Semiconductor chamber

Abstract

The invention provides a semiconductor chamber which comprises a cavity, a base arranged in the cavity and an air exhaust ring assembly, the air exhaust ring assembly is arranged around the base and is hollow, and the air exhaust ring assembly comprises a top annular plate and a bottom annular plate which are oppositely arranged. The air outlet in the bottom annular plate is communicated with an air extracting pump, the air inlet in the top annular plate is opposite to the air outlet, and the air inlet and the center of the top annular plate are connected to form a specified symmetry axis; the air exhaust ring assemblies are symmetrically arranged about a specified symmetry axis, a plurality of air exhaust openings are formed in any side of the specified symmetry axis of the top annular plate, and at least two of the air exhaust openings are different in aperture; on any side of the specified symmetry axis, in any two air exhaust openings with different apertures, the air exhaust opening with the small aperture is close to the air inlet. According to the semiconductor chamber, the requirement of the side wall technology for high compactness of the film layer can be met, the requirement of the silicon through hole technology for large thickness of the film layer can also be met, and therefore film deposition of different film qualities can be achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular to a semiconductor chamber. Background Art

[0002] In semiconductor manufacturing processes, different process applications have different requirements for the film quality of the same thin film. 2 As an example, the through silicon via (TSV) process has an impact on the SiO 2 The film quality requirements of the film focus on the thickness of the film layer, while the spacer process has a high requirement for SiO 2 The film quality requirements of the thin film focus on high density. Therefore, this requires the semiconductor chamber to deposit SiO in the silicon through via process. 2 When depositing thin films, the volume of the exhaust duct should be designed to be as large as possible, and when depositing SiO 2 When thin films are formed, the air flow field of the exhaust duct should be designed to be as uniform as possible. The exhaust duct is used to discharge excess process gas and by-products out of the semiconductor chamber.

[0003] However, current semiconductor chambers cannot simultaneously meet the different requirements of various process steps for exhaust ducts, making it difficult to achieve thin film deposition of different film qualities. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art and provides a semiconductor chamber.

[0005] In order to achieve the purpose of the present invention, a semiconductor chamber is provided, comprising: a cavity, a base and an exhaust ring assembly, the base is arranged in the cavity and is used to carry a wafer; the exhaust ring assembly is arranged in the cavity and surrounds the base, the exhaust ring assembly is an internal hollow structure and comprises a top annular plate and a bottom annular plate arranged relatively to each other, the exhaust ring assembly is provided with an exhaust channel that runs through its own thickness, the exhaust port of the exhaust channel located on the bottom annular plate is used to communicate with an exhaust pump, and the exhaust port of the exhaust channel located on the top annular plate is connected to the center of the top annular plate to form a specified symmetry axis; the exhaust ring assembly is symmetrically arranged about the specified symmetry axis, the top annular plate is provided with a plurality of exhaust ports on either side of the specified symmetry axis, and at least two of the plurality of exhaust ports have different apertures; and, on either side of the specified symmetry axis, of any two exhaust ports with different apertures, the exhaust port with a smaller aperture is arranged close to the exhaust port.

[0006] In some possible embodiments, the air pumping ring assembly includes at least three arc segments connected end to end in sequence, the top wall of each arc segment forms a top annular plate, the bottom wall of each arc segment forms a bottom annular plate, and each arc segment is provided with an air pumping port;

[0007] The semiconductor chamber further comprises at least three lifting mechanisms, each of which corresponds to each arc segment one by one, and each of which can be used to drive a corresponding arc segment to rise and fall in a vertical direction, so that the top annular plate and the bottom annular plate are switched between a horizontal shape and a stepped shape at the same time;

[0008] When the top annular plate is stepped, the internal middle cavity of the exhaust ring assembly is also stepped, the top wall of the arc segment away from the air inlet is higher than the top wall of the arc segment close to the air inlet, and the lower surface of the top wall of any arc segment is not higher than the upper surface of the top wall of the adjacent arc segment, and the lower surface of the bottom wall of any arc segment is not higher than the upper surface of the bottom wall of the adjacent arc segment.

[0009] In some possible embodiments, the thickness of the top wall of each arc segment and the thickness of the bottom wall of each arc segment are both preset values; when the top annular plate is stepped, the maximum height difference between the upper surface of the top wall of any two adjacent arc segments and the upper surface of the bottom wall of any two adjacent arc segments is a preset value.

[0010] In some possible embodiments, the apertures of the multiple air suction ports located on the same arc segment are equal.

[0011] In some possible embodiments, the apertures of the air suction ports on each arc segment are different; on either side of a specified axis of symmetry, among any two arc segments, the aperture of the air suction port on the arc segment away from the air inlet is larger than the aperture of the air suction port on the arc segment close to the air inlet.

[0012] In some possible embodiments, when the top annular plate is stepped, of any two arc segments, the arc segment with a larger aperture of the air suction port is closer to the top plate of the cavity.

[0013] In some possible embodiments, the aperture of each air suction port is smaller than the aperture of the air outlet port.

[0014] In some possible embodiments, at either side of a designated axis of symmetry, of the N exhaust ports, along the circumference of the exhaust ring assembly, from one end away from the air inlet to the other end close to the air inlet, the aperture of the exhaust port on the nth arc segment is 1 / (n+1) of the aperture of the air outlet, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2, and 1≤n≤N.

[0015] In some possible embodiments, a gap is formed between the bottom annular plate and the bottom plate of the cavity, the gap is connected to the air pumping port, and the gas in the gap can flow into the interior of the air pumping ring assembly through the air pumping port.

[0016] In some possible embodiments, the lifting mechanism includes a lifting shaft and a driver, the top end of the lifting shaft is connected to the bottom annular plate, the bottom end of the lifting shaft passes through the through hole on the bottom plate of the cavity, and extends outside the cavity to be connected to the driver for transmission, and the driver can drive the lifting shaft to lift and lower in the vertical direction; a sealing sleeve is provided on the outer periphery of any lifting shaft, the sealing sleeve is arranged outside the cavity, and the top end of the sealing sleeve is connected to the bottom plate of the cavity to seal the corresponding through hole.

[0017] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0018] The semiconductor chamber provided by the present invention is designed with a pumping ring assembly, wherein the top annular plate of the pumping ring assembly is provided with a plurality of pumping ports on either side of a designated axis of symmetry, and at least two of the plurality of pumping ports on either side of the designated axis of symmetry have different apertures, and among any two pumping ports with different apertures, the pumping port closer to the air inlet has a smaller opening area, and the pumping port farther from the air inlet has a larger opening area. Combined with the fact that the gas flow speed near the pumping pump, the air outlet, and the air inlet is fast, and the gas flow speed far from the pumping pump and the air outlet is slow, in this way, the difference between the air intake volume of the pumping port far from the air inlet and the air intake volume of the pumping port near the air inlet can be reduced, thereby improving the uniformity of the air flow field. Therefore, the semiconductor chamber can meet the high density requirements of the side wall process for the film layer.

[0019] And because the pumping ring is an internal hollow structure, when the film growth time is long, particles are easy to enter the internal hollow cavity, which is conducive to preventing particles from accumulating in the cavity. Therefore, the semiconductor chamber can meet the requirements of the through silicon via process for a large film thickness.

[0020] In summary, the semiconductor chamber of the present invention can be used to produce thin films with different film qualities, and further can realize different process applications of the same thin film, and is compatible with multiple processes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a partial structure of a semiconductor chamber used for a spacer process in the related art;

[0022] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a partial structure of a semiconductor chamber used for a through silicon via process in the related art;

[0023] Figure 3 A schematic cross-sectional view of a semiconductor chamber provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] FIG4( a) shows a top view of a semiconductor chamber provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 4(b) to Figure 4(d) A top view of a modified example of a semiconductor chamber provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0026] FIG5(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view along BB of the semiconductor chamber shown in FIG4(d) when the top annular plate of the pumping ring assembly is in a horizontal state;

[0027] FIG5( b ) is a schematic cross-sectional view along BB of the semiconductor chamber shown in FIG4( d ) when the top annular plate of the pumping ring assembly is in a stepped shape.

[0028] Description of reference numerals:

[0029] 100-semiconductor chamber;

[0030] 10- cavity; 11- bottom plate; 12- top plate; 13- through hole;

[0031] 20- base;

[0032] 30-air pumping ring assembly; 31A, 31B, 31C, 31D, 31E, 31F, 31G, 31H, 31I, 31J-arc segments; 32-air pumping port; 33-air outlet; 34-air inlet; 35-internal hollow cavity;

[0033] 40-lifting axis;

[0034] 50- bellows;

[0035] 60-exhaust grille; 61-through hole;

[0036] 70-screen;

[0037] 80-gap. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a partial structure of a semiconductor chamber used for a spacer process in the related art is shown. Figure 1 In some related technologies, a retaining ring 30a is provided in the semiconductor chamber 100a, and the retaining ring 30a is arranged around the outer periphery of the base 20a, and the top surface of the retaining ring 30a is higher than the top surface of the base 20a. A through-channel 301a is also provided on the retaining ring 30a, and a vacuum pump port is provided at the bottom of the semiconductor chamber 100a, and the through-channel 301a is connected to the vacuum pump port. The vacuum pump 200a located outside the semiconductor chamber 100a can drive the gas in the semiconductor chamber 100a to flow out of the semiconductor chamber 100a through the through-channel 301a and the vacuum pump port, so as to control the gas pressure in the semiconductor chamber 100a within the required range. In this way, due to the obstruction of the retaining ring 30a, the volume of the vacuum gas channel 302a formed in the semiconductor chamber 100a is small, the process gas flows to the top of the base 20a and the retaining ring 30a, the gas flow field flowing through the surface of the wafer is more evenly distributed, and the prepared film has high density. Therefore, the semiconductor chamber 100 a can be used to form sidewalls on a wafer.

[0039] The thickness of the film is related to the process time. The longer the process time is, the thicker the film is. However, the longer the process time is, the more particles are generated in the semiconductor chamber 100a. Figure 1 When the process time of the semiconductor chamber 100a is long, some particles are easily accumulated in the semiconductor chamber 100a because the volume of the exhaust gas channel 302a is small, which leads to an increase in the particle size in the film layer and affects the product yield. Therefore, the semiconductor chamber is not suitable for the through silicon via process.

[0040] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing a partial structure of a semiconductor chamber used for a through silicon via process in the related art is shown. Figure 2 , other related technologies propose semiconductor chambers and Figure 1 The semiconductor chambers shown are similar except that Figure 2 The semiconductor chamber 100a shown in the figure does not have a retaining ring 30a disposed inside, and the volume of the exhaust air channel 302a formed in the semiconductor chamber 100a is larger. In this way, when the process time of the semiconductor chamber is long, even if more particles are generated in the semiconductor chamber 100a, because the volume of the exhaust air channel 302a is large, the particles can be extracted as much as possible to prevent the particles from accumulating in the semiconductor chamber 100a. Therefore, the semiconductor chamber is suitable for the through silicon via process, but not for the sidewall process.

[0041] Figure 1 The semiconductor chamber and Figure 2 Although the semiconductor chamber shown can be used to prepare the same thin film, its structure and the volume of the exhaust gas channel 302a are different to meet the different film quality requirements of different process applications. Therefore, the semiconductor chamber of the related art cannot realize the deposition of thin films of different film qualities, and thus cannot realize different process applications of the same thin film.

[0042] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a semiconductor chamber. In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the semiconductor chamber provided by the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0043] The semiconductor chamber provided in the embodiment of the present application can realize a process type not limited to a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) process, but can also be a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process. The semiconductor chamber can be used to deposit SiO on a wafer. 2 Thin film, TiO 2 Film, etc.

[0044] Figure 3 1 shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a semiconductor chamber 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 The semiconductor chamber 100 includes a cavity 10 and a base 20 . The base 20 is disposed in the cavity 10 and is used to carry a wafer. The wafer is processed in the cavity 10 .

[0045] The semiconductor chamber 100 further includes an air pumping ring assembly 30, which is disposed in the cavity 10 and surrounds the outer periphery of the base 20, and the central axis of the air pumping ring assembly 30 is coaxially arranged with the central axis of the base 20. The air pumping ring assembly 30 is an internal hollow structure. The air pumping ring assembly 30 has a top annular plate and a bottom annular plate that are arranged opposite to each other.

[0046] FIG4(a) shows a top view of a semiconductor chamber 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The exhaust ring assembly 30 is provided with an outlet channel that runs through its thickness. The end of the outlet channel facing away from the bottom surface of the cavity 10 is formed as an air inlet 34. The air inlet 34 is located on the top annular plate. The end of the outlet channel facing the bottom surface of the cavity 10 is formed as an air outlet 33 (see FIG5 below). The air outlet 33 is located on the bottom annular plate. The air outlet 33 is also connected to the air pump, wherein the air pump can be an air pump equipped by the factory. The air inlet 34 and the air outlet 33 have the same shape and size, and the orthographic projections of the air inlet 34 and the air outlet 33 on the bottom surface of the cavity 10 completely overlap. Among them, the center of the air inlet 34 is connected to the center of the top annular plate to form a specified symmetry axis. The specified symmetry axis can also be understood as a line connecting the center of the air inlet 34 and the central axis of the exhaust ring assembly 30, and is the diameter line of the exhaust ring assembly 30. It should be noted that in each of the drawings of the embodiments of the present application, the designated symmetry axis is shown as OO.

[0047] The air extraction ring assembly 30 is symmetrically arranged about the designated symmetry axis OO. The top annular plate is provided with a plurality of air extraction ports 32 on either side of the designated symmetry axis OO, and at least two of the plurality of air extraction ports 32 have different apertures. Moreover, on either side of the designated symmetry axis OO, among any two air extraction ports 32 with different apertures, the air extraction port 32 with a small aperture is arranged close to the air inlet 34, and the air extraction port 32 with a large aperture is arranged away from the air inlet 34.

[0048] In the specific example shown in FIG. 4( a ), the top annular plate is provided with four air extraction ports 32 on the left side of the designated symmetry axis OO, and two of the four air extraction ports 32 away from the air inlet 34 have an aperture of Φ B The apertures of the other two air extraction ports 32 near the air inlet 34 are Φ A , Φ A <Φ BSince the air pumping ring assembly 30 is symmetrically arranged about the designated symmetry axis OO, the air pumping port 32 on the top annular plate located on the right side of the designated symmetry axis OO can refer to the air pumping port 32 on the left side of the designated symmetry axis OO.

[0049] To give another example, each exhaust port 32 on either side of the designated symmetry axis OO on the top annular plate can be different. In this case, along the circumference of the exhaust ring assembly 30, the aperture of each exhaust port 32 on either side of the designated symmetry axis OO gradually decreases from one end away from the air inlet 34 to the other end close to the air inlet 34.

[0050] During the process of using the semiconductor chamber 100 to perform semiconductor processing, the process gas enters the chamber 10 from the top of the chamber 10, and then flows downward to the top surface of the pumping ring assembly 30 and the front surface of the chip. The pump drives part of the gas in the chamber 10 to enter the gas outlet channel from the gas inlet 34, and at the same time drives part of the gas in the chamber 10 to enter the internal hollow cavity 35 of the pumping ring assembly 30 from each pumping port 32 and flow to the gas outlet channel. Then, the gas is discharged from the gas outlet 33 to the outside of the semiconductor chamber 100 to control the gas pressure in the semiconductor chamber 100 within the required range.

[0051] It should be noted that the pumping ring assembly 30 and Figure 1 When the size of the retaining ring 30a shown is equal, since the exhaust ring assembly 30 is an internal hollow structure, when the semiconductor chamber 100 is used to prepare a thin film, the volume of the exhaust airway is relatively larger. In this way, if there are many particles generated in the cavity 10, under the suction action of the exhaust pump, the particles can easily enter the internal hollow cavity 35, which is conducive to avoiding the accumulation of particles in the cavity 10 to avoid affecting the process quality. In this way, when the semiconductor chamber 100 is used to prepare a thin film, the film growth time can be longer, so that the thickness of the prepared film is larger. Therefore, the semiconductor chamber 100 can be applied to the through silicon via process.

[0052] According to Q=V*S, where Q is the flow rate, V is the flow velocity, and S is the flow area, it can be understood that the air intake of each air pump 32 is related to the flow velocity of the gas at the air pump 32 and the opening area of ​​the air pump 32. When the air pump is working, the gas flow velocity near the air pump and the air outlet 33 is fast, and the gas flow velocity far away from the air pump and the air outlet 33 is slow. On this basis, if the opening areas of each air pump 32 are equal, the air intake of the air pump 32 near the air outlet 33 is much larger than the air intake of the air pump 32 far away from the air outlet 33, resulting in uneven distribution of gas flow in the cavity 10, and low uniformity of the air flow field.

[0053] In this embodiment, the top annular plate of the air pumping ring assembly 30 is designed to be provided with a plurality of air pumping ports 32 on either side of the designated symmetry axis OO, and at least two of the air pumping ports 32 on either side of the designated symmetry axis OO have different apertures, and among any two air pumping ports 32 with different apertures, the air pumping ports 32 closer to the air inlet 34 have a smaller opening area, and the air pumping ports 32 farther away from the air inlet 34 have a larger opening area. With such a design, the difference between the air intake volume of the air pumping ports 32 far away from the air inlet 34 and the air intake volume of the air pumping ports 32 close to the air inlet 34 can be narrowed, reducing the influence of the non-uniformity of the flow velocity of the gas in the cavity 10 on the uniformity of the air flow field, improving the balance of the gas flow in each area in the cavity 10, and thus improving the uniformity of the air flow field.

[0054] Therefore, when the semiconductor chamber 100 is used to prepare a thin film, the density of the prepared thin film is relatively high. Therefore, the semiconductor chamber 100 can also be applied to the spacer process.

[0055] In summary, the semiconductor chamber 100 of this embodiment can be used to manufacture thin films of different film qualities, and further can realize different process applications of the same thin film. In other words, the semiconductor chamber 100 of this embodiment is compatible with multiple processes.

[0056] As shown in FIG4(a), the exhaust ring assembly 30 is divided into three arc segments, and the three arc segments are connected end to end in sequence. A plurality of exhaust ports 32 are provided on the top wall of each arc segment. Among them, the exhaust ports 32 on two arc segments 31A and 31B are located on the first side of the specified symmetry axis OO. The first side can be any side of the specified symmetry axis OO. Here, the first side refers to the left side of the specified symmetry axis OO in FIG4(a). In addition, the aperture Φ of the exhaust port 32 on the arc segment 31A is A Smaller than the diameter of the air extraction port 32 on the arc segment 31B B .

[0057] It should be noted that, since the air pumping ring assembly 30 is symmetrically arranged about the specified symmetry axis OO, the structure of the air pumping ring assembly 30 located on the second side of the specified symmetry axis OO is the same as the structure located on the first side of the specified symmetry axis OO, and this embodiment will not be repeated here.

[0058] Figure 4(b) to Figure 4(d)A top view of a modified example of a semiconductor chamber 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. In a modified example, as shown in FIG4(b), the difference between the exhaust ring assembly 30 of the semiconductor chamber 100 and the exhaust ring assembly 30 shown in FIG4(a) is that the exhaust ring assembly 30 is divided into four arc segments, and the four arc segments are sequentially connected end to end. Among them, there are exhaust ports 32 on three arc segments 31C, 31D, and 31E, which are located on the first side of the specified symmetry axis OO. In addition, the aperture Φ of the exhaust port 32 on the arc segment 31C is C <Aperture Φ of the air extraction port 32 on the arc segment 31D D <Aperture Φ of the air exhaust port 32 on the arc segment 31E E .

[0059] In a modified example, as shown in FIG. 4( c ), the difference between the pumping ring assembly 30 of the semiconductor chamber 100 and the pumping ring assembly 30 shown in FIG. 4( b ) is that the pumping ring assembly 30 has four arc segments, of which two arc segments 31F and 31G have pumping ports 32 located on the first side of the specified symmetry axis OO. In addition, the aperture Φ of the pumping port 32 on the arc segment 31F is F <Aperture Φ of the air exhaust port 32 on the arc segment 31G G .

[0060] In a modified example, as shown in FIG. 4( d ), the difference between the pumping ring assembly 30 of the semiconductor chamber 100 and the pumping ring assembly 30 shown in FIG. 4( b ) is that the pumping ring assembly 30 has five arc segments, of which three arc segments 31H, 31I, and 31J have pumping ports 32 located on the first side of the specified symmetry axis OO, and the aperture Φ of the pumping port 32 on the arc segment 31H is H <Aperture Φ of the air extraction port 32 on the arc segment 31I I <Aperture Φ of the air extraction port 32 on the arc segment 31J J .

[0061] Of course, in other variations of the present application, the air pumping ring assembly 30 may also be divided into six arc segments, seven arc segments, etc.

[0062] Combination Figure 4(a) to Figure 4(d) In general, the air pumping ring assembly 30 has at least three arc segments connected end to end in sequence, the top wall of each arc segment forms a top annular plate, and the bottom wall of each arc segment forms a bottom annular plate. Each arc segment is provided with an air pumping port 32.

[0063] Exemplarily, the aperture of each air suction port 32 is smaller than the aperture of the air outlet 33 and the aperture of the air inlet 34 .

[0064] It can be understood that, on the basis of ensuring that there are at least two air extraction ports 32 with different apertures on either side of the designated symmetry axis OO, there are multiple arrangements of the apertures of the air extraction ports 32 on each arc segment.

[0065] For example, see Figure 4(a) to Figure 4(d) , the apertures of the air suction ports 32 on each arc segment are different. In any two adjacent arc segments on either side of the designated symmetry axis OO of this embodiment, the aperture of the air suction port 32 on one arc segment away from the air outlet 33 and the air inlet 34 is larger than the aperture of the air suction port 32 on the other arc segment.

[0066] Taking the case where there are N air suction ports 32 on the arc segment located on the first side of the designated symmetry axis OO as an example, for the sake of clear understanding, along the circumference of the air suction ring assembly 30, from one end away from the air outlet 33 to the other end close to the air outlet 33, these N arc segments are successively referred to as the first arc segment, the second arc segment, ..., the nth arc segment, ..., the Nth arc segment. Wherein, N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2, n is a positive integer, and 1≤n≤N. As can be seen from the foregoing, the aperture of the air suction port 32 on the first arc segment, the aperture of the air suction port 32 on the second arc segment, ..., and the aperture of the air suction port 32 on the nth arc segment decrease successively. In other words, among the multiple arc segments on either side of the designated symmetry axis OO, the air suction port 32 on the arc segment closer to the air inlet 34 is smaller, and the air suction port 32 on the arc segment farther away from the air inlet 34 is larger.

[0067] The number of the air extraction ports 32 on any arc segment of the air extraction ring assembly 30 is not limited to the above number, and can be specifically designed according to actual working conditions and requirements. The height of the air extraction ring assembly 30 along the vertical direction can be reasonably designed.

[0068] According to a specific example of the present application, among the N arc segments on the first side of the specified symmetry axis OO, the aperture of the air extraction port 32 on the nth arc segment may be 1 / (n+1) of the aperture Φ of the air outlet 33. In FIG. 4( b), the arc segment 31E is the first arc segment, the arc segment 31D is the second arc segment, and the arc segment 31C is the third arc segment. In combination with the above, the aperture Φ of the air extraction port 32 on the arc segment 31E is E The diameter of the air outlet 33 is 1 / 2 of the diameter of the air outlet 33, and the diameter of the air outlet 32 ​​on the arc segment 31D is Φ D The diameter of the air outlet 33 is 1 / 3 of the diameter Φ of the air outlet 33, and the diameter of the air outlet 32 ​​on the arc segment 31C is Φ C It is 1 / 4 of the aperture Φ of the air outlet 33.

[0069] For another example, among the multiple arc segments where the air suction port 32 is located on the first side of the specified symmetry axis OO, the air suction ports 32 on at least two arc segments may have the same aperture. For example, there are three arc segments on the air suction ring assembly 30 where the air suction port 32 is located on the first side of the specified symmetry axis OO, and the apertures of the air suction ports 32 on the first arc segment and the second arc segment are equal and larger than the aperture of the air suction port 32 on the third arc segment.

[0070] In some feasible embodiments, when a plurality of air extraction ports 32 are provided on the arc segment, the apertures of the air extraction ports 32 on the arc segment may be consistent. Specifically, in FIG4( b ), the apertures of the air extraction ports 32 on the arc segment 31C are all Φ C In other feasible embodiments, when a plurality of air suction ports 32 are provided on the arc segment, the apertures of the air suction ports 32 on the arc segment may be different, and the air suction ports 32 closer to the air outlet 33 are smaller.

[0071] The semiconductor chamber 100 further includes a lifting mechanism, the number of which is equal to the number of arc segments, and the plurality of lifting mechanisms correspond to the plurality of arc segments one by one, and each lifting mechanism can be used to drive a corresponding arc segment to rise and fall in the vertical direction, so that the top annular plate and the bottom annular plate of the pumping ring assembly 30 can switch between the horizontal shape and the stepped shape at the same time. When the top annular plate and the bottom annular plate are stepped, the internal middle cavity of the pumping ring assembly 30 is also stepped, and the top wall of the arc segment away from the air inlet 34 is higher than the top wall of the arc segment close to the air inlet 34.

[0072] FIG5(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the semiconductor chamber 100 shown in FIG4(d) when the top annular plate of the pumping ring assembly 30 is in a horizontal state along BB, and FIG5(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the semiconductor chamber 100 shown in FIG4(d) when the top annular plate of the pumping ring assembly 30 is in a stepped state along BB. Taking the pumping ring assembly 30 shown in FIG4(d) as an example, please refer to FIG4(d), FIG5(a) and FIG5(b) together. There are a plurality of arc segments 31H, 31I, 31J whose pumping port 32 is located on the first side of the specified symmetry axis OO, and the arc segments 31H, 31I, 31J are all connected to a lifting mechanism in a transmission manner.

[0073] When the semiconductor chamber 100 is used to implement a through silicon via process, the top annular plate of the vacuum ring assembly 30 can be controlled by a lifting mechanism to switch to a horizontal state, and the vacuum ring assembly 30 is close to the bottom of the cavity 10, as shown in FIG. 5(a). At this time, the vacuum airway is maximized to avoid the possibility of particles gathering in the cavity 10 due to a long process and affecting the quality of the film.

[0074] When the semiconductor chamber 100 is used to implement the side wall process, the top annular plate of the vacuum ring assembly 30 can be controlled by the lifting mechanism to switch to a stepped shape, and, as shown in Figure 5(b), when in the stepped shape, among any two arc segments, the arc segment with a larger aperture of the vacuum port 32 is close to the top plate of the cavity 10.

[0075] At this time, the smaller the area between the arc segment far from the gas outlet 33 and the top plate 12 of the cavity 10, the faster the flow speed of the gas in the area, and the larger the area between the arc segment close to the gas outlet 33 and the top plate 12 of the cavity 10, the slower the flow speed of the gas in the area. In this way, the air intake of the air pumping port 32 on the arc segment far from the gas outlet 33 is further promoted to be equal to the air intake of the air pumping port 32 on the arc segment close to the gas outlet 33, further improving the balance of the gas flow in each area of ​​the cavity 10, and then improving the uniformity of the gas flow field, thereby improving the process uniformity and the density of the film.

[0076] Taking the pumping ring assembly 30 in the initial state as shown in FIG. 5( a ) as an example, the specific control process of the semiconductor chamber 100 in the embodiment of the present invention when implementing the sidewall process may also be:

[0077] In the early stage of the sidewall process, the first arc segment (i.e., arc segment 31J) and the second arc segment (i.e., arc segment 31I) are controlled to move upward, and the rising distance of the first arc segment (i.e., arc segment 31J) is greater than the rising distance of the second arc segment (i.e., arc segment 31I), so that the top annular plate switches to the stepped shape shown in FIG. 5( b );

[0078] In the later stage of the side wall process, the first arc segment (i.e., arc segment 31J) and the second arc segment (i.e., arc segment 31I) are controlled to descend so that the top annular plate and the bottom annular plate return to the horizontal state shown in Figure 5(a), and the vacuum ring assembly 30 is close to the bottom of the cavity 10.

[0079] In this way, on the one hand, it is ensured that the prepared film has a high density to meet the requirements of the side wall process for film quality. On the other hand, by controlling the exhaust ring assembly 30 to return to a horizontal state in the later stage, the exhaust airway is maximized, which increases the process rate, thereby shortening the process time and improving production capacity. At the same time, it can also avoid excessive number of particles in the cavity 10, so as to ensure the quality of the film.

[0080] When there are at least two arc-shaped segments of exhaust ports 32 with the same aperture on the exhaust ring assembly 30, when the top annular plate is controlled to switch to a stepped shape through the lifting mechanism, the lifting heights of the exhaust ports 32 with different arc-shaped segments with equal apertures can be kept consistent, so that the areas between the exhaust ports 32 with different arc-shaped segments with equal apertures are equivalent to the top plate 12 of the cavity 10, thereby ensuring that the air intake volumes of the exhaust ports 32 with the same aperture are consistent.

[0081] From the above, it can be seen that since each lifting mechanism drives a corresponding arc segment, that is, each arc segment can be lifted and lowered independently, therefore, in this embodiment, the top annular plate of the vacuum ring assembly 30 can be flexibly switched between horizontal and stepped shapes.

[0082] It should be particularly noted that, in the process of switching between the horizontal shape and the stepped shape of the top annular plate, the lifting height of each arc segment should be reasonably controlled by the lifting mechanism, so that the lower surface of the top wall of any arc segment is not higher than the upper surface of the top wall of the adjacent arc segment, and the lower surface of the bottom wall of any arc segment is not higher than the upper surface of the bottom wall of the adjacent arc segment. In this way, the top walls of any two adjacent arc segments are always in contact with each other, and the bottom walls of any two adjacent arc segments are also always in contact with each other, ensuring that the internal hollow cavities 35 of any two adjacent arc segments are always connected.

[0083] In this way, firstly, no matter whether the top annular plate and the bottom annular plate are in a horizontal shape or a stepped shape, the air suction port 32 on any arc segment can be connected with the air outlet 33 through the internal hollow cavity 35, so as to ensure that the gas in the cavity 10 can be effectively discharged to the outside of the cavity 10 through the air suction ring assembly 30 under the suction action of the air pump; secondly, it is ensured that there is no gap between the top walls of the two adjacent arc segments in the vertical direction, and at the same time, it is ensured that there is no gap between the bottom walls of the two adjacent arc segments in the vertical direction, so as to prevent the two adjacent arc segments from being staggered in the vertical direction and causing the gas flowing into the interior of the arc segment to escape into the cavity 10.

[0084] As disclosed in the semiconductor chamber 100, the thickness of the top wall of each arc segment of the pumping ring assembly 30 is the first thickness h1, and the thickness of the bottom wall is the second thickness h2. When the top annular plate is stepped, the height difference between the upper surfaces of the top walls of any two adjacent arc segments is less than or equal to the preset thickness, and the height difference between the upper surfaces of the bottom walls of any two adjacent arc segments is also less than or equal to the preset thickness, and the preset thickness is not higher than the first thickness h1 and the second thickness h2, so as to avoid the existence of a gap between two adjacent arc segments in the vertical direction.

[0085] When the first thickness h1 is not equal to the second thickness h2, the maximum height difference between the top walls of any two adjacent arc segments and the maximum height difference between the bottom walls are the smaller of the first thickness h1 and the second thickness h2. Specifically, in the examples shown in FIG5(a) and FIG5(b), when the top annular plate switches from a horizontal shape to a stepped shape, the maximum moving distance of the first arc segment (i.e., arc segment 31E) is greater than the maximum moving distance of the second arc segment (i.e., arc segment 31D), and the difference between the two is the smaller of the first thickness h1 and the second thickness h2.

[0086] When the first thickness h1 and the second thickness h2 are equal and both are preset values, h1=h2=(the overall height H1 of the arc segment-the height H2 of the internal hollow cavity 35) / 2, the maximum height difference between the upper surfaces of the top walls of any two adjacent arc segments and the maximum height difference between the upper surfaces of the bottom walls are equal to the first thickness h1 and the second thickness h2. Specifically, in the examples shown in FIG. 5(a) and FIG. 5(b), when the top annular plate switches from a horizontal shape to a stepped shape, the maximum moving distance of the first arc segment (i.e., arc segment 31E) is greater than the maximum moving distance of the second arc segment (i.e., arc segment 31D), and the difference between the two is equal to the first thickness h1 and the second thickness h2.

[0087] In an embodiment in which the semiconductor chamber 100 is provided with a lifting mechanism and the vacuum ring assembly 30 can be lifted and lowered, each lifting mechanism specifically includes a lifting shaft 40 and a driver. The top end of the lifting shaft 40 is connected to the bottom wall of the arc segment, and the bottom end of the lifting shaft 40 passes through the through hole 13 on the bottom plate 11 of the cavity 10, and extends to the outside of the cavity 10 to be connected to the driver. The driver can drive the lifting shaft 40 to lift and lower in the vertical direction.

[0088] In order to ensure the sealing of the cavity 10, a sealing sleeve is sleeved on the outer periphery of any lifting shaft 40, and the sealing sleeve is arranged outside the cavity 10, and the top of the sealing sleeve is connected to the bottom plate 11 of the cavity 10 to seal the corresponding through hole 13. For example, the sealing sleeve can be a bellows 50.

[0089] It should be noted that a gap 80 is always formed between the bottom annular plate and the bottom plate 11 of the cavity 10. That is, there is always a gap between the bottom annular plate and the bottom plate 11 of the cavity 10. For example, the minimum distance between the pumping ring assembly 30 and the bottom plate 11 of the cavity 10 is X. By forming the gap 80, the gap 80 is connected to the pumping port 32, and the gas in the gap 80 can flow from the pumping port 32 into the inner hollow cavity of the pumping ring assembly 30.

[0090] With this design, in the actual process, some gas will flow into the gap 80. Driven by the vacuum pump, the gas in the gap 80 can flow to the vacuum port 32, flow into the inner hollow cavity of the vacuum ring assembly 30 from the vacuum port 32, and then be discharged from the gas outlet 33 to the outside of the cavity 10. It can be seen that by designing the gap 80 to be formed between the bottom annular plate and the bottom plate 11 of the cavity 10, it is beneficial to enable the gas between the vacuum ring assembly 30 and the bottom plate 11 of the cavity 10 to be extracted.

[0091] In any of the above embodiments, the semiconductor chamber 100 may further include an exhaust grid 60, which is disposed in the cavity 10 and surrounds the base 20 and the exhaust ring assembly 30. There is a certain distance between the top of the exhaust grid 60 and the top plate 12 of the cavity 10. The exhaust grid 60 is provided with a via 61, so that the gas flowing above the chip can flow to the top of the exhaust ring assembly 30 through the via 61 after the reaction, and then enter the exhaust ring assembly 30 from the exhaust port 32 and be exhausted.

[0092] In any of the above embodiments, the semiconductor chamber 100 may further include a showerhead 70 disposed in the cavity 10 and at the top of the cavity 10 so that the gas entering the cavity 10 from the top of the cavity 10 can flow evenly to the surface of the chip.

[0093] 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 semiconductor chamber, It is characterized in that include: Cavity; A base, disposed in the cavity, for supporting the wafer; The air pumping ring assembly is arranged in the cavity and surrounds the base, the air pumping ring assembly is an internal hollow structure and includes a top annular plate and a bottom annular plate arranged relatively to each other, the air pumping ring assembly is provided with an air outlet channel running through its own thickness, the air outlet of the air outlet channel located on the bottom annular plate is used to communicate with an air pump, and the air inlet of the air outlet channel located on the top annular plate is connected to the center of the top annular plate to form a designated symmetry axis; the air pumping ring assembly is symmetrically arranged about the designated symmetry axis, the top annular plate is provided with a plurality of air pumping ports on either side of the designated symmetry axis, and at least two of the plurality of air pumping ports have different apertures; and, on either side of the designated symmetry axis, among any two of the air pumping ports with different apertures, the air pumping port with a smaller aperture is arranged close to the air inlet.

2. The semiconductor chamber according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The air pumping ring assembly comprises at least three arc segments connected end to end in sequence, the top wall of each arc segment constitutes the top annular plate, the bottom wall of each arc segment constitutes the bottom annular plate, and each arc segment is provided with the air pumping port; The semiconductor chamber further comprises at least three lifting mechanisms, each of which corresponds to each of the arc segments one by one, and each of the lifting mechanisms can be used to drive a corresponding arc segment to rise and fall in a vertical direction, so that the top annular plate and the bottom annular plate are switched between a horizontal shape and a stepped shape at the same time; When the top annular plate is stepped, the internal intermediate cavity of the exhaust ring assembly is also stepped, the top wall of the arc segment away from the air inlet is higher than the top wall of the arc segment close to the air inlet, and the lower surface of the top wall of any arc segment is not higher than the upper surface of the top wall of the adjacent arc segment, and the lower surface of the bottom wall of any arc segment is not higher than the upper surface of the bottom wall of the adjacent arc segment.

3. The semiconductor chamber according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The thickness of the top wall of each arc segment and the thickness of the bottom wall of each arc segment are both preset values; When the top annular plate is stepped, the maximum height difference between the upper surfaces of the top walls of any two adjacent arc segments and the upper surfaces of the bottom walls of any two adjacent arc segments is the preset value.

4. The semiconductor chamber according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The apertures of the plurality of air suction ports located on the same arc segment are equal.

5. The semiconductor chamber according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The apertures of the air exhaust ports on the various arc segments are different; on either side of the designated axis of symmetry, among any two arc segments, the aperture of the air exhaust port on the arc segment away from the air inlet is larger than the aperture of the air exhaust port on the arc segment close to the air inlet.

6. The semiconductor chamber according to claim 5, It is characterized in that When the top annular plate is stepped, among any two arc segments, the arc segment with a larger aperture of the air suction port is close to the top plate of the cavity.

7. The semiconductor chamber according to claim 5, It is characterized in that The aperture of each of the air suction ports is smaller than the aperture of the air outlet.

8. The semiconductor chamber according to claim 7, It is characterized in that For the N exhaust ports on either side of the designated axis of symmetry, along the circumference of the exhaust ring assembly, from one end away from the air inlet to the other end close to the air inlet, the aperture of the exhaust port on the nth arc segment is 1 / (n+1) of the aperture of the air outlet, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2, and 1≤n≤N.

9. The semiconductor chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 8, It is characterized in that A gap is formed between the bottom annular plate and the bottom plate of the cavity, and the gap is communicated with the air pumping port, so that the gas in the gap can flow into the interior of the air pumping ring assembly through the air pumping port.

10. The semiconductor chamber according to any one of claims 2 to 8, It is characterized in that The lifting mechanism includes a lifting shaft and a driver, the top end of the lifting shaft is connected to the bottom annular plate, the bottom end of the lifting shaft passes through the through hole on the bottom plate of the cavity, and extends outside the cavity to be transmission-connected with the driver, and the driver can drive the lifting shaft to lift in the vertical direction; A sealing sleeve is provided on the outer periphery of any of the lifting shafts. The sealing sleeve is arranged outside the cavity. The top end of the sealing sleeve is connected to the bottom plate of the cavity to seal the corresponding through hole.

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