Wafer stage structure and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a wafer stage structure and semiconductor processing equipment. The wafer carrying table structure comprises a carrying disc body; a plurality of thimbles which are arranged in the loading disc body in a lifting manner and are used for supporting the wafer to lift; the synchronous lifting device comprises a main body motor mechanism and a plurality of driven belt wheel mechanisms connected with the ejector pins, the driven belt wheel mechanisms are connected with the main body motor mechanism through transmission belts, and after the main body motor mechanism rotates, the driven belt wheel mechanisms are driven to synchronously rotate through transmission of the transmission belts; and the synchronous rotating motion is converted into synchronous lifting motion through a first driven screw rod in each driven belt wheel mechanism so as to drive each ejector pin to lift synchronously. According to the invention, the levelness and the stability of the large-size wafer in the bearing and lifting process can be improved, the fragment risk of bearing center-of-gravity shift caused by the large-size wafer is reduced, and meanwhile, the problem of particle pollution caused by friction of the inner wall due to deflection of part of ejector pins caused by bearing center-of-gravity shift can be avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and particularly relates to a wafer stage structure and a semiconductor processing apparatus. Background Art

[0002] In the process of semiconductor manufacturing, lifting the wafer by means of a wafer stage is a very important link in the whole process.

[0003] Currently, the wafer stage in conventional processing equipment uses a lifting device with a single motor or cylinder structure to carry a support bracket for operation to achieve the wafer lifting function. Specifically, reference can be made to Figure 1 , in Figure 1 the lifting device 100 with a single motor structure shown, for supporting some small-sized wafers, such as wafers with a diameter of less than 150 mm (6 inches), it can barely lift stably. However, for supporting some large-sized wafers, such as wafers with a diameter of 300 mm (12 inches) and above, there are significant equipment limitations.

[0004] Specifically, since wafers with a size of 12 inches and above are relatively large in size, a support bracket 110 with a larger diameter is correspondingly required to support the lift pins 111 thereon to lift the wafer. Since a single motor 120 (or cylinder) can only be located on one side of the support bracket 110, the side of the support bracket 110 far from the single motor 120 is prone to tilt under the influence of the gravity of the large-sized wafer, resulting in insufficient flatness of the multiple lift pins 111 during the lifting process of the large-sized wafer and the occurrence of a situation where the center of support is shifted. Once the center of support is shifted, it is easy to follow with lifting jitter, the support bracket 110 is shifted and skewed, etc. Further, due to the skew of the support bracket 110, some of the lift pins 111 will rub against the inner wall of the stage hole during the lifting process, resulting in particle contamination problems. In addition, due to the skew of the support bracket 110, the wafer supported thereon will be biased to one side, resulting in poor process effects, and in severe cases, the wafer will even deviate from the heating stage, causing a fragmentation problem.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems existing in the prior art, there is an urgent need in the art for a wafer stage technology that can improve the flatness and stability during the lifting process of supporting large-sized wafers, reduce the risk of fragmentation caused by the shift of the center of support due to large-sized wafers, and at the same time can also avoid the particle contamination problem caused by the skew of some lift pins rubbing against the inner wall due to the shift of the center of support. 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 define 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 wafer stage structure and a semiconductor processing apparatus, which can improve the levelness and stability during the lifting process of supporting large-sized wafers, reduce the risk of debris caused by the offset of the supporting center of gravity due to large-sized wafers, and at the same time can also avoid the particle contamination problem caused by the skew friction of some thimbles against the inner wall due to the offset of the supporting center of gravity.

[0008] Specifically, the above-mentioned wafer stage structure provided according to the first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it includes: a carrier plate body; a plurality of thimbles, which are liftably arranged inside the carrier plate body to support the lifting of the wafer; and a synchronous lifting device, which includes a main motor mechanism and a plurality of driven pulley mechanisms connecting the plurality of thimbles, and each of the driven pulley mechanisms is connected to the main motor mechanism through a transmission belt. Wherein, after the main motor mechanism rotates, through the transmission of the transmission belt, it drives the plurality of driven pulley mechanisms to rotate synchronously, and through the first driven lead screw in each of the driven pulley mechanisms, the synchronous rotational motion is converted into synchronous lifting motion to drive each of the thimbles to lift synchronously.

[0009] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, it further includes a support bracket, the upper end of which is connected to the plurality of thimbles, and the lower end of which is connected to the plurality of driven pulley mechanisms.

[0010] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, the main motor mechanism sequentially includes a motor, a coupling, and a main gear located on the driving lead screw from bottom to top. The torque generated by the motor drives the main gear to rotate through the transmission of the coupling and the driving lead screw, forming a driving rotation axis with the motor as the main body.

[0011] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, the driven pulley mechanism includes a driven pulley, at least one of the transmission belts surrounds the main gear and the outside of the plurality of driven pulleys to transmit the rotation of the main gear to each of the driven pulleys, forming a plurality of first driven rotation axes with the driven pulleys as the main bodies.

[0012] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, it further includes a tension pulley mechanism, including a tension pulley, and at least one of the transmission belts surrounds the outer sides of the main gear, the tension pulley, and multiple driven pulleys, so as to adjust the tightness of the transmission belt during transmission via the tension pulley.

[0013] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, the main body motor mechanism further includes multiple auxiliary gears, which are located outside the main gear and meshed with the main gear, and the auxiliary gears are connected to the transmission pulleys via the second driven lead screws, so as to transfer the rotation of the main gear to each of the transmission pulleys, forming multiple transmission rotation shafts with the auxiliary gears as the main bodies.

[0014] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, there are multiple transmission belts, and each of the driven pulleys is connected to the corresponding transmission pulley via a corresponding transmission belt, and each of the transmission belts surrounds the corresponding driven pulley and the transmission pulley, forming multiple second driven rotation shafts with the driven pulleys as the main bodies.

[0015] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, the driven pulley mechanism further includes several linear bearings, which are located on both sides of the first driven lead screw and are used to cooperate with the first driven lead screw to jointly support the thimble for synchronous lifting and lowering.

[0016] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, it further includes a vacuum bellows. Between the carrier plate body and the cavity base, the first driven lead screw and the corresponding thimble thereon are flexibly connected via the vacuum bellows, so as to reduce mechanical vibration during the lifting and lowering of the thimble and seal the vacuum environment in the cavity.

[0017] In addition, the above-mentioned semiconductor process equipment provided according to the second aspect of the present invention includes: a reaction chamber for performing process treatment; and the above-mentioned wafer carrier structure provided according to the first aspect of the present invention for supporting the wafer to be lifted to the process position for performing the process treatment. 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 Shows a schematic structural diagram of a lifting device with a single-motor structure in the prior art;

[0020] Figure 2 Shows a schematic structural diagram of a wafer carrier structure provided according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 shows a schematic bottom view of a wafer stage structure provided according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4A is Figure 3 a schematic structure diagram of a main motor mechanism in the wafer stage structure shown;

[0023] Figure 4B is Figure 3 a schematic structure diagram of a driven pulley mechanism in the wafer stage structure shown;

[0024] Figure 4C is Figure 3 a schematic structure diagram of a tension pulley mechanism in the wafer stage structure shown;

[0025] Figure 5 shows a schematic bottom view of a wafer stage structure provided according to some other embodiments of the present invention; and

[0026] Figure 6 is Figure 5 a schematic structure diagram of a main motor mechanism in the wafer stage structure shown.

[0027] Reference numerals:

[0028] 100 Lifting device with a single - motor structure;

[0029] 110 Support bracket;

[0030] 111 Ejector pin;

[0031] 120 Single motor;

[0032] 200, 500 Wafer stage structures;

[0033] 210 Carrier plate body;

[0034] 211 Base;

[0035] 220 Ejector pin;

[0036] 230 Synchronous lifting device;

[0037] 231, 510 Main motor mechanisms;

[0038] 232, 520 Driven pulley mechanisms;

[0039] 233 Transmission belt;

[0040] 234 Tension pulley mechanism;

[0041] 240 Vacuum bellows;

[0042] 410 Electric motor;

[0043] 411 Coupling;

[0044] 412 Driving lead screw;

[0045] 413, 610 Main gear;

[0046] 414 Main bearing housing;

[0047] 420, 521 Driven pulley;

[0048] 421 Auxiliary bearing housing;

[0049] 422 First driven lead screw;

[0050] 423 Linear bearing;

[0051] 424 Lead screw nut;

[0052] 425 Connector;

[0053] 430 Tension pulley;

[0054] 431 Base;

[0055] 432 Kidney-shaped hole bushing;

[0056] 433 Kidney-shaped hole;

[0057] 434 Fixing screw;

[0058] 511 First transmission belt;

[0059] 512 Second transmission belt;

[0060] 513 Third transmission belt;

[0061] 514 Fourth transmission belt;

[0062] 620 Auxiliary gear;

[0063] 621 Second driven lead screw; and

[0064] 622 Transmission pulley. Detailed implementation manner

[0065] 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 conjunction 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 conjunction 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.

[0066] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "mounted", "connected" and "connected" 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 elements. 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.

[0067] 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 the convenience of description, and it does not mean that the device described needs to be manufactured or operated in a specific orientation, so it should not be understood as a limitation to the present invention.

[0068] It can be understood that although the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. can be used here 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 called the second component, region, layer and / or part without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.

[0069] As described above, in Figure 1In the lifting device with a single-motor structure shown, when it comes to supporting some large-sized wafers, such as wafers with a diameter of 300 mm (12 inches) and above, there are significant equipment limitations. Due to the large size of wafers with a diameter of 12 inches and above, a correspondingly larger support bracket 110 is required to support the lift pins 111 thereon for lifting the wafers. Since a single motor 120 (or cylinder) can only be located on one side of the support bracket 110, the side of the support bracket 110 far from the single motor 120 is prone to tilting under the influence of the gravity of the large-sized wafer, resulting in insufficient levelness of the multiple lift pins 111 during the lifting and lowering of the large-sized wafer, and the occurrence of the situation of the center of gravity of the support shifting. Once the center of gravity of the support shifts, it is easy to follow with lifting jitter, the support bracket 110 shifting and skewing, etc. Further, due to the skewing of the support bracket 110, some of the lift pins 111 will rub against the inner wall of the carrier hole during the lifting and lowering process, thus causing particle contamination problems. In addition, due to the skewing of the support bracket 110, the wafer supported thereon will be biased to one side, resulting in poor process effects, and in severe cases, the wafer will even deviate from the heating carrier, causing a fragmentation problem.

[0070] To solve the above problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a wafer carrier structure and a semiconductor process equipment, which can improve the levelness and stability during the lifting and lowering of large-sized wafers, reduce the risk of fragmentation caused by the center of gravity shift of the support due to large-sized wafers, and at the same time can also avoid the particle contamination problem caused by some lift pins skewing and rubbing against the inner wall due to the center of gravity shift of the support.

[0071] In some non-limiting embodiments, the above-mentioned wafer carrier structure provided by the first aspect of the present invention can be configured in the above-mentioned semiconductor process equipment provided by the second aspect of the present invention.

[0072] The working principle of the above-mentioned wafer carrier structure will be described below in conjunction with some embodiments of semiconductor process equipment. Those skilled in the art can understand that these embodiments of semiconductor process equipment 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 being used to limit all working modes or all functions of the wafer carrier structure. Similarly, the wafer carrier structure is also only a non-limiting implementation manner provided by the present invention and does not constitute a limitation to other configured objects in these semiconductor process equipment.

[0073] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 which shows a schematic structural diagram of a wafer carrier structure provided according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0074] As Figure 2As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the process equipment of the semiconductor may include a reaction chamber (not shown in the drawings) for performing process treatments. A wafer stage structure 200 may be provided in the reaction chamber for supporting and lifting the wafer to a process position to perform process treatments on it, so as to meet various process positions for various different process requirements.

[0075] Specifically, as Figure 2 shown, in some embodiments, the wafer stage structure 200 may include a carrier plate body 210, a plurality of ejector pins 220, and a synchronous lifting device 230. The carrier plate body 210 may be fixed on the cavity base 211 of the reaction chamber. The plurality of ejector pins 220 may be disposed inside the carrier plate body 210 in a liftable manner to support and lift the wafer. For example, when the wafer to be processed is fed from the transfer chamber into the reaction chamber, the plurality of ejector pins 220 may rise to support the wafer to be processed, and then descend to gently place the wafer on the carrier plate body 210 for a specific deposition process treatment. And, after the wafer completes the process treatment, the plurality of ejector pins 220 may rise again to lift the processed wafer, waiting for the external robot to take it out.

[0076] Further, please refer to Figure 3 for a common understanding. Figure 3 FIG. shows a bottom view structural schematic diagram of the wafer stage structure provided according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0077] As Figure 3 shown, in some embodiments, the synchronous lifting device 230 in the wafer stage structure 200 may include a main body motor mechanism 231 and a plurality of driven pulley mechanisms 232 connecting the plurality of ejector pins 220. The main body motor mechanism 231 may be fixed on the base of the base 211 and connected to each driven pulley mechanism 232 through a transmission belt 233 (such as a belt). When the main body motor mechanism 231 rotates, it can drive the plurality of driven pulley mechanisms 232 to rotate synchronously through the transmission of the transmission belt 223, and convert the synchronous rotational motion of the plurality of driven pulley mechanisms 232 into a synchronous lifting motion through the first driven lead screws in each driven pulley mechanism 232 to drive each ejector pin 220 to achieve synchronous lifting, so as to ensure the levelness and stability of the large-sized wafer supported and lifted by the plurality of ejector pins 220 during its lifting process.

[0078] In some alternative embodiments, in order to further reduce the asynchronous difference of the plurality of ejector pins 220 during the lifting process, the wafer stage structure 200 may include a support bracket ( Figure 3(not shown in the figure), its upper end can be connected to multiple thimbles 220, and its lower end can be connected to the main body motor mechanism 231 and multiple driven pulley mechanisms 232. By providing a support bracket as a buffer between the multiple thimbles 220 and the synchronous lifting device 230, it is possible to absorb a part of the small asynchronous difference, thereby helping to improve the synchronism and levelness of the multiple thimbles 220 during the lifting process.

[0079] Next, please refer to Figure 4A , Figure 4A which is Figure 3 a schematic structural diagram of the main body motor mechanism in the wafer stage structure shown.

[0080] As Figure 4A shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the main body motor mechanism 231 can be stably fixed on the base of the base 211 via the main bearing seat 414, preventing the main body motor mechanism 231 from shifting or tilting during operation, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the mechanical system.

[0081] The main body motor mechanism 231 can sequentially include a motor 410, a coupling 411, and a main gear 413 located on the active lead screw 412 from bottom to top. The torque generated by the motor 410 can drive the main gear 413 to rotate through the transmission of the coupling 411 and the active lead screw 412, thereby forming an active rotation axis with the motor 410 as the main body. In this embodiment, by providing a coupling 411 on the motor 410 and the main gear 413, it is also possible to compensate for the offset (including axial offset, radial offset, angular offset or combined offset) between the shaft end of the motor 410 and the shaft end of the main gear 413 (active lead screw 412) due to inaccurate manufacturing and installation, deformation or thermal expansion during operation, relieve shock, absorb vibration, and play an overload protection role to achieve stable transmission of motion and torque.

[0082] Next, please refer to Figure 4B , Figure 4B which is Figure 3 a schematic structural diagram of the driven pulley mechanism in the wafer stage structure shown.

[0083] As ​ shown, in some embodiments, the driven pulley mechanism 232 can sequentially include a driven pulley 420, a secondary bearing seat 421, a first driven lead screw 422, and a linear bearing 423 from bottom to top, wherein the driven pulley 420 is fixedly installed via the secondary bearing seat 421.

[0084] Combined with ​ and ​It is understood that in some alternative embodiments, the main gear 413 in the main motor mechanism 231 may be a pulley structure. At least one transmission belt 233 can surround the outer sides of the main gear 413 (main pulley) and a plurality of driven pulleys 420, so as to transmit the rotation of the main gear 413 (main pulley) in the main motor mechanism 231 to the driven pulleys 420 in each driven pulley mechanism 232, forming a plurality of first driven rotating shafts with the driven pulleys 420 as the main body.

[0085] Specifically, the lead screw nut 424 meshes with the lead screw thread on the first driven lead screw 422. When the first driven lead screw 422 rotates one week, the lead screw nut 424 can move along the axial direction of the first driven lead screw 422 by a distance of one thread. This axial movement, which is the linear lifting movement in the present invention, can be used to drive the ejector pin located at its upper end to perform longitudinal lifting movement. Since the upper and lower parts of the first driven lead screw 422 are bearing seats, the first driven lead screw 422 can be kept rotating in place. The lead screw nut 424 is connected to the linear bearing 423 through a connecting member 425, so that when the first driven lead screw 422 rotates, it drives the lead screw nut 424 to convert the rotational movement into a linear movement. The first driven lead screw 422 in the driven pulley mechanism 232 can convert the rotational movement synchronized with the main gear 413 (main pulley) performed by the driven pulley 420 into a synchronous reciprocating lifting movement, thereby driving the ejector pins 220 to lift synchronously.

[0086] In addition, in order to further ensure the stability of the plurality of first driven lead screws 422 during the linear lifting movement, so that the lifting of a single fulcrum is stable and does not shift, and further to make the lifting of the four lifting fulcrums synchronous and stable. In some preferred embodiments, a plurality of linear bearings 423 can be arranged on both sides of the first driven lead screw 422, and are used to cooperate with the first driven lead screw 422 to jointly support the plurality of ejector pins 220 to lift synchronously. Specifically, since the support bracket connecting the plurality of ejector pins 220 is associated with the plurality of driven pulley mechanisms 232, during the synchronous lifting process of the linear bearing 423 and the first driven lead screw 422, they can cooperate to support and drive the support bracket to lift, so that the ejector pins 220 lift stably.

[0087] In addition, due to dimensional errors after the installation of a conventional conveyor belt (such as a belt), the situation of being too loose or too tight may occur, and after the conveyor belt works for a period of time, the conveyor belt is also prone to looseness. In this regard, continue as ​ shown, in some preferred embodiments of the present invention, if there is still a certain space reserved below the wafer stage structure 200, the wafer stage structure 200 may further include a tension pulley mechanism 234.

[0088] Specifically, it can be combined with ​ It is understood that​ is ​ a schematic structural diagram of the tension pulley mechanism in the wafer stage structure shown in the figure.

[0089] As ​ shown, in some embodiments, the tension pulley mechanism 234 may include a tension pulley 430, and the tension pulley 430 may be fixed to the bottom of the base 211 through a base 431. A waist-shaped hole bushing 432 may be embedded in the middle of the bearing of the tension pulley 430, and the waist-shaped hole 433 may be adjustable with the threaded hole of the base. After it is adjusted to the appropriate position, it can be fixed through a fixing screw 434.

[0090] Combined with ​ it is commonly understood that in some embodiments, at least one of the above-mentioned drive belts 233 may simultaneously surround the outside of the main gear 413 (main pulley), the tension pulley 430, and a plurality of driven pulleys 420 to adjust the tightness of the drive belt 233 during transmission through the tension pulley 430. In this embodiment, through the base 431, the tension pulley 430, and the fixing screw 434 in the tension pulley mechanism 234, an idler pulley structure capable of adjusting the conveyor belt tension can be formed. It can optimize the meshing position between gears in a complex gear transmission system, make the meshing between gears more reasonable, avoid problems such as interference or uneven wear, and at the same time balance the load, make the load borne by each gear more uniform, and improve the reliability and service life of the entire transmission system.

[0091] In ​ the embodiment shown, the main motor mechanism 231 in the wafer stage structure 200 is connected to a plurality of driven pulley mechanisms 232 through at least one drive belt 233, and the tension of the drive belt 233 is adjusted through the tension pulley mechanism 234. The motor 410 rotates to drive the drive belt 233 to rotate, so that the driven pulley 420 in a plurality of driven pulley mechanisms 232, and the tension pulley 430 in the tension pulley mechanism 234 rotate synchronously, and the rotational motion is converted into a reciprocating lifting motion through the first driven lead screw 422 to achieve the high-level and stable lifting of the entire large-size wafer.

[0092] Next, please refer to ​ , ​ which shows a bottom view structural schematic diagram of a wafer stage structure provided according to other embodiments of the present invention.

[0093] As ​ shown, in other embodiments of the present invention, there is also provided a wafer stage structure 500 including another synchronous lifting device that uses one motor to drive four sets of motion mechanisms to synchronously and stably lift each part of the wafer.

[0094] Specifically, it can be combined with ​ to be commonly understood, ​For ​ Schematic structural diagram of the main motor mechanism in the wafer stage structure shown

[0095] As ​ shown, in some embodiments, the structure of the main rotating shaft formed by the motor, coupling, driving lead screw, and main gear and main bearing block in the main motor mechanism 510 is the same as that of the main motor mechanism 231 in the above embodiments, and will not be elaborated here. In this embodiment, the main motor mechanism 510 may further include a plurality of auxiliary gears 620. Specifically, as shown in the partial enlarged area I, the plurality of auxiliary gears 620 may be located outside the main gear 610 and mesh with the main gear 610. Specifically, the auxiliary gear 620 may be connected to the belt pulley 622 via the second driven lead screw 621 to transmit the rotation of the main gear 610 to the corresponding belt pulley 622, forming a plurality of transmission rotating shafts with the auxiliary gear 620 as the main body.

[0096] In this embodiment, the driven pulley mechanism 520 in the wafer stage structure 500 is similar to the driven pulley mechanism 232 shown in ​ and will not be elaborated here either.

[0097] Combined with ​ and ​ shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the transmission belt 233 may further include multiple strips. Each driven pulley 521 may be connected to the corresponding belt pulley 622 via the corresponding transmission belt. Each transmission belt loop may surround the corresponding belt pulley 622 and driven pulley 521 to form a plurality of second driven rotating shafts with the driven pulley 521 as the main body. For example, in the corresponding embodiment of ​ since the wafer stage structure 500 specifically includes 4 driven pulley mechanisms 520, 4 conveyor belts may be provided, namely the first transmission belt 511, the second transmission belt 512, the third transmission belt 513, and the fourth transmission belt 514, to connect the 4 driven pulleys 521 to the 4 auxiliary gears 620 on the main motor mechanism 510 respectively, forming 4 second driven rotating shafts with the driven pulley 521 as the main body.

[0098] In ​ and ​ the shown embodiments, the main rotating shaft formed by the main motor mechanism 510 in the wafer stage structure 500 meshes with multiple sets of transmission rotating shafts through the one-to-many meshing of the main and auxiliary gears. The transmission rotating shafts are then connected to the corresponding multiple second driven rotating shafts via multiple transmission belts to drive the driven pulleys 521 in the multiple driven pulley mechanisms 520 to rotate synchronously, and then convert the rotational motion into a reciprocating lifting motion through the first driven lead screw 422 to achieve the high-level and stable lifting of the entire large-size wafer.

[0099] In the above two embodiments provided by the present invention, a synchronous lifting device that drives four sets of moving mechanisms with one motor designed with two different structures to stably lift the wafer has lower transformation cost and difficulty compared to directly selecting multiple sets of motor structures. Moreover, the large-sized wafer supported and lifted by the wafer stage structure including the above synchronous lifting device can stop at any height, which not only improves the smoothness, stability, and reliability during the multi-stage lifting of the large-sized wafer, but also provides multiple process positions for different process requirements.

[0100] Please continue to return to ​ , in some embodiments of the present invention, the wafer stage structure 200 may further include a vacuum bellows 240. Between the carrier plate body 210 and the cavity base 211, each first driven lead screw 422 and its corresponding thimble 220 thereon can be flexibly connected through the vacuum bellows 240 to reduce mechanical vibration during the lifting of the thimble and achieve a vacuum environment in the sealed cavity. In this embodiment, the vacuum bellows 240 connected by the first driven lead screw 422 in each driven pulley mechanism 232 can be used to achieve the smooth descent of all positions of the large-sized wafer.

[0101] In the above multiple embodiments provided by the present invention, those skilled in the art can select a suitable wafer stage mechanism for assembly according to the reserved space in the reaction chamber. In addition, those skilled in the art can understand that the solution including 4 sets of driven pulley mechanisms shown in the drawings is only a non-limiting implementation manner provided by the present invention, aiming to clearly show the main concept of the present invention and provide a specific solution convenient for the public to implement, rather than being used to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Optionally, in other embodiments, those skilled in the art can also, based on the concept of the present invention, combine the specific size of the wafer, the actual installation space of the machine tool, and the required number and distribution of thimbles, and adopt two sets, three sets, or more sets of driven pulley mechanisms to achieve the same technical effect.

[0102] In summary, the present invention provides a wafer stage structure and a semiconductor process equipment, which can improve the levelness and stability during the lifting of a large-sized wafer, reduce the risk of fragmentation caused by the offset of the support center of gravity due to the large-sized wafer, and at the same time avoid the problem of particle contamination caused by the skew friction of some thimbles against the inner wall due to the offset of the support center of gravity.

[0103] The previous description of the present disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A wafer stage structure, characterized in that, Comprising: A carrier body; A plurality of ejector pins, which are vertically movable inside the carrier body to support the lifting of the wafer; And A synchronous lifting device, including a main motor mechanism and a plurality of driven pulley mechanisms connecting the plurality of ejector pins, and each of the driven pulley mechanisms is connected to the main motor mechanism through a transmission belt, Wherein, after the main motor mechanism rotates, driven by the transmission belt, it drives the plurality of driven pulley mechanisms to rotate synchronously, and converts the synchronous rotational motion into synchronous lifting motion through the first driven lead screw in each of the driven pulley mechanisms to drive the plurality of ejector pins to lift synchronously.

2. The wafer stage structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a support bracket, the upper end of which is connected to the plurality of ejector pins, and the lower end of which is connected to the plurality of driven pulley mechanisms.

3. The wafer stage structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The main motor mechanism sequentially includes a motor, a coupling, and a main gear located on the main lead screw from bottom to top. The torque generated by the motor drives the main gear to rotate through the transmission of the coupling and the main lead screw, forming a main rotation axis with the motor as the main body.

4. The wafer stage structure according to claim 3, wherein, The driven pulley mechanism includes a driven pulley, and at least one of the transmission belts surrounds the main gear and the outer sides of the plurality of driven pulleys to transmit the rotation of the main gear to each of the driven pulleys, forming a plurality of first driven rotation axes with the driven pulleys as the main bodies.

5. The wafer stage structure according to claim 4, characterized in that, It further includes a tension pulley mechanism, including a tension pulley. The at least one transmission belt surrounds the main gear, the tension pulley, and the outer sides of the plurality of driven pulleys to adjust the tightness of the transmission belt during transmission through the tension pulley.

6. The wafer stage structure according to claim 4, characterized in that, The main motor mechanism further includes a plurality of sub-gears, which are located outside the main gear and mesh with the main gear. The sub-gears are connected to the transmission belt pulleys through the second driven lead screws to transmit the rotation of the main gear to each of the transmission belt pulleys, forming a plurality of transmission rotation axes with the sub-gears as the main bodies.

7. The wafer stage structure according to claim 6, wherein, The transmission belt includes a plurality of strips. Each of the driven pulleys is connected to the corresponding transmission belt pulley through the corresponding transmission belt. Each of the transmission belts surrounds the corresponding driven pulley and the transmission belt pulley, forming a plurality of second driven rotation axes with the driven pulleys as the main bodies.

8. The wafer stage structure according to claim 1, wherein, The driven pulley mechanism further includes a plurality of linear bearings, which are located on both sides of the first driven lead screw and are used to cooperate with the first driven lead screw to jointly support the ejector pins for the synchronous lifting.

9. The wafer stage structure according to claim 1, wherein, It further includes a vacuum bellows. Between the carrier body and the cavity base, the first driven lead screw and the corresponding ejector pin thereon are flexibly connected through the vacuum bellows to reduce the mechanical vibration during the lifting of the ejector pin and seal the vacuum environment in the cavity.

10. A semiconductor processing apparatus, characterized in that, Comprising: A reaction chamber for performing process treatment; And The wafer carrier structure according to any one of claims 1 to 9, which is used to support the wafer to be lifted to the process position for performing the process treatment.

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