Wafer caching device and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a wafer cache device and semiconductor process equipment, the wafer cache device comprises a protection box, one side of which is provided with an opening for wafer access, the protection box is internally provided with a plurality of shelving layers arranged along a first direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the moving direction of wafer access; the blowing parts are arranged on the face, where the opening is located, of the protection box in the mode of being parallel to the first direction, each blowing part comprises a first end and a second end, the first ends are used for being connected with an external air source, a plurality of blowing holes arrayed in the first direction are formed in the sides, facing the interior of the protection box, of the blowing parts, and the blowing holes correspond to the shelving layers one to one and are arranged in a staggered mode; and the rotating mechanisms are in one-to-one correspondence with the blowing parts, are connected with the second ends of the corresponding blowing parts, and are used for driving the corresponding blowing parts to rotate, so that airflow blown out of the blowing holes can cover the whole surface of the corresponding wafer. According to the invention, the surface of the whole wafer can be purged, and corrosive gas is removed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and in particular to a wafer buffer device and semiconductor process equipment. Background Art

[0002] The wafer buffer device is used to store wafers to be processed or processed. Some semiconductor processes, such as CCP (Capacitively Coupled Plasma) etching, use C 4 F 4 , Cl 2 , HF and other corrosive gases. These gases will remain on the surface of the processed wafer. If not controlled, the residual gases will continue to evaporate into the wafer buffer device, corrode the wafer buffer device, mechanical fingers and other equipment structures, and increase the work of equipment maintenance / repair.

[0003] Currently, the main method is to set up an exhaust port on the wafer buffer device and connect it to the factory exhaust system to remove the corrosive gas remaining in the wafer buffer device. However, the airflow generated by this method is not targeted and the removal effect is limited. Summary of the invention

[0004] In response to the above technical problems, the present application provides a wafer cache device and semiconductor process equipment, which can improve the problem that the existing wafer cache device cannot effectively remove internal corrosive gases.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a wafer buffer device, comprising:

[0006] A protective box, one side of which is provided with an opening for wafers to enter and exit, wherein a plurality of shelf layers arranged along a first direction are provided in the protective box for storing the wafers, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the movement direction of the wafers to enter and exit;

[0007] At least one blowing member is arranged parallel to the first direction on a side of the protective box where the opening is located, the blowing member includes a first end and a second end, the first end is used to connect to an external air source, and a side of the blowing member facing the inside of the protective box is provided with a plurality of purge holes arranged along the first direction, the plurality of purge holes correspond to the plurality of shelf layers one by one and are staggered, and the purge holes are used to purge the wafers on the corresponding shelf layers;

[0008] A rotating mechanism corresponding to each of the blowing pieces, the rotating mechanism being connected to the second end of the corresponding blowing piece, and being used to drive the corresponding blowing piece to rotate so that the airflow blown out of the purge hole can cover the entire surface of the corresponding wafer.

[0009] Optionally, the protection box includes a first enclosure and a second enclosure arranged opposite to each other along the first direction;

[0010] The first enclosure is provided with a first connection hole corresponding to the at least one blowing member, and the first end is rotatably connected to the corresponding first connection hole;

[0011] The second enclosure plate is provided with second connecting holes corresponding to the at least one blowing member one by one, and the second end is rotatably connected to the corresponding second connecting hole.

[0012] Optionally, the wafer cache device further includes:

[0013] A connecting shaft is hollow and rotatably disposed in the first connecting hole, and a first external thread is disposed at one end of the connecting shaft facing the blowing member;

[0014] a first locking nut connected to the connecting shaft via the first external thread;

[0015] The first end is provided with a first internal thread matched with the first external thread, and the first locking nut is used for locking after the first end is connected to the connecting shaft.

[0016] Optionally, the wafer cache device further includes a steering quick-connect connector;

[0017] The steering quick-connect connector comprises:

[0018] An inner tube connected to an end of the connecting shaft away from the blowing member;

[0019] The outer tube is rotatably sleeved on one end of the inner tube away from the connecting shaft, and the end of the outer tube away from the inner tube is used for connecting to the external gas source.

[0020] Optionally, the rotating mechanism includes an output shaft, and a driving assembly for driving the output shaft to rotate;

[0021] The output shaft rotatably passes through the second connecting hole and is connected to the second end.

[0022] Optionally, the output shaft is provided with a second external thread;

[0023] The second end is provided with a second internal thread matching the second external thread;

[0024] The output shaft is also provided with a second locking nut which is matched with the second external thread, and the second locking nut is used for locking after the second end is connected to the output shaft.

[0025] Optionally, the driving component includes:

[0026] A base, comprising a mounting surface facing the blowing member, wherein the mounting surface is provided with a slide groove;

[0027] A slider, disposed in the slide groove;

[0028] A crank, one end of which is connected to the slider;

[0029] A rocker, one end of which is hinged to the mounting surface and connected to an end of the output shaft away from the blowing member, and the other end of the rocker is connected to the other end of the crank;

[0030] A driving source is connected to the slider and is used to drive the slider to reciprocate along the slide groove.

[0031] Optionally, it also includes a solenoid valve group connected between the blowing member and the external air source, and the solenoid valve group is also electrically connected to the rotating mechanism for receiving an on-off signal, controlling the on-off of the external air source, and controlling the opening and closing of the rotating mechanism.

[0032] Optionally, the protective box includes:

[0033] A shell, wherein the opening is provided on one side of the shell;

[0034] The bracket is arranged in the shell, and the plurality of shelf layers are arranged on the bracket along the first direction.

[0035] Optionally, two blowing members are provided, respectively located on opposite sides of the opening;

[0036] The shell is also provided with folded edges at the positions of the two sides, respectively, for hiding the two blowing parts.

[0037] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a semiconductor process equipment, including an equipment front-end module, a loading chamber, a transfer chamber, and a process chamber connected in sequence;

[0038] The wafer buffer device as described in the above embodiments is arranged in the front-end module of the equipment.

[0039] As described above, the wafer buffer device of the present application controls the rotation of the blowing part through a rotating mechanism, so that the purge hole can purge the wafer surface at different angles to achieve full coverage of the wafer surface. This can speed up the volatilization and removal of corrosive gases on the wafer surface, avoid corrosive gases from corroding the overall structure of the wafer buffer device and the fingers of the manipulator, and avoid corrosive gases from leaking to the outside of the wafer buffer device and corroding other structures and contaminating the wafers to be processed, effectively reducing the maintenance and repair work of the equipment. In addition, the wafer buffer device of this embodiment can use a gas source of conventional pressure, and there is no need to increase the pressure of the gas source. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] The drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application, and are used together with the specification to explain the principles of the present application. In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments are briefly introduced below. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative labor.

[0041] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a wafer cache device in the related art;

[0042] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of a wafer cache device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the wafer cache device;

[0044] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of a blowing component provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of a purge effect of a wafer buffer device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of a connecting shaft provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of a first end of a blowing member connected to a first connecting hole provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the connection structure at both ends of a blowing member provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Fig. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of a second end of a blowing member connected to a second connecting hole provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of an exploded structure of a rotating mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Fig.11 It is a structural schematic diagram of a base provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Fig.12 is a schematic diagram of a blowing control structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] Fig.13 It is a structural schematic diagram of a semiconductor process equipment provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0054] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of this application will be further described in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The above-mentioned drawings have shown clear embodiments of this application, which will be described in more detail later. These drawings and textual descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the concept of this application in any way, but to illustrate the concept of this application to those skilled in the art by referring to specific embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present application. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0056] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "includes a ..." does not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element. In addition, components, features, and elements with the same name in different embodiments of the present application may have the same meaning or different meanings, and their specific meanings need to be determined by their explanation in the specific embodiment or further combined with the context of the specific embodiment.

[0057] It should be further understood that the terms "comprising" and "including" indicate the presence of the described features, steps, operations, elements, components, items, kinds, and / or groups, but do not exclude the presence, occurrence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, items, kinds, and / or groups. The terms "or", "and / or", "including at least one of the following", etc. used in this application may be interpreted as inclusive, or mean any one or any combination. For example, "including at least one of the following: A, B, C" means "any one of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A and B and C", and for another example, "A, B or C" or "A, B and / or C" means "any one of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A and B and C". Exceptions to this definition will only occur when the combination of elements, functions, steps or operations is inherently mutually exclusive in some way.

[0058] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of this document, the first information may also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information may also be referred to as the first information. Depending on the context, as used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless otherwise indicated in the context.

[0059] It should be understood that the orientations or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "top", "bottom", "up", "down", "vertical", and "horizontal" are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description. They do not indicate or imply that the device referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0060] For ease of description, in the following embodiments, the orthogonal space formed by the horizontal plane and the vertical direction is used as an example for explanation, and this premise should not be understood as a limitation to the present application.

[0061] As mentioned above, currently, the main method is to set an exhaust port on the wafer buffer device and connect it to the factory exhaust system to remove the corrosive gas remaining in the wafer buffer device. However, the airflow generated by this method is not targeted and the removal effect is limited.

[0062] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1It is a structural schematic diagram of a wafer buffer device in the related art, which includes a fixing frame 1a, a frame 2a, a wafer holder 3a, a shell 4a and an exhaust structure (exhaust) 5a. The fixing frame 1a is used to connect the equipment front end module (EFEM) of the semiconductor process equipment, the frame 2a is used to carry the wafer holder 3a and connect other structures, the wafer holder 3a is a supporting component of the wafer, and the shell 4a is an external shield of the wafer buffer device to reduce gas leakage into the EFEM. The exhaust structure 5a is connected to the exhaust pipeline of the factory service, which is used to discharge the exhaust gas in the wafer buffer device to avoid pollution. The airflow generated by the wafer buffer device during exhaust is not targeted, and it cannot ensure that each wafer is completely purged, and the cleaning effect is limited. Based on this, the present application provides a process chamber and semiconductor process equipment.

[0063] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 , Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer cache device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The exploded structural diagram of a wafer buffer device is shown in FIG. 1 , which may include: a protective box 10 , at least one blowing member 20 , and a rotating mechanism 24 corresponding to the blowing member 20 .

[0064] An opening 111 for wafers to enter and exit is provided on one side of the protective box 10, and a plurality of shelf layers 123 arranged along a first direction Z are provided inside the protective box 10 for storing wafers. The first direction Z is perpendicular to the movement direction X of the wafers to enter and exit. As an example, each shelf layer 123 can form a three-point support with the edge of the wafer.

[0065] The blowing member 20 may be a tubular structure, and the shape of the cross section of the tubular structure is not limited. One blowing member 20 may be provided, or two or more blowing members 20 may be provided. The blowing member 20 is provided parallel to the first direction Z on the side where the opening 111 of the protective box 10 is located. For example, two blowing members 20 are provided, and they may be located on opposite sides of the opening 111 respectively. The blowing member 20 includes a first end 21 and a second end 22, and the first end 21 is used to connect to an external air source, and the external air source may be N 2 A plurality of purge holes 23 arranged along a first direction Z are provided on one side of the blowing member 20 facing the inside of the protective box 10. Figure 4 As shown, the purge holes 23 correspond to the shelf layers 123 one by one and are staggered. The purge holes 23 are used to purge the wafers on the corresponding shelf layers 123. For example, the diameter of the purge holes 23 may be 1 mm, and the spacing between the purge holes 23 is equal to the spacing between two adjacent shelf layers 123, which may be 10 mm. When the wafers are placed on the shelf layers 123, the purge holes 23 may be aligned with the gaps between the wafers.

[0066] The rotating mechanism 24 corresponds to the blowing member 20 one by one, and the rotating mechanism 24 is connected to the second end 22 of the corresponding blowing member 20, and is used to drive the corresponding blowing member 20 to rotate, so that the airflow blown out of the purge hole 23 can cover the entire surface of the corresponding wafer. As an example, the rotating mechanism 24 can be a motor, and the motor directly controls the blowing member 20 to rotate. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the rotating mechanism 24.

[0067] See also Figure 5 , Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the purging effect of a wafer buffer device provided in an embodiment of the present application. By controlling the rotation of the blowing piece 20 through the rotating mechanism 24, the purge hole 23 can purge the wafer surface at different angles to achieve full coverage of the wafer surface. Thereby, the volatilization and removal of corrosive gases on the wafer surface can be accelerated, and the corrosive gases can be prevented from corroding the overall structure of the wafer buffer device and the fingers of the manipulator. It can also prevent the corrosive gases from leaking to the outside of the wafer buffer device and corroding other structures and contaminating the wafers to be processed, effectively reducing the maintenance and repair work of the equipment. And the wafer buffer device of this embodiment can use a gas source of conventional pressure, and there is no need to increase the pressure of the gas source. In particular, when two blowing pieces 20 are provided, a purge area A and a purge area B can be formed respectively, and a better purge can be formed on the edge of the wafer to ensure complete coverage of the entire wafer.

[0068] As an example of a protective box, see Figure 2 and Figure 3 The protective box 10 may include: a housing 11 and a bracket 12. The housing 11 may be made of an insulating material, such as acrylic, and the bracket 12 may be made of an aluminum alloy material. In order to improve its corrosion resistance, the surface may be oxidized. The opening 111 may be provided on one side of the housing 11, such as Figure 2 The front side of the middle shell 11. The bracket 12 is arranged in the shell 11, and the shelf layer 123 is arranged on the bracket 12 along the first direction Z. The shelf layer 123 can be made of polyetheretherketone (peek). The shell 11 can also be connected to an external exhaust structure 13. When blowing air into the protective box 10 through the blowing piece 20, air can be exhausted to the outside through the exhaust structure 13 at the same time to discharge the internal corrosive gas out of the protective box 10. The specific shape of the shell 11 is not particularly limited in the embodiment of the present application. For example, the shell 11 may include a top plate 113, a bottom plate 114 and a side panel 115, and the opening 111 is provided on the side panel 115. The side panel 115 can be an integrally formed panel, or it can be formed by splicing and assembling a plurality of panels.

[0069] Taking two blowing members 20 as an example, the two blowing members 20 can be located on opposite sides of the opening 111 parallel to the first direction Z. The housing 11 can also be provided with folded edges 112 at the positions of the above-mentioned opposite sides, and the blowing members 20 are located inside the protective box 10 and behind the folded edges 112, so as to be hidden.

[0070] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The protective box 10 may include a first enclosure 121 and a second enclosure 122 that are arranged opposite to each other along the first direction Z. It should be noted that the first enclosure 121 may be the aforementioned top plate 113, or a part of the bracket 12; the second enclosure 122 may be the aforementioned bottom plate 114, or a part of the bracket 12. The embodiment of the present application is not particularly limited.

[0071] The first enclosure 121 is provided with first connection holes 1211 corresponding to the blowing members 20 one by one, and the first end 21 of the blowing member 20 is rotatably connected to the corresponding first connection hole 1211. It should be noted that the first end 21 can be rotatably connected directly to the corresponding first connection hole 1211, or can be rotatably connected to the corresponding first connection hole 1211 indirectly through other connecting members, which is not particularly limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0072] The second enclosure 122 is provided with second connection holes 1221 corresponding to the blowing members 20 one by one, and the second end 22 of the blowing member 20 is rotatably connected to the corresponding second connection hole 1221. It should be noted that the second end 22 can be rotatably connected directly to the corresponding second connection hole 1221, or can be rotatably connected to the corresponding second connection hole 1221 indirectly through other connecting members, which is not particularly limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0073] In this embodiment, the blowing member 20 is assembled along the first direction Z by the first enclosure plate 121 and the second enclosure plate 122 , and the blowing member 20 is rotatably connected, so that the airflow blown by the blowing member 20 can cover the entire surface of the corresponding wafer.

[0074] As an example of a first end 21 being rotatably connected to the corresponding first connection hole 1211 indirectly through other connecting members, please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 6-Figure 8 , Figure 6 is a structural schematic diagram of a connecting shaft provided in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of a first end of a blowing member connected to a first connecting hole provided in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 8It is a schematic diagram of the connection structure of the two ends of a blowing member provided in an embodiment of the present application. The wafer buffer device may also include a connecting shaft 30 and a first locking nut 41. The connecting shaft 30 is hollow (a through hole 31 is provided inside it), and is rotatably arranged in the first connecting hole 1211 of the first enclosure 121. Dust-free grease can also be used to lubricate and seal the contact surface between the connecting shaft 30 and the first connecting hole 1211 to ensure that no particles enter the wafer buffer device. The connecting shaft 30 is provided with a first external thread at one end facing the blowing member 20, and the first end 21 of the blowing member 20 is provided with a first internal thread that cooperates with the first external thread. The first locking nut 41 is connected to the connecting shaft 30 through the first external thread, and when the first end 21 is connected to the connecting shaft 30 through the threaded structure, the first locking nut 41 can be tightened toward one end of the blowing member 20 to lock the blowing member 20 with the connecting shaft 30. In specific applications, the blowing hole 23 of the blowing member 20 can be adjusted to a suitable spraying angle and then locked with the first locking nut 41 .

[0075] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 7 The wafer buffer device may further include a steering quick-connect connector 50. The steering quick-connect connector 50 may include an inner tube 51 and an outer tube 52. The inner tube 51 is connected to an end of the connecting shaft 30 away from the blowing member 20, for example, the two are connected by a threaded structure. The outer tube 52 is rotatably sleeved on an end of the inner tube 51 away from the connecting shaft 30, and an end of the outer tube 52 away from the inner tube 51 is used to connect to an external air source. When the blowing member 20 rotates, the outer tube 52 can remain fixed so as to be stably connected to the external air source.

[0076] In one embodiment, see Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 8 and Fig. 9 , Fig. 9 2 is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of a second end of a blowing member connected to a second connecting hole provided in an embodiment of the present application. The rotating mechanism 24 may include an output shaft 241 and a driving assembly for driving the output shaft 241 to rotate. The output shaft 241 rotatably passes through the second connecting hole 1221 of the second enclosure 122 and is connected to the second end 22 of the blowing member 20.

[0077] As an example, see Fig. 9, a second external thread can be provided on the output shaft 241, and a second internal thread matched with the second external thread can be provided on the second end 22 of the blowing member 20. A second locking nut 42 matched with the second external thread is also provided on the output shaft 241, and the second locking nut 42 is used to lock the second end 22 after it is connected to the output shaft 241. For example, after the blowing hole 23 of the blowing member 20 is adjusted to a suitable injection angle, the second locking nut 42 is tightened toward the second end 22, so that the connection between the blowing member 20 and the output shaft 241 can be locked.

[0078] It should be noted that the rotating mechanism 24 can be a reciprocating mechanism, such as a cam mechanism, a crank rocker mechanism, a crank slider mechanism, etc. In one embodiment, refer to Fig.10 and Fig.11 , Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of an exploded structure of a rotating mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present application, Fig.11 2 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a base provided in an embodiment of the present application. The rotating mechanism 24 may include an output shaft 241 and a driving assembly for driving the output shaft 241 to rotate. The driving assembly may include: a base 242, a slider 243, a crank 244, a rocker 245 and a driving source 246.

[0079] The base 242 includes a mounting surface 2421 facing the blowing member 20, and the mounting surface 2421 is provided with a slide groove 2422. The slider 243 is arranged in the slide groove 2422. One end of the crank 244 is connected to the slider 243. One end of the rocker 245 is hinged to the mounting surface 2421 and connected to the end of the output shaft 241 away from the blowing member 20, and the other end of the rocker 245 is connected to the other end of the crank 244. The driving source 246 is connected to the slider 243, and is used to drive the slider 243 to reciprocate along the slide groove 2422. The driving source 246 can be a low-speed cylinder, which is driven and controlled by an air source.

[0080] In this embodiment, the output shaft 241 is reciprocated by a crank slider mechanism, thereby driving the rotation of the blowing member 20. As an example, please continue to refer to Fig.10 The rotating mechanism 24 may further include an upper cover 247, which is placed on the base 242. The two may be connected by screws 2422 to install the crank slider mechanism inside. At the same time, a through hole 2471 may be provided on the upper cover 247 so that the output shaft 241 extends out of the through hole 2471. In addition, the upper cover 247 may be connected to the bottom of the protective box by screws 2472, thereby realizing the assembly and fixation of the entire rotating mechanism 24.

[0081] In one embodiment, see Fig.12 , Fig.12is a schematic diagram of a blowing control structure provided in an embodiment of the present application. The wafer buffer device may further include a solenoid valve group 60, which is connected between the blowing member 20 and the external gas source. For example, the solenoid valve group 60 may be connected to the steering quick-connect connector 50. The solenoid valve group 60 is also electrically connected to the rotating mechanism 24, and is used to receive an on-off signal, control the on-off of the external gas source, and control the opening and closing of the rotating mechanism 24. When there is no wafer in the wafer buffer device, the purge function is stopped to reduce gas source waste.

[0082] The wafer buffer device may further include a manual switch 70, a pressure regulating valve 80 and a digital pressure switch 90. The manual switch 70 is used as an external start-stop component to achieve mechanical on-off of the external gas source. The pressure regulating valve 80 and the digital pressure switch 90 are used in conjunction to adjust the appropriate pressure for the purge function to achieve the best purge effect.

[0083] The present application also provides a semiconductor process equipment. Fig.13 , Fig.13 It is a structural schematic diagram of a semiconductor process equipment provided by an embodiment of the present application. The semiconductor process equipment may include an equipment front end module (EFEM, Equipment Front End Module) 100, a loading chamber (Load Lock) 200, a transfer chamber (TC) 300 and a process chamber (PM) 400 connected in sequence. The equipment front end module 100 is provided with a wafer buffer device as described in the above embodiments. A plurality of wafer buffer devices may be provided. Some wafer buffer devices may be used to store wafers to be processed, and some wafer buffer devices may be used to store processed wafers. Two loading chambers 200 may be provided, namely LLA and LLB, one for wafer input and the other for wafer output. A plurality of process chambers 400 (PM1, PM2, PM3, PM4) may be arranged around the transfer chamber 300 to improve production efficiency. The process chamber 400 may be used to perform a CCP etching process.

[0084] The wafer transfer process is as follows: the EFEM at the atmospheric end realizes the atmospheric and vacuum conversion through the LLA, and the vacuum robot takes the wafer out of the LLA and puts it into the PM through the TC for etching process. After the process is completed, the vacuum robot takes the wafer out, puts it into the LLB through the TC and returns to the EFEM, and the overhead crane takes the wafer away for the next process.

[0085] For other working principles and processes of the semiconductor process equipment of this embodiment, please refer to the description of the wafer cache device in the aforementioned embodiment of the present invention, which will not be repeated here.

[0086] The above is a detailed introduction to a wafer buffer device and semiconductor process equipment provided by the present application. This article uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. It should be noted that in the present application, the descriptions of each embodiment have their own emphasis. For parts that are not described or recorded in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0087] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application, and the patent scope of the present application is not limited thereto. The various technical features of the technical solution of the present application can be arbitrarily combined. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the various technical features in the above embodiments are described. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the specification and drawings of this application, or directly or indirectly used in other related technical fields, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, are equally included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A wafer buffer device, It is characterized in that include: A protective box, one side of which is provided with an opening for wafers to enter and exit, wherein a plurality of shelf layers arranged along a first direction are provided in the protective box for storing the wafers, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the movement direction of the wafers to enter and exit; At least one blowing member is arranged parallel to the first direction on a side of the protective box where the opening is located, the blowing member includes a first end and a second end, the first end is used to connect to an external air source, and a side of the blowing member facing the inside of the protective box is provided with a plurality of purge holes arranged along the first direction, the plurality of purge holes correspond to the plurality of shelf layers one by one and are staggered, and the purge holes are used to purge the wafers on the corresponding shelf layers; A rotating mechanism corresponding to each of the blowing pieces, the rotating mechanism being connected to the second end of the corresponding blowing piece, and being used to drive the corresponding blowing piece to rotate so that the airflow blown out of the purge hole can cover the entire surface of the corresponding wafer.

2. The wafer buffer device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The protection box comprises a first enclosure plate and a second enclosure plate which are arranged opposite to each other along the first direction; The first enclosure is provided with a first connection hole corresponding to the at least one blowing member, and the first end is rotatably connected to the corresponding first connection hole; The second enclosure plate is provided with second connecting holes corresponding to the at least one blowing member one by one, and the second end is rotatably connected to the corresponding second connecting hole.

3. The wafer buffer device according to claim 2, It is characterized in that Also includes: A connecting shaft is hollow and rotatably disposed in the first connecting hole, and a first external thread is disposed at one end of the connecting shaft facing the blowing member; a first locking nut connected to the connecting shaft via the first external thread; The first end is provided with a first internal thread matched with the first external thread, and the first locking nut is used for locking after the first end is connected to the connecting shaft.

4. The wafer buffer device according to claim 3, It is characterized in that Also included are steering quick-connect fittings; The steering quick-connect connector comprises: An inner tube connected to an end of the connecting shaft away from the blowing member; The outer tube is rotatably sleeved on one end of the inner tube away from the connecting shaft, and the end of the outer tube away from the inner tube is used for connecting to the external gas source.

5. The wafer buffer device according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The rotating mechanism includes an output shaft and a driving assembly for driving the output shaft to rotate; The output shaft rotatably passes through the second connecting hole and is connected to the second end.

6. The wafer buffer device according to claim 5, It is characterized in that The output shaft is provided with a second external thread; The second end is provided with a second internal thread matching the second external thread; The output shaft is also provided with a second locking nut which is matched with the second external thread, and the second locking nut is used for locking after the second end is connected to the output shaft.

7. The wafer buffer device according to claim 5, It is characterized in that The drive assembly comprises: A base, comprising a mounting surface facing the blowing member, wherein the mounting surface is provided with a slide groove; A slider, disposed in the slide groove; A crank, one end of which is connected to the slider; A rocker, one end of which is hinged to the mounting surface and connected to an end of the output shaft away from the blowing member, and the other end of the rocker is connected to the other end of the crank; A driving source is connected to the slider and is used to drive the slider to reciprocate along the slide groove.

8. The wafer buffer device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, It is characterized in that It also includes a solenoid valve group connected between the blowing member and the external air source, and the solenoid valve group is also electrically connected to the rotating mechanism for receiving an on-off signal, controlling the on-off of the external air source, and controlling the opening and closing of the rotating mechanism.

9. The wafer buffer device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The protective box comprises: A shell, wherein the opening is provided on one side of the shell; The bracket is arranged in the shell, and the plurality of shelf layers are arranged on the bracket along the first direction.

10. The wafer buffer device according to claim 9, It is characterized in that The blowing members are provided with two, which are respectively located at two opposite sides of the opening; The shell is also provided with folded edges at the positions of the two sides, respectively, for hiding the two blowing parts.

11. A semiconductor process equipment, It is characterized in that It includes a device front-end module, a loading chamber, a transfer chamber and a process chamber connected in sequence; The wafer cache device according to any one of claims 1-10 is arranged in the front-end module of the equipment.

Images