening the gate valve to transfer the wafer includes: Control the opening of the valve in the backfill pipeline; determining whether the pressure in the loading chamber is greater than the atmospheric pressure; If the pressure in the loading chamber is greater than the atmospheric pressure, opening the gate valve to transfer the wafer; If the pressure in the loading chamber is not greater than the atmospheric pressure, the process returns to the step of controlling the valve in the backfill pipeline to open.

10. A thin film deposition device, characterized in that: It includes the wafer transmission device as described in claim 6, and the wafer transmission device executes the wafer transmission method as described in any one of claims 7-9.

Images