A linkage transmission method, device and computer readable storage medium

Abstract

This application provides a linkage transfer method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium. The method is applied to a vacuum transfer system, which includes a main chamber and an exchange chamber. The main chamber contains a displacement stage and a main chamber transfer device. A sample holder is placed on the exchange chamber transfer device, and a sample to be processed is placed in the sample holder. An exchange chamber transfer device is also located within the exchange chamber. The method includes: moving the sample holder above the main chamber transfer device via the exchange chamber transfer device; removing the sample holder from the exchange chamber transfer device via the main chamber transfer device; and moving the sample holder onto the carrier plate of the displacement stage via the main chamber transfer device. The linkage transfer method provided in this application uses multi-stage transfer, which can shorten the distance of a single-stage transfer, thereby shortening the guide rail length of each transfer device. This reduces the decrease in transfer accuracy caused by deformation due to excessively long guide rails, thus improving the transfer accuracy and stability of the sample to be processed in the vacuum transfer system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of vacuum transmission technology, specifically relating to a linkage transmission method, device, and computer-readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] As the size of silicon wafers or other samples to be operated on in the vacuum transfer system continues to increase, the chamber for placing the samples also increases accordingly, resulting in a longer transfer distance for the samples and consequently a decrease in the accuracy and stability of the transfer.

[0003] Therefore, improving the transmission accuracy and stability of samples in a vacuum transmission system is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the problems existing in the prior art, a linkage transfer method, device, and computer-readable storage medium are proposed. By using this method, device, and computer-readable storage medium, the transfer accuracy and stability of the sample to be operated in the vacuum transfer system can be improved.

[0005] This application provides the following solutions.

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a linkage transfer method applied to a vacuum transfer system. The vacuum transfer system includes a main chamber and an exchange chamber. A displacement stage and a main chamber transfer device are disposed within the main chamber. An exchange chamber transfer device is disposed within the exchange chamber. A sample holder is placed on the exchange chamber transfer device, and a sample to be processed is placed within the sample holder. The method includes:

[0007] The sample holder is moved above the main chamber conveyor via the exchange chamber conveyor.

[0008] The sample holder is removed from the exchange chamber conveyor via the main chamber conveyor.

[0009] The sample holder is moved to the plate of the displacement stage via the main chamber transfer device.

[0010] In some possible embodiments, the displacement stage has a tapered positioning part on its loading plate and a positioning hole corresponding to the tapered positioning part is provided at the bottom of the sample holder.

[0011] The sample holder is moved to the transport plate of the displacement stage via the main chamber transfer device, including:

[0012] The sample holder is moved to the conical positioning part of the carrier plate of the displacement stage by the main chamber transfer device, and the conical positioning part is inserted into the positioning hole of the sample holder.

[0013] In some possible embodiments, the tapered positioning part has multiple steps on different horizontal planes on its tapered surface.

[0014] In some possible embodiments, the height difference between multiple steps on different horizontal planes is less than or equal to 0.1 mm.

[0015] In some possible embodiments, the exchange chamber conveying device includes a conveying upper plate and a conveying bottom plate disposed below the conveying upper plate, on which a sample holder is placed;

[0016] The sample holder is moved above the main chamber conveyor via the exchange chamber conveyor, including:

[0017] The sample holder is moved above the main chamber conveying device by sliding the upper and lower plates of the conveyor relative to each other.

[0018] In some possible embodiments, a U-shaped section is provided at one end of the upper conveyor plate near the main chamber, and a sample holder is placed on the U-shaped section. The main chamber conveying device includes a lifting base and a conveying upper section disposed above the lifting base.

[0019] The sample holder is removed from the exchange chamber conveyor via the main chamber conveyor, including:

[0020] The lifting base raises the upper part of the conveyor, causing the upper part of the conveyor to lift the sample holder through the gap in the U-shaped section.

[0021] In some possible embodiments, the main chamber transfer device moves the sample holder onto the carrier plate of the displacement stage, including:

[0022] By sliding the lifting base and the upper part of the conveyor relative to each other, the upper part of the conveyor moves towards the first target position in the direction of approaching the displacement table;

[0023] The upper part of the conveyor is lowered by lifting the base, so that the sample holder on the upper part of the conveyor is placed on the conical positioning part of the carrier plate of the displacement stage, and the conical positioning part is inserted into the positioning hole of the sample holder.

[0024] In some possible embodiments, the method further includes, before the lifting base lowers the upper part of the conveyor:

[0025] The loading plate moves toward the second target position in the direction of the main chamber conveyor.

[0026] In some possible embodiments, an isolation valve is provided between the main chamber and the exchange chamber;

[0027] Before the exchange chamber transfer device moves the sample holder above the main chamber transfer device, the method further includes:

[0028] Open the isolation valve;

[0029] After the main chamber transfer device removes the sample holder from the exchange chamber transfer device, the method further includes:

[0030] The exchange compartment conveyor moves back to the exchange compartment;

[0031] After the main chamber transfer device moves the sample holder onto the carrier plate of the displacement stage, the method further includes:

[0032] Close the isolation valve.

[0033] In some possible embodiments, the vacuum transport system includes an electron beam exposure system or an electron microscope system.

[0034] Secondly, this application provides a linkage conveying device, comprising:

[0035] At least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, the instructions being executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the aforementioned linkage transmission method.

[0036] Thirdly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a program that, when executed by a multi-core processor, causes the multi-core processor to perform the aforementioned linkage transmission method.

[0037] The linkage conveying method provided in this application embodiment involves a first conveying of the sample to be operated on via an exchange chamber conveying device, followed by a second conveying of the sample after it is removed via a main chamber conveying device. This linkage conveying method provides multi-stage conveying, which shortens the distance of a single-stage conveying, thereby reducing the guide rail length of each conveying device. This reduces the decrease in conveying accuracy caused by deformation due to excessively long guide rails, thus improving the conveying accuracy and stability of the sample during electron beam exposure.

[0038] Other advantages of this application will be explained in more detail with reference to the following description and figures.

[0039] It should be understood that the above description is merely an overview of the technical solution of this application, so as to enable a clearer understanding of the technical means of this application and thus allow for its implementation in accordance with the contents of the specification. To make the above and other objects, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments of this application are illustrated below. Attached Figure Description

[0040] By reading the detailed description of the exemplary embodiments below, those skilled in the art will understand the advantages and benefits described herein, as well as other advantages and benefits. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. In the drawings:

[0041] Figure 1A flowchart illustrating a linkage transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a linkage conveying device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of another linkage conveying device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a tapered positioning part provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0045] The attached diagram lists the components represented by each number as follows:

[0046] Exchange chamber 10; main chamber 20; sample holder 100; exchange chamber conveying device 200; upper conveying plate 201; lower conveying plate 202; main chamber conveying device 300; lifting base 301; upper conveying part 302; displacement stage 400; conical positioning part 401; carrying plate 402; isolation valve 500.

[0047] In the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts. Detailed Implementation

[0048] Exemplary embodiments of this application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of this application are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that this application can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of this application and to fully convey the scope of this application to those skilled in the art.

[0049] In the description of embodiments of this application, it should be understood that terms such as “comprising” or “having” are intended to indicate the presence of the disclosed features, figures, steps, behaviors, components, portions or combinations thereof in this specification, and do not exclude the possibility of the presence of one or more other features, figures, steps, behaviors, components, portions or combinations thereof.

[0050] Unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or". For example, A / B can mean A or B. In this article, "and / or" is merely a way of describing the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A alone, A and B at the same time, and B alone.

[0051] The terms "first," "second," etc., are used only for ease of description to distinguish identical or similar technical features and should not be construed as indicating or implying the relative importance or number of these technical features. Therefore, a feature defined by "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, the term "multiple" means two or more.

[0052] It should also be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. This application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0053] Electron beam lithography (EBL) is a micro / nano fabrication technique that uses a focused electron beam to directly write patterns onto an electron beam-sensitive material (resist). It is a key technology in semiconductor manufacturing, nanotechnology, and microelectronics. The advantages of EPL lie in its extremely high resolution and flexibility, enabling the creation of very fine patterns, making it suitable for the research and production of complex micro / nanoelectronic devices. The interaction between the electron beam and the resist in EPL is called exposure. After exposure, the resist can be developed to remove the areas not irradiated by the electron beam, thereby forming the desired micro / nanostructure on a silicon wafer or other substrate.

[0054] See Figure 1 The figure is a schematic diagram of a linkage transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0055] The method provided in this application can be applied to vacuum transport systems. Vacuum transport systems include electron beam exposure systems, electron microscope systems, or other systems requiring vacuum transport. For ease of understanding, an electron beam exposure system is used as an example below. The vacuum transport system includes a main chamber and an exchange chamber. A displacement stage and a main chamber transport device are disposed within the main chamber, and an exchange chamber transport device is disposed within the exchange chamber. Normally, both the main chamber and the exchange chamber of the vacuum transport system are under vacuum. A sample holder is placed on the exchange chamber transport device, and the sample to be processed is placed within the sample holder. In practical applications, the sample to be processed in this application can be a wafer, silicon wafer, chip substrate, etc., and this application does not limit the scope of the application.

[0056] like Figure 1 As shown, the linkage transmission method provided in this application embodiment includes:

[0057] S101: Move the sample holder above the main chamber conveyor via the exchange chamber conveyor.

[0058] In this embodiment of the application, the controller corresponding to the exchange chamber conveying device can move the sample holder above the main chamber conveying device via the exchange chamber conveying device. For example... Figure 2 As shown, a displacement stage and a main chamber conveying device 300 are provided inside the main chamber 20, and an exchange chamber conveying device 200 is provided inside the exchange chamber 10. The exchange chamber conveying device 200 may include a conveying upper plate 201 and a conveying bottom plate 202 disposed below the conveying upper plate 201. A sample holder 100 is placed on the conveying upper plate 201. In this embodiment, the conveying upper plate 201 and the conveying bottom plate 202 can slide relative to each other, causing the conveying upper plate 201 to move closer to the main chamber conveying device 200 until the sample holder 100 moves above the main chamber conveying device 300, facilitating the subsequent removal of the sample holder 100 by the main chamber conveying device 300.

[0059] In some possible embodiments, an isolation valve 500 is provided between the main chamber and the exchange chamber. Before the exchange chamber conveyor 200 moves the sample holder 100 above the main chamber conveyor 300, the isolation valve 500 may be opened so that the exchange chamber conveyor 200 moves the sample holder 100 above the main chamber conveyor 300 through the isolation valve 500.

[0060] S102: Remove the sample holder from the exchange chamber conveyor via the main chamber conveyor.

[0061] In this embodiment, the controller corresponding to the main chamber transfer device can remove the sample holder from the exchange chamber transfer device via the main chamber transfer device. For example... Figure 2 As shown, a U-shaped section may be provided at one end of the upper conveyor plate 201 near the main chamber, on which a sample holder 100 is placed. The main chamber conveying device 300 includes a lifting base 301 and a conveying upper part 302 disposed above the lifting base 301. As one possible implementation, the method provided in this application embodiment can raise the conveying upper part 302 by means of the lifting base 301, so that the conveying upper part 302 lifts the sample holder 100 through the gap in the U-shaped section, thereby removing the sample holder 100 from the exchange chamber conveying device 200.

[0062] In one possible implementation, after the main chamber conveying device 300 removes the sample holder 100 from the exchange chamber conveying device 200, the present embodiment can control the exchange chamber conveying device 200 to move back to the exchange chamber. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the exchange chamber conveying device 200 can slide relative to the upper conveying plate 201 and the lower conveying plate 202, causing the upper conveying plate 201 to move away from the main chamber conveying device 200 until the upper conveying plate 201 reaches the conveying chamber 10. It should be noted that after the upper conveying plate 201 reaches the conveying chamber 10, if the sample to be operated and the sample holder 10 have completely passed through the isolation valve 500, then the isolation valve 500 can be closed at this time. However, in some embodiments, because the size of the sample to be operated is large, although the upper conveying part 302 has lifted the sample holder, the sample holder or the sample to be operated has not completely passed through the isolation valve 500, so the isolation valve 500 cannot be closed at this time.

[0063] S103: The sample holder is moved to the carrier plate of the displacement stage via the main chamber transfer device.

[0064] It should be noted that the controller corresponding to the main chamber conveying device can move the sample holder onto the carrier plate of the displacement stage via the main chamber conveying device. If the sample to be operated on in this embodiment is large, after the main chamber conveying device moves the sample holder onto the carrier plate of the displacement stage, the carrier plate can be moved to expose the sample to be operated on the sample holder multiple times. If the sample to be operated on experiences slight relative slippage during the movement of the carrier plate, it will affect the stitching effect of the multiple exposure results. Moreover, after relative slippage occurs, it requires a slow time to recover and stabilize, which is usually more than 30 minutes. Therefore, this leads to extremely serious stitching errors and time delays for large-area exposure stitching samples such as silicon wafers.

[0065] like Figure 2 As shown, in order to suppress slight relative sliding of the sample holder on the carrier plate 402, a conical positioning part 401 is provided on the carrier plate 402 of the displacement stage 400 in this embodiment, and a positioning hole corresponding to the conical positioning part 401 is provided at the lower part of the sample holder. Figure 3 As shown, the carrier plate 402 provided in this application embodiment can be provided with three conical positioning parts 401, and the three conical positioning parts 401 are arranged in a triangular shape with each other.

[0066] As one possible implementation, the main chamber conveying device in this embodiment can move the sample holder onto the conical positioning part 401 of the carrier plate 402 of the displacement stage 400, and the conical positioning part 401 is inserted into the positioning hole of the sample holder. It should be noted that the combination of the conical positioning part and the positioning hole in this embodiment can suppress the relative sliding of the sample holder when the carrier plate 402 moves, thereby reducing the splicing error after exposure and the waiting time during exposure.

[0067] As one possible implementation method, such as Figure 4 As shown, the tapered positioning part 401 provided in this application embodiment can have multiple levels of steps on different horizontal planes on its tapered surface. The applicant has found that having multiple levels of steps on different horizontal planes on the tapered surface is more effective at suppressing the relative sliding of the sample holder when it moves on the carrier plate 402 compared to a smooth tapered surface. By providing multiple levels of steps on different horizontal planes on the tapered surface of the tapered positioning part 401, this application can further reduce stitching errors after exposure and waiting time during exposure. As an example, the height difference between the multiple levels of steps on different horizontal planes can be less than or equal to 0.1 mm.

[0068] In this embodiment, the main chamber conveying device 300 can slide relative to the lifting base 301 and the upper conveying part 302, causing the upper conveying part 302 to move towards the displacement stage 400 to a first target position. This embodiment can also control the carrier plate 402 to move towards the main chamber conveying device 300 to a second target position. After the upper conveying part 302 moves to the first target position and the carrier plate 402 moves to the second target position, the sample holder 100 is positioned above the conical positioning part 401. Then, this embodiment can also control the lifting base 301 to lower the upper conveying part 302, so that the sample holder 100 on the upper conveying part 302 is placed on the conical positioning part 401 of the carrier plate 402 of the displacement stage 400, and the conical positioning part 401 is inserted into the positioning hole of the sample holder 100.

[0069] In practical applications, the upper conveyor 302 may remain stationary, and the sample holder 100 can move to the top of the conical positioning part 401 simply by moving the upper conveyor 402 to the second target position. Alternatively, the upper conveyor 402 may remain stationary, and the sample holder 100 can move to the top of the conical positioning part 401 simply by moving the upper conveyor to the first target position. This embodiment of the application is not limited to these specific embodiments.

[0070] In some possible embodiments, after the main chamber conveying device moves the sample holder 100 onto the carrier plate 402 of the displacement stage 400, the isolation valve 500 can be closed in this embodiment. It should be noted that after the sample holder 100 is moved onto the carrier plate 402 of the displacement stage 400, the sample to be operated and the sample holder 10 have completely passed through the isolation valve 500, so the isolation valve 500 can be closed at this time.

[0071] In summary, the linkage conveying method provided in this application embodiment uses an exchange chamber conveying device for the first conveying of the sample to be operated, and the main chamber conveying device is equipped with a lifting function. Utilizing the lifting function of the main chamber conveying device and the U-shaped part on the exchange chamber conveying device, the main chamber conveying device in this application embodiment can remove the sample to be operated from the exchange chamber conveying device and perform a second conveying of the sample. Thus, the linkage conveying method provided in this application embodiment sets up multi-stage conveying. Multi-stage conveying can shorten the distance of a single-stage conveying, thereby shortening the guide rail length of each conveying device. This can reduce the decrease in conveying accuracy caused by deformation due to excessively long guide rails, thereby improving the conveying accuracy and stability of the sample to be operated during electron beam exposure. Moreover, this application embodiment provides a conical positioning part with multiple steps on different horizontal planes on the carrier plate. This positioning part can effectively move the sample holder relative to the carrier plate during movement, reducing splicing errors after exposure and waiting time during exposure.

[0072] In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "some possible implementations," "some implementations," "example," "specific example," or "some examples" indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that implementation or example is included in at least one implementation or example of this application, and the aforementioned terms do not necessarily refer to the same implementation or example. Furthermore, the described specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more implementations or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different implementations or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different implementations or examples.

[0073] The method flowcharts for embodiments of this application describe certain operations as different steps performed in a certain order. Such flowcharts are illustrative and not restrictive. Some steps described herein may be grouped together and performed in a single operation, or some steps may be divided into multiple sub-steps, and some steps may be performed in an order different from that shown herein. The various steps shown in the flowcharts may be implemented in any way by any circuit structure and / or tangible mechanism (e.g., by software running on a computer device, hardware (e.g., logic functions implemented by a processor or chip), and / or any combination thereof).

[0074] Those skilled in the art will understand that in the methods described in the above specific embodiments, the order in which the steps are written does not imply a strict execution order, and the specific execution order of each step should be determined by its function and possible internal logic.

[0075] According to some embodiments of this application, a linkage conveying device according to an embodiment of this application is provided for performing... Figure 1 The linkage transmission method shown includes: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, the instructions being executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the method described in the above embodiments.

[0076] According to some embodiments of this application, a non-volatile computer storage medium for linkage transmission method is provided, having stored computer-executable instructions configured to execute when run by a processor: the method described in the above embodiments.

[0077] Computer-readable media include permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media, which can store information by any method or technology. Information can be computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, phase-change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory, read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile optical disc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transfer medium that can be used to store information accessible by a computing device. Furthermore, although the operations of the methods of this application are described in a specific order in the accompanying drawings, this does not require or imply that these operations must be performed in that specific order, or that all the operations shown must be performed to achieve the desired result. Additionally, certain steps may be omitted, multiple steps may be combined into one step, and / or one step may be broken down into multiple sub-steps.

[0078] While the spirit and principles of this application have been described above with reference to several specific embodiments, it should be understood that this application is not limited to the disclosed specific embodiments, and the division of aspects does not imply that features in these aspects cannot be combined. This application is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A linkage transmission method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a vacuum transport system, which includes a main chamber and an exchange chamber. The main chamber contains a displacement stage and a main chamber conveying device. The exchange chamber contains an exchange chamber conveying device, on which a sample holder is placed. The displacement stage has a conical positioning part on its carrier plate. The sample holder has a positioning hole corresponding to the conical positioning part at its lower part. The conical positioning part has multiple steps at different horizontal levels on its conical surface. The exchange chamber conveying device includes a conveying upper plate and a conveying bottom plate below the conveying upper plate. The sample holder is placed on the conveying upper plate. A U-shaped part is provided at one end of the conveying upper plate near the main chamber, on which the sample holder is placed. The main chamber conveying device includes a lifting base and a conveying upper part above the lifting base. The sample holder contains a sample to be processed. The method includes: The sample holder is moved above the main chamber conveying device by the exchange chamber conveying device, wherein the sample holder is moved above the main chamber conveying device by the relative sliding of the upper conveying plate and the lower conveying plate. The sample holder is removed from the exchange chamber conveying device by the main chamber conveying device, wherein the lifting base drives the upper conveying part to rise, so that the upper conveying part lifts the sample holder through the gap in the U-shaped part. The sample holder is moved onto the carrier plate of the displacement stage by the main chamber conveying device, wherein the upper conveying part is moved toward the displacement stage to a first target position by sliding relative to the lifting base and the upper conveying part; the upper conveying part is lowered by the lifting base so that the sample holder on the upper conveying part is placed on the conical positioning part of the carrier plate of the displacement stage, and the conical positioning part is inserted into the positioning hole of the sample holder; before the upper conveying part is lowered by the lifting base, the carrier plate is moved toward the main chamber conveying device to a second target position.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The height difference between the steps on different horizontal planes in the multi-level system is less than or equal to 0.1 mm.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, An isolation valve is provided between the main chamber and the exchange chamber; The method further includes, prior to moving the sample holder above the main chamber conveyor via the exchange chamber conveyor: Open the isolation valve; After the main chamber transfer device removes the sample holder from the exchange chamber transfer device, the method further includes: The exchange compartment conveyor device moves back to the exchange compartment; After the main chamber transfer device moves the sample holder onto the carrier plate of the displacement stage, the method further includes: Close the isolation valve.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vacuum transmission system includes an electron beam exposure system or an electron microscope system.

5. A linkage conveying device, characterized in that, include: At least one processor; And a memory communicatively connected to at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by at least one processor, the instructions being executed by at least one processor to enable at least one processor to perform: the method as described in any one of claims 1-4.

6. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a program that, when executed by a multi-core processor, causes the multi-core processor to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-4.

Images