Wafer temporary storage mechanism of semiconductor equipment and thin film deposition equipment thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a wafer temporary storage mechanism of semiconductor equipment, which comprises a cooling buffer cavity unit, a heating buffer cavity unit connected to the cooling buffer cavity unit, a first wafer loading unit for driving a wafer to lift in the cooling buffer cavity unit, and a second wafer loading unit for driving the wafer to lift in the cooling buffer cavity unit, and the second wafer loading unit is used for driving the wafer to ascend and descend in the heating buffer cavity unit. The invention further discloses thin film deposition equipment, the wafer heating cavity and the wafer cooling cavity are integrated together, the distance between wafer process equipment and a cooling or heating unit is shortened, the time needed by wafer transfer is shortened, the transfer efficiency is improved, the space utilization rate is improved through the integrated structure on the same day, the wafer is driven to ascend and descend through the lifting module, and the wafer cooling efficiency is improved. Wafer heating or cooling and wafer transferring are facilitated, and universality is enhanced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of thin film deposition equipment, and in particular to a wafer temporary storage mechanism for semiconductor equipment and thin film deposition equipment thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of microelectronics technology, the critical dimensions of wafer processing have gradually decreased, while the complexity of wafer processing has continued to increase, which has made the overall cycle of wafer processing continue to lengthen. In order to obtain the wafer products required by customers more quickly, how to effectively reduce the overall processing time of the wafer without affecting the wafer processing technology has become the key to improving the efficiency of wafer processing. The overall processing time of the wafer includes the process time of the wafer and the transmission time of the wafer. Therefore, the improvement of the wafer transmission time is very important to the improvement of the wafer processing efficiency. The transmission module is an important part of the wafer processing process, and the length of the wafer transmission time directly affects the utilization efficiency of the machine chamber.

[0003] In addition, the wafer processing procedures are complicated and precise, and many of them are high-temperature processes. The high-temperature process requires heating and cooling the wafer, but the heating and cooling time affects the process efficiency of the machine. Based on the above technical problems, it is necessary to propose a fast and efficient mechanism between the wafer heating or cooling unit and the process unit. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and to provide a wafer temporary storage mechanism for a semiconductor device and a thin film deposition device thereof, so as to solve the technical problem that the wafer buffer and its transmission time in the existing wafer processing equipment are long, which affects the process efficiency.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a wafer temporary storage mechanism for a semiconductor device, comprising: a cooling cache cavity unit, a heating cache cavity unit connected to the cooling cache cavity unit, a first wafer loading unit for driving the wafer to rise and fall in the cooling cache cavity unit, and a second wafer loading unit for driving the wafer to rise and fall in the heating cache cavity unit.

[0007] Wherein, the cooling cache cavity unit and the heating cache cavity unit are stacked in a vertical direction.

[0008] Wherein, the cooling cache cavity unit and the heating cache cavity unit are connected together on a rack.

[0009] The first wafer loading unit includes: a loading ring, a lifting rod connected to the edge of the loading ring, a first lifting module connected to the lifting rod, and a first driving module driving the first lifting module.

[0010] The loading ring includes: a ring-shaped member, and two fixing parts connected to the bottom edge of the ring-shaped member, the fixing parts and the annular cavity of the ring-shaped member form a fixing cavity for loading wafers, and the two fixing parts are arranged opposite to each other.

[0011] Wherein, the fixing portion comprises: a positioning portion whose inner side edge is parallel to the inner ring wall of the annular member, and two supporting portions extending laterally from the inner side edge of the positioning portion.

[0012] Wherein, the first lifting module is a linear lifting module.

[0013] The second wafer loading unit includes: a second driving module, a second lifting module connected to the driving end of the second driving module, a connecting rod connected to the moving end of the second lifting module, and a loading plate connected to the connecting rod.

[0014] Wherein, the loading plate comprises: a plate body and three top rods extending from the top surface of the plate body.

[0015] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a thin film deposition device, wherein the thin film deposition device includes a wafer temporary storage mechanism of a semiconductor device as described in any one of the above.

[0016] The wafer temporary storage mechanism of the semiconductor equipment and the thin film deposition equipment thereof of the present invention integrate the wafer heating chamber and the wafer cooling chamber, reduce the distance between the wafer process equipment and the cooling or heating unit, reduce the time required for wafer transfer, and improve the transfer efficiency. At the same time, the integrated structure improves the space utilization rate, and adopts a lifting module to drive the wafer to lift and lower, which is convenient for wafer heating or cooling and wafer transfer, thereby enhancing the versatility.

[0017] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present invention, it can be implemented in accordance with the contents of the specification. In order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the following preferred embodiments are specifically cited and described in detail as follows. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of a wafer temporary storage mechanism for a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 FIG. 4 is a side view of a wafer temporary storage mechanism of a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of a wafer temporary storage mechanism for a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 4 It is a partial structural schematic diagram of a first wafer loading unit of a wafer temporary storage mechanism of a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 5 It is a partial structural schematic diagram of a second wafer loading unit of a wafer temporary storage mechanism of a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Description of reference numerals:

[0024] A wafer temporary storage mechanism 100 of a semiconductor device, a rack 1, a cooling cache cavity unit 2, a heating cache cavity unit 3, a cooling cavity structure 21, a coolant delivery unit 22, a first wafer loading unit 23, a cache chamber 211, a loading ring 231, a lifting rod 232, a first lifting module 233, a first driving module 234, a ring member 2310, a fixing portion 2311, a positioning portion 2312, a supporting portion 2313, a second wafer loading unit 31, a heating plate 32, a second wafer loading unit 33, a heating chamber 311, a second driving module 331, a second lifting module 332, a connecting rod 333, a loading plate 334, a top rod 335, a plate body 3340, and a circular cavity 3341. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] 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 specific implementation methods.

[0026] 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 only 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 those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships described in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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 molding; 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 those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0030] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0031] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms should not be understood as necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0032] With the rapid development of microelectronics technology, the critical dimensions of wafer processing have gradually decreased, while the complexity of wafer processing has continued to increase, which has made the overall cycle of wafer processing continue to lengthen. In order to obtain the wafer products required by customers more quickly, how to effectively reduce the overall processing time of the wafer without affecting the wafer processing technology has become the key to improving the efficiency of wafer processing. The overall processing time of the wafer includes the process time of the wafer and the transmission time of the wafer. Therefore, the improvement of the wafer transmission time is very important to the improvement of the wafer processing efficiency. The transmission module is an important part of the wafer processing process, and the length of the wafer transmission time directly affects the utilization efficiency of the machine chamber.

[0033] In addition, the wafer processing procedures are complicated and precise, and many of them are high-temperature processes. The high-temperature process requires heating and cooling of the wafer, but the heating and cooling time affects the process efficiency of the machine. In order to solve the above problems, the present embodiment discloses a wafer temporary storage mechanism 100 for semiconductor equipment, which is intended to reduce the transfer time of the wafer during the processing process to improve the processing efficiency.

[0034] See also Figures 1 to 5 In this embodiment, a wafer temporary storage mechanism 100 of a semiconductor device disclosed in this embodiment is used to provide a wafer cooling or heating process during wafer processing, specifically, in a wafer thin film deposition device, a preheating step before the wafer enters a process chamber and a cooling step after the wafer leaves the process chamber. The wafer temporary storage mechanism 100 of the semiconductor device includes: a cooling cache chamber unit 2, a heating cache chamber unit 3 connected to the cooling cache chamber unit 2, a first wafer loading unit 23 for driving the wafer to move up and down in the cooling cache chamber unit 2, and a second wafer loading unit 33 for driving the wafer to move up and down in the heating cache chamber unit 3.

[0035] In this embodiment, the wafer temporary storage mechanism 100 of the semiconductor device integrates the chamber unit for heating or cooling the wafer. The wafer temporary storage mechanism 100 of the semiconductor device corresponds to a set of wafer thin film deposition chamber equipment, and has a compact structure, small space occupation, and a short film transfer path, which is fast and convenient. Compared with the existing design that a set of thin film deposition equipment corresponds to a group of cooling units and a group of heating units, the overall structure is more streamlined and compact, and the execution path for the film transfer unit is significantly reduced, thereby reducing the time of wafer transfer and improving the efficiency of the overall process.

[0036] In this embodiment, if Figure 3As shown, the cooling cache cavity unit 2 and the heating cache cavity unit 3 are stacked in the vertical direction. That is, the cooling cache cavity unit 2 can be arranged directly above the heating cache cavity unit 3, or the cooling cache cavity unit 2 can be located directly below the heating cache cavity unit 3.

[0037] Of course, it is understandable that in other embodiments, the cooling cache cavity unit 2 and the heating cache cavity unit 3 may also be connected in the front-to-back direction, or connected in close proximity in any other orientation. This is not limited to the present embodiment, and the goal is to minimize the distance between the two.

[0038] The cooling cache cavity unit 2 and the heating cache cavity unit 3 are connected together on a rack 1 .

[0039] The cooling cavity cache unit 2 includes: a cooling cavity structure 21 and a coolant delivery unit 22 connected to the cooling cavity structure 21. A cache chamber 211 is provided in the cooling cavity structure 21. The output pipeline of the coolant delivery unit 22 is connected to the cache chamber 211 for circulating coolant to the cache chamber 211. The cache chamber 211 is a sealed chamber.

[0040] The heating cavity cache unit 3 includes: a heating cavity structure 31 , and a heating plate 32 disposed in the heating cavity structure 31 . A heating chamber 311 is disposed in the heating cavity structure 31 , and the heating plate 32 is disposed in the heating chamber 311 .

[0041] In order to accurately control the wafer cooling process in the cooling cache cavity unit 2 , a temperature sensor is further provided in the cache chamber 211 for real-time monitoring of the temperature in the cache chamber 211 .

[0042] Similarly, a temperature sensor is also provided in the heating chamber 311 , and the temperature sensor is used to monitor the temperature in the heating chamber 311 in real time.

[0043] When the wafer in the buffer chamber 211 is cooled to a preset temperature, the first wafer loading unit 23 and the external wafer conveying unit cooperate to send the wafer out of the cooling buffer chamber unit 2. When the wafer in the heating chamber 311 is preheated to a preset temperature, the second wafer loading unit 33 and the external wafer conveying unit cooperate to send the wafer out of the heating chamber 311.

[0044] Please refer again Figure 3In order to reduce the distance between the cooling chamber structure 21 and the heating chamber structure 31 and reduce the wafer transfer time, most of the structure of the first wafer loading unit 23 is connected to the top of the buffer chamber 211, and the second wafer loading unit 33 is located below the heating chamber 311, thereby minimizing the distance between the cooling chamber structure 21 and the heating chamber structure 31.

[0045] Please refer again Figure 4 The first wafer loading unit 23 includes: a loading ring 231, a lifting rod 232 connected to the edge of the loading ring 231, a first lifting module 233 connected to the lifting rod 232, and a first driving module 234 driving the first lifting module 233.

[0046] The loading ring 231 includes: a ring-shaped member 2310, and two fixing portions 2311 connected to the bottom edge of the ring-shaped member 2310, wherein the fixing portions 2311 and the annular cavity of the ring-shaped member 231 form a fixing cavity for loading wafers, and the two fixing portions 2311 are arranged opposite to each other.

[0047] In this embodiment, the fixing part 2311 includes: a positioning part 2312 whose inner side is parallel to the inner ring wall of the ring 2310, and two supporting parts 2313 extending laterally from the inner side of the positioning part 2312. The ring 2310 is a sheet-like annular structure, and the bottom of the sheet-like annular structure is connected with two positioning parts 2312. The inner annular cavity of the ring 2310 is a circular cavity (corresponding to the shape of the wafer), so the inner side of the positioning part 2312 is also a partial circular side wall. The inner side of the two positioning parts 2312 arranged opposite to each other can fix the wafer to prevent it from moving forward and backward, and the supporting part 2313 protruding laterally from the inner side of the fixing part 2311 can hold the wafer in the vertical direction. When the wafer is cooled in the buffer chamber 211, inert cooling gas is usually input. The loading ring 231 structure of this implementation structure can fix the wafer well without being offset by airflow disturbance to affect the wafer transmission.

[0048] In this embodiment, the first lifting module 233 is a linear lifting module, which is an existing linear guide rail module, and the lifting action is efficient, stable and reliable.

[0049] The first driving module 234 is a driving motor.

[0050] Please refer again Figure 5The second wafer loading unit 33 includes: a second driving module 331, a second lifting module 332 connected to the driving end of the second driving module 331, a connecting rod 333 connected to the moving end of the second lifting module 332, and a loading plate 334 connected to the connecting rod 333. The fixed parts of the second driving module 331 and the second lifting module 332 are fixedly connected to the bracket 1.

[0051] Similarly, the second lifting module 332 is a linear lifting module, such as a linear track module, etc. The second driving module 331 is a driving motor.

[0052] The loading plate 334 includes: a plate body 3340 and three push rods 335 extending from the top surface of the plate body 3340. The three push rods 335 are distributed in a triangular shape and are used to support the wafer. The use of three push rods 335 to support the wafer not only reduces the contact area with the wafer, but also simplifies the wafer support structure. A circular cavity 3341 with an edge opening is provided in the middle of the plate body 3340. The circular cavity 3341 is located above the heating plate 32. The hollow design of the circular cavity 3341 is conducive to the heating plate 32 to heat the wafer, reduce the barrier of the plate body 3340 to the heat conduction of the heating plate 32, and improve its heating efficiency and heating uniformity.

[0053] Please combine the following Figures 1 to 5 , briefly describing the cooling and heating process of the wafer temporary storage mechanism 100 of the semiconductor device of this embodiment:

[0054] The heating process is as follows: before the wafer enters the process chamber of the thin film deposition equipment, the wafer is transferred to the loading plate 334 of the second wafer loading unit 33 by the film conveyor unit, and then the second driving module 331 drives the moving part of the second lifting module 332 to rise, and simultaneously drives the loading plate 334 and the wafer thereon to rise into the heating chamber 311, and then the heating disk 32 is turned on to heat the wafer until the wafer is heated to a preset value, and the second driving module 331 drives the loading plate 334 to descend in reverse, and the wafer is taken out by the film conveyor unit and transferred to the process chamber.

[0055] Cooling process: After the wafer is deposited with a thin film in the process chamber of the thin film deposition equipment, the wafer is transferred to the loading ring 231 by the film transfer unit, and the first driving module 234 drives the first lifting module 233 to descend, driving the loading ring 231 to descend into the buffer chamber 211, and then the coolant delivery unit 22 is opened to input cooling gas into the buffer chamber 211 until the wafer is cooled to a preset value, and the first driving module 234 reverses, and the wafer is taken out and transferred to the next workstation by the external film transfer unit.

[0056] An embodiment of the present invention provides a thin film deposition device, wherein the thin film deposition device includes a wafer temporary storage mechanism 100 of a semiconductor device as described above.

[0057] The wafer temporary storage mechanism and thin film deposition equipment of the semiconductor equipment of this embodiment integrate the wafer heating chamber and the wafer cooling chamber together, reduce the distance between the wafer process equipment and the cooling or heating unit, reduce the time required for wafer transfer, and improve the transfer efficiency. At the same time, the integrated structure improves the space utilization rate, and uses a lifting module to drive the wafer to lift and lower, which is convenient for wafer heating or cooling and wafer transfer, enhances versatility, and can be connected with different wafer transfer units.

[0058] The above examples are only used to further illustrate the technical content of the present invention, so that readers can understand it more easily, but they do not mean that the implementation of the present invention is limited to this. Any technical extension or re-creation made according to the present invention is protected by the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the claims.

Claims

1. A wafer temporary storage mechanism for semiconductor equipment, characterized in that: include: A cooling cache cavity unit, a heating cache cavity unit connected to the cooling cache cavity unit, a first wafer loading unit for driving the wafer to move up and down in the cooling cache cavity unit, and a second wafer loading unit for driving the wafer to move up and down in the heating cache cavity unit.

2. The wafer temporary storage mechanism for semiconductor equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cooling cache cavity unit and the heating cache cavity unit are stacked in a vertical direction.

3. The wafer temporary storage mechanism for semiconductor equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cooling cache cavity unit and the heating cache cavity unit are connected together on a rack.

4. The wafer temporary storage mechanism for semiconductor equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The first wafer loading unit includes: a loading ring, a lifting rod connected to an edge of the loading ring, a first lifting module connected to the lifting rod, and a first driving module driving the first lifting module.

5. The wafer temporary storage mechanism for semiconductor equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The loading ring comprises: a ring-shaped member and two fixing parts connected to the bottom edge of the ring-shaped member, the fixing parts and the annular cavity of the ring-shaped member form a fixing cavity for loading wafers, and the two fixing parts are arranged opposite to each other.

6. The wafer temporary storage mechanism for semiconductor equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The fixing portion comprises: a positioning portion whose inner side extends parallel to the inner ring wall of the annular member, and two supporting portions extending laterally from the inner side of the positioning portion.

7. The wafer temporary storage mechanism for semiconductor equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that: The first lifting module is a linear lifting module.

8. The wafer temporary storage mechanism for semiconductor equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The second wafer loading unit includes: a second driving module, a second lifting module connected to the driving end of the second driving module, a connecting rod connected to the moving end of the second lifting module, and a loading plate connected to the connecting rod.

9. The wafer temporary storage mechanism for semiconductor equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that: The loading plate comprises: a plate body and three push rods extending from the top surface of the plate body, wherein the three push rods are distributed in a triangular shape.

10. A thin film deposition device, characterized in that: The thin film deposition equipment comprises a wafer temporary storage mechanism of a semiconductor device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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