Dual wafer integration processing chamber and control method

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of double wafer integration processing chamber and control method, comprising: integrated chamber, for simultaneously loading two wafers, including cylindrical cavity, upper and lower ends are respectively sealed with upper cover and lower cover;Cavity mirror symmetry is arranged in upper heating base and lower heating base, respectively for carrying and heating two wafers;Heating system, including corresponding to upper heating base upper induction coil, and corresponding to lower heating base lower induction coil;Cooling system, including integrated in the water cooling channel of cavity side wall, upper cover and lower cover inside water cooling circulation and cavity into cooling gas formation gas cooling circulation;Integrated chamber integrates wafer loading, vacuum pumping, heating and cooling function of gas removal function.By wafer transmission and heating, cooling integrated design of integrated chamber, and can simultaneously process two wafers RF induction heating system and double cooling system, effectively improve the PVD equipment space utilization and wafer production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor physical vapor deposition equipment technology, and in particular to a dual-wafer integrated processing chamber and control method. Background Technology

[0002] In semiconductor manufacturing, physical vapor deposition (PVD) equipment is one of the key process equipment. The loading chamber (for wafer transfer between the interior and exterior of the wafer, and the transition from atmospheric to vacuum), the heating and degassing chamber (for pre-treatment heating of the wafer), and the cooling chamber (for post-processing cooling) are important components of this equipment. In traditional PVD equipment, these three chambers operate independently. During operation, the wafer must be sequentially transferred to each chamber for processing, resulting in cumbersome wafer transfer steps, large equipment footprint, low space utilization, and high maintenance costs.

[0003] Before the deposition process, wafers need to be evacuated in a heating and degassing chamber and then heated and degassed. In the existing technology, most heating and degassing chambers can only hold one wafer, resulting in low production efficiency and limited wafer production capacity. In order to improve the efficiency of wafer processing, some heating and degassing chambers that can hold multiple wafers have emerged. To ensure the uniformity of heating, high-temperature gas is often used to heat the wafers, but its heating efficiency is relatively low and the heating rate is slow, resulting in low wafer production efficiency, which needs to be further improved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a dual-wafer integrated processing chamber and control method to improve the space utilization and wafer production efficiency of PVD equipment.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the embodiments of the present invention provide a technical solution as follows: a dual-wafer integrated processing chamber, comprising: an integrated chamber for simultaneously loading two wafers, including a cylindrical cavity and an upper cover with a sealed upper opening and a lower cover with a sealed lower opening; an upper heating base and a lower heating base arranged mirror-symmetrically inside the chamber, respectively used to support and heat the two wafers; a heating system including an upper induction coil disposed between the upper heating base and the upper cover, and a lower induction coil disposed between the lower heating base and the lower cover, wherein the induction coils induce heating of the heating bases through a high-frequency alternating electromagnetic field; a cooling system including a water-cooling channel integrated into the side wall of the chamber, the upper cover, and the lower cover, wherein the water-cooling channel forms a water-cooling circulation with an external water pump; an air inlet and an air outlet disposed on the side wall of the chamber for introducing cooling gas into the chamber to form an air-cooling circulation; wherein the integrated chamber integrates wafer loading, vacuum pumping, heating degassing, and cooling functions.

[0006] Furthermore, the dual-wafer integrated processing chamber also includes: an upper support rotation mechanism that drives the upper heating base to rotate around its own central axis; and a lower support rotation mechanism that drives the lower heating base to rotate around its own central axis. Both the upper and lower support rotation mechanisms include: a rotating shaft coaxially fixed with the heating base, one end of which passes through the chamber cover and is connected to an external driving device; and a first fluid channel opened inside the rotating shaft, one end of which is connected to an external pressure fluid, and the other end of which is connected to a second fluid channel radially arranged inside the heating base.

[0007] Furthermore, the heating surface of the heating base is provided with a clamping mechanism, including: at least three circumferentially distributed clamping portions, each clamping portion having a snap-fit ​​groove facing the center of the heating surface; an elastic element disposed on the side of the clamping portion away from the central axis; and a driving element movably disposed within the second fluid channel; wherein, the pressure fluid drives the driving element to squeeze the clamping portion and the elastic element, causing the clamping portion to radially displace to release the wafer or wafer mounting space; after the fluid pressure is released, the elastic element resets and drives the clamping portion to clamp the wafer.

[0008] Furthermore, the snap-fit ​​groove extends to provide a hemispherical support column. When the wafer is snapped into the snap-fit ​​groove, the arc-shaped apex of the hemispherical support column abuts against the wafer end face, preventing the wafer from axially disengaging from the heating surface of the heating base.

[0009] Furthermore, the dual-wafer integrated processing chamber also includes a wafer carrier, which includes: an annular connecting frame, sleeved on the outside of the heating base; multiple circumferentially distributed support rods, vertically fixed to the end of the connecting frame away from the cavity cover; a tray, disposed at the end of the support rods, the circumference diameter of the inner edge of the tray being smaller than the wafer diameter, and having wafer adsorption holes; and a lead screw, connecting the connecting frame to an external motor, used to drive the tray to lift and lower.

[0010] Furthermore, the induction coils are arranged in a spiral shape around the rotation axis, and a cooling channel is provided inside the coils, which contains circulating deionized water.

[0011] Furthermore, the distance between the induction coil and the inner wall of the cavity is ≥15mm, and the operating frequency is 50kHz to 500kHz.

[0012] Furthermore, the axial projection density of the induction coil on the end face of the heating base satisfies the following: the coil density of the central region radius 0-1 / 3R and the edge region radius 2 / 3R-R is greater than the transition region radius 1 / 3R-2 / 3R, where R is the radius of the heating base.

[0013] Furthermore, it also includes: a first window and a second window, respectively located on the side wall of the cavity and corresponding to the upper and lower heating bases; a first temperature measuring instrument and a second temperature measuring instrument, which monitor the wafer temperature in real time through the windows and feed back the wafer temperature signal in order to adjust the power of the induction coil.

[0014] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention also proposes a dual-wafer control method based on the aforementioned integrated chamber, comprising the following steps: transferring two wafers to be processed into the integrated chamber via an external transfer port and placing them on upper and lower heating bases; evacuating to a first target pressure; activating an induction coil to heat the wafers to be processed to a preset temperature and maintaining heating for degassing; turning off induction heating and evacuating to a second target pressure; opening the internal transfer port and exchanging the completed wafer and the wafer to be processed; placing the completed wafer on a wafer carrier and activating water cooling and air cooling cycles to cool the wafer; and transferring the completed wafer out via the external transfer port after cooling is complete.

[0015] The dual-wafer integrated processing chamber and control method provided by this invention, compared with the prior art, integrates wafer loading, vacuum pumping, heating degassing, and cooling functions into an integrated chamber, achieving integrated wafer transfer, heating, and cooling, reducing the number of chambers in PVD equipment and improving equipment space utilization. By employing a dual-layer RF induction heating configuration with upper and lower heating bases, it supports simultaneous processing of two wafers, and a dual cooling system of water-cooled and air-cooled circulation improves heating and cooling rates, thereby increasing wafer production efficiency. In particular, by optimizing the density distribution of the induction coils, the uniformity of temperature within the wafer is further improved, contributing to enhanced wafer thin film deposition quality. By improving the hemispherical support pillar configuration at the contact point between the clamping part and the wafer end face, the contact area between the clamping part and the wafer end face is reduced, effectively reducing heat accumulation effects and further improving the uniformity of wafer heating temperature. Attached Figure Description

[0016] One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. These illustrations do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings represent similar elements. Unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings do not constitute a limitation on scale.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the dual-wafer integrated processing chamber in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the combined structure of the rotating support structure and the heating base in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the combination of the rotating support structure and the heating base in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a partial enlarged view of the heating base in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 5This is a partial structural diagram of the heating base clamping part in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the wafer carrier in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 7 This is a top view of the wafer carrier in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the wafer carrier in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the optimized layout of the induction coil in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 10 The above are temperature distribution curves on the wafer surface before and after optimization of the induction coil layout in this embodiment of the invention.

[0027] Figure 11 This is a temperature change curve of wafer heating and cooling within the integrated cavity in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the PVD equipment chamber layout in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 10, Integrated chamber; 110, External transmission port; 120, Internal transmission port; 100, Cavity; 101, First window; 102, First thermometer; 103, Second window; 104, Second thermometer; 105, Water-cooling channel; 11, Upper cover; 12, Lower cover; 13, Upper heating base; 131, Clamping part; 1311, Snap-fit ​​groove; 1312, Support column; 132, Elastic element; 133, Driving element; 134, Second fluid channel; 14, Lower heating base; 15. Upper support rotating mechanism; 151, rotating shaft; 152, sleeve; 153, rotary joint; 154, first fluid channel; 16, lower support rotating mechanism; 17, upper induction coil; 171, lower induction coil; 18, coil support plate; 19, wafer holder; 191, connecting frame; 192, support rod; 193, tray; 1931, adsorption hole; 194, motor; 195, lead screw; 196, airflow channel; 20, transfer chamber; 30, cleaning chamber; 40, process chamber; 50, wafer. Detailed Implementation

[0030] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the various embodiments of this invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art will understand that many technical details have been provided in the various embodiments of this invention to facilitate a better understanding of this application. However, the technical solutions claimed in the claims of this application can be implemented even without these technical details and with various variations and modifications based on the following embodiments.

[0031] It should be noted that if the embodiments of this application involve directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indicators are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indicators will also change accordingly.

[0032] like Figure 1 As shown, one embodiment of the present invention relates to a dual-wafer integrated processing chamber, including an integrated chamber 10, which can simultaneously load two wafers 50, heat the two wafers 50 simultaneously, and cool the two wafers 50 after the wafers 50 complete the deposition process and return to the integrated chamber 10. The integrated chamber 10 includes a cylindrical cavity 100 and an upper cover 11 for the upper opening of the sealed cavity 100 and a lower cover 12 for the lower opening of the sealed cavity 100; an upper heating base 13 and a lower heating base 14 are mirror-symmetrically arranged inside the cavity 100, which are respectively used to support and heat the two wafers 50.

[0033] The integrated chamber 10 is equipped with a heating system and a cooling system. The heating system adopts a double-layer RF induction heating design, including an upper induction coil 17 disposed between the upper heating base 13 and the upper cover 11, and a lower induction coil 171 disposed between the lower heating base 14 and the lower cover 12. The induction coils induce heating of the heating bases through a high-frequency alternating electromagnetic field. The cooling system includes water cooling circulation and air cooling circulation. After the wafer 50 is loaded into the integrated chamber 10, it is evacuated and then directly heated without needing to be transferred to another chamber. At the same time, after the wafer 50 process is completed, it is also directly sent into the integrated chamber 10 for cooling, and then directly filled to atmospheric pressure before being sent out of the integrated chamber 10. Thus, loading, vacuum evacuation, heating degassing, and cooling functions are integrated into the same chamber, namely the integrated chamber 10.

[0034] like Figure 2-5As shown, the upper heating base 13 is connected to the upper support rotation mechanism 15, which drives the upper heating base 13 to rotate around its own central axis within the cavity 100; the lower heating base 14 is connected to the lower support rotation mechanism 16, which drives the lower heating base 14 to rotate around its own central axis within the cavity 100; wherein, the upper heating base 13 and the lower heating base 14 have the same structure, and the upper support rotation mechanism 15 and the lower support rotation mechanism 16 have the same structure, and are mirror images of each other at the upper and lower ends of the cavity 100. Both the upper support rotation mechanism 15 and the lower support rotation mechanism 16 include: a rotating shaft 151 coaxially fixed with the heating base, one end of the rotating shaft 151 passing through the cavity cover and connected to an external driving device; and a first fluid channel 154 opened inside the rotating shaft 151, one end of the first fluid channel 154 communicating with an external pressure fluid, and the other end communicating with a second fluid channel 134 radially arranged inside the heating base.

[0035] The structure is described using the above-mentioned rotating support mechanism 15 and the upper heating base 13 as examples: The upper rotating support mechanism 15 includes a rotating shaft 151 coaxially and fixedly connected to the upper heating base 13. One end of the rotating shaft 151 passes through the upper cover 11 and is exposed outside the cavity 100. The rotating shaft 151 is connected to an external driving device (not shown in the attached figure) through a rotary joint 153 at its end. Under the drive of the external driving device, the upper heating base 13 is rotated, which helps to improve the uniformity of the heating of the upper heating base 13 and thus improves the uniformity of the heating of the wafer 50. A first fluid channel 154 that can communicate with an external pressure fluid is opened inside the rotating shaft 151. A second fluid channel 134 that communicates with the first fluid channel 154 is provided radially inside the upper heating base 13. In one example, a sleeve 152 is provided between the rotating shaft 151 and the upper cover 11. The sleeve 152 is fixedly connected to the upper cover 11, and the rotating shaft 151 is rotatably connected to the sleeve 152. The rotating shaft 151 passes through the sleeve 152 and is fixedly connected to the upper heating base 13. The side of the upper heating base 13 opposite to the lower heating base 14 is the heating surface. When the wafer 50 is heated, it is fitted onto the heating surface. The heating surface is provided with a clamping mechanism for fixing the wafer 50 during heating. The clamping mechanism includes at least three clamping parts 131, which are evenly distributed on the same circumference. Each clamping part 131 has a snap-fit ​​groove 1311 facing the center of the heating surface. An elastic element 132 is provided on the side of the clamping part 131 away from the central axis of the heating surface, and a driving element 133 is provided on the side closer to the central axis of the heating surface. The driving element 133 is movably disposed in the second fluid channel 134 and slides along the second fluid channel 134 to squeeze the clamping part 131 and the elastic element 132 under the pressure of the fluid. When the elastic element 132 is elastically compressed, the clamping part 131 is radially displaced away from the center of the heating surface, thereby releasing the wafer 50 or releasing the mounting position of the wafer 50 so that the wafer 50 can be mounted on the heating surface. After the fluid pressure is released, the clamping part 131 is reset under the rebound action of the elastic element 132, which can clamp and fix the wafer 50. The snap-fit ​​groove 1311 corresponds radially to the wafer 50, and the edge of the wafer 50 is limited to the snap-fit ​​groove 1311, further increasing the stability of the wafer 50 clamping and fixing. In one example, to further increase the uniformity of the heating temperature of wafer 50 and avoid heat accumulation caused by contact between clamping part 131 and wafer 50, which would affect the temperature uniformity within wafer 50, the snap-fit ​​groove 1311 extends with a hemispherical support post 1312. When wafer 50 is snapped into the snap-fit ​​groove 1311, the arc-shaped apex of the hemispherical support post 1312 abuts against the end face of wafer 50, preventing wafer 50 from axially separating from the heating surface of the heating base and maintaining the stability of the fit between wafer 50 and the heating base. Preferably, the support post 1312 is made of ceramic material to reduce the thermal conductivity, and the contact area between the support post 1312 and wafer 50 is effectively reduced by the abutment setting of the hemispherical support post 1312 and the end face of wafer 50, thereby improving the uniformity of the temperature distribution on the surface of wafer 50.

[0036] like Figure 6-8 As shown, in one embodiment, a dual-wafer integrated processing chamber is disclosed, which further includes two wafer holders 19, respectively corresponding to the upper heating base 13 and the lower heating base 14. The two wafer holders 19 have the same structure and are mirror images of each other on the chamber 100. Each wafer holder 19 includes: an annular connecting frame 191, which is sleeved on the outside of the heating base; a plurality of circumferentially distributed support rods 192, which are vertically fixed to the end of the connecting frame 191 away from the chamber cover; a tray 193, which is disposed at the end of the support rods 192, the circumference diameter of the inner edge of the tray 193 is smaller than the diameter of the wafer 50, and is provided with a wafer 50 adsorption hole 1931; and a lead screw 195, which connects the connecting frame 191 to an external motor 194 for driving the tray 193 to rise and fall.

[0037] Taking the wafer carrier 19 corresponding to the heating base 13 as an example, the mechanism is described as follows: The wafer carrier 19 includes an annular connecting frame 191 that is parallel to and sleeved outside the heating base. The inner diameter of the annular connecting frame 191 is larger than the outer diameter of the heating base. The upper end face of the annular connecting frame 191 is connected to the motor 194 outside the cavity 100 through a lead screw 195 that passes through the upper cover 11. The lower end face is vertically fixed with multiple support rods 192, which are evenly distributed on the same circumference of the annular connecting frame 191. The ends of the support rods extend towards the central axis and are provided with a support plate 193. The plate 193 is located below the upper heating base 13. The circumference diameter of the inner edge of the plate 193 is smaller than the diameter of the wafer 50, allowing the wafer 50 to be attached to the plate 193. The plate 193 and the clamping part 131 are offset along the lifting direction of the plate 193. The heating surface of the plate 193 facing the upper heating base 13 has an adsorption hole 1931. The adsorption hole 1931 is connected to an external air pump (not shown in the figure) through the airflow channel 196 built into the bracket. The adsorption effect of the adsorption hole 1931 on the wafer 50 increases the stability of the wafer 50 transport. In one example, in order to better support the wafer 50, a step is formed at the end of the plate 193. The minimum diameter D1 of the circumference of the step is 4-8 mm smaller than the diameter D of the supported wafer 50, and the maximum diameter D2 of the circumference of the step is 2-10 mm larger than the diameter D of the supported wafer 50.

[0038] The wafer 50 loading process is as follows: the pressure fluid enters the second fluid channel 134 of the heating base through the first fluid channel 154, squeezes the drive member 133, and then squeezes the clamping part 131 and the elastic member 132. The elastic member 132 generates elastic compression, and the clamping part 131 is radially displaced away from the center of the heating surface, releasing the wafer 50 placement space. Motor 194 controls lead screw 195 to move up and down, so that the position of tray 193 corresponds to the position of external transfer port 110 of cavity 100. The robot arm transfers wafer 50 into cavity 100 through external transfer port 110 and places it on tray 193. Motor 194 controls lead screw 195 to move up and down, driving tray 193 to move towards its corresponding heating base. Rotating heating base causes clamping part 131 to be circumferentially misaligned with tray 193, so that tray drives wafer 50 to abut against heating surface of heating base. Pressure fluid releases pressure, clamping part 131 moves radially towards the center of heating surface under the rebound of elastic member 132, clamping and fixing wafer 50 in clamping groove 1311 of clamping part 131.

[0039] One embodiment involves a dual-wafer integrated processing chamber. An upper induction coil 17 is provided between the upper heating base 13 and the upper cover 11, and a lower induction coil 171 is provided between the lower heating base 14 and the lower cover 12. The high-frequency alternating electromagnetic field generated by the induction coil induces eddy currents inside the heating base, thereby converting electrical energy into heat energy through the resistance of the heating base itself. This allows for simultaneous heating of two wafers 50. Preferably, during the induction heating process, the heating base rotates under the drive of the rotating shaft 151 to improve the uniformity of the heating temperature. Depending on the temperature requirements of the wafers 50, the upper support rotation mechanism 15 and the lower support rotation mechanism 16 can adopt different speed ratios to form a specific thermal convection field between the upper heating base 13 and the lower heating base 14, thereby increasing the synchronicity of heating of the two wafers 50 and reducing the temperature difference between the two wafers 50. The induction coil has a rectangular or circular cross-sectional shape, arranged in a spiral pattern with equal spacing around the rotation axis 151. A cooling channel is formed inside the induction coil, containing circulating deionized water. Cooling is achieved through water circulation, controlling the coil temperature rise and preventing overheating. The induction coil is supported by a coil support plate 18 and a sleeve 152. The coil support plate 18 is evenly distributed circumferentially on the inner wall of the cavity 100. Preferably, the coil support plate 18 is made of ceramic material. The induction coil cooling channel is connected to an external water channel through the coil support plate 18 and the cavity 100. In one example, to prevent electromagnetic field induction heating of the cavity 100 itself, the distance between the induction coil and the inner wall of the cavity 100 is not less than 15mm. To ensure the energy transfer efficiency of the electromagnetic field and improve energy utilization, the thickness of the heating base is set to 20mm to 30mm, and the distance between the heating surface of the heating base and the surface of the induction coil is required to be 5mm to 10mm to ensure sufficient energy transfer of the electromagnetic field and improve energy utilization. The main body of the induction coil is made of copper, plated with nickel or gold. The frequency of the induction coil is matched with the material impedance of the heating base, taking into account both skin depth and penetration. The operating frequency range of the induction coil is 50kHz to 500kHz.

[0040] like Figure 9-10As shown, in one embodiment, a dual-wafer integrated processing chamber is involved. The radial end face of the heating base extending in the opposite direction of the radius is divided into a central region, a transition region, and an edge region. The radius of the radial end face of the heating base is R. The central region is a region covered by a radius of 0-1 / 3R, the transition region is a ring-shaped region covered by a radius of 1 / 3R-2 / 3R, and the edge region is a ring-shaped region covered by a radius of 2 / 3R. The axial projection density of the induction coils on the radial end face of the heating base satisfies the following: the coil density in the central region (radius 0-1 / 3R) and the edge region (radius 2 / 3R-R) is greater than that in the transition region (radius 1 / 3R-2 / 3R). Depending on the position of the heating base and the rotating support mechanism, the space available for setting the coils in the axial projection area of ​​the central region is limited due to the influence of the central rotation axis 151. The heat exchange between the edge of the heating base and the sidewall of the cavity 100 leads to a large heat loss at the edge of the heating base. Therefore, in order to increase the uniformity of the heating surface temperature of the heating base and reduce the surface temperature difference of the wafer 50, the density of the induction coils in the axial projection positions of the central region and the edge region is greater than the density of the corresponding induction coils in the transition region. In one example, the induction coil has a total of 7 turns, with 2 turns in the central area, 2 turns in the transition area, and 3 turns in the edge area. For example... Figure 10 As shown, compared with the uniformly distributed induction coils before optimization, the optimized induction coil setup results in a more uniform radial surface temperature distribution and a smaller temperature difference on wafer 50. Before optimization, the induction coils were evenly spaced, and the radial surface temperature difference on wafer 50 was ±5.5. After optimization, the density of the induction coils in the axial projection positions of the central and edge regions is greater than the density of the corresponding induction coils in the transition region, and the radial surface temperature difference on wafer 50 is ±3.5. This effectively improves the uniformity of the heating temperature of wafer 50 and helps to improve the thin film deposition quality of wafer 50.

[0041] One embodiment involves a dual-wafer integrated processing chamber. A first window 101 is provided on the sidewall of the chamber 100 corresponding to the upper heating base 13. A first temperature sensor 102 is provided corresponding to the first window 101, enabling the first temperature sensor 102 to monitor the temperature of the wafer 50 heated by the upper heating base 13 through the first window 101. A second window 103 is provided on the sidewall of the chamber 100 corresponding to the lower heating base 14. A second temperature sensor 104 is provided corresponding to the second window 103, enabling the second temperature sensor 104 to monitor the temperature of the wafer 50 heated by the lower heating base 14 through the second window 103. The first and second temperature sensors 102 and 104 can monitor and provide real-time feedback of the temperature signal of the wafer 50 within the integrated chamber 10. Based on the temperature feedback signal from the temperature sensors, the power of the induction coil is adjusted in real-time to achieve rapid temperature control.

[0042] One embodiment involves a dual-wafer integrated processing chamber. The sidewall of the integrated chamber 100 is provided with an air inlet (not shown in the figure) and an air outlet (not shown in the figure). The air inlet and the air outlet enable air cooling circulation within the chamber 100. The cooling gas introduced into the chamber 100 through the air inlet can generally be an inert gas such as nitrogen, helium, or argon. Through air cooling circulation, uniform cooling of the wafer 50 is achieved. The sidewall of the integrated chamber 100, the upper cover 11, and the lower cover 12 are provided with water cooling channels 105. The water cooling channels 105 are connected to an external circulating water pump to achieve water cooling circulation within the integrated chamber 10. The water circulation effectively assists the air cooling circulation to achieve rapid cooling of the wafer 50 and the chamber 100. In one example, the water-cooling channel 105 on the cavity cover and sidewall of cavity 100 has a flow rate of 10 L / min during cooling, and the cooling gas flowing into cavity 100 has a flow rate of 150 L / min, using nitrogen gas. This dual cooling system of water-cooling and gas-cooling effectively improves the cooling uniformity and rate of wafer 50, contributing to increased wafer 50 production efficiency.

[0043] like Figure 11 As shown, under a dual-layer RF induction coil heating system and a dual cooling cycle system, the heating rate, cooling rate, and intra-wafer temperature uniformity of wafer 50 after heating stabilization are observed. The time for the surface temperature of wafer 50 to rise from room temperature to the required preheating temperature (300℃) is approximately 2.3s. The intra-wafer temperature difference after heating stabilization of the two wafers is <±1℃. The time for wafer 50 to cool from 300℃ to 100℃ is approximately 8.4s. These figures represent significant improvements compared to the heating / cooling times and intra-wafer temperature difference in existing PVD equipment technologies.

[0044] The PVD equipment with integrated chamber 10 has the following chamber layout: Figure 12 As shown, the system includes an integrated chamber 10, a cleaning chamber 30, a process chamber 40, and a transfer chamber 20. The integrated chamber 10 and the transfer chamber 20 are connected via an internal transfer port 120. The integrated chamber 10 is connected to a front-end module of the equipment (not shown in the attached figure) via an external transfer port 110. The transfer port is controlled by a transfer valve. One embodiment of the present invention relates to a dual-wafer control method applicable to the aforementioned integrated chamber 10, comprising the following steps:

[0045] (1) Transfer two wafers 50 to be processed into the integrated chamber 10. Close the internal transmission port 120 of the integrated chamber 10 and open the external transmission port 110. The front-end module of the equipment sends the two wafers 50 to be processed from the atmospheric environment into the integrated chamber 10. Start the wafer carrier 19 and place the wafers 50 on the upper heating base 13 and the lower heating base 14 respectively.

[0046] (2) Evacuate to the first target pressure. Close the external transmission port 110 to make the integrated chamber 10 a sealed state, start the vacuum pumping device, and evacuate the integrated chamber 10 from atmospheric pressure to the first target pressure. In one example, the first target pressure is set to 4-6 Torr.

[0047] (3) Start the induction coil to heat the wafer 50 to be processed to the preset temperature and maintain the heating for degassing. The upper and lower RF induction coils work simultaneously to heat the base through electromagnetic induction. The wafer 50 is heated through heat conduction from the heating base. After the wafer 50 is heated, it is maintained at the required temperature for degassing. At the same time as heating, an infrared thermometer is used to collect temperature data and a PID controller is used to dynamically adjust the RF power to achieve the required temperature.

[0048] (4) Turn off the induction heating and evacuate to the second target pressure. After heating and degassing, turn off the heating source and evacuate the integrated chamber 10 to the second target pressure. In one example, the second target pressure is set to 1×10-6 Torr.

[0049] (5) Exchange the completed wafer 50 with the wafer 50 to be processed. Open the internal transfer port 120 of the integrated chamber 10, take out two wafers 50 to be processed from the integrated chamber 10, and transfer them to the process chamber 40 via the transfer chamber 20; at the same time, take out two completed wafers 50 from the process chamber and transfer them back to the integrated chamber 10 via the transfer chamber 20, thus completing the exchange of wafers 50. In one example, a cleaning chamber 30 is also provided between the integrated chamber 10 and the process chamber 40. After the wafer 50 to be processed is taken out from the integrated chamber 10, it is transferred to the cleaning chamber 30 via the transfer chamber 20. The two completed wafers 50 taken out from the process chamber 40 are transferred back to the integrated chamber 10 via the transfer chamber 20. After the wafers 50 are processed in the cleaning chamber 30, they are transferred to the process chamber 40.

[0050] (6) Place the completed wafer 50 on the wafer carrier 19 and start the water cooling and air cooling cycle to cool the wafer 50. After the completed wafer 50 is returned to the integrated chamber 10, it is placed on the tray 193 of the wafer carrier 19. The internal transfer port 120 is closed, the integrated chamber 10 is filled with gas to restore normal pressure, and at the same time the dual cooling system of water cooling cycle and air cooling cycle of the integrated chamber 10 is started to quickly cool the wafer 50.

[0051] (7) After cooling, the completed wafer 50 is transmitted out through the external transmission port 110. After the two completed wafers 50 in the integrated chamber 10 are cooled to a safe temperature, the external transmission port 110 is opened, and the completed wafers 50 are transmitted out through the external transmission port 110. At the same time, the front-end module of the equipment puts two new wafers 50 to be processed into the integrated chamber 10 for loading, vacuuming, and heating, and enters a new working cycle.

[0052] The dual-wafer integrated processing chamber and control method provided by this invention, compared with the prior art, integrates wafer loading, vacuum pumping, heating degassing, and cooling functions into an integrated chamber, achieving integrated wafer transfer, heating, and cooling, reducing the number of chambers in PVD equipment and improving equipment space utilization. By employing a dual-layer RF induction heating configuration with upper and lower heating bases, it supports simultaneous processing of two wafers, and a dual cooling system of water-cooled and air-cooled circulation improves heating and cooling rates, thereby increasing wafer production efficiency. In particular, by optimizing the density distribution of the induction coils, the temperature uniformity within the wafer is further improved, contributing to enhanced wafer thin film deposition quality. By improving the hemispherical support pillar configuration at the contact point between the clamping part and the wafer end face, the contact area between the clamping part and the wafer end face is reduced, effectively reducing heat accumulation effects and further improving the uniformity of wafer heating temperature.

[0053] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A dual-wafer integrated processing chamber, characterized in that, include: An integrated chamber (10) for simultaneously loading two wafers (50) includes a cylindrical cavity and an upper cover (11) at the upper opening of the sealed cavity and a lower cover (12) at the lower opening of the sealed cavity. The upper heating base (13) and lower heating base (14) are mirror-symmetrically arranged inside the cavity (100) and are used to support and heat two wafers (50) respectively. The heating surface of the heating base is provided with a clamping mechanism, including: at least three circumferentially distributed clamping parts (131), the clamping parts (131) are provided with a snap-fit ​​groove (1311) facing the center of the heating surface; the clamping part (131) is provided with an elastic element (132) on the side away from its central axis and a driving element (133) on the side close to its central axis. The driving element (133) can squeeze the clamping part (131) and the elastic element (132) to make the clamping part (131) radially displace to release the wafer (50) or the wafer mounting space. The heating system includes an upper induction coil (17) disposed between the upper heating base (13) and the upper cover (11), and a lower induction coil (171) disposed between the lower heating base (14) and the lower cover (12). The induction coils perform induction heating on the heating base through a high-frequency alternating electromagnetic field. The cooling system includes a water-cooling channel (105) integrated inside the side wall, upper cover (11) and lower cover (12) of the cavity (100), wherein the water-cooling channel (105) forms a water-cooling cycle with the water pump outside the cavity (100); and an air inlet and an air outlet provided on the side wall of the cavity (100) for introducing cooling gas into the cavity (100) to form an air-cooling cycle. The integrated chamber (10) integrates wafer (50) loading, vacuum pumping, heating degassing and cooling functions.

2. The dual-wafer integrated processing chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, include: The upper support rotation mechanism (15) drives the upper heating base (13) to rotate around its own central axis; The lower support rotation mechanism (16) drives the lower heating base (14) to rotate around its own central axis; Both the upper support rotation mechanism (15) and the lower support rotation mechanism (16) include: A rotating shaft (151) is fixed coaxially with the heating base, and one end of the rotating shaft (151) passes through the cavity cover and is connected to an external drive device; A first fluid channel (154) is opened inside the rotating shaft (151). One end of the first fluid channel (154) is connected to an external pressure fluid, and the other end is connected to a second fluid channel (134) radially arranged inside the heating base.

3. The dual-wafer integrated processing chamber according to claim 2, characterized in that, The drive element (133) is movably disposed within the second fluid channel (134); The pressurized fluid drives the drive member (133) to squeeze the clamping part (131) and the elastic member (132) through the first fluid channel (154) and the second fluid channel (134), causing the clamping part (131) to move radially to release the wafer (50) or the wafer mounting space; after the fluid pressure is released, the elastic member (132) resets and drives the clamping part (131) to clamp the wafer (50).

4. The dual-wafer integrated processing chamber according to claim 3, characterized in that, The snap-fit ​​groove (1311) extends to provide a hemispherical support column (1312). When the wafer (50) is snapped into the snap-fit ​​groove (1311), the arc-shaped apex of the hemispherical support column (1312) abuts against the end face of the wafer (50) to prevent the wafer (50) from axially separating from the heating surface of the heating base.

5. The dual-wafer integrated processing chamber according to claim 2, characterized in that, Includes a wafer carrier (19), said wafer carrier (19) comprising: An annular connecting frame (191) is fitted onto the outside of the heating base; Multiple circumferentially distributed support rods (192) are vertically fixed to the end of the connecting frame (191) away from the cavity cover; A tray (193) is provided at the end of the support rod (192). The circumference diameter of the inner edge of the tray (193) is smaller than the diameter of the wafer (50), and a wafer (50) adsorption hole (1931) is provided. The lead screw (195) connects the connecting frame (191) and the external motor (194) to drive the pallet (193) to lift.

6. The dual-wafer integrated processing chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The induction coils are arranged in a spiral shape around the rotating shaft (151), and a cooling channel is provided inside the coils, which contains circulating deionized water.

7. The dual-wafer integrated processing chamber according to claim 6, characterized in that, The distance between the induction coil and the inner wall of the cavity (100) is ≥15mm, and the operating frequency is 50kHz to 500kHz.

8. The dual-wafer integrated processing chamber according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The axial projection density of the induction coil on the end face of the heating base satisfies the following: the coil density of the central region radius 0-1 / 3R and the edge region radius 2 / 3R-R is greater than the transition region radius 1 / 3R-2 / 3R, where R is the radius of the heating base.

9. The dual-wafer integrated processing chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The first window (101) and the second window (103) are respectively located on the side wall of the cavity (100) and correspond to the upper and lower heating bases (14); the first thermometer (102) and the second thermometer (104) monitor the temperature of the wafer (50) in real time through the windows and feed back the temperature signal of the wafer (50) to adjust the power of the induction coil.

10. A dual-wafer control method based on the dual-wafer integrated processing chamber according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Two wafers (50) to be processed are transferred into the integrated chamber (10) through the external transfer port (110) and placed on the upper and lower heating bases (14); Evacuate to the first target pressure; The induction coil is activated to heat the wafer (50) to be processed to the preset temperature, and the heating is maintained to remove gas. Turn off the induction heating and evacuate to the second target pressure; Open the internal transmission port (120) and exchange the process-completed wafer (50) with the wafer to be processed (50); The completed wafer (50) is placed in the wafer carrier (19), and the water cooling and air cooling cycles are started to cool the wafer (50); After cooling, the wafer (50) is sent out through the external transmission port (110) to complete the process.

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