Process equipment of semiconductor, and maintenance method and process method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses process equipment of a semiconductor, a maintenance method of the process equipment and a process method of the semiconductor. The semiconductor processing equipment comprises a connecting assembly which is arranged on the outer side of a single reaction cavity and comprises a first connecting part and a second connecting part, and each single reaction cavity is detachably connected with the second connecting part of the adjacent single reaction cavity through the first connecting part; the single reaction cavity comprises a main cavity, a first surface of the main cavity is used for transmitting a wafer, a second surface opposite to the first surface is provided with a movable cavity which is positioned in the main cavity and is in pull-out connection with the main cavity, and the movable cavity internally comprises a process part, so that the wafer is subjected to process treatment when the movable cavity is in a push-in state and is in a pull-out state; and carrying out maintenance treatment on the process part. According to the invention, the plateau-efficiency ratio of the semiconductor equipment can be greatly improved, the wafer yield of the wafer in unit time is further improved, meanwhile, the difficulty of disassembling and assembling the equipment can be simplified, and the time cost of maintenance and warranty of the equipment is further reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and specifically relates to a semiconductor process equipment, a maintenance method for a semiconductor process equipment, a semiconductor process method, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In the prior art, "production efficiency per unit area" is an important aspect in the development of semiconductor process equipment. "Production efficiency per unit area" is an indicator that measures the production efficiency or economic benefits per unit area, and it reflects the output value efficiency that equipment or a factory building can create within a certain space.

[0003] Currently, the reaction chambers in semiconductor process equipment, such as Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) equipment and Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) equipment, are all single-layer. As Figure 1 shown, a process module 100 includes two reaction chambers 110 and 120, and these two reaction chambers 110 and 120 are placed side by side. Taking the reaction chamber 110 as an example, its interior includes a shower plate 111 and a heating plate 112 to perform a process on the wafer 113 placed thereon. In the prior art solutions for improving the production efficiency per unit area of equipment, most of them improve by shortening the process time, transfer time, etc., and this method has little effect and the effect is not significant. For a semiconductor process equipment including a process module 100 with a single-layer double reaction chamber as Figure 1 shown, even if a quadrilateral machine is used, that is, the process equipment includes 3 process modules 100, the number of wafers that can be processed at one time is only 6.

[0004] In addition, traditional semiconductor equipment consumes a large amount of manpower, material resources, and time costs during maintenance. The common consumption is during the equipment disassembly and assembly process. If it encounters components that are difficult to disassemble, more time will be required to complete.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems existing in the prior art, there is an urgent need in the art for an improved semiconductor equipment that can greatly improve the production efficiency per unit area of the semiconductor equipment, thereby increasing the wafer output rate per unit time, and at the same time can simplify the difficulty of disassembling and assembling the equipment, thereby reducing the time cost of equipment maintenance and repair. Summary of the Invention

[0006] A brief overview of one or more aspects is given below to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This overview is not an exhaustive survey of all contemplated aspects and is neither intended to identify key or decisive elements of all aspects nor to delimit the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description given later.

[0007] To overcome the above-mentioned defects existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a semiconductor processing device, a maintenance method for a semiconductor processing device, a semiconductor processing method, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can significantly improve the throughput ratio of semiconductor devices, thereby increasing the wafer output rate per unit time, and at the same time can also simplify the difficulty of disassembling and assembling the device, thereby reducing the time cost of device maintenance and warranty.

[0008] Specifically, the semiconductor processing device provided according to the first aspect of the present invention includes: a connection component disposed outside a single reaction chamber, including a first connection portion and a second connection portion, and each of the single reaction chambers is detachably connected to the second connection portion of an adjacent single reaction chamber via the first connection portion; and the single reaction chamber, including a main chamber, a first surface of which is used for wafer transfer, and a second surface opposite thereto is provided with a movable chamber located in the main chamber and forming a pull-out connection therewith, wherein the movable chamber includes process components to perform a process on the wafer when the movable chamber is in a pushed-in state and perform maintenance on the process components when in a pulled-out state.

[0009] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, the first connection portion is at least located at the bottom end of the single reaction chamber, and the second connection portion is at least located at the top end of the single reaction chamber, so that a plurality of the single reaction chambers are at least longitudinally stacked and combined through the first connection portion and the second connection portion.

[0010] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, the first connection portion includes a slide rail, the second connection portion includes a slider, and each slider is provided with a latch to lock the slide rail via the latch after each single reaction chamber is slidably connected to the slide rail of an adjacent single reaction chamber via the slider.

[0011] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, the process components include a heating plate and a spray plate located above it, and the process distance between the spray plate and the heating plate is adjusted by lifting the position of the spray plate.

[0012] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, the single reaction chamber is connected to the pipelines of the external power supply system, power system, radio frequency system, remote plasma system, and pressure control system in a hydraulic manner, and each of the single reaction chambers has an independent power supply system, power system, radio frequency system, remote plasma system, and pressure control system, or multiple single reaction chambers share a set of power supply system, and / or power system, and / or radio frequency system, and / or remote plasma system, and / or pressure control system.

[0013] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, the outsides of multiple single reaction chambers are respectively connected to corresponding pressure gauges, and the other ends of the multiple pressure gauges are connected to the same throttle valve and the same air pump, so that multiple single reaction chambers share a set of pressure control system.

[0014] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, it further includes: a transfer module, which includes a vacuum manipulator inside. The vacuum manipulator includes a rotating shaft, a lifting shaft, and a telescopic assembly, and is used to adjust the position of the vacuum manipulator from three dimensions of the rotation angle R, the lifting distance Z, and the telescopic length T, so as to move it to the slit valve on the first surface of each single reaction chamber.

[0015] In addition, according to the maintenance method of the above semiconductor processing equipment provided by the second aspect of the present invention, it includes the following steps: disconnect the connection between the first connection part outside the single reaction chamber in the above semiconductor processing equipment provided by the first aspect of the present invention and the second connection part outside the adjacent single reaction chamber to remove the single reaction chamber; pull out the movable chamber located in the main chamber from the second surface of the removed single reaction chamber to perform maintenance on the process components in the movable chamber; and in response to the completion of the maintenance, push the movable chamber back into the main chamber.

[0016] In addition, according to the above semiconductor processing method provided by the third aspect of the present invention, it includes the following steps: in response to the wafer being transferred into the transfer module in the above semiconductor processing equipment provided by the first aspect of the present invention, take it out through the vacuum manipulator; obtain the three-dimensional target transfer data of the vacuum manipulator according to the three-dimensional coordinate information of the target reaction chamber in the stacked multiple single reaction chambers; and adjust the position of the vacuum manipulator to move it to the slit valve of the target reaction chamber and send the wafer into the target reaction chamber for process treatment.

[0017] In addition, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is further provided, on which computer instructions are stored. When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, the above semiconductor processing method provided by the third aspect of the present invention is implemented. Description of the Drawings

[0018] After reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the following drawings, the above features and advantages of the present invention can be better understood. In the drawings, the components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components with similar relevant characteristics or features may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a reaction chamber of a semiconductor process equipment in the prior art;

[0020] Figure 2 It shows a schematic structural diagram of a semiconductor process equipment provided according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3A It shows a schematic diagram of the stacked combination of multiple single reaction chambers provided according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3B It shows a top view structural diagram of a quadrilateral semiconductor process equipment provided according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4A It shows a schematic structural diagram of a single reaction chamber in a pulled-out state provided according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4B It shows an exploded view of a single reaction chamber provided according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 It shows a schematic internal structural diagram of a single reaction chamber provided according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 It shows a schematic structural diagram of multiple single reaction chambers sharing a set of pressure control systems provided according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 It shows a schematic structural diagram of a vacuum manipulator provided according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 8A It shows a flowchart of an assembly method of a semiconductor process equipment provided according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 8B It shows the process flow of a semiconductor process method provided according to some embodiments of the present invention; and

[0030] Figure 8C It shows a flowchart of a maintenance method of a semiconductor process equipment provided according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0031] Reference numerals:

[0032] 100, 340 Process modules

[0033] 111, 520 Spray plates

[0034] 112, 510 Heating plates

[0035] 113 Wafer

[0036] 200, 300, 600 Process equipment

[0037] 210 Connection components

[0038] 211 First connection part

[0039] 212 Second connection part

[0040] 213 Lock

[0041] 221 First single reaction chamber

[0042] 222 Second single reaction chamber

[0043] 310 Equipment Front End Module

[0044] 320 Vacuum - atmosphere conversion chamber

[0045] 330 Transfer module

[0046] 400, 610 - 613 Single reaction chambers

[0047] 410 Main chamber

[0048] 411 Slit valve

[0049] 412 Inner slider

[0050] 413 Side panel

[0051] 414 Hydraulic rod

[0052] 420 Movable chamber

[0053] 421 Outer slide rail

[0054] 422 Handle

[0055] 423 Fixing screw

[0056] 424 Observation window

[0057] 500 Wafer

[0058] 511 Lifting pin

[0059] 5110 Hammer;

[0060] 512 Lifting plate;

[0061] 513 First motor;

[0062] 521 Mixer;

[0063] 522 Heat dissipation device;

[0064] 523 Second motor;

[0065] 530 Radio frequency system;

[0066] 540 Remote plasma system;

[0067] 550 Power supply system;

[0068] 560 Pressure control system;

[0069] 561, 620 - 623 Pressure gauges;

[0070] 562, 630 Valve gates;

[0071] 563, 640 Throttle valves;

[0072] 564, 650 Air pumps;

[0073] 700 Vacuum manipulator;

[0074] 710 Rotating shaft;

[0075] 720 Lifting shaft;

[0076] 730 Telescopic assembly;

[0077] 731 First arm rod;

[0078] 732 Second arm rod;

[0079] 733 Third arm rod;

[0080] 740 Finger tip; and

[0081] Steps S810 - S890. Detailed implementation manners

[0082] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation manners of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention will be introduced in combination with preferred embodiments, this does not mean that the features of this invention are limited to this implementation manner. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the invention in combination with the implementation manner is to cover other alternatives or modifications that may extend based on the claims of the present invention. In order to provide a deep understanding of the present invention, many specific details will be included in the following description. The present invention can also be implemented without using these details. In addition, in order to avoid confusing or obscuring the key points of the present invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0083] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "install", "connect", and "couple" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific situations.

[0084] In addition, the "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "horizontal", and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood as the orientations shown in this section and the related drawings. This relative term is only for convenience of description and does not mean that the device described needs to be manufactured or operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

[0085] It can be understood that although terms such as "first", "second", and "third" can be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers, and / or parts, these components, regions, layers, and / or parts should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish different components, regions, layers, and / or parts. Therefore, the first component, region, layer, and / or part discussed below can be referred to as the second component, region, layer, and / or part without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.

[0086] As described above, currently, the reaction chambers in semiconductor processing equipment, such as Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) equipment and Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) equipment, are all single-layer. In the process of improving the equipment floor efficiency ratio, most of the improvements are achieved by shortening the process time, transfer time, etc. This method has little effect and the results are not significant. In addition, traditional semiconductor equipment consumes a large amount of manpower, material resources, and time costs during maintenance. The common consumption occurs during the disassembly and assembly of the equipment. If there are difficult-to-remove components, more time will be required to complete the work.

[0087] To solve the above problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a semiconductor processing equipment, a maintenance method for a semiconductor processing equipment, a semiconductor processing method, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can greatly improve the floor efficiency ratio of semiconductor equipment, thereby increasing the wafer output rate per unit time, and at the same time can also simplify the difficulty of disassembling and assembling the equipment, thereby reducing the time cost of equipment maintenance and repair.

[0088] In some non-limiting embodiments, the above-mentioned semiconductor processing equipment provided by the first aspect of the present invention can be repaired via the above-mentioned maintenance method provided by the second aspect of the present invention, and the above-mentioned semiconductor processing equipment can also be used to implement the above-mentioned semiconductor processing method provided by the third aspect of the present invention.

[0089] Specifically, in some non-limiting embodiments, the above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium provided by the fourth aspect of the present invention stores computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, they can be used to implement the above-mentioned semiconductor processing method provided by the third aspect of the present invention.

[0090] The working principle of the above-mentioned semiconductor processing equipment will be described below in combination with some embodiments of the maintenance method for semiconductor processing equipment and the semiconductor processing method. Those skilled in the art can understand that these embodiments of the maintenance method for semiconductor processing equipment and the semiconductor processing method are only some non-limiting implementation manners provided by the present invention, aiming to clearly show the main concept of the present invention and provide some specific solutions convenient for the public to implement, rather than restricting all working modes or all functions of the semiconductor processing equipment. Similarly, the semiconductor processing equipment is also a non-limiting implementation manner provided by the present invention and does not limit the implementation subject of each step in these maintenance methods for semiconductor processing equipment and the semiconductor processing method.

[0091] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2The structural schematic diagram of a semiconductor processing device provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0092] As Figure 2 shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the semiconductor processing device 200 may include a connection component 210 and a plurality of single reaction chambers. The connection component 210 is disposed outside the single reaction chambers and may include a first connection portion 211 and a second connection portion 212. Each single reaction chamber may be detachably connected to the second connection portion 212 of an adjacent single reaction chamber via the first connection portion 211. For example, the first connection portion 211 may be provided outside the first single reaction chamber 221, and the second connection portion 212 may be provided outside the second single reaction chamber 222. Through the cooperative connection of the connection component 210 outside the two single reaction chambers, the assembly combination of the two single reaction chambers can be achieved.

[0093] Specifically, as Figure 2 shown, optionally, the first connection portion 211 may include a slide rail, and the second connection portion 212 may include a slide block, so that two adjacent single reaction chambers can be slidably connected via the slide block and slide rail structure to complete the assembly. Further, a latch 213 may be provided on each slide block to lock the slide rail via the latch 213 after the two adjacent single reaction chambers are slidably connected, thereby stabilizing the single reaction chambers of each layer.

[0094] Continuing as Figure 2 shown, in some preferred embodiments, the first connection portion 211 may be at least located at the bottom end of the single reaction chamber, and the second connection portion 212 may be at least located at the top end of the single reaction chamber, that is, a single reaction chamber may simultaneously include the first connection portion 211 and the second connection portion 212. Through the first connection portion 211 and the second connection portion 212, a plurality of single reaction chambers can be at least longitudinally stacked and combined.

[0095] Taking Figure 2 the second single reaction chamber 222 in as an example, the second connection portion 212 is provided at the top of the second single reaction chamber 222, and the first connection portion 211 is provided at the bottom thereof. Therefore, the second single reaction chamber 222 can be connected to the first single reaction chamber 221 above it through the second connection portion 212 at the top, or can be connected to another third single reaction chamber (not shown in the figure) below it through the first connection portion 211 at the bottom, thereby forming a longitudinal stacked combination of a plurality of single reaction chambers.

[0096] Specifically, it can be understood in combination with Figure 3A as Figure 3AAs shown, in some alternative embodiments, each single reaction chamber can be vertically stacked in multiple layers through the connection components 210 at its top and bottom. For example, it can be stacked up to N layers. In this embodiment, through the vertically stacked multi-reaction chamber structure, the number of wafers for film formation can be significantly increased, thereby improving the wafer output rate per unit time (Wafer Per Hour, WPH) of the equipment. At the same time, the floor area of the machine can be reduced, and more developable space can be provided under the chamber. Further, this structure can also be widely applied to semiconductor process machines such as quadrilateral, pentagonal, and hexagonal ones.

[0097] Specifically, please refer to Figure 3B for a combined understanding. Figure 3B FIG. shows a top view structural schematic diagram of a semiconductor process equipment in the shape of a quadrilateral according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0098] As Figure 3B shown, the semiconductor process equipment 300 may include an Equipment Front End Module (EFEM) 310 for obtaining wafers from the outside, a Load Lock (LL) 320 for quickly switching between atmospheric pressure and vacuum pressure, a Transfer Module 330 for transferring wafers in a vacuum environment, and a Process Module 340 which includes several reaction chambers (Chambers) inside for processing multiple wafers. And, the transfer module 330 of the process equipment 300 corresponds to 4 outlets, belonging to a quadrilateral machine. Among them, 3 outlets respectively correspond to 3 process modules 340, and 1 outlet corresponds to the load lock 320.

[0099] Therefore, in combination with Figure 3A and Figure 3B for a combined understanding, when the stacking layer number of the vertically stacked multi-reaction chamber structure is two layers (2 flats), the number of wafers that the process equipment 300 can process at one time is 12 (3 PM × 2 CH × 2 flats). Compared with the number of wafers produced by the single-layer double-reaction chamber process module 100 at one time, which is 6 (3 PM × 2 CH × 1 flat), the machine efficiency ratio is directly doubled. Further, if the stacking layer number is three layers (3 flats), the number of wafers that the process equipment 300 can process at one time is 18 (3 PM × 2 CH × 3 flats). And, if the stacking layer number is N layers (N flats), the number of wafers that the process equipment 300 can process at one time is 6N (3 PM × 2 CH × N flats).

[0100] Next, please refer to Figure 4A, jointly understand the structure of the single reaction chamber 400 in the semiconductor processing equipment 200 provided by the present invention. Figure 4A The structural schematic diagram of the single reaction chamber provided according to some embodiments of the present invention in the pulled-out state is shown.

[0101] As Figure 4A shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the single reaction chamber 400 may include a main chamber 410, the first surface of which can be used to transfer wafers, and the opposite second surface may be provided with a movable chamber 420 located within the main chamber 410 and forming a pull-out connection therewith. The movable chamber 420 may include process components, so that when the movable chamber 420 is in the pushed-in state, the wafers can be processed, and when in the pulled-out state, the process components can be repaired. Through this drawer-type single reaction chamber structure, the difficulty of disassembling and assembling the equipment can be simplified, thereby reducing the time cost of maintenance and warranty.

[0102] Specifically, please refer to Figure 4B jointly understand, Figure 4B The exploded view of the single reaction chamber provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0103] Combined with Figure 4A and Figure 4B shown, the main chamber 410 has a front surface and a back surface. Therefore, the above-mentioned first surface can be the back surface of the main chamber 410, and the second surface can correspond to the front surface. A slit valve 411 may be provided on the back surface of the main chamber 410, which is opened when wafer transfer is required and closed when the wafer is sent into the single reaction chamber 400 for process treatment to seal the vacuum chamber. Inner sliders 412 may be provided on the inner walls on both sides of the main chamber 410, and outer slide rails 421 may be provided at corresponding positions on the outer walls on both sides of the movable chamber 420. Through the sliding connection between the outer slide rails 421 and the inner sliders 412, the movable chamber 420 can slide out and slide into the main chamber 410. And, as Figure 4A shown, a handle 422 may also be provided on the front surface of the movable chamber 420 to pull out the entire process components in the movable chamber 420 from the main chamber 410 for maintenance and warranty. Moreover, several (such as 4) fixing screws 423 may also be provided on the front surface of the movable chamber 420 for fixing the connection between the front surface of the movable chamber 420 and the main chamber 410 after the movable chamber 420 is pushed into the main chamber 410. Designing the single reaction chamber 400 as a drawer type and performing maintenance by pulling can greatly shorten the maintenance time.

[0104] Next, please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 The internal structural schematic diagram of the single reaction chamber provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0105] AsFigure 5 As shown, in some embodiments, within each single reaction chamber 400, that is, the process components disposed within the movable chamber 420 may include a hot plate 510 and a shower plate 520 located above it. Among them, by adjusting the position of the shower plate 520, the process distance between the shower plate 520 and the hot plate 510 can be adjusted.

[0106] Specifically, as Figure 5 shown, the hot plate 510 may be fixed to the bottom within the movable chamber 420 for heating the wafer 500 placed thereon. Optionally, the temperature of the hot plate 510 can be set to 25°C to 650°C. The hot plate 510 may include a plurality of lift pins 511, and the lift pins 511 are placed on a lift plate 512, and the lift plate 512 is connected to a first motor 513 in the power system. By driving the lift plate 512 to lift and lower through the first motor 513, the lift pins 511 in the hot plate 510 can be driven to lift and lower, and thus the lifting and lowering of the wafer 500 supported thereon can be controlled. Optionally, in order to improve the stability of the lift pins 511 in supporting the wafer 500 during the lifting and lowering process, a weight 5110 structure can also be installed at its bottom. In addition, in some preferred embodiments, the hot plate 510 can also be horizontally adjusted by leveling screws under the hot plate 510.

[0107] As Figure 5 shown, the shower plate 520 located at the upper end of the hot plate 510 can be connected to a mixer 521. Through the mixer 521, the reaction gas or reaction source can be premixed here, and then the mixed gas is transported to the shower plate 520, which helps the gas to uniformly reach the surface of the wafer 500 and avoids the deterioration of the film formation uniformity caused by uneven mixing of the reaction gas. In addition, the side end of the shower plate 520 can be connected to a second motor 523 in the power system. By driving the second motor 523, the position of the shower plate 520 can be lifted and lowered, so as to adjust the process distance between the shower plate 520 and the hot plate 510. Since the process distance affects the film formation rate and film quality, etc., usually various process types have their own process distance requirements. For example, the ALD process distance range can be set to about 0 - 80 mm, and the CVD process distance range can be set to about 0 - 100 mm. Optionally, the shower plate 520 can also be horizontally adjusted by using a tooling.

[0108] In the above embodiments of the present invention, compared with the structure and method of adjusting the process distance by lifting the heating plate in traditional spray plate fixing, if the heating plate 510 in this embodiment is fixed, its levelness will be better. Moreover, the structure and method of fixing the heating plate 510 in this embodiment and adjusting the process distance by lifting the spray plate 520 are more suitable for the pull-out single reaction chamber structure in the semiconductor process equipment 200. Because there are many components at the bottom of the conventional heating plate, which will occupy the lower space outside the cavity. In the present invention, if the conventional method of adjusting the position of the heating plate is adopted, starting from stacking the single reaction chamber 400 to the second layer, it will be necessary to occupy the lower space outside, which will increase the equipment volume and reduce the floor efficiency ratio.

[0109] As Figure 5 shown, in some embodiments, above the spray plate 520, two heat dissipation devices 522 (such as fans) can also be provided to dissipate the heat generated by the spray plate 520 during the reaction process. The heat dissipation devices 522 can be always turned on. During the deposition reaction, the heat generated by the spray plate 520 will exceed the set value. If the temperature is not reduced, the temperature of the reaction gas flowing through the spray plate 520 will become higher, which will affect both the film quality and the profile distribution of the thin film.

[0110] Continuing as Figure 5 shown, in some alternative embodiments, an RF system 530 can also be provided at the upper end inside the single reaction chamber 400, which mainly includes an RF generator and a capacitor. The RF system 530 can be selected according to different process types. For example, for deposition processes that require plasma enhancement such as PEALD and PECVD, the RF system 530 can be configured. Correspondingly, a remote plasma system 540 can also be connected to the outside of the single reaction chamber 400, which mainly includes a remote plasma generator. The adjustable range of the RF frequency is 1 MHz - 100 MHz. And for these processes involving RF, since the introduction of plasma can significantly improve the reaction activity, it is preferred to first fully mix the reaction gases in the mixer 521 and then introduce them to avoid poor film formation uniformity caused by uneven mixing. For deposition processes without plasma participation such as thermal ALD, SACVD, and LPCVD, the RF system 530 may not be configured either.

[0111] Furthermore, please return Figure 4A , in some preferred embodiments, an observation window 424 can be provided on the front surface of the movable chamber 420 of the single reaction chamber 400. The observation window 424 can be aligned with the heating plate 510 inside the chamber to observe the reaction situation of the wafer. Specifically, for processes involving plasma, during the RF startup stage, it is possible to observe from the outside through the observation window 424 whether the RF glow discharge is successful, so as to avoid the glow discharge failure turning into a CVD reaction or no chemical reaction occurring.

[0112] As Figure 5 shown, in some embodiments, the single reaction chamber 400 may further include a power supply system 550, which mainly includes a filter and a thermocouple. The filter can effectively filter out frequencies other than a specific frequency in the power line. The thermocouple can be used to accurately measure the temperature of key components in the power supply system 550 to timely detect abnormal temperature changes and improve the reliability and stability of the power supply system 550.

[0113] Continuing as Figure 5 shown, in some embodiments, the single reaction chamber 400 may further include a pressure control system 560, which mainly includes a pressure gauge 561, a valve gate 562, a throttle valve 563, and a gas pump 564. During the process of adjusting the pressure in the single reaction chamber 400 by the gas pump 564, the real-time pressure in the single reaction chamber 400 is monitored by the pressure gauge 561, and then the size of the throttle valve 563 can be adjusted to accurately control the pumping flow rate and the pressure in the chamber. Optionally, the pressure range in the single reaction chamber 400 can be between 0.1 - 760 torr.

[0114] Furthermore, in combination with Figure 5 and Figure 4B it is commonly understood that in some embodiments, the above-mentioned external power supply system 550, power system, RF system 530, remote plasma system 540, and the pipelines, jacketed cables, etc. in the pressure control system 560 can be connected to the cavity in a hydraulic manner through the hydraulic rod 414 on the side panel 413 of the main chamber 410. The main devices outside the side panel 413 can be sealed by sealing rings, and the pipelines and jacketed cables inside and outside the cavity can be connected in a hydraulic manner. This can not only improve the connection tightness, thereby enhancing system safety, but also reduce the difficulty of maintenance and repair.

[0115] Furthermore, in some alternative embodiments, as Figure 5 shown, in a stacked multi-reaction chamber structure, each single reaction chamber 400 can have an independent power supply system 550, power system, RF system 530, remote plasma system 540, and pressure control system 560.

[0116] Optionally, in some other embodiments, in a stacked multi-reaction chamber structure, multiple single reaction chambers 400 can also be integrated and controlled together. That is to say, multiple single reaction chambers 400 can also jointly have a set of power supply system 550, and / or power system, and / or RF system 530, and / or remote plasma system 540, and / or pressure control system 560.

[0117] Specifically, please refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6The structural schematic diagram of a set of pressure control systems shared by multiple single reaction chambers according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0118] As Figure 6 shown, in some embodiments, in the semiconductor processing equipment 600, there may be 4 single reaction chambers 610-613, and each single reaction chamber 610-613 is respectively connected to a corresponding pressure gauge 620-623. Each pressure gauge 620-623 is commonly connected to the same valve 630, throttle valve 640 and air pump 650, so as to realize that multiple chambers share a set of pressure control systems. For example, when it is necessary to adjust multiple single reaction chambers 610-613 to the same process pressure, a set of pressure control systems can be used to control multiple chambers jointly to achieve the function of quickly adjusting the air pressure of multiple reaction chambers. In addition, through this mode of combined control of multiple reaction chambers, resource costs can also be saved.

[0119] Next, please combine Figure 3B and Figure 7 , Figure 7 The structural schematic diagram of a vacuum manipulator provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0120] As Figure 3B shown, in some embodiments, a vacuum manipulator 700 may be provided in the transfer module 330 of the semiconductor processing equipment 300. And for the stacked multi-reaction chamber structure, the vacuum manipulator 700 needs to have the ability of three-dimensional movement. As Figure 7 shown, the vacuum manipulator 700 may include a rotating shaft 710, a lifting shaft 720, and a telescopic assembly 730, which are used to adjust the position of the finger end 740 of the vacuum manipulator 700 from three dimensions of the rotation angle R, the lifting distance Z, and the telescopic length T, so as to move it to the back slit valve 411 of each single reaction chamber. The wafer taken out by the vacuum manipulator 700 from the transfer module 330 can be accurately sent to the target single reaction chamber in the target layer in the target single reaction chamber by calculating the three dimensions of R, Z, and T during the process of being transferred to the target single reaction chamber.

[0121] Specifically, the lifting distance of the vacuum manipulator 700 in the Z-axis direction can be controlled by the lifting shaft 720. The adjustment distance of the lifting shaft 720 is usually obtained according to the motion trajectory and motion chain simulation of the vacuum manipulator 700. First, it is necessary to avoid the collision of the vacuum manipulator 700 in the transfer module 330, and secondly, it is determined by the actual measurement of the height of the slit valve 411 and the position of the lifting pin 511. After that, the rotation angle of the vacuum manipulator 700 in the R direction can be controlled by the rotating shaft 710. Taking Figure 3BTaking the quadrilateral transfer module 330 as an example, three rotation angles of 90°, 180°, and 270° can be set for the rotation axis 710. Further, fine-tuning calibration can be performed by the robot. For example, fine-tuning adjustment can be carried out at 0.04° = 1 mm each time. Through the linkage cooperation of the first arm 731, the second arm 732, and the third arm 733 in the telescopic assembly 730, and their symmetric arms, the telescopic length of the vacuum manipulator 700 in the T direction is controlled so that the finger end 740 can more conveniently find the precise position of the slit valve 411.

[0122] So far, the main structure of the semiconductor processing equipment provided in the first aspect of the present invention has been introduced. Next, the working principle of the semiconductor processing equipment will be further described in combination with the installation method and maintenance method of the semiconductor processing equipment, as well as the semiconductor processing method.

[0123] Please first refer to Figure 8A , Figure 8A which shows a flowchart of an assembly method of semiconductor processing equipment according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0124] Combined with Figure 4A and Figure 8A for a common understanding, in some embodiments of the present invention, the assembly method of the semiconductor processing equipment may include the following steps. First, step S810 can be executed to install process components, such as the shower plate 520, the heating plate 510, the lifting pins 511, and the lifting plate 512, etc., in the movable cavity 420 of the semiconductor processing equipment 200. Then, step S820 can be executed. The movable cavity 420 with the assembled process components can be pushed into the main cavity 410 from the front of the main cavity 410 through the handle 422 on the front of the movable cavity 420 to complete the assembly of the single reaction chamber 400. Further, combined with Figure 4B and Figure 5 as shown, the external main system components can be hermetically connected to the cavity through screws and sealing rings, and various pipelines, sleeve cables, etc. required by these main system components can be connected to the cavity by hydraulic means on the side panel 413.

[0125] After that, please combine Figure 2 and Figure 8A for a common understanding. Step S830 can be executed to detachably connect each single reaction chamber to the second connecting portion 212 outside the adjacent single reaction chamber via the first connecting portion 211 located outside it, thereby completing the stacking combination of multiple single reaction chambers. Optionally, if the first connecting portion 211 and the second connecting portion 212 are in a sliding connection of a slide rail and a slider, a latch 213 can also be provided on the slider to lock the slide rail to ensure the structural stability of the stacked chamber.

[0126] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, after the semiconductor processing equipment with the stacked multi-reaction chamber structure is installed, a wafer can be obtained for processing.

[0127] Specifically, please refer to Figure 8B , Figure 8B which shows the flow of a semiconductor processing method according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0128] Combined with Figure 3B and Figure 8B for a common understanding, first, step S840 can be executed. In response to the wafer being transferred within the equipment front-end module 310 transfer module 330, it can be taken out by the vacuum manipulator 700. Then, step S850 can be executed to obtain the three-dimensional target transfer data of the vacuum manipulator according to the three-dimensional coordinate information of the target reaction chamber among the stacked multiple single reaction chambers. Optionally, the three-dimensional target transfer data of the vacuum manipulator 700 can include the rotation angle R, the lifting distance Z, and the telescopic length T. By calculating the three dimensions of R, Z, and T of the vacuum manipulator 700, the wafer can be transferred into each single reaction chamber of each layer. After that, step S860 can be executed to adjust the position of the vacuum manipulator 700 so that it moves to the slit valve 411 of the target reaction chamber and sends the wafer into the target reaction chamber for processing.

[0129] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, after multiple processings are completed in the reaction chamber, the process components in the reaction chamber of the semiconductor processing equipment can also be regularly maintained and repaired.

[0130] Specifically, please refer to Figure 8C , Figure 8C which shows the flow chart of the repair method of the semiconductor processing equipment according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0131] As Figure 4B and Figure 8CIt is understood that, in some embodiments of the present invention, the maintenance method of a semiconductor process equipment may include the following steps. First, various components fixed to the side panel 413 by screws in the single reaction chamber 400 can be disassembled. Then, step S870 can be executed to disconnect the first connection part outside the single reaction chamber in the semiconductor process equipment from the second connection part outside its adjacent single reaction chamber, so as to remove the single reaction chamber. Optionally, if the first connection part 211 and the second connection part 212 are in a sliding connection of a slide rail and a slider and are fixed by a latch 213, the latch 213 on the slider below the single reaction chamber 400 can be opened first, and then the single reaction chamber 400 can be slid out from the slide rail. Further, various pipelines, sleeve cables, etc. of the main process components can be separated from the cavity by hydraulic means. Then, as Figure 4A shown, the 4 fixing screws 423 on the front of the movable chamber 420 can be disassembled, so that the movable chamber 420 can be pulled out from the main chamber 410. After that, step S880 can be executed to pull out the movable chamber 420 located in the main chamber 410 through the handle 422 from the front of the removed single reaction chamber 400, so as to pull out all the process components in the whole movable chamber 420, and then the components to be maintained can be disassembled and maintained in detail respectively. Finally, step S890 can be executed. In response to the completion of the maintenance process of the process components, the movable chamber 420 can be pushed back into the main chamber 410, and the single reaction chamber 400 can be reassembled and stacked back into the process equipment.

[0132] Although the above methods are illustrated and described as a series of actions for simplicity of explanation, it should be understood and appreciated that these methods are not limited by the order of the actions, because according to one or more embodiments, some actions may occur in a different order and / or concurrently with other actions not illustrated and described herein but understood by those skilled in the art.

[0133] Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the steps of the methods or algorithms described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of both. The software module may reside in a RAM memory, a flash memory, a ROM memory, an EPROM memory, an EEPROM memory, a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read from and write to the storage medium. In an alternative, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In an alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside in the user terminal as discrete components.

[0134] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the described functionality may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software as a computer program product, the functions may be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. The computer-readable medium includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. The storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a web site, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of the medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc, where disk generally reproduces data magnetically, while disc reproduces data optically with a laser. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0135] In summary, the present invention provides a semiconductor processing device, a method for repairing a semiconductor processing device, a semiconductor processing method, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can significantly improve the throughput ratio of semiconductor devices, thereby increasing the wafer yield per unit time, and at the same time can simplify the difficulty of disassembling and assembling the device, thereby reducing the time cost of device maintenance and warranty.

[0136] The foregoing description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: include: a connecting assembly, disposed outside the single reaction chamber, comprising a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion, wherein each of the single reaction chambers is detachably connected to the second connecting portion of an adjacent single reaction chamber via the first connecting portion; and The single reaction chamber includes a main chamber, a first surface of which is used to transfer wafers, and a second surface opposite thereto is provided with an active chamber located in the main chamber and connected thereto in a pull-out manner, wherein the active chamber includes process components, so that when the active chamber is in a push-in state, the wafers can be processed, and when the active chamber is in a pull-out state, the process components can be repaired.

2. The process equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first connection portion is at least located at the bottom end of the single reaction chamber, and the second connection portion is at least located at the top end of the single reaction chamber. The first connection portion and the second connection portion enable a plurality of single reaction chambers to be at least stacked and combined longitudinally.

3. The process equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first connection part includes a slide rail, the second connection part includes a slider, and each slider is provided with a lock so that after each single reaction chamber is slidably connected to the slide rail of an adjacent single reaction chamber via the slider, the slide rail is locked via the lock.

4. The process equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The process component comprises a heating disk and a shower plate located above the heating disk, wherein the process distance between the shower plate and the heating disk is adjusted by raising and lowering the position of the shower plate.

5. The process equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The single reaction chamber is connected to the pipelines in the external power supply system, power system, radio frequency system, remote plasma system and pressure control system by hydraulic means, and each single reaction chamber has an independent power supply system, power system, radio frequency system, remote plasma system and pressure control system, or multiple single reaction chambers share a set of power supply system, and / or power system, and / or radio frequency system, and / or remote plasma system, and / or pressure control system.

6. The process equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The exteriors of the plurality of single reaction chambers are respectively connected to corresponding pressure gauges, and the other ends of the plurality of pressure gauges are connected to the same throttle valve and the same air pump, so that the plurality of single reaction chambers share a set of the pressure control system.

7. The process equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: The transmission module includes a vacuum manipulator, which includes a rotating shaft, a lifting shaft, and a telescopic component, and is used to adjust the position of the vacuum manipulator from three dimensions: rotation angle, lifting distance, and telescopic length, so as to move it to the slit valve on the first surface of each single reaction chamber.

8. A method for repairing semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Disconnecting a first connection portion outside a single reaction chamber in the semiconductor process equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 7 from a second connection portion outside the single reaction chamber adjacent thereto, so as to remove the single reaction chamber; Pulling out the active chamber in the main chamber from the second side of the removed single reaction chamber to perform maintenance on the process components in the active chamber; as well as In response to completion of the maintenance process, the active chamber is pushed back into the main chamber.

9. A semiconductor process method, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: In response to the wafer being transferred into a transfer module in a semiconductor process equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 7, taking it out by a vacuum robot; Acquiring three-dimensional target transfer data of the vacuum manipulator according to three-dimensional coordinate information of the target reaction chamber in the stacked plurality of single reaction chambers; as well as The position of the vacuum robot is adjusted to move it to the slit valve of the target reaction chamber, and the wafer is sent into the target reaction chamber for process treatment.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, the semiconductor processing method as claimed in claim 9 is implemented.

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