Tray assembly and silicon carbide epitaxy equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a tray assembly and silicon carbide epitaxy equipment. The tray assembly comprises a bottom plate which is in a disc shape, one side of the bottom plate is provided with a connecting part extending in the axial direction of the bottom plate, and the side, away from the connecting part, of the bottom plate is coaxially provided with a first disc-shaped protrusion, a first annular groove, a second annular groove, a third annular protrusion and an annular platform part from inside to outside. The top of the annular platform portion is provided with a third protrusion, the top of the third protrusion is provided with a sub-protrusion, an external bracket is placed on the annular platform portion, a transfer bracket is placed on the third protrusion, the transfer bracket is provided with a step portion, the step portion abuts against the sub-protrusion, and an internal bracket is placed in the first groove or the annular second groove. The top side of the inner bracket has a protrusion for supporting a substrate. By improving the structure of the tray, the tray can be compatible with substrates with different sizes, and the existing production line does not need to be technically upgraded, so that the production and maintenance costs are reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of chemical vapor deposition equipment, and in particular to a tray assembly and a silicon carbide epitaxial equipment. Background Art

[0002] With the development of silicon carbide epitaxial technology, the mainstream size of silicon carbide substrates has gradually upgraded from 6-inch silicon carbide to 8-inch silicon carbide. As a result, the current mainstream epitaxial equipment suitable for 6-inch silicon carbide substrates cannot produce 8-inch silicon carbide epitaxial wafers or can only be produced after complex technical upgrades.

[0003] To this end, it is necessary to improve the existing silicon carbide epitaxial equipment. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings, the purpose of the present application is to provide a tray assembly and a silicon carbide epitaxial device, wherein the tray assembly is compatible with substrates of different sizes.

[0005] In order to achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A tray assembly for receiving a substrate, comprising:

[0007] The bottom plate is in the shape of a disk, and one side of the bottom plate has a connecting portion extending along its axial direction, and the connecting portion is used to be clamped with the supporting portion.

[0008] The bottom plate is coaxially provided with a disc-shaped first protrusion, an annular first groove, an annular second groove, an annular third protrusion and an annular platform portion from inside to outside on the side away from the connecting portion, and the top of the third protrusion has a sub-protrusion,

[0009] An external bracket is placed on the annular platform portion.

[0010] A transfer bracket is placed on the third protrusion, and a step portion is provided on the transfer bracket, and the step portion abuts against the sub-protrusion.

[0011] The first groove or the second annular groove is used to place an internal bracket, and the top side of the internal bracket has a convex portion, and the convex portion is used to support the substrate. In this way, it is not necessary to open the reaction chamber (also called opening the chamber) when switching, thus reducing the number of openings and the adjustment time when the substrate switches the size, thereby improving the production switching efficiency of the epitaxial equipment. In this way, the structure of the reaction chamber is basically not adjusted, which can reduce the verification time caused by the switching and reduce the verification cost. In addition, some modules can be shared under this structure, which can reduce the replacement cost. Through the modular design of the bottom plate, external bracket, transfer bracket and internal bracket, this structure can only replace the damaged / broken parts during maintenance or replacement, thereby reducing the replacement cost.

[0012] Preferably, the protrusions are continuous, in the form of bands, or the protrusions are discrete and a combination of these is in the form of bands.

[0013] Preferably, the side of the bottom plate away from the connecting portion further includes a second annular protrusion located between the first groove and the second groove.

[0014] Preferably, the tray assembly further comprises an auxiliary bracket, and the auxiliary bracket is arranged on the second protrusion.

[0015] Preferably, the transfer bracket is configured so that at least a portion of it is located within the second groove.

[0016] Preferably, the sub-protrusions are continuous, annular, or discrete, and a combination thereof is annular.

[0017] Preferably, in the tray assembly, along the axial direction of the bottom plate, the thickness h3 of the third protrusion is greater than or equal to the thickness h1 of the platform portion.

[0018] The thickness of the first groove is the same as or substantially the same as the thickness h4 of the second groove.

[0019] Preferably, a perforation is provided in the middle of the first protrusion.

[0020] The present application provides a silicon carbide epitaxial device, which includes:

[0021] The reaction chamber has a spray component on the top.

[0022] The bottom side of the reaction chamber has a support portion, on which the above-mentioned tray assembly is placed.

[0023] Preferably, the silicon carbide epitaxial growth device further comprises a transmission chamber and a loading chamber, wherein the transmission chamber is connected to the reaction chamber and the loading chamber.

[0024] A support seat is provided in the loading chamber, and the above-mentioned tray assembly is placed on the support seat.

[0025] Beneficial Effects

[0026] The tray assembly proposed in the embodiment of the present application is compatible with substrates of different sizes (6 / 8 inches) (such as silicon carbide) by improving the tray structure, and does not require technical upgrades to existing production lines or additional performance tests on equipment, thereby reducing production and maintenance costs. By improving the tray structure and modularizing the design of the bottom plate, external bracket, transfer bracket, and internal bracket, only the damaged / broken parts can be replaced during maintenance or replacement, reducing replacement costs, and realizing the sharing of some modules / components, which can reduce replacement costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The accompanying drawings are used to provide an understanding of the technical solution of the present disclosure and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present disclosure, they are used to explain the technical solution of the present disclosure and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solution of the present disclosure. The shapes and sizes of the components in the accompanying drawings do not reflect the actual proportions and are only intended to illustrate the content of the present application.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the silicon carbide epitaxial device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure from the first perspective.

[0030] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the cross section at AA in the middle.

[0031] Figure 4 A schematic cross-sectional view of a bottom plate of a tray assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0032] Figure 4a for Figure 4 Enlarged schematic diagram of point a in the middle.

[0033] Figure 5 It is an isometric cross-sectional schematic diagram of a tray assembly for placing a substrate according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a base plate according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0035] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of placing a first substrate on a tray assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0036] Figure 8 for Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the isometric section at BB in the middle.

[0037] Fig. 9 for Figure 8 Schematic isometric cross-section of the placement support portion of the tray assembly.

[0038] Fig.10 This is a schematic diagram of placing a first substrate on a tray assembly according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0039] Fig.11 for Fig.11 Isometric cross-section diagram of .

[0040] Fig.12 This is a schematic diagram of placing a second substrate on a tray assembly according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0041] Fig.13 for Fig.12 Isometric cross-section diagram of .

[0042] Fig.14 For Fig.12 An isometric cross-sectional view of the matching support portion of the tray assembly.

[0043] Fig.15 for Fig.12 Schematic cross-sectional view of the bottom plate of the tray assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The above scheme is further described below in conjunction with specific examples. It should be understood that these examples are used to illustrate the present application and are not limited to the scope of the present application. The implementation conditions adopted in the examples can be further adjusted as the conditions of the specific manufacturer, and the unspecified implementation conditions are usually the conditions in conventional experiments.

[0045] Next, the tray assembly and silicon carbide epitaxial equipment proposed in the present application are described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0046] like Figure 1-Figure 3 The silicon carbide epitaxial device shown in the figure includes a reaction chamber 100, a transmission chamber 200 and a loading chamber 300.

[0047] The substrate 500 is placed on the tray 600 in the loading chamber 300.

[0048] The transfer chamber 200 has a robot arm 210 therein, which transfers the tray (with the substrate) in the loading chamber to the reaction chamber 100 , or transfers the tray (with the substrate) in the reaction chamber 100 to the loading chamber 300 .

[0049] Preferably, sealing valves 410 / 420 (also called gate valves) are respectively provided at the connection between the reaction chamber 100 and the transmission chamber 200 and at the connection between the transmission chamber 200 and the loading chamber 300, and the sealing valves 410 / 420 are used to isolate the reaction chamber 100, the transmission chamber 200 and the loading chamber 300.

[0050] In one embodiment, an extraction device is connected to the transmission chamber, through which ventilation / extraction is performed so that the air pressure in the transmission chamber is the same or approximately the same as the air pressure in the reaction chamber during operation, thereby avoiding turbulence caused by the air pressure difference during transmission and guiding the particles in the transmission chamber into the reaction chamber.

[0051] In one embodiment, the loading chamber is connected to an extraction device, through which the air pressure in the loading chamber is made the same or substantially the same as the air pressure in the transfer chamber during operation, so as to avoid turbulence caused by the air pressure difference during transfer, and guide the particles in the transfer chamber to the reaction chamber. A support seat 310 is provided in the loading chamber for temporarily placing the tray assembly. A sensor is provided in the loading chamber for sensing / detecting whether the substrate is correctly placed on the tray.

[0052] The reaction chamber includes a shell 101 . The shell 101 is cylindrical and has a spray device 110 on the top. The spray device 110 is connected to a gas supply system (not shown) through a pipeline.

[0053] The housing 101 has a second heater 120 disposed along its axial direction. The second heater 120 is a resistive heater (such as a graphite heater). The second heater 120 is electrically connected to an external power source.

[0054] A support portion is installed on the bottom side of the shell, and a tray assembly can be placed on the side of the support portion away from the bottom side of the shell.

[0055] The supporting portion is connected to the driving device 140 and can be driven by the driving device 140 to rotate.

[0056] The support portion is provided with a first heater (not shown), which is a resistive heater (such as a graphite heater), and is electrically connected to an external power source. During epitaxial growth, a process gas is introduced into the housing based on a spray device, and a thin film layer (i.e., an epitaxial layer) is grown on the surface of the substrate in combination with the heating of the first heater and the second heater. For example, a homogeneous silicon carbide epitaxial layer is grown on the surface of a substrate made of silicon carbide.

[0057] Preferably, a transmission window 102 is provided on the side wall of the housing, and the transmission window 102 is connected to the gate of the sealing valve 410, so that the manipulator 210 can take the tray assembly of the support part or place the tray assembly on the support part.

[0058] The tray assembly 600 is compatible with silicon carbide substrates 500 of different sizes (such as 6 inches and 8 inches, referred to as 6 inches and 8 inches), so that the reaction chamber can perform epitaxial growth of 6 / 8-inch silicon carbide substrates. In this way, other structures of the reaction chamber are not adjusted, so that after switching, no additional performance test is required for the equipment, thereby reducing production and maintenance costs. Through the modular design of the bottom plate, external bracket, transfer bracket and internal bracket of the tray structure, some modules / components can be shared, which can reduce replacement costs and verification costs.

[0059] When carrying out process production, the assembled tray assembly is placed on the support seat 310 of the loading chamber (Laod chamber) (manually or automatically), the Load chamber door is closed manually or automatically, and the loading chamber is evacuated by the vacuum pump of the extraction device; the assembled tray is sensed by the sensor in the loading chamber, and after the connecting valve is opened and the pressure is balanced, the valve of the sealing valve 420 is opened, and the manipulator 210 in the transmission chamber takes out the assembled tray assembly from the loading chamber, closes the valve of the sealing valve 420, opens the connecting valve on the reaction chamber side, opens the sealing valve 410 on the PM side after the pressure is balanced, and the manipulator 210 transfers the assembled tray assembly to the support part in the reaction chamber, and the manipulator 210 returns to the transmission chamber, and the sealing valve 410 is closed, and the reaction chamber carries out process production.

[0060] After the reaction chamber process is completed, the gate valve connecting the reaction chamber and the transfer chamber is opened, the robot 210 takes the tray assembly out of the reaction chamber, closes the gate valve connecting the reaction chamber and the transfer chamber, and then opens the gate valve connecting the loading chamber and the transfer chamber, and the robot 210 transfers the tray assembly to the loading chamber. The tray assembly is compatible with substrates of different sizes.

[0061] Next, the tray assembly of the present application is described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The tray assembly is compatible with substrates of different sizes (eg, compatible with 6-inch and 8-inch substrates).

[0062] like Figure 4-Figure 6 and Fig. 9 Shown is a tray assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0063] The tray assembly includes:

[0064] The bottom plate 610 is in the shape of a disk, and one side (base 610a) thereof has a first annular connecting portion 611 extending along its axial direction, and the first connecting portion 611 is used to engage with a matching supporting portion 680, and the supporting portion 670 is in the shape of a column (such as a cylinder), which is installed at the bottom side of the reaction chamber, and the supporting portion is connected to a driving device and driven to rotate by the driving device. The outer diameter of the bottom plate 610 is greater than the outer diameter of the supporting portion 680, and the protruding portion can be used for picking up by a manipulator. The first connecting portion 611 is also called a connecting portion.

[0065] On one side of the bottom plate away from the annular first connecting portion 611, a disc-shaped first protrusion 612, an annular first groove 613, an annular second protrusion 614, an annular second groove 615, an annular third protrusion 616 and an annular platform portion 617 are coaxially arranged from inside to outside (in the X direction), and the top of the annular third protrusion 616 has a sub-protrusion 616a, and the sub-protrusion 616a can be continuous (in annular shape) or discrete, and the combination thereof is annular. The first / second / third protrusions are referred to as protrusions.

[0066] In the Z direction, the thickness h5 of the disc-shaped first protrusion 612 of the bottom plate is greater than the thickness h5 of the first groove 613, and the thickness h5 of the first groove 613 is the same or substantially the same as the thickness h4 of the second groove 615. The thickness h3 of the third protrusion 616 (without the sub-protrusion 616a) is greater than or equal to the thickness h1 of the platform portion 617. The thickness h2 of the sub-protrusion 616a (from the base 610a side) is greater than the thickness h3 of the third protrusion 616.

[0067] The external bracket 620 is in the shape of an annular belt and is placed on the platform portion 617.

[0068] The first transfer bracket 630 is placed on the third protrusion 616 . The first transfer bracket 630 has a step portion 631 , and the step portion 631 is engaged with the sub-protrusion 616 a .

[0069] The first internal bracket 640 is placed in the second groove 615. The top side of the first internal bracket 640 has a convex portion 641. The convex portion 641 is continuous and in the shape of a strip, or the convex portion 641 is a discrete point, and the combination thereof is in the shape of a strip. The convex portion 641 is used to support the first substrate 510 placed therein. The first substrate 510 can be a silicon substrate, a silicon carbide substrate, etc., and its model can be 8 inches (sometimes it can also be a substrate of other sizes, such as 10 inches or 12 inches, etc.). In this embodiment, the external bracket 620, the first transfer bracket 630 and the first internal bracket 640 are coaxially arranged.

[0070] See also Figure 7 and Figure 8 and Fig. 9 , which is a deformation of the tray assembly. When the second substrate 500 is placed on the tray assembly, it can be a silicon substrate, a silicon carbide substrate, etc., and its model can be 6 inches.

[0071] The tray assembly includes a bottom plate 610 , one side (base 610 a ) of which has an annular first connecting portion 611 , and the first connecting portion 611 is used for engaging with a matching supporting portion 680 .

[0072] The external bracket 620 is in the shape of an annular belt and is placed on the platform portion 617 .

[0073] The second transfer bracket 650 is placed on the third protrusion 616. The first transfer bracket 630 has a step portion 651, and the step portion 651 is engaged with the sub-protrusion 616a.

[0074] The auxiliary bracket 660 is matched and placed on the second groove 615 and the third protrusion 616. The first transfer bracket 630 has a step portion 651, and the step portion 651 is engaged with the sub-protrusion 616a. The first / second transfer bracket is referred to as a transfer bracket.

[0075] The second internal bracket 670 is placed in the annular first groove 613. The top side of the second internal bracket 670 has a convex portion 671, which is continuous and in the shape of a band, or the convex portion 671 is a discrete point, and the combination thereof is in the shape of a band. The convex portion 671 is used to support the second substrate 500 placed therein. The first substrate 510 and the second substrate 500 are collectively referred to as substrates. In this embodiment, the external bracket 620, the second transfer bracket 650, the third transfer bracket 660 and the second internal bracket 670 are coaxially arranged. The tray assembly is made of graphite material, or a coating (such as a silicon carbide coating) is arranged on the surface of the graphite material. In this way, when it is used for 6-inch and 8-inch substrates (silicon carbide), the transfer bracket or the transfer bracket and the internal bracket are adjusted to achieve rapid switching, improve switching efficiency, and effectively improve the utilization rate of the epitaxial equipment. Under this structure, partial module sharing is achieved to reduce replacement costs. Through modular design, this structure can only replace damaged / broken parts during maintenance or replacement, reducing replacement costs. The first / second internal bracket of some modules is referred to as the internal bracket.

[0076] As a variation of the above embodiment, Figure 10-11 Shown is a tray assembly according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0077] The tray assembly includes:

[0078] Bottom plate 1610 (see Fig.15 The bottom plate 1610 is in the shape of a disk, and one side of the bottom plate has a second annular connecting portion 1611 extending along its axial direction. The second connecting portion 1611 is used to be engaged with the matching supporting portion 1680 (see Fig.14 ), the support portion 1680 is columnar (such as cylindrical), which is installed on the bottom side of the reaction chamber, and the support portion is connected to a driving device and driven by the driving device to rotate. The outer diameter of the bottom plate 1610 is larger than the outer diameter of the support portion 1680, and the protruding portion can be used for the robot to take or place the tray assembly. The plane where the top of the second connecting portion 1611 is located is referred to as 1610a. The second connecting portion 1611 is also called a connecting portion. One side end of the support portion 1680 has an annular flat portion 1682, and a cover plate 1681, the cover plate 1681 is arranged on the flat portion 1682, and the cover plate 1681 has a protrusion 1681a, and the protrusion 1681a is used to match the perforation 1612a.

[0079] On one side of the base plate 1610 away from the annular second connecting portion 1611, a through hole 1612a, an annular third protrusion 1612, an annular third groove 1613, an annular fourth protrusion 1614, an annular fifth groove 1615, an annular fifth protrusion 1616 and an annular platform portion 1617 are coaxially arranged from the inside to the outside, and the top of the annular fifth protrusion 1616 has a sub-protrusion 1616a, and the sub-protrusion 1616a can be continuous (in annular shape) or discrete, and the combination thereof is in annular shape.

[0080] In the Z direction, the thickness h7 of the annular fifth protrusion 1616 (without the sub-protrusion 1616a) is greater than or equal to the thickness h9 of the platform portion 1617. The thickness h6 of the sub-protrusion 1616a (from the base 1610a side) is greater than the thickness h7 of the fifth protrusion 1616. The thickness h8 of the fifth groove 1615 is less than the thickness h9 of the platform portion 1617, and is the same or substantially the same as the thickness h10 of the third groove 1613. The third / fourth / fifth protrusions are referred to as protrusions.

[0081] The external bracket 1620 is in the shape of an annular belt and is placed on the platform portion 1617.

[0082] The fourth transfer bracket 1630 is placed on the third protrusion 1616 . The fourth transfer bracket 1630 has a step portion 1631 , and the step portion 1631 is engaged with the sub-protrusion 1616 a .

[0083] The third internal bracket 1640 is placed in the second groove 1615. The top side of the third internal bracket 1640 has a convex portion 1641. The convex portion 1641 is continuous and in the shape of a strip, or the convex portion 1641 is a discrete point, and the combination thereof is in the shape of a strip. The convex portion 1641 is used to support the first substrate 510 placed therein. The first substrate 510 can be a silicon substrate, a silicon carbide substrate, etc., and its model can be 8 inches (sometimes it can also be a substrate of other sizes, such as 10 inches or 12 inches, etc.). In this embodiment, the external bracket 620, the first transfer bracket 630 and the first internal bracket 640 are coaxially arranged.

[0084] See also Fig.12 and Fig.13 , is the deformation of the tray assembly,

[0085] The tray assembly includes a bottom plate 1610 .

[0086] The external bracket 1620 is in the shape of an annular belt and is placed on the platform portion 1617 .

[0087] The fifth transfer bracket 1650 is placed on the third protrusion 1616 . The fifth transfer bracket 1650 has a step portion 1651 , and the step portion 1651 is engaged with the sub-protrusion 1616 a .

[0088] The auxiliary bracket 1660 is matched and placed on the fourth protrusion 1614. The fourth / fifth transfer bracket is referred to as the transfer bracket.

[0089] The second internal bracket 1670 is placed in the annular first groove 1613. The top side of the second internal bracket 1670 has a convex portion 1671. The convex portion 1671 is continuous and in the shape of a band, or the convex portion 1671 is a discrete point, and the combination thereof is in the shape of a band. The convex portion 1671 is used to support the inserted second substrate 500. The tray components are all made of graphite material, or a coating (such as a silicon carbide coating) is provided on the surface of the graphite material. In this way, when it is used for 6-inch and 8-inch substrates (silicon carbide), the transfer bracket or the transfer bracket and the internal bracket are adjusted to achieve rapid switching, improve switching efficiency, and effectively improve the utilization rate of the epitaxial equipment.

[0090] The above embodiment improves the structure of the tray assembly, such as the improvement of the bottom plate mechanism, which can place transfer brackets and internal brackets that match substrates of different sizes. In this way, the tray assembly is compatible with substrates of different sizes (6 / 8 inches) (such as silicon carbide), and there is no need to upgrade the technology of the existing production line or perform additional performance tests on the equipment, thereby reducing production and maintenance costs. In this way, it is not necessary to open the reaction chamber (also called opening the chamber) when switching, thus reducing the number of openings and the adjustment time when the substrate switches the size, and improving the production switching efficiency of the epitaxial equipment. In this way, the structure of the reaction chamber is basically not adjusted, which can reduce the verification time caused by the switch and reduce the verification cost.

[0091] The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of the present application, and their purpose is to enable people familiar with the technology to understand the content of the present application and implement it accordingly, and they cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present application. Any equivalent transformation or modification made according to the spirit of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A tray assembly for receiving a substrate, characterized in that: include: The bottom plate is in the shape of a disk, and one side of the bottom plate has a connecting portion extending along its axial direction, and the connecting portion is used to be clamped with the supporting portion. The bottom plate is coaxially provided with a protrusion, a first annular groove, a second groove, a third protrusion and a platform portion from inside to outside on the side away from the connecting portion, and the third protrusion is provided with a sub-protrusion on the side away from the connecting portion. An external bracket is placed on the platform portion, A transfer bracket is placed on the third protrusion, and a step portion is provided on the transfer bracket, and the step portion abuts against the sub-protrusion. The first groove or the second groove is used to place an internal bracket, and the top side of the internal bracket has a convex portion, and the convex portion is used to support a substrate.

2. The tray assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The protrusions are continuous and in a band shape, or the protrusions are discrete and a combination of them is in a band shape.

3. The tray assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The bottom plate further includes, on a side away from the connecting portion, a second annular protrusion disposed between the first groove and the second groove.

4. The tray assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: Also included is an auxiliary bracket, which is disposed on the second protrusion.

5. The tray assembly according to claim 3, wherein: The transfer bracket is configured to be at least partially located in the second groove.

6. The tray assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The sub-protrusions are continuous, annular, or discrete, and a combination of the sub-protrusions is annular.

7. The tray assembly according to claim 1, wherein: In the axial direction of the bottom plate, the thickness h3 of the third protrusion is greater than or equal to the thickness h1 of the platform portion. The thickness of the first groove is the same as the thickness h4 of the second groove.

8. The tray assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The protrusions include a third protrusion, a portion of which is provided with a through hole.

9. A silicon carbide epitaxial device, characterized in that: include: The reaction chamber has a spray component on the top. The bottom side of the reaction chamber has a support portion, and the tray assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is placed on the support portion.

10. The silicon carbide epitaxial device according to claim 9, characterized in that: It also includes a transmission chamber and a loading chamber, wherein the transmission chamber is connected to the reaction chamber and the loading chamber. A support seat is provided in the loading chamber, and a tray assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 8 is placed on the support seat.

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