Wafer boat and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a wafer boat and semiconductor process equipment. The wafer boat comprises a plurality of supporting assemblies which are arranged in the circumferential direction of the wafer boat at intervals, each supporting assembly comprises a plurality of supporting columns which are arranged in the circumferential direction of the wafer boat at intervals, and each supporting column is arranged in the direction parallel to the axial direction of the wafer boat; the plurality of supporting pieces are arranged at intervals in the direction parallel to the axial direction of the wafer boat; each supporting piece comprises at least one supporting part, the orthographic projection of each supporting part on the radial cross section of the wafer boat is in a groove shape with an opening facing the outer side of the wafer boat, and the two ends of each supporting part are connected with the two adjacent supporting columns respectively; the supporting pieces of the multiple supporting assemblies are arranged at the same height in a one-to-one correspondence mode and used for jointly supporting the wafer, and the uniformity of film forming on the surface of the wafer is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to, but is not limited to, the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular, to a wafer boat and semiconductor process equipment. Background Art

[0002] Integrated circuit technology is currently in a stage of rapid development. In order to improve transistor performance, optimize power consumption and increase the density of transistors on a single chip, chip manufacturers are pushing semiconductor devices towards higher and higher integration and smaller feature sizes.

[0003] Since the uniformity of thin films and particle contamination in the chip manufacturing process will have a serious impact on the life, electrical performance and long-term reliability of the device, the requirements for the uniformity of thin film processes and particle contamination levels are now becoming increasingly higher.

[0004] The vertical diffusion furnace is a semiconductor process equipment widely used in the thin film growth process of the chip industry. The core component of the vertical diffusion furnace is the wafer boat, which mainly plays the role of carrying the wafer. During the process of the wafer entering the reaction chamber for thin film growth, the wafer boat is also the only component in contact with the wafer. Therefore, the structure of the wafer boat will have a great impact on the uniformity of wafer film formation and surface particle contamination. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and proposes a wafer boat and a semiconductor process equipment, which can improve the uniformity of film formation on the surface of the wafer when the wafer boat carries the wafer for process processing.

[0006] In order to achieve the purpose of the present invention, a wafer boat is provided, which includes a plurality of support assemblies spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the wafer boat, each support assembly includes: a plurality of support columns spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the wafer boat, and each support column is arranged in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the wafer boat; a plurality of support members spaced apart in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the wafer boat; each support member includes at least one support portion, and the orthographic projection of each support portion on the radial cross section of the wafer boat is a groove shape with an opening toward the outside of the wafer boat, and the two ends of each support portion are respectively connected to two adjacent support columns; the support members of the plurality of support assemblies are arranged at the same height in a one-to-one correspondence, so as to jointly support the wafer.

[0007] In some embodiments, an outer surface of the support column on a side facing the support member is arc-shaped.

[0008] In some embodiments, the support posts are circular in cross-section.

[0009] In some embodiments, each of the support assemblies includes two support columns, and the center distance between the two support columns in each support assembly is twice the diameter of the support column.

[0010] In some embodiments, a protrusion is provided on each supporting portion, and the protrusions on each supporting portion of multiple supporting components located at the same height are used to jointly support the wafer; the contact mode between the protrusion and the wafer is point contact.

[0011] In some embodiments, the protrusion is hemispherical; when the protrusion supports the wafer, the distance between the orthographic projection of the center of the protrusion on the wafer and the center of the wafer is d, and the radius of the wafer is r, where d<r.

[0012] In some embodiments, 3 / 5r≤d≤29 / 30r.

[0013] In some embodiments, the diameter of the protrusion is one quarter of the diameter of the support post.

[0014] In some embodiments, an orthographic projection of each support member on a radial cross section of the wafer boat is U-shaped or V-shaped.

[0015] In some embodiments, the width of the support portion is the same everywhere, and the width of the support portion is half of the diameter of the support column.

[0016] In some embodiments, the wafer boat further includes a first plate body and a second plate body disposed opposite to each other, a plurality of support components are disposed between the first plate body and the second plate body, and two ends of the support column are respectively connected to the first plate body and the second plate body.

[0017] The present invention also provides a semiconductor process equipment, including a process chamber, a wafer boat lifting device and the wafer boat as described above, wherein the wafer boat is placed on the wafer boat lifting device, and the wafer boat lifting device is used to drive the wafer boat to move into or out of the process chamber.

[0018] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0019] Compared with the related art in which only one column is connected to the slot, in this embodiment, each support assembly is connected to the support member by multiple support columns, and the total cross-sectional area of ​​the multiple support columns can be the same as the cross-sectional area of ​​a single column in the related art. That is to say, in this embodiment, while ensuring that the load-bearing capacity of the multiple support columns for the support member in the same support assembly remains unchanged (different cross-sectional areas), the blocking of the single support column to the reaction gas is reduced, thereby reducing the influence of the support column on the diffusion of the reaction gas to the wafer surface. And the positive projection of each support part on the radial cross section of the wafer boat is set to a groove shape with the opening facing the outside of the wafer boat, which can reduce the influence of the support part on the diffusion of the reaction gas to the wafer surface. Thereby improving the uniformity of the distribution of the reaction gas inside the wafer boat, so as to improve the uniformity of the film formation on the wafer surface.

[0020] Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent by reading the specification, claims and drawings of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and easily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0022] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a crystal boat according to a related art implementation method.

[0023] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a wafer boat according to an embodiment of the related art.

[0024] Figure 3A FIG. 4 is a diffusion diagram of the reaction gas outside the wafer boat according to the related art implementation method.

[0025] Figure 3B It is a partial enlarged view of the connection between the column and the card slot of the crystal boat in the related art implementation method.

[0026] Figure 3C FIG. 4 is a diffusion diagram of the reaction gas inside the wafer boat according to the related art implementation.

[0027] Figure 3D It is a schematic diagram of the thickness of the film formed on the wafer surface according to the related art implementation.

[0028] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a wafer boat according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of a wafer boat according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 6 It is a partial enlarged view of the connection between the support column and the support part of the wafer boat according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Fig. 7A FIG. 4 is a diffusion diagram of the reaction gas outside the wafer boat according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 7B FIG. 4 is a diffusion diagram of the reaction gas inside the wafer boat according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 7C It is a schematic diagram of the thickness of the film formed on the wafer surface according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 8 It is a structural schematic diagram of a wafer boat supporting a wafer in a related technical implementation method when the wafer is not heated.

[0035] Fig. 9 It is a structural schematic diagram of a wafer boat supporting a wafer and heating the wafer according to a related technical implementation method.

[0036] Fig.10It is a schematic diagram of particle contamination on the surface of a wafer after a wafer boat in a related technical implementation method is used to support the wafer for process processing.

[0037] Fig.11 Schematic diagram of the structure of each supporting component of the wafer boat according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Fig.12 It is a structural schematic diagram of a wafer boat supporting a wafer and heating the wafer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Fig.13 It is a schematic structural diagram of a wafer boat supporting a wafer and heating the wafer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Fig.14 A schematic structural diagram of a semiconductor process equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Description of main component symbols:

[0042] 1. Pillar; 11. Cylindrical surface; 12. Plane; 2. Slot; 21. Local area; 3. Wafer; 31. Film forming area;

[0043] 10. Semiconductor process equipment;

[0044] 100. Process chamber;

[0045] 200, crystal boat; 210, support assembly; 211, support column; 212, support member; 2121, support portion; 213, protrusion;

[0046] 300, air intake structure;

[0047] 400, base;

[0048] 500, craft door;

[0049] 600, crystal boat lifting device;

[0050] 700. Heating structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0052] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that 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 technical features indicated. Thus, 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.

[0053] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or mutual communication; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0054] The disclosure below provides many different embodiments or examples to realize different structures of the present invention. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present invention, the parts and settings of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are only examples, and the purpose is not to limit the present invention. In addition, the present invention can repeat reference numbers and / or reference letters in different examples, and this repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity, which itself does not indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, the present invention provides various specific examples of processes and materials, but those of ordinary skill in the art can be aware of the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0055] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "certain embodiments", "illustrative embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiments or examples are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer 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.

[0056] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the crystal boat of the related art implementation method. Figure 1The wafer boat includes three columns 1, which are arranged around the circumference of the wafer boat. Each column 1 is provided with the same number of slots 2, and the slots 2 at the same height on the three columns 1 are used to support the same wafer 3. It can be understood that the three columns 1 can be used to support the same number of wafers 3 as the number of slots 2.

[0057] Regarding the specific structure of the card slot 2 and the column 1, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a wafer boat according to a related art embodiment, see Figure 2 In the related art, the column 1 can be set as a semi-cylindrical shape with a diameter of 2R (a semi-cylindrical shape can be understood as half of a cylinder along the radial direction), and the slot 2 can be set as a semi-circular sheet structure with a diameter of 2R.

[0058] In the related art, when such a wafer boat structure is used to load a large number of wafers 3 at a time, the wafer boat carries a large number of wafers 3. In order to enable the wafer boat to bear the weight of the wafers 3 fully loaded, and to prevent the wafer boat fully loaded with wafers 3 from thermal deformation at high temperatures, the radius R of the column 1 is generally set to a larger value. In other words, the column 1 has three thicker columns 1, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the column 1 is larger.

[0059] Figure 3A FIG. 4 is a diffusion diagram of the reaction gas outside the wafer boat according to the related art implementation method. Figure 3B It is a partial enlarged view of the connection between the column 1 and the card slot 2 of the wafer boat in the related art implementation. Figure 3C FIG. 4 is a diffusion diagram of the reaction gas inside the wafer boat according to the related art implementation. Figure 3D Schematic diagram of the thickness of the film formed on the surface of the wafer 3 according to the related art embodiment. FIG. 3A to FIG. 3D When the wafer boat is full of wafers 3 for process treatment (such as film formation), the reaction gas will gradually diffuse from the circumferential edge of the wafer 3 to the entire surface of the wafer 3 to grow a thin film on the surface of the wafer 3. However, since the side of the column 1 facing away from the slot 2 in the related art is a cylindrical surface 11, and the side of the column 1 facing the slot 2 is a plane 12, the reaction gas near the column 1 may have a concentration difference near the column 1 when diffusing. The local area 21 on the slot 2 close to the column 1 is blocked by the column 1, and the concentration of the reaction gas in the local area 21 is lower than the concentration of the reaction gas in other areas on the column 1. In addition, the diameter of the column 1 may be relatively large, which may further increase the area of ​​the local area 21.

[0060] Since the concentration of the reaction gas in the local area 21 is low, the film forming area 31 corresponding to the local area 21 is thinner when the film is formed on the surface of the wafer 3, thereby making the thickness of the film formed on the surface of the wafer 3 uneven, which will lead to poor uniformity of the film formed on the surface of the wafer 3. Figure 3DA schematic diagram of film formation on the surface of a wafer 3 in the related art is shown. It can be seen from the figure that the film thickness of the film forming area 31 on the wafer 3 is significantly smaller than that of other areas, resulting in poor uniformity of film formation on the entire surface of the wafer 3.

[0061] In order to solve the technical problem in the related art that the film formation uniformity on the surface of the wafer 3 is poor due to the existence of the local area 21, this embodiment proposes a wafer boat 200 to improve the film formation uniformity on the surface of the wafer 3 when the wafer boat 200 carries the wafer 3 for process processing.

[0062] Figure 4 FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a wafer boat 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a wafer boat 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the wafer boat 200 of this embodiment may include a plurality of support assemblies 210 spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the wafer boat 200. It should be noted that the plurality of support assemblies 210 are spaced apart unevenly so that the wafer can enter the interior of the wafer boat from the gap between two of the support assemblies 210 to be placed on each support member 212 of the support assemblies 210. In some embodiments, the wafer boat 200 may include three support assemblies 210, for details, see Figure 4 Of course, the wafer boat 200 may also include four, five, six, or other numbers of support assemblies 210 , which are not listed here one by one.

[0063] Each support assembly 210 includes a plurality of support columns 211 and a plurality of support members 212. The plurality of support columns 211 are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the wafer boat 200, and each support column 211 is arranged in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the wafer boat 200. Each support column mentioned in this embodiment is set to a standard cylindrical shape for the convenience of comparison. The plurality of support members 212 are arranged at intervals along a direction parallel to the axial direction of the wafer boat 200. The support members 212 of the plurality of support assemblies 210 are arranged at the same height one by one, and are used to support the wafer 3 together.

[0064] The support members 212 are all located inside the wafer boat 200 . Each support member 212 includes at least one support portion 2121 . The orthographic projection of each support portion 2121 on the radial cross section of the wafer boat 200 is a groove shape with an opening toward the outside of the wafer boat 200 .

[0065] The two ends of each support portion 2121 are respectively connected to two adjacent support columns 211, wherein the material of the support portion 2121 is the same as that of the support column 211, both of which are quartz material, which can avoid the crystal boat 200 from generating internal stress in a high temperature environment when the crystal boat 200 is undergoing process processing, thereby increasing the service life of the crystal boat 200.

[0066] In some embodiments, each support assembly 210 includes two support columns, and each support member 212 includes a support portion 2121. For details, see Figure 4 The support assembly 210 of this embodiment is schematically described below. It can be understood that the schematic description below is also applicable to the support assembly 210 of other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0067] In some embodiments, each support assembly 210 may include three support columns, and two support portions 2121 are disposed between the three support columns to form a W-shaped structure.

[0068] Fig. 7A FIG. 2 is a diffusion diagram of the reaction gas outside the wafer boat 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7B FIG. 2 is a diffusion diagram of the reaction gas inside the wafer boat 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7C Schematic diagram of the thickness of the film formed on the surface of the wafer 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention. 7A to 7C Compared with the related art in which a single slot 2 is connected to a single column 1, this embodiment connects a single support member 212 to at least two support columns 211. This embodiment can reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​each support column 211 while ensuring the bearing reliability of each support assembly 210 (the bearing capacity of the support assembly 210 is proportional to the total cross-sectional area of ​​the support columns 211 it has), thereby reducing the barrier capacity of each support column 211 for the diffusion of the reaction gas. For example, in the related art, the radius of the column 1 is R, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the column 1 is πR 2 / 2, in this embodiment, the radius of each support column 211 can be (where n is the number of support columns 211 in each support assembly 210), and the cross-sectional area of ​​each support column 211 is πR 2 / 2n, then the cross-sectional area of ​​each support assembly 210 is πR 2 / 2, which is the same as the cross-sectional area of ​​the column 1 in the related art. In this embodiment, each support assembly 210 includes two support columns 211, and the radius of each support column 211 is R / 2, and the cross-sectional area of ​​each support column 211 is πR 2 / 4, then the cross-sectional area of ​​each support assembly 210 is πR 2 / 2, which is the same as the cross-sectional area of ​​a single column 1 in the related art. Therefore, the total cross-sectional area of ​​the multiple support columns 211 in each group of support components 210 in this embodiment is the same as the cross-sectional area used to connect the single column 1 in the related art, that is, this embodiment can ensure that the load-bearing capacity of the same support component 210 for the support member 212 remains unchanged (different cross-sectional areas), while reducing the blocking of the single support column 211 to the reaction gas, thereby reducing the area of ​​the film forming area 31 on the wafer 3 in the related art, and improving the uniformity of the film forming on the surface of the wafer 3.

[0069] In addition, in this embodiment, the orthographic projection of the support portion 2121 on the radial cross section of the wafer boat 200 is a groove shape with an opening toward the outside of the wafer boat 200, rather than a semicircular, semi-elliptical, or semi-polygonal shape. This can reduce the projection area of ​​the orthographic projection of the support portion 2121 on the wafer 3, and can reduce the influence of the support portion 2121 on the diffusion of the reaction gas to the surface of the wafer 3.

[0070] In some embodiments, the orthographic projection of each support member 212 on the radial cross section of the wafer boat 200 may be U-shaped or V-shaped.

[0071] In some embodiments, the width of the support portion 2121 is the same everywhere, and the width of the support portion 2121 is half of the diameter of the support column 211, which can reduce the projection area of ​​the support portion 2121 on the wafer 3, and can further reduce the influence of the support portion 2121 on the diffusion of the reaction gas to the surface of the wafer 3. For example, when the diameter of the support column 211 is R, the width of the support member 212 can be R / 2.

[0072] Figure 6 FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged view of the connection between the support column 211 and the support portion 2121 of the wafer boat 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 The outer surface of the support column 211 facing the support portion 2121 is arc-shaped. For example, the cross section of the support column 211 may be circular, that is, the support column 211 may be a columnar structure arranged in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the wafer boat 200 .

[0073] Compared with the related art that the column 1 is set to be semi-cylindrical, which results in the formation of a local area 21 on the card slot 2, in this embodiment, the outer surface of the support column 211 facing the support member 212 is arc-shaped, which can be regarded as covering the local area 21 with the support column 211. In this embodiment, the plane 12 of the column 1 facing the card slot 2 in the related art is changed to the arc surface of the support column 211 facing the support member 212, which weakens the barrier of the support column 211 to the diffusion of the reaction gas, improves the uniformity of the concentration distribution of the reaction gas near the support column 211, and thus improves the phenomenon of thin film formation on the surface of the wafer 3 close to the column 1 in the above technical problem, and finally improves the uniformity of film formation on the surface of the wafer 3.

[0074] In other embodiments, the outer surface of the support column 211 facing the support member 212 may also be conical or other shapes protruding toward the wafer 3. For example, the support column 211 may be configured as a triangular prism structure arranged along the axial direction of the wafer boat 200, that is, the cross section of the support column 211 may be triangular.

[0075] Specifically, each support assembly 210 includes two support columns 211, and the center distance between the two support columns 211 in each support assembly 210 is twice the diameter of the support column 211. For example, when the diameter of the support column 211 is R, the center distance between the two support columns 211 in each support assembly 210 is 2R. Fig.11 .

[0076] In addition to the technical problem of poor uniformity of film formation on the surface of the wafer 3 , the above-mentioned structure of the wafer boat in the related art also has other technical problems.

[0077] Figure 8 It is a structural schematic diagram of a wafer boat supporting a wafer 3 according to a related art implementation method when the wafer 3 is not heated. Fig. 9 It is a structural schematic diagram of a wafer boat supporting a wafer 3 and heating the wafer 3 according to an implementation of the related art. Fig.10 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of particle contamination on the surface of a wafer 3 after a wafer boat is used to support the wafer 3 for process processing in a related art implementation. Figures 8 to 10 When the wafer 3 is carried on the wafer boat of the related technology, the card slot 2 contacts the wafer 3. The contact mode between the card slot 2 and the wafer 3 is surface contact. Based on the shape of the card slot 2 and the wafer 3, the contact area of ​​the wafer 3 with the card slot 2 gradually decreases from the edge of the wafer 3 to the direction close to the center of the wafer 3. When the wafer 3 is carried on the wafer boat for process processing, the edge of the wafer is heated and heated first, and the center of the wafer is heated and heated later. Finally, the temperature inside and outside the surface of the wafer tends to balance. In the process of heating the wafer 3 to a stable surface temperature, there is a temperature difference between the temperature at the center of the wafer 3 and the temperature at the edge, which causes thermal stress in the wafer 3, and then causes slight warping at the edge of the wafer 3, which will cause relative displacement between the wafer 3 and the card slot 2. The friction caused by the displacement may cause particle impurities to appear and fall on the wafer 3 below, so that other wafers 3 may be contaminated by particles.

[0078] In order to solve the technical problem in the related art that the wafer 3 may be contaminated by particles due to the relative movement between the wafer 3 and the card slot 2 caused by the thermal deformation of the wafer 3, the present embodiment is provided with a protrusion 213 on each support portion 2121, and the protrusions 213 on each support portion 2121 of multiple support assemblies 210 at the same height are used to jointly support the wafer 3. The contact between the protrusion 213 and the wafer 3 is point contact, Fig.11 is a structural schematic diagram of each supporting assembly 210 of the wafer boat 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig.11 .

[0079] Fig.12 It is a structural schematic diagram of the wafer boat 200 supporting the wafer 3 and the wafer 3 being heated according to the embodiment of the present invention. Fig.13FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a wafer boat 200 supporting a wafer 3 and heating the wafer 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig.12 and Fig.13 Compared with the surface contact between the wafer 3 and the slot 2 in the related art, the contact between the wafer 3 and the protrusion 213 on the support member 212 in this embodiment is point contact, which weakens the displacement friction effect between the wafer 3 and the support member 212, and reduces the probability of particles generated by friction falling on the surface of the wafer 3 below, thereby improving the particle stability in the semiconductor process equipment 10.

[0080] In order to realize point contact between the wafer 3 and the protrusion 213 on the support member 212, the protrusion 213 may be hemispherical. When the hemispherical protrusion 213 supports the wafer 3, the contact between the protrusion 213 and the wafer 3 is point contact. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the shape of the protrusion 213 is not fixed to a hemispherical shape, and can also be other shapes that can realize point contact, such as a cone, a pyramid, or a combination thereof, which are not exemplified one by one here.

[0081] When the protrusion 213 supports the wafer 3, the distance between the orthographic projection of the center of the protrusion 213 on the wafer 3 and the center of the wafer 3 is d, and the radius of the wafer 3 is r, where d<r. When the hemispherical protrusion 213 is used to support the wafer 3, the orthographic projection of the contact point on the protrusion 213 that contacts the wafer 3 on the wafer 3 coincides with the orthographic projection of the center of the protrusion 213 on the wafer 3. In other words, when the protrusion 213 supports the wafer 3, the distance between the orthographic projection of the contact point on the protrusion 213 that contacts the wafer 3 on the wafer 3 and the center of the wafer 3 is d1, and the radius of the wafer 3 is r, where d1<r. That is, in this embodiment, the contact point of the protrusion 213 in contact with the wafer 3 does not fall on the edge of the wafer 3.

[0082] In this embodiment, the contact mode between the protrusion 213 and the wafer 3 is set to point contact, which reduces the impact of the temperature of the protrusion 213 on the wafer 3. However, in order to further avoid accidents and improve safety of use, this embodiment also places the contact point between the protrusion 213 and the wafer 3 on the non-edge surface of the wafer 3.

[0083] Since the warping deformation phenomenon of wafer 3 caused by heat gradually weakens from the edge of wafer 3 to the center of wafer 3, the distance d between the contact point on protrusion 213 with wafer 3 and the center of wafer 3 can be adjusted according to the effect of process particle contamination. At the same time, considering further improving the stability of wafer 3 placed on protrusion 213, 3 / 5r≤d≤29 / 30r.

[0084] In some embodiments, the diameter of the protrusion 213 is one-fourth of the diameter of the support column 211. For example, when the diameter of the support column 211 is R, the diameter of the hemispherical protrusion 213 may be R / 4. Fig.11 .

[0085] It should be noted that the wafer boat 200 also includes a first plate body and a second plate body that are arranged opposite to each other. A plurality of support assemblies 210 are arranged between the first plate body and the second plate body, and both ends of the support column 211 are respectively connected to the first plate body and the second plate body. The first plate body and the second plate body can be two circular rings, and both ends of each support column 211 of the plurality of support assemblies 210 are respectively connected to the two circular rings.

[0086] Fig.14 A schematic structural diagram of a semiconductor process equipment 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig.14 The present invention further provides a semiconductor process equipment 10. The semiconductor process equipment 10 includes a process chamber 100, a wafer boat lifting device 600 and the wafer boat 200 of the above embodiment. The wafer boat 200 is placed on the wafer boat lifting device 600. The wafer boat lifting device 600 is used to drive the wafer boat 200 to move into or out of the process chamber 100.

[0087] In some embodiments, the semiconductor process equipment 10 further includes a base 400 and a process door 500. The wafer boat 200 is placed on the base 400, the base 400 is fixed on the process door 500, and the wafer boat lifting device 600 is connected to the process door 500. The wafer boat lifting device 600 drives the process door 500 to rise and fall, thereby driving the wafer boat 200 to move into or out of the process chamber 100. It should be noted that the base 400 can be a heat-insulating base to ensure the temperature stability of the film formed on the surface of the wafer 3.

[0088] The semiconductor process equipment 10 further includes an air intake structure 300, which is used to provide reaction gas into the process chamber 100. The reaction gas can enter the process chamber 100 through the air intake structure 300 to participate in the film forming reaction. A heating structure 700 is also provided outside the process chamber 100. The heating structure 700 can be a heating furnace wire. Under the continuous heating of the heating structure 700, the temperature field inside the process chamber 100 can be maintained near the process temperature.

[0089] It is to be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For those of ordinary skill in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer boat, characterized in that: The wafer boat includes a plurality of support assemblies spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the wafer boat, each of the support assemblies including: A plurality of support columns are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the wafer boat, and each of the support columns is arranged along a direction parallel to the axial direction of the wafer boat; A plurality of support members are arranged at intervals along a direction parallel to the axial direction of the wafer boat; each of the support members comprises at least one support portion, the orthographic projection of each of the support portions on the radial cross section of the wafer boat is a groove shape with an opening toward the outside of the wafer boat, and both ends of each of the support portions are respectively connected to two adjacent support columns; The supporting members of the plurality of supporting assemblies are arranged at the same height in a one-to-one correspondence to jointly support the wafer.

2. The wafer boat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer surface of the support column on a side facing the support member is an arc surface.

3. The wafer boat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross section of the support column is circular.

4. The wafer boat according to claim 3, characterized in that: When each of the support assemblies comprises two support columns, the center distance between the two support columns in each of the support assemblies is twice the diameter of the support column.

5. The wafer boat according to claim 3, characterized in that: Each of the supporting parts is provided with a protrusion, and the protrusions on the supporting parts of the plurality of supporting assemblies at the same height are used to jointly support the wafer; The contact mode between the protrusion and the wafer is point contact.

6. The wafer boat according to claim 5, characterized in that: The protrusion is hemispherical; when the protrusion supports the wafer, the distance between the orthographic projection of the center of the protrusion on the wafer and the center of the wafer is d, and the radius of the wafer is r, wherein d<r.

7. The wafer boat according to claim 6, characterized in that: 3 / 5r≤d≤29 / 30r。 8. The wafer boat according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that: The diameter of the protrusion is one quarter of the diameter of the support column.

9. The wafer boat according to claim 3, characterized in that: The orthographic projection of each of the supporting members on the radial cross section of the wafer boat is U-shaped or V-shaped.

10. The wafer boat according to claim 8, characterized in that: The width of the support portion is the same everywhere, and the width of the support portion is half of the diameter of the support column.

11. The wafer boat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wafer boat further includes a first plate body and a second plate body that are arranged opposite to each other, a plurality of the support assemblies are arranged between the first plate body and the second plate body, and two ends of the support column are respectively connected to the first plate body and the second plate body.

12. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: It comprises a process chamber, a wafer boat lifting device and a wafer boat as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the wafer boat is placed on the wafer boat lifting device, and the wafer boat lifting device is used to drive the wafer boat to move into or out of the process chamber.

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