Substrate supporting structure with detection function

Abstract

The invention discloses a substrate supporting structure with a detection function, which belongs to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, and comprises a vacuum isolation cylinder, a movable supporting rod is arranged in the vacuum isolation cylinder, the upper part of the supporting rod is a supporting rod main body, the supporting rod main body extends towards the interior of a cavity, and the lower part of the supporting rod is a supporting rod magnetic induction section; an internal magnetic body is arranged on the supporting rod magnetic induction section; a movable external magnetic body is arranged outside the vacuum isolation cylinder, and the external magnetic body and the internal magnetic body are correspondingly adsorbed; a reflecting surface is arranged at the bottom of the supporting rod, a vacuum window is arranged at the bottom of the vacuum isolation cylinder, and a position detection sensor is arranged outside the vacuum window of the vacuum isolation cylinder and is opposite to the reflecting surface. According to the invention, the position detection of the supporting rod can be realized, and the problems caused by improper lifting of the supporting rod, such as fragment phenomenon, are avoided; meanwhile, the position adjusting process of the supporting rod can be monitored in real time in the equipment debugging stage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, and particularly relates to a substrate support structure with a detection function. Background Art

[0002] In the semiconductor field, there is usually a need to replace silicon wafers, and the silicon wafers need to be supported. The inside of the semiconductor equipment chamber is generally isolated from the outside world. Usually, magnetism is used to achieve the power transmission between the internal and external environments, so as to drive the lifting of the support rod and realize the lifting of the silicon wafer. In the prior art, for example, in the US patent with the application publication number US5879128A, the support rod (pin) located in the internal environment of the cavity has a first magnet assembly, and the external support structure has a second magnet assembly. The magnet assemblies on the inner and outer sides are positioned relative to each other, so that the internal magnet assembly is magnetically levitated in the shell. Then, by raising and lowering the support structure through the lifting mechanism, the support rod can be raised and lowered. Usually, three support rods are lifted synchronously to support the substrate together above. The prior art does not have a detection function, and there are cases where the magnetic power transmission fails, which will lead to the phenomenon of wafer breakage. Specifically, wear, process by-products, and particulate matter during the movement process will cause the lifting to be stuck, increase the lifting resistance, and lead to the failure of magnetic power transmission. When one or more of the three support structures cannot rise in place due to the failure of magnetic power transmission, the silicon wafer will be tilted, and then when the manipulator translates to pick up the silicon wafer, it will hit the silicon wafer, resulting in the breakage of the silicon wafer and the damage of the manipulator. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Based on the technical problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a substrate support structure with a detection function, which solves the problem that the existing silicon wafer support structure cannot monitor whether the lifting is in place, thereby leading to the failure of the process, realizes the position detection of the support rod, ensures that the wafer breakage phenomenon will not occur, and can simultaneously detect the position adjustment process in real time.

[0004] According to the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention provides a substrate support structure with a detection function, including a vacuum isolation cylinder, which is arranged outside the chamber of the semiconductor equipment and is communicated with the internal space of the chamber; a movable support rod is arranged in the vacuum isolation cylinder, the upper part of the support rod is the support rod main body, the support rod main body extends towards the inside of the chamber, the lower part of the support rod is the support rod magnetic induction section, and an internal magnet is arranged on the support rod magnetic induction section; a movable external magnet is arranged outside the vacuum isolation cylinder, and the external magnet is adsorbed corresponding to the internal magnet; the bottom of the support rod has a reflecting surface, the bottom of the vacuum isolation cylinder has a vacuum window, and a position detection sensor is arranged outside the vacuum window of the vacuum isolation cylinder, and the position detection sensor is opposite to the reflecting surface.

[0005] Further, the support rod magnetic induction section is slidably connected with the vacuum isolation cylinder in a matching manner.

[0006] Furthermore, the external magnetic body has an annular structure or is annularly distributed, and is composed of multiple layers spaced apart from each other; the shape of the internal magnetic body corresponds to that of the external magnetic body.

[0007] Furthermore, it further includes an outer sleeve. The external magnetic body is disposed on the inner side surface of the outer sleeve, and the outer sleeve is movably sleeved outside the vacuum isolation cylinder.

[0008] Furthermore, the outer sleeve and / or the external magnetic body are slidably connected in a matching manner with the vacuum isolation cylinder.

[0009] Furthermore, it further includes an outer mounting bracket. The outer mounting bracket is provided with a mounting hole for mounting the outer sleeve. The mounting hole penetrates vertically. The lower part of the mounting hole is a threaded connection section, and the inner side surface of the threaded connection section is provided with internal threads. The outer sleeve is provided with external threads, and the outer sleeve is threadedly connected with the outer mounting bracket in a matching manner.

[0010] Furthermore, the upper part of the mounting hole is a cylindrical guiding section, and the inner side surface of the cylindrical guiding section matches the outer side surface of the upper part of the outer sleeve; And / or, it further includes a locking nut. The locking nut is threadedly connected with the external threads of the outer sleeve in a matching manner, and the locking nut is located below the outer mounting bracket.

[0011] Furthermore, the main body of the support rod and the magnetic induction section of the support rod are of a split structure. The upper end of the magnetic induction section of the support rod has a slot, and the lower end of the main body of the support rod is inserted into the slot; And / or, the lower surface of the magnetic induction section of the support rod is a polished mirror surface to form a reflecting surface.

[0012] Furthermore, the position detection sensor is an optical fiber sensor; And / or, the vacuum window is a flat glass.

[0013] Furthermore, the bottom of the chamber has a through hole for the support rod to pass through. The position of the vacuum isolation cylinder corresponds to the position of the through hole for the support rod to pass through. A sealing ring is provided between the upper end of the vacuum isolation cylinder and the outer side surface of the chamber; And / or, the outer mounting bracket has three mounting holes distributed in a triangular shape to provide three support rods below one chamber, and the outer mounting bracket is connected with a lifting drive mechanism.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial technical effects of the present invention are as follows: In the substrate support structure with a detection function according to the present invention, the position detection sensor can detect the reflection surface at the bottom of the support rod inside the vacuum isolation cylinder through the vacuum window, and determine whether the support rod has been lifted or lowered to the correct position. If the position is correct, subsequent corresponding actions such as the robot picking and placing the silicon wafer are performed. If the position is incorrect, no subsequent actions are taken and an alarm is given. In this way, the position detection of the support rod is realized, ensuring that problems such as wafer breakage caused by the support rod not reaching the correct position do not occur. At the same time, since the position of the support rod can be detected, the position adjustment process of the support rod and the support structure can be monitored in real time during the equipment debugging stage, making it easier to adjust multiple support rods to the same height. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the substrate support structure provided by the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a schematic structural view of the disassembled state of the components of the structure shown.

[0017] Figure 3 is a three-dimensional structural schematic view of a partial cross-section of the outer mounting frame provided by the present invention.

[0018] Description of the reference numerals in the drawings: 1. Vacuum isolation cylinder; 2. Support rod main body; 3. Support rod magnetic induction section; 4. Internal magnetic body; 5. External magnetic body; 6. Reflection surface; 7. Vacuum window; 8. Position detection sensor; 9. Outer sleeve; 10. Outer mounting frame; 11. Threaded connection section; 12. Cylindrical guiding section; 13. Locking nut. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the present invention. Apparently, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] In addition, it should be noted that for the sake of convenience of description, only parts related to the relevant invention are shown in the drawings. Without conflict, the embodiments in the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0021] It should be noted that the concepts such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the present invention are only used to distinguish different devices, modules, or units, and are not used to limit the order or interdependence relationship of the functions performed by these devices, modules, or units.

[0022] It should be noted that the modifications of "one" and "multiple" mentioned in the present invention are illustrative rather than restrictive. Those skilled in the art should understand that unless otherwise clearly specified in the context, it should be understood as "one or more".

[0023] The present invention discloses a substrate support structure with a detection function, belonging to the technical field of semiconductor equipment. It includes a vacuum isolation cylinder, in which a movable support rod is arranged. The upper part of the support rod is the support rod main body, and the support rod main body extends towards the interior of the chamber. The lower part of the support rod is the support rod magnetic induction section, and an internal magnetic body is provided on the support rod magnetic induction section. An external magnetic body that can move is arranged outside the vacuum isolation cylinder, and the external magnetic body is adsorbed corresponding to the internal magnetic body. The bottom of the support rod has a reflecting surface, and the bottom of the vacuum isolation cylinder has a vacuum window. A position detection sensor is arranged outside the vacuum window of the vacuum isolation cylinder, and the position detection sensor is opposite to the reflecting surface. The present invention can realize the position detection of the support rod, ensuring that problems such as fragment breakage caused by the support rod not rising or falling in place will not occur; effectively solving the problem that the existing technical solutions do not have a detection function and the magnetic power transmission fails and cannot be detected in time, and the adopted position detection method will not affect the sealing of the equipment system, etc.; at the same time, the position adjustment process of the support rod can be monitored in real time during the equipment debugging stage.

[0024] Semiconductor equipment includes various equipment for performing various semiconductor processing processes. Semiconductor equipment generally has a sealed chamber, and the substrate will be processed and transported in the chamber. The substrate is the material to be processed, and is called a substrate, a wafer, a silicon wafer, etc. in specific processes. When the substrate is placed and transported away, it will cooperate with the transfer robot through the lifting of the substrate support structure. For example, it is supported by point contact at the bottom through three (or more) support rods. When the support rod rises, the substrate rises, and the robot moves to the bottom of the substrate. Then the support rod descends, so as to transfer the substrate to the robot. During this process, if the support rod does not rise or fall in place, it will affect the progress of the process. For example, the position where the substrate is lifted is not in place or the substrate is tilted, and the robot cannot move to the bottom of the substrate but will collide with the substrate, resulting in failure to pick up the substrate. The existing equipment does not have a function for detecting whether the support rod is in place, so there is the above risk.

[0025] Please refer to Figure 1 、 Figure 2, A substrate support structure with a detection function according to the present invention includes a vacuum isolation cylinder 1. The vacuum isolation cylinder 1 is arranged outside the chamber of the semiconductor device and is in communication with the internal space of the chamber. The vacuum isolation cylinder 1 and the chamber form an enclosed space capable of forming a vacuum. Typically, for example, the enclosed space is in a vacuum environment, and the outside of the vacuum isolation cylinder 1 is in an atmospheric environment. A movable support rod is arranged inside the vacuum isolation cylinder 1. Specifically, the upper end of the vacuum isolation cylinder 1 in the length direction is connected to the chamber, and the support rod can move up and down along the length direction of the vacuum isolation cylinder 1. The upper part of the support rod is the support rod main body 2, and the support rod main body 2 extends towards the inside of the chamber. The upper end of the support rod main body 2 is used to directly contact the substrate. The lower part of the support rod is the support rod magnetic induction section 3, and an internal magnetic body 4 is arranged on the support rod magnetic induction section 3. An external magnetic body 5 is arranged outside the vacuum isolation cylinder 1. The external magnetic body 5 is adsorbed corresponding to the internal magnetic body 4 (there is a side wall of the vacuum isolation cylinder 1 between the two, forming a non-direct contact adsorption). Under normal circumstances, the relative positions of the external magnetic body 5 and the internal magnetic body 4 remain unchanged. By moving the external magnetic body 5 up and down through an external driving component, the up and down movement of the support rod can be realized. The bottom of the support rod has a reflecting surface 6 (or called a sensor detection surface), and the bottom of the vacuum isolation cylinder 1 has a vacuum window 7. A position detection sensor 8 is arranged outside the vacuum window 7 of the vacuum isolation cylinder 1. The position detection sensor 8 faces the reflecting surface 6. The detection beam or wave emitted by the position detection sensor 8 can pass through the vacuum window 7, reach the reflecting surface 6, and then return to be received by the position detection sensor 8, so as to realize non-contact position detection.

[0026] More specifically, the outer side surface of the support rod magnetic induction section 3 is slidably connected to the inner side surface of the vacuum isolation cylinder 1 in a matching manner. For example, both of them are cylindrical, or there are additional sliding guiding components, so that the support rod magnetic induction section 3 can freely slide up and down along the inner wall of the vacuum isolation cylinder 1 without tilting left and right, so as to ensure the smooth and stable lifting and lowering of the support rod and avoid shaking.

[0027] Preferably, the external magnetic body 5 is in a ring structure or in a ring distribution, and is in multiple layers spaced apart from each other. The shape of the internal magnetic body 4 corresponds to that of the external magnetic body 5. Specifically, for example, in the illustrated embodiment, the external magnetic body 5 is a three-layer magnet ring structure. The three magnet rings are intermittently installed separated by two non-magnetic spacer rings. The three magnet rings and the two spacer rings are all sleeved outside the vacuum isolation cylinder 1. The support rod magnetic induction section 3 has three protruding rings corresponding to the magnet rings. The whole of the support rod magnetic induction section 3 or only the protruding ring part is a magnet or a steel material that can be attracted by a magnet, so that the three magnet rings and the three protruding rings respectively form three mutually attracting power transmission magnetic couplings. It can be imagined that either the external magnetic body 5 or the internal magnetic body 4 can be selected as a magnet, or both can be magnets as long as they can be adsorbed to each other.

[0028] The support rod main body 2 and the support rod magnetic induction section 3 are preferably of a split structure for ease of production. Since the support rod main body 2 needs to be directly exposed to the chamber and directly contact the substrate, strict requirements are usually imposed on its material. For example, it is generally a quartz glass rod. The support rod magnetic induction section 3 is processed independently of the support rod main body 2 to have the aforementioned required structure and function. The upper end of the support rod magnetic induction section 3 has a slot, and the lower end of the support rod main body 2 is inserted and arranged in the slot, thus forming an integral support rod structure. This structure of the support rod magnetic induction section 3 can also be called a magnetic shuttle or a magnetic induction column. It can be conceived that in some other feasible embodiments, the support rod main body 2 and the support rod magnetic induction section 3 are of an integral structure, and are only divided into upper and lower sections for ease of description, and the internal magnetic body 4 is fixedly arranged outside the support rod magnetic induction section 3.

[0029] The lower surface of the support rod magnetic induction section 3 is a polished mirror surface, forming a reflecting surface 6 to ensure the detection accuracy. It can be conceived that in some other feasible embodiments, the reflecting surface 6 is produced separately and then fixed to the bottom of the support rod.

[0030] In the illustrated preferred embodiment, there is also an outer sleeve 9 for fixedly installing the external magnetic body 5. The external magnetic body 5 is arranged on the inner side surface of the outer sleeve 9, and the outer sleeve 9 is movably sleeved outside the vacuum isolation cylinder 1. Further, the outer sleeve 9 and / or the external magnetic body 5 are slidably connected to match the vacuum isolation cylinder 1 to ensure the smooth and stable up and down movement of the external magnetic body 5.

[0031] Please also refer to Figure 3 , in the preferred overall structure, there is also an outer mounting frame 10. The outer mounting frame 10 is provided with a mounting hole for mounting the outer sleeve 9, and the mounting hole penetrates up and down. The lower part of the mounting hole is a threaded connection section 11. The inner side surface of the threaded connection section 11 is provided with an internal thread, and the outer sleeve 9 is provided with an external thread. The outer sleeve 9 is threadedly connected to the outer mounting frame 10 in a matching manner; such a setting facilitates the installation and position adjustment of the outer sleeve 9. Further, there is also a locking nut 13. The locking nut 13 is threadedly connected to match the external thread of the outer sleeve 9, and the locking nut 13 is located below the outer mounting frame 10; thus, after adjusting the outer sleeve 9 to the required height position, the locking nut 13 can be tightened to complete the positioning. More preferably, the upper part of the mounting hole is a cylindrical guiding section 12. The inner side surface of the cylindrical guiding section 12 matches the outer side surface of the upper part of the outer sleeve 9. As Figure 2 shown, both the outer sleeve 9 and the upper part of the mounting hole have a thinner section, and the inner and outer diameters of this part match to form cylindrical guiding, thus ensuring that the outer sleeve 9 will not tilt.

[0032] The principle of the position detection sensor 8 is reflective optoelectronics, specifically, for example, an optical fiber sensor. The vacuum window 7 is, for example, a flat glass (light-transmitting flat glass) fixed to the bottom of the vacuum isolation cylinder 1. Generally, there is a gap between the optical fiber sensor and the vacuum window 7 and they do not directly contact. The detection beam of the optical fiber sensor passes through the flat glass to detect the mirror surface of the lower end of the magnetic shuttle. The flat glass is arranged to allow the detection beam to pass through. It can be understood that other forms of sensors with the same or similar principles are also acceptable, and the material of the vacuum window can allow the light and waves corresponding to the sensor to penetrate.

[0033] As a more specific supplementary description, the bottom of the chamber has a through hole for the support rod to pass through. The position of the vacuum isolation cylinder 1 corresponds to the position of the through hole for the support rod to pass through. The upper end of the vacuum isolation cylinder 1 is, for example, a flange. A sealing ring is arranged between the upper end of the vacuum isolation cylinder 1 and the outer side surface of the chamber to ensure their sealed connection. The outer mounting frame 10 has three mounting holes distributed in a triangular shape to arrange three support rods below one chamber. The outer mounting frame 10 is connected with a lifting drive mechanism. The lifting drive mechanism capable of realizing the required functions is the prior art or is easily realized based on the prior art. For example, it is driven by a motor to lift, which is not the key improvement point of the present invention and will not be elaborated here. The position of the vacuum isolation cylinder 1 and the position detection sensor 8 below it are relatively fixed with respect to the chamber. The position of the outer mounting frame 10 and the outer sleeve 9 connected thereto can be lifted relative to the chamber, thereby driving the support rod to lift relative to the chamber. Since the present invention can detect the position of the support rod, during the initial adjustment process in the equipment debugging stage, it can monitor the position adjustment process of the support rod and the support structure in real time, automatically feedback and adjust the position, and facilitate adjusting multiple (three) support rods to the same height. When the semiconductor device works, the synchronous lifting of multiple (three) support rods is realized by driving the lifting of the outer mounting frame 10.

[0034] In summary, the key points of the present invention include adding a detection system composed of a position detection sensor, a flat glass, and a magnetic shuttle, and forming a leveling system through the detection system and a screw adjustment mechanism (the screw pair of the outer sleeve and the outer mounting bracket). The present invention adopts the technical means of displacement detection and fine adjustment to solve the chip problem and the real-time feedback during the adjustment process, achieving absolute reliability and quality improvement; the present invention can be applied to various semiconductor devices of the same type with a lifting structure of the support member, and can also be applied to various forms of support rods, including but not limited to the structure of the illustrated embodiment. The working principle of a typical embodiment of the present invention is as follows: The fiber optic sensor is installed below the vacuum isolation cylinder. There is a light-transmitting flat glass below the vacuum isolation cylinder. The lower end surface of the magnetic shuttle is polished into a mirror surface. Magnets are intermittently installed in the outer sleeve. The magnets lock the magnetic shuttle correspondingly through magnetic force, so that the magnetic shuttle moves up and down with the outer sleeve; the fiber optic sensor is a reflective optoelectronic one. Through the flat glass and the mirror reflection of the lower surface of the magnetic shuttle, the fiber optic sensor can realize the real-time detection of the position of the lower surface of the magnetic shuttle, and at the same time realize the detection of the relative position between the magnetic shuttle and the external magnetic body; in addition, in practical applications, a wafer is supported by three support rods together. When there is a difference in the values fed back by the three sensors, it indicates that the wafer is uneven. The support rods can be adjusted by screwing the screw pair of the outer sleeve and the outer mounting bracket; during the screwing process, the values fed back by the fiber optic sensor can be used to confirm whether it is leveled; after leveling, the outer sleeve is fixed to the outer mounting bracket through a lock nut.

[0035] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A substrate support structure with detection function, characterized in that: The invention comprises a vacuum isolation cylinder (1), which is arranged outside a chamber of a semiconductor device and is connected to the inner space of the chamber; a movable support rod is arranged inside the vacuum isolation cylinder (1), the upper part of the support rod is a support rod body (2), the support rod body (2) extends toward the inner part of the chamber, the lower part of the support rod is a support rod magnetic induction section (3), and the support rod magnetic induction section (3) has an internal magnetic body (4); a movable external magnetic body (5) is arranged outside the vacuum isolation cylinder (1), and the external magnetic body (5) is correspondingly adsorbed with the internal magnetic body (4); the bottom of the support rod has a reflective surface (6), the bottom of the vacuum isolation cylinder (1) has a vacuum window (7), and a position detection sensor (8) is arranged outside the vacuum window (7) of the vacuum isolation cylinder (1), and the position detection sensor (8) is opposite to the reflective surface (6).

2. The substrate support structure with detection function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support rod magnetic induction section (3) is slidably connected to the vacuum isolation cylinder (1) in a matching manner.

3. The substrate support structure with detection function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The external magnetic body (5) is in an annular structure or is distributed in an annular shape and is composed of multiple layers spaced apart from each other; the shape of the internal magnetic body (4) corresponds to that of the external magnetic body (5).

4. The substrate support structure with detection function according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an outer sleeve (9), an external magnetic body (5) is arranged on the inner side surface of the outer sleeve (9), and the outer sleeve (9) is movably sleeved outside the vacuum isolation cylinder (1).

5. The substrate support structure with detection function according to claim 4, characterized in that: The outer sleeve (9) and / or the outer magnetic body (5) are slidably connected to the vacuum isolation cylinder (1) in a matching manner.

6. The substrate support structure with detection function according to claim 4, characterized in that: The invention also comprises an outer mounting frame (10), wherein the outer mounting frame (10) is provided with a mounting hole for mounting the outer sleeve (9), the mounting hole is through-through, the lower part of the mounting hole is a threaded connection section (11), the inner side surface of the threaded connection section (11) is provided with an internal thread, the outer sleeve (9) is provided with an external thread, and the outer sleeve (9) is threadedly connected to the outer mounting frame (10) in a matching manner.

7. The substrate support structure with detection function according to claim 6, characterized in that: The upper portion of the mounting hole is a cylindrical guide section (12), and the inner side surface of the cylindrical guide section (12) matches the outer side surface of the upper portion of the outer sleeve (9); And / or, it also includes a locking nut (13), the locking nut (13) is threadedly connected to the external thread of the outer sleeve (9) in a matching manner, and the locking nut (13) is located below the outer mounting frame (10).

8. The substrate support structure with detection function according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The support rod body (2) and the support rod magnetic induction section (3) are of a split structure; the upper end of the support rod magnetic induction section (3) is provided with a slot, and the lower end of the support rod body (2) is inserted into the slot; And / or, the lower surface of the support rod magnetic induction section (3) is a polished mirror surface, forming a reflective surface (6).

9. The substrate support structure with detection function according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The position detection sensor (8) is a fiber optic sensor; And / or, the vacuum window (7) is flat glass.

10. The substrate support structure with detection function according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The bottom of the chamber is provided with a through hole for the support rod to pass through, the position of the vacuum isolation cylinder (1) corresponds to the position of the through hole for the support rod to pass through, and a sealing ring is provided between the upper end of the vacuum isolation cylinder (1) and the outer side surface of the chamber; And / or, the outer mounting frame (10) has three mounting holes distributed in a triangular shape, so that three support rods are arranged below a chamber, and the outer mounting frame (10) is connected to a lifting drive mechanism.

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