Heating device and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a heating device and semiconductor process equipment. The device comprises a heater, a heater bracket for mounting the heater, a base matched with the heater bracket, and an elastic sealing assembly arranged in the base, wherein the base comprises a vertical side wall and an extension part arranged at the bottom of the vertical side wall; the elastic sealing assembly is internally sleeved in the vertical side wall and is limited on the extension part; the heater support is placed in the base and is assembled with the base in an elastic sealing mode through the elastic sealing assembly. By means of the structure, elastic buffering can be conducted in the installation process of the heater support, structural breakage is prevented, and the sealing effect is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of chemical vapor deposition, and more specifically, to a heating device and a semiconductor process equipment. Background Art

[0002] Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) mainly refers to a method of generating a thin film by chemical reaction on the surface of a substrate using one or several gaseous compounds or elements containing thin film elements. It is the most widely used technology in the semiconductor industry for depositing a variety of materials, including a wide range of insulating materials, most metal materials, and metal alloy materials.

[0003] In the existing chemical vapor deposition process, to ensure the temperature requirement of the reaction chamber, a heater needs to be set, and through the sealed connection between the heater bracket and the reaction chamber, the sealing requirement inside the chamber is met. However, currently, the heater bracket is usually directly set on the corresponding base at the bottom wall of the reaction chamber through a sealing ring, that is, the heater bracket is pushed down from one side of the reaction chamber into the corresponding base. In this process, it is necessary to accurately control the release position of the heater bracket. If the heater bracket is released in advance, there will be a risk of impact between the heater bracket and the base, resulting in cracks in the heater bracket or the reaction chamber at the base, affecting the sealing effect.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a heating device that can simplify the assembly process of the heater bracket while ensuring the effective sealing of the reaction chamber at the above base. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above problems, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a heating device and a semiconductor process equipment to solve the problems that in the installation process of the existing heater bracket, there is an easy risk of impact with the base, resulting in cracks in the heater bracket or the reaction chamber and affecting the sealing effect.

[0006] The heating device provided by the present invention includes a heater, a heater bracket for installing the heater, a base for configuring the heater bracket, and an elastic sealing component arranged in the base; wherein, the base includes a vertical side wall and an extension part arranged at the bottom of the vertical side wall; the elastic sealing component is sleeved inside the vertical side wall and limited on the extension part; the heater bracket is placed in the base and is hermetically assembled with the base through the elastic sealing component.

[0007] In addition, an optional technical solution is that the elastic sealing component includes a spring arranged on the extension part and an auxiliary gasket mounted on the spring; wherein, the cross-section of the auxiliary gasket is in an L-shaped structure, including a horizontal part and a vertical part; the spring is limited between the horizontal part, the vertical part, and the extension part.

[0008] In addition, an alternative technical solution is that the lower end of the spring is fixed to the upper surface of the extension part by means of slot limiting.

[0009] In addition, an alternative technical solution is that the springs are evenly or symmetrically distributed on the extension part.

[0010] In addition, an alternative technical solution is that a first sealing ring is arranged on the upper surface of the horizontal part, and a second sealing ring is arranged at the bottom of the vertical part; moreover, the upper end of the auxiliary gasket is hermetically connected to the heater bracket through the first sealing ring, and the lower end of the auxiliary gasket is hermetically connected to the base through the second sealing ring.

[0011] In addition, an alternative technical solution is that a first limiting groove is arranged at the lower end of the heater bracket or on the upper surface of the horizontal part, and the first sealing ring is partially limited in the first limiting groove; a second limiting groove is arranged on the upper surface of the extension part or at the bottom of the vertical part, and the second sealing ring is partially limited in the second limiting groove.

[0012] In addition, an alternative technical solution is that it further includes fixing bolts; the fixing bolts sequentially pass through the extension part and the spring from the lower side of the extension part and are bolted and fixed to the horizontal part.

[0013] In addition, an alternative technical solution is that in the natural state, the height of the spring is greater than the height of the vertical part, and the spring is limited in a compressed state between the extension part and the horizontal part.

[0014] In addition, an alternative technical solution is that in the horizontal direction, the size of the horizontal part is not greater than the size of the extension part.

[0015] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a semiconductor process equipment, including a reaction chamber and a heating device hermetically arranged in the reaction chamber; wherein, the heating device is as above.

[0016] By using the above heating device and semiconductor process equipment, an extension part is arranged at the bottom of the base, and an elastic sealing assembly is arranged on the extension part. When the heater bracket is assembled into the base, elastic buffering can be carried out through the elastic sealing assembly, avoiding direct impact on the base by the heater bracket, which can not only simplify the assembly of the heater bracket, but also ensure effective sealing between the base and the heater bracket.

[0017] To achieve the above and related purposes, one or more aspects of the present invention include the features that will be described in detail later. The following description and drawings detail certain exemplary aspects of the present invention. However, these aspects only indicate some of the various ways in which the principles of the present invention can be used. In addition, the present invention aims to include all these aspects and their equivalents. Description of the Drawings

[0018] Other objects and results of the present invention will become more apparent and easier to understand by referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged view of the heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 is a schematic distribution diagram of a base and a spring according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 is a bottom view of the base according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] The reference signs in the drawings are as follows:

[0024] 1: Heater bracket;

[0025] 2: Base;

[0026] 21: Extension part;

[0027] 22: Vertical side wall;

[0028] 3: Auxiliary gasket;

[0029] 31: Horizontal part;

[0030] 32: Vertical part;

[0031] 4: Spring;

[0032] 5: First sealing ring;

[0033] 6: Second sealing ring;

[0034] 10: Elastic sealing assembly.

[0035] In all the drawings, the same reference signs indicate similar or corresponding features or functions. Detailed embodiments

[0036] Next, with reference to the drawings of one or more embodiments of the present invention, a detailed description will be given of one or more embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, these one or more embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor are also within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] The terms used in the following embodiments are for the purpose of describing or explaining specific embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. In addition, the singular forms used in the present invention, such as "a", "an", "the", "above-mentioned", "said", "this", etc., are intended to include plural forms such as "one or more", unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present invention, when terms such as "one or more", "at least one", "more than one" are used, they are intended to include the cases of one, two, and at least three.

[0038] In addition, when terms such as "in one embodiment", "in some embodiments", "in one or more embodiments" are used in the description of the present invention, it is intended that one or more embodiments of the present invention may include specific technical features described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the appearances of "in one embodiment", "in some embodiments", "in one or more embodiments" at different places in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but may refer to the same embodiment or different embodiments, unless the specific technical features described in these embodiments cannot be used alone or combined.

[0039] In addition, in the present invention, when an element is described as "including", "comprising", "having" another element, it is intended to be an open-ended limitation, that is, in addition to including the other element, the one element may also include other elements. When an element is described as "only including", "only comprising", "only having" another element or "consisting of" another element, it is intended to be a closed limitation, that is, the one element does not include other elements except the other element. However, it should be noted that when the term "formed by" another element is used to illustrate the formation relationship between multiple elements, this term is not intended to be a closed limitation, and it should be considered that the other element forms a part of the one element, and the one element may include other elements except the other element.

[0040] It should be understood that when sequential terms such as "first", "second", etc. are used to describe each element in the following description of the present invention, these sequential terms are only used to distinguish one element from another, and the terms such as "first", "second", etc. should not imply meanings such as primary-secondary relationship, sequence relationship, etc. Without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first element may be labeled as the second element, and the second element may also be labeled as the first element.

[0041] In addition, in the present invention, when describing the positional relationship of more than two elements, if terms such as "on...", "under...", "between..." are used, it means that one or more other elements can also be provided between the more than two elements, unless terms such as "exactly" and "adjacent to" are used.

[0042] Hereinafter, one or more embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can clearly and completely understand the present invention. When the description of well-known structures or features will unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the description of these well-known structures or features will be omitted.

[0043] To solve the problems that in the installation process of the existing heater mount, there is an easy risk of impact with the base, resulting in cracks in the base or the reaction chamber and affecting the sealing effect. The present invention provides a heating device, including a heater mount (Heater mount, hereinafter the same), a base adapted to the heater mount, and an elastic sealing component (Damping Unit, hereinafter the same) provided in the base. The base includes a vertical side wall and an extension provided at the bottom of the vertical side wall. The elastic sealing component is sleeved inside the vertical side wall and is limited on the extension. When the heater mount is installed into the base, the elastic sealing assembly can be used to achieve the elastic sealing assembly of the heater mount and the base, which can not only avoid direct impact of the heater mount on the base, simplify the assembly process of the heater mount, but also ensure effective sealing between the base and the heater mount, and guarantee the effective sealing of the reaction chamber.

[0044] To describe in detail the structure of the heating device and the semiconductor process equipment of the present invention, the following will describe the specific embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0045] Figure 1 and Figure 2 respectively show the overall and partial schematic structures of the heating device according to the embodiments of the present invention.

[0046] As Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown together, the heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a heater (not shown, disposed on a heater bracket), a heater bracket 1 for mounting the heater, a base 2 adapted to the heater bracket 1 for supporting the heater bracket 1, and an elastic sealing assembly 10 disposed in the base 2; wherein, the base 2 can be disposed on the wall of the reaction chamber or can be a part of the wall of the reaction chamber. The base 2 includes a vertical side wall and an extension portion disposed at the bottom of the vertical side wall. The elastic sealing assembly 10 is sleeved inside the vertical side wall and is limited on the extension portion. The heater bracket 1 is placed in the base 2 and is elastically sealed and assembled with the base 2 through the elastic sealing assembly 10. The elastic sealing assembly 10 buffers and transitions the falling heater bracket 1 to prevent it from directly colliding with the base 2.

[0047] Wherein, the structure of the base 2 can be set to be adapted to the shape of the heater bracket 1, such as the cylindrical shape shown in the drawings, or can also be set to other structures such as a prism shape. The function of the base 2 is to support and fix the heater bracket 1 so that it provides a required heating temperature for the reaction chamber. Therefore, the base can be directly disposed on the side wall of the reaction chamber, disposed inside the reaction chamber, or extended into the reaction chamber through the base 2 for heating and other various ways.

[0048] Specifically, Figures 3 to 4 Respectively show the partial sectional structure, the distribution schematic structure of the base and the spring of the heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention from different angles.

[0049] Combined with Figures 1 to 4 As shown together, in the heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the elastic sealing assembly 10 further includes a plurality of springs 4 (only two specific examples of the springs are shown in the figure) disposed on the extension portion 21, and an auxiliary gasket 3 mounted on the side of the spring 4 away from the extension portion 21; wherein, the longitudinal section of the auxiliary gasket 3 can be set to an L-shaped structure, including a horizontal portion 31 and a vertical portion 32. After covering the auxiliary gasket 3 on the spring 4, the horizontal portion 31 is attached to the vertical side wall 22 of the base 2, and the spring 4 is limited between the horizontal portion 31, the vertical portion 32 and the extension portion 21. Due to the presence of the vertical portion 32, it can prevent the spring 4 from tilting during the force application process. At this time, during the assembly process of the heater bracket 1, the heater bracket 1 is placed on the auxiliary gasket 3. The auxiliary gasket 3 is indirectly contacted with the extension portion 21 of the base 2 after being buffered by the spring 4, and then the position between them and the auxiliary gasket 3 is fixed through a fixing device, and the assembly operation of the heater bracket 1 can be completed.

[0050] Among them, the springs 4 can be evenly or symmetrically distributed on the horizontally arranged extension part 21, so as to ensure the uniform force on the heater bracket 1 during the falling process. The lower end of the spring 4 can be pre-fixed on the upper surface of the extension part 21 in various ways such as slot limit. Among them, when the slot limit method is adopted, the slot can be set as a spiral slot formed in the extension part 21 and adapted to the spiral angle of the spring 4. One end of the spring 4 rotates along the spiral slot and enters the inside of the spiral slot to realize the position locking of the spring 4. Other forms of slot structures can also be adopted.

[0051] In addition, to simplify the assembly process of the elastic sealing component 10, the spring 4 can also be pre-set below the auxiliary gasket 3, that is, the auxiliary gasket 3 and the spring 4 form an integral structure. Then, during use, the integral structure formed by the auxiliary gasket 3 and the spring 4 can be directly placed inside the base 2, which can simplify the assembly of the spring and can be directly installed and used on the basis of the existing base.

[0052] It can be seen that in the heating device of the present invention, due to the provision of the structural member of the auxiliary gasket 3, in order to ensure the sealing effect between the heater bracket 1, the auxiliary gasket 3 and the base 2, a first sealing ring 5 needs to be further provided on the upper surface of the horizontal part 31, and a second sealing ring 6 needs to be provided at the bottom of the vertical part 32, so that the upper end of the auxiliary gasket 3 is hermetically connected to the heater bracket 1 through the first sealing ring 5, and the lower end of the auxiliary gasket 3 is hermetically connected to the base 2 through the second sealing ring 6. When the base 2 is a cylindrical structure, the first sealing ring 5 and the second sealing ring 6 can adopt circular O-rings (O-ring, the same below), and the specific shape can be adjusted according to the structures of the heater bracket 1 and the base 2, as long as the effective sealing of the joint surfaces of the auxiliary gasket 3, the heater bracket 1 and the base 2 can be achieved.

[0053] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, to simplify the assembly of the first sealing ring 5 and the second sealing ring 6 and effectively ensure the sealing effect, a first limiting groove (not shown in the figure) can also be provided at the lower end of the heater bracket 1 or on the upper surface of the horizontal part 31, and a partial structure of the first sealing ring 5 is pre-limited in the first limiting groove; similarly, a second limiting groove (not shown in the figure) can be provided on the upper surface of the extension part 21 or at the bottom of the vertical part 32, and a partial structure of the second sealing ring 6 is pre-limited in the second limiting groove. During the assembly of each component, the remaining structures of the first sealing ring 5 and the second sealing ring 6 can be deformed by extrusion at the joint surface of the components to achieve the corresponding sealing effect.

[0054] It can be seen that at least one first sealing ring 5 and one second sealing ring 6 are provided. In the scenario with high sealing requirements, multiple first sealing rings 5 can also be provided between the heater bracket 1 and the horizontal part 31 of the auxiliary gasket 3, and multiple second sealing rings 6 can be provided between the extension part 21 and the vertical part 32 of the auxiliary gasket 3.

[0055] It should be noted that the heating device of the present invention further includes a fixing device. After the heater bracket 1 enters the base 2 and lands on the auxiliary gasket 3, in order to ensure the sealing effect and the stability of the device, the positions of each component need to be locked by the fixing device. Among them, the fixing device can adopt fixing bolts. After the heater bracket falls into the base, the fixing bolts can pass through the center of the extension part 21 and the spring 4 in sequence from the lower side of the extension part 21, and then be bolted and fixed to the horizontal part 31 of the auxiliary gasket 3. Or the fixing bolts can also be directly extended to the bottom of the heater bracket 1, so as to fixedly connect the heater bracket 1, the auxiliary gasket 3 and the base 2.

[0056] Among them, the number of fixing bolts provided can correspond to the number and position of the springs 4, or the position and number of the fixing bolts can be flexibly adjusted according to the size of the heater bracket 1.

[0057] To ensure that the spring 4 can effectively buffer the heater bracket 1, when the spring 4 is in the natural state (that is, the spring is in the natural stretched state without receiving any external force), the height of the spring 4 needs to be greater than the height of the vertical part 32 of the auxiliary gasket 3. At this time, after the auxiliary gasket 3 is placed on the spring 4, there is still a certain elastic deformation space between the bottom of the vertical part 32 of the auxiliary gasket 3 and the extension part 21 of the base 2. When the heater bracket 1 is placed on the auxiliary gasket 3 again, the elastic damping effect of the spring 4 can be effectively exerted, and then the positions of each component are fixed by the fixing bolts. At this time, the spring 4 is in a compressed state and is limited between the extension part 21 and the horizontal part 31.

[0058] Furthermore, in the horizontal direction, the size of the horizontal part 31 of the auxiliary gasket 3 is not greater than the size of the extension part 21, so that the auxiliary gasket 3 can be received in the extension part 21, and the thickness of the vertical part 32 of the auxiliary gasket 3 is not less than the size of the second sealing ring 6, thereby ensuring the sealing effect of the sealing ring and the structural stability of the device.

[0059] Corresponding to the above heating device, the present invention further provides a semiconductor process equipment, including a reaction chamber and a heating device hermetically arranged in the reaction chamber.

[0060] Among them, in the process of ordinary wafer processing (such as film deposition processing), it is adopted to heat the wafer to a predetermined temperature on the cathode of the cavity, that is, the heating plate where the wafer is placed, by using low-temperature plasma under low pressure, and then an appropriate amount of process gas is introduced. These gases undergo a series of chemical reactions and plasma reactions, and finally a solid film is formed on the surface of the wafer. The function of the heating device can be to meet the temperature requirement of the heating plate. During the reaction process, the reaction gas enters the reaction chamber from the gas inlet, gradually diffuses to the surface of the sample, and under the action of the electric field excited by the radio frequency source, the reaction gas decomposes into electrons, ions, active groups, etc. These decomposition products undergo chemical reactions to generate the initial components of the film and by-products. These products are adsorbed onto the surface of the sample in the form of chemical bonds to form crystal nuclei of the solid film, and the crystal nuclei gradually grow into island-like structures, and the island-like structures continue to grow into a continuous film. During the film growth process, various by-products gradually detach from the surface of the film and are discharged from the outlet under the action of the vacuum pump.

[0061] As a specific example, the semiconductor process equipment of the present invention may include an electrostatic chuck, a reaction chamber, and a wafer support. The electrostatic chuck is connected to the wafer support through three lifting pins, and the electrostatic chuck attracts the wafer according to the electrostatic principle; the left side of the reaction chamber is connected to a reaction gas pipeline and is equipped with a pressure gauge, the bottom is connected to an exhaust gas pipeline, is equipped with a pressure gauge, and is connected to a turbo pump through a throttle valve; the top of the reaction chamber is connected to a remote plasma source, and in the middle is a cleaning gas pipeline. The cleaning gas pipeline passes through a ceramic bell jar and is connected to a gas shower head assembly. The bottom of the wafer support is hermetically connected to the reaction chamber. The wafer rotation device is composed of a bellows cavity, a motor, and a cylinder. A locking device is fixed on the top of the bellows cavity and is hermetically connected to the reaction chamber. Sealed pipelines and high-purity nitrogen pipelines are respectively arranged on both sides of the bellows cavity. The motor and the cylinder are both fixed to the bellows cavity by screws. A shaft rod is arranged inside the bellows cavity, and a second transmission wheel is arranged at the bottom of the bellows cavity. The second transmission wheel is welded and fixed to the shaft rod. A first transmission wheel is connected to the transmission end of the motor, and the first transmission wheel and the second transmission wheel are connected by a belt. A sensor and a gas transmission port are arranged on the cylinder.

[0062] In addition, to ensure that the reaction gas effectively enters the reaction chamber, before the reaction gas undergoes a chemical reaction to deposit a thin film on the substrate, it flows from the storage container through a conduit and through a shower plate. The shower plate has a top surface and a bottom surface and includes a plurality of holes extending from the top surface to the bottom surface through the shower plate. The reaction gases of different gases all flow through the shower plate holes before being dispersed onto the substrate. The purpose of the shower plate is to uniformly disperse the reaction gas on the substrate surface to promote more uniform thin film deposition. To promote film thickness uniformity, these holes of the shower plate are usually constricted at the outlet end, such that the inlet of the hole or the gas entry point is larger than the outlet or the gas discharge point. The shower plate can also be used as an electrode in, for example, a parallel plate chemical vapor deposition device to excite the gas into a plasma in the reaction chamber during wafer processing.

[0063] Among them, during the above process, the temperature in the reaction chamber can be controlled by a heating device to ensure that the reaction temperature requirements of various gases are met.

[0064] It should be noted that the above semiconductor process equipment is not particularly limited as long as it is equipment for processing wafers. For example, it can be a deposition device and / or an etching device. The deposition device can, for example, be a chemical vapor deposition device. The embodiments of the above semiconductor process equipment can refer to the description in the embodiments of the heating device, and will not be elaborated here one by one.

[0065] According to the above heating device and semiconductor process equipment, an elastic sealing assembly is arranged inside the base, and sealing rings are respectively arranged at the upper and lower ends of the elastic sealing assembly. Then, the base, the elastic sealing group, and the heater support member are bolted and assembled by passing through the inner diameter of the spring. This can not only avoid direct impact of the heater support on the base, prevent damage to the base, simplify the assembly process of the heater support, but also ensure effective sealing between the base and the heater support, guaranteeing the stability and reliability of the equipment reaction.

[0066] As described above, the heating device and semiconductor process equipment according to the present invention are described by way of example with reference to the drawings. However, those skilled in the art should understand that various improvements can be made to the above heating device and semiconductor process equipment proposed by the present invention without departing from the content of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the content of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A heating device, characterized in that: It comprises a heater, a heater bracket for mounting the heater, a base for configuring the heater bracket, and an elastic sealing component arranged in the base; wherein, The base includes a vertical side wall and an extension portion arranged at the bottom of the vertical side wall; The elastic sealing component is sleeved inside the vertical side wall and is limited on the extension portion; The heater bracket is placed in the base and is sealed and assembled with the base through the elastic sealing component.

2. The heating device according to claim 1, characterized in that The elastic sealing assembly includes a spring arranged on the extension portion, and an auxiliary gasket mounted on the spring; wherein, The auxiliary gasket has an L-shaped cross-section, including a horizontal portion and a vertical portion; The spring is limited between the horizontal portion, the vertical portion and the extending portion.

3. The heating device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lower end of the spring is fixed to the upper surface of the extension portion by means of a clamping groove.

4. The heating device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The springs are evenly or symmetrically distributed on the extension portion.

5. The heating device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A first sealing ring is disposed on the upper surface of the horizontal portion, and a second sealing ring is disposed on the bottom of the vertical portion; and The upper end of the auxiliary gasket is sealed and connected to the heater bracket through the first sealing ring, and the lower end of the auxiliary gasket is sealed and connected to the base through the second sealing ring.

6. The heating device according to claim 5, characterized in that: A first limiting groove is provided at the lower end of the heater bracket or the upper surface of the horizontal portion, and the first sealing ring is partially limited in the first limiting groove; A second limiting groove is provided on the upper surface of the extending portion or the bottom of the vertical portion, and the second sealing ring is partially limited in the second limiting groove.

7. The heating device according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes fixing bolts; The fixing bolt passes through the extending portion and the spring in sequence from the lower side of the extending portion, and is then bolted and fixed to the horizontal portion.

8. The heating device according to claim 2, characterized in that: In a natural state, the height of the spring is greater than the height of the vertical portion, and the spring is limited between the extension portion and the horizontal portion in a compressed state.

9. The heating device according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the horizontal direction, the dimension of the horizontal portion is not greater than the dimension of the extending portion.

10. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: A heating device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 comprising a reaction chamber and a sealing arrangement in the reaction chamber; wherein the base is arranged on a wall of the reaction chamber or the base is a part of the wall of the reaction chamber.

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