Heater, heating method, process chamber and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a heater, a heating method, a process chamber and semiconductor process equipment, and the heater comprises a first insulating part which comprises an inner edge and an outer edge, and is provided with a plurality of fixing structures in the circumferential direction; the heating wire is sequentially connected with the plurality of fixing structures according to a preset path so as to be fixed on the first insulating part; the distance between the fixing structure and the inner edge and the distance between the fixing structure and the outer edge meet the condition that the distance between the heating wire and the inner edge and the distance between the heating wire and the outer edge are both larger than the safe insulation distance. And the second insulating part and the third insulating part are respectively arranged at the two sides of the first insulating part so as to package the heating wire inside. The insulating property of the edge of the heater can be ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment technology, specifically to a heater, a heating method, a process chamber, and semiconductor process equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In plasma etching equipment, a heater is required to heat the process gas in order to maintain the temperature required for the etching reaction.

[0003] One existing type of heater consists of a ring-shaped heating element sandwiched between two ring-shaped insulating plates, filled with ceramic adhesive, and then pressed together under high temperature and pressure. However, during high-temperature pressing, the distance between the ring-shaped heating element and the edge of the ring-shaped insulating plates is difficult to control, making it impossible to guarantee the insulation effect at the heater's edge. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a heater, a heating method, a process chamber, and semiconductor process equipment, which can improve the insulation effect at the edge of the heater.

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, in a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a heater, comprising:

[0006] The first insulating element includes an inner edge and an outer edge, and a plurality of fixing structures are provided on the first insulating element along the circumferential direction;

[0007] A heating wire is sequentially connected to the plurality of fixing structures according to a preset path to be fixed to the first insulating member, and the distances of the fixing structures from the inner edge and the outer edge both satisfy the following: the distances of the heating wire from the inner edge and the outer edge are both greater than the safety insulation distance; and,

[0008] The second and third insulating components are respectively disposed on both sides of the first insulating component to encapsulate the heating wire inside.

[0009] Optionally, the plurality of fixing structures include:

[0010] A plurality of first grooves are provided circumferentially along the inner edge and recessed to one side of the outer edge, wherein the depth of the first grooves is greater than the safety insulation distance;

[0011] A plurality of second grooves are provided circumferentially along the outer edge and recessed to one side of the inner edge, wherein the depth of the second grooves is greater than the safety insulation distance;

[0012] The heating wire is spirally wound around the first insulating element in a circumferential direction and is connected to the first groove and the second groove in sequence.

[0013] Optionally, the plurality of first grooves are correspondingly arranged with the plurality of second grooves, and their projections on the inner edge toward the center of the first insulating member are alternately arranged;

[0014] The heating wire is alternately connected to the first groove and the second groove.

[0015] Optionally, the plurality of fixing structures include:

[0016] A plurality of first protrusions are provided on the side of the first insulating member facing the second insulating member, wherein the distance of the first protrusion from the inner edge and the distance from the outer edge are both greater than the safety insulation distance;

[0017] A plurality of second protrusions are provided on the side of the first insulating member facing the third insulating member, wherein the distance of the second protrusion from the inner edge and the distance from the outer edge are both greater than the safety insulation distance;

[0018] The first insulating member is further provided with a first through hole, and the distance of the first through hole from the inner edge and the distance from the outer edge are both greater than the safety insulation distance;

[0019] The heating wire is connected to the plurality of first protrusions in sequence along the circumferential direction, then passes through the first through hole, and then is connected to the plurality of second protrusions in sequence; or, the heating wire is connected to the plurality of second protrusions in sequence along the circumferential direction, then passes through the first through hole, and then is connected to the plurality of first protrusions in sequence.

[0020] Optionally, the heater further includes:

[0021] A top plate is disposed on the side of the second insulating member away from the first insulating member; the second insulating member is provided with a second through hole, and the top plate is provided with a third through hole with a diameter larger than the second through hole, and the second through hole is exposed in the third through hole.

[0022] Optionally, the heater further includes: a power supply terminal, which passes through the third through hole and is connected to the second through hole, and is electrically connected to the heating wire. The distance between the power supply terminal and the wall of the third through hole is greater than the safety insulation distance. The power supply terminal is used to connect to an external power source.

[0023] Optionally, insulating adhesive is filled between the power supply terminal and the wall of the third through hole.

[0024] Optionally, the heater further includes a temperature sensor embedded in the heater, the bottom surface of the temperature sensor being flush with the bottom surface of the base plate, and the side surface of the temperature sensor being attached to the edge of the base plate.

[0025] Optionally, the heater further includes a base plate disposed on the side of the third insulating member away from the first insulating member; and a notch that sequentially penetrates the top plate, the second insulating member, the first insulating member, the third insulating member, and the base plate;

[0026] The heating wire is positioned on the first insulating member to avoid the notch.

[0027] Secondly, this application also provides a heating method applied to the heater described in the above embodiments, the heating method comprising:

[0028] The heater is controlled to heat the component to be heated from its current temperature to a first intermediate temperature T1 and hold it at that temperature for a first preset time. Then, the heater is controlled to heat the component to be heated from the first intermediate temperature to a second intermediate temperature T2 and hold it at that temperature for a second preset time, and so on, until the component is heated from the nth intermediate temperature T1. n Heat to a preset target temperature and maintain the preset target temperature, where n≥1.

[0029] Thirdly, embodiments of this application also provide a process chamber, including the heater described in the above embodiments, and...

[0030] The inner liner has an annular groove on the top surface of its inner ring, and the heater is disposed in the groove;

[0031] An annular cover plate seals the heater within the groove.

[0032] Fourthly, embodiments of this application also provide a semiconductor process apparatus, including the process chambers described in the above embodiments.

[0033] The heater of this embodiment, as described above, includes: a first insulating member, a second insulating member, a third insulating member, and a heating wire. The first insulating member has multiple fixing structures arranged along its circumference. The heating wire is sequentially connected to the multiple fixing structures according to a preset path to be fixed to the first insulating member. The distances of the fixing structures from the inner and outer edges of the first insulating member both satisfy the condition that the distances of the heating wire from the inner and outer edges are both greater than a safe insulation distance. The second and third insulating members are respectively disposed on both sides of the first insulating member to encapsulate the heating wire internally. Because the distances of the fixing structures from the inner and outer edges are both greater than the safe insulation distance and can be precisely controlled, the insulation of the heater's edges can be ensured. Attached Figure Description

[0034] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application. To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0035] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of a heater based on related technology, where (a) is a cross-sectional view, (b) is a structural schematic diagram of an annular heating wire, and (c) is a partially enlarged view of the annular heating wire;

[0036] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of creepage distance;

[0037] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a heater provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of a heater provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a connection structure between a first insulating member and a heating wire provided in an embodiment of this application, wherein (a) is a top view and (b) is a partial enlarged view;

[0040] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the connection path of a heater provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 7 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of a heater provided by related technologies, wherein (a) is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram and (b) is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram;

[0042] Figure 8 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of a heater provided in an embodiment of this application, wherein (a) is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram and (b) is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram;

[0043] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a traditional heater heating process;

[0044] Figure 10 This is a schematic flowchart of a heating method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 11 This is a power comparison diagram between a heating method provided in this application embodiment and a traditional heating method;

[0046] Figure 12This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a process chamber provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 13 This is a top view of the internal structure of a process chamber provided in an embodiment of this application, wherein (a) does not include the annular cover plate, and (b) includes the annular cover plate.

[0048] The realization of the objectives, functional features, and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings have illustrated specific embodiments of this application, which will be described in more detail below. These drawings and textual descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the concept in any way, but rather to illustrate the concepts of this application to those skilled in the art through reference to specific embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0049] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0050] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, components, features, and elements with the same names in different embodiments of this application may have the same meaning or different meanings, the specific meaning of which must be determined by its interpretation in that specific embodiment or further in conjunction with the context of that specific embodiment.

[0051] It should be further understood that the terms "comprising" or "including" indicate the presence of the stated features, steps, operations, elements, components, items, types, and / or groups, but do not exclude the presence, occurrence, or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, items, types, and / or groups. The terms "or," "and / or," and "comprising at least one of the following," as used in this application, can be interpreted as inclusive, or mean any one or any combination thereof. For example, "comprising at least one of the following: A, B, C" means "any one of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A and B and C," and similarly, "A, B, or C" or "A, B, and / or C" means "any one of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A and B and C." Exceptions to this definition only occur when the combination of elements, functions, steps, or operations is inherently mutually exclusive in some way.

[0052] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used in this document to describe various types of information, this information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this document, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” used in this document are intended to also include the plural forms, unless the context indicates otherwise.

[0053] It should be understood that the terms "top", "bottom", "upper", "lower", "vertical", "horizontal", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on this application.

[0054] For ease of description, the following embodiments are all illustrated using an orthogonal space defined by a horizontal plane and a vertical direction. This premise should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0055] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a heater in the related technology, wherein (a) is a cross-sectional view, (b) is a schematic diagram of the annular heating wire, and (c) is a partial enlarged view of the annular heating wire. The heater includes an upper annular insulating plate 10a, an annular heating wire 20a and a lower annular insulating plate 30a. The annular heating wire 20a can be formed by etching process.

[0056] To explain the defects of the heater structure described above, we will first introduce the concept of "creep distance," please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 2 , Figure 2This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of creepage distance. The electrical clearance between conductor 1 and conductor 2 is D. Conductors 1 and 2 are separated by an insulator. The creepage distance L is the shortest path (which can be a curved distance) measured along the surface of the insulator between two conductive parts or between a conductive part and the protective interface of the equipment. The larger L is, the better the insulation effect between conductor 1 and conductor 2. For example, in air, for voltages below 300V, the safe insulation distance between two conductors should be greater than 2.5mm. Therefore, for voltages below 300V, the creepage distance should be greater than 2.5mm.

[0057] The aforementioned heater is formed by filling glass glue 40a between the upper annular insulating plate 10a and the lower annular insulating plate 30a, and then hot-pressing it. Due to the large overall size of the heater and the significant hot-pressing error, the distance La between the annular heating wire 20a and the edge of the upper annular insulating plate 10a or the lower annular insulating plate 30a cannot be controlled during hot-pressing, thus failing to guarantee the insulation effect at the heater's edge. Based on this, this application provides a heater, a heating method, a process chamber, and semiconductor process equipment.

[0058] Please see Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a heater provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of a heater provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a connection structure between a first insulating member and a heating wire provided in an embodiment of this application, wherein (a) is a top view and (b) is a partial enlarged view. The heater may include: a first insulating member 10, a plurality of fixing structures 20, a heating wire 30, a second insulating member 40, and a third insulating member 50. Exemplarily, the first insulating member 10, the second insulating member 40, and the third insulating member 50 may be annular insulating members.

[0059] The first insulating element 10 includes an inner edge 11 and an outer edge 12. Please refer to... Figure 5 The first insulating member 10 has multiple fixing structures 20 arranged along the circumferential direction. The heating wire 30 is sequentially connected to the multiple fixing structures 20 according to a preset path to fix it to the first insulating member 10. The distance of the fixing structure 20 from the inner edge 11 and the distance from the outer edge 12 both satisfy the condition that the distance of the heating wire 30 from the inner edge 11 and the distance from the outer edge 12 are both greater than the safety insulation distance. The second insulating member 40 and the third insulating member 50 are respectively arranged on both sides of the first insulating member 10 to encapsulate the heating wire 30 inside.

[0060] The first insulating element 10, the second insulating element 40, and the third insulating element 50 are all made of insulating material, such as a ring-shaped sheet structure made of mica. The three elements are stacked and secured with screws. The heating wire 30 is mounted on the first insulating element 10 via a fixing structure 20. The second insulating element 40 and the third insulating element 50 clamp the first insulating element 10 in the middle to encapsulate the heating wire. The fixing structure 20 can be a hole or groove formed in the first insulating element 10, such as... Figure 5 As shown in (b). The fixing structure 20 can also be a protrusion, such as... Figure 6 As shown. When the fixing structure 20 is a protrusion, it can be provided on one or both sides of the first insulating member 10. The heating wires on both sides can be connected by providing through holes. The specific form of the fixing structure 10 is not particularly limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0061] The heating wire 30 is sequentially connected to multiple fixed structures 20 according to a preset path. For example, the first insulating member 10 can be wound around the fixed structures 20 sequentially. Figure 5 As shown in (b), all fixed structures 20 can also be connected sequentially in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, such as... Figure 6 As shown in (a), one or more fixed structures 20 can be connected first in a clockwise direction, then one or more in a counterclockwise direction, then one or more in a clockwise direction again, and so on, alternatingly, as follows. Figure 6 As shown in (b). In this embodiment of the application, the preset path for connecting the heating wire 30 to the fixing structure 20 is not particularly limited.

[0062] In this embodiment, the distance L between the fixing structure 20 and the inner edge 11 and the outer edge 12 of the heater satisfies the following: when the heating wire 30 is fixed to the first insulating member 10 by the fixing structure 20, the distance from the inner edge 11 and the distance from the outer edge 12 are both greater than the safe insulation distance. Since the distance L between the fixing structure 20 and the inner edge 11 and the outer edge 12 are both greater than the safe insulation distance and can be precisely controlled, for example, the fixing structure 20 can be formed at the same time as the first insulating member 10 is formed, thus ensuring the insulation of the heater edge.

[0063] As an example of a fixed structure, please continue reading. Figure 5The multiple fixing structures 20 may include multiple first grooves 20A and multiple second grooves 20B. The first groove 20A is circumferentially arranged along the inner edge 11 of the first insulating member 10 and recessed towards one side of the outer edge 12; the depth of the first groove 20A is greater than the aforementioned safety insulation distance. The second groove 20B is circumferentially arranged along the outer edge 12 of the first insulating member 10 and recessed towards one side of the inner edge 11; the depth of the second groove 20B is greater than the safety insulation distance. The heating wire 30 is spirally wound around the first insulating member 10 in the circumferential direction and sequentially connected to the first grooves 20A and the second grooves 20B. Figure 5 In (b), the solid line represents the heating wire 30 on the front, and the dashed line represents the heating wire 30 on the back.

[0064] In this embodiment, the depths of the first groove 20A and the second groove 20B can be precisely controlled, and the depths are greater than the safe insulation distance, thereby ensuring the insulation of the inner edge 11 and outer edge 12 of the first insulating member 10 after the heating wire 30 is fixed on the first insulating member 10.

[0065] It should be noted that the number of first grooves 20A and second grooves 20B can be set separately. For example, along the circumferential direction, a certain area may have two first grooves 20A and one second groove 20B in sequence. In this case, two first grooves 20A can be continuously wound along the inner edge 11 of the first insulating member 10, and then the second groove 20B located at the outer edge 12 can be wound. Preferably, all first grooves 20A and all second grooves 20B are correspondingly arranged, and their projections on the inner edge 11 toward the center of the first insulating member 10 are alternately arranged. The heating wire 30 alternately connects the first grooves 20A and the second grooves 20B, thereby maximizing the distribution area of ​​the heating wire 30 on the first insulating member 10 and improving heating efficiency and heating uniformity.

[0066] As another example of a fixed structure, please continue reading. Figure 6The multiple fixing structures 20 may include multiple first protrusions 20C and multiple second protrusions (not shown in the figure). The first protrusions 20C are disposed on the side of the first insulating member 10 facing the second insulating member 40 (the top surface of the first insulating member 10 is shown in the figure). The distance of the first protrusion 20C from the inner edge 11 and the distance from the outer edge 12 are both greater than the aforementioned safety insulation distance. The second protrusions are disposed on the side of the first insulating member 10 facing the third insulating member 50 (the bottom surface of the first insulating member 10 is shown in the figure), and are not shown due to being obscured. The distance of the second protrusion from the inner edge 11 and the distance from the outer edge 12 are both greater than the safety insulation distance. The first insulating member 10 also has a first through hole 13, and the distance of the first through hole 13 from the inner edge 11 and the distance from the outer edge 12 are both greater than the safety insulation distance. The heating wire 30 can be connected to multiple first protrusions 20C in sequence along the circumferential direction, then pass through the first through hole 13, and then be connected to multiple second protrusions in sequence; or the heating wire 30 can be connected to multiple second protrusions in sequence along the circumferential direction, then pass through the first through hole 13, and then be connected to multiple first protrusions 20C in sequence.

[0067] For example, the first protrusion 20C and the second protrusion can be pillars, and a limiting structure can be provided on the side of the pillars to limit the winding of the heating wire 30 on the first protrusion 20C and the second protrusion. In this embodiment, the positions of the first protrusion 20C and the second protrusion on the first insulating member 10 can be precisely controlled, and the distances from the inner edge 11 and the outer edge 12 are both greater than the safe insulation distance, thereby ensuring the insulation of the inner edge 11 and the outer edge 12 of the first insulating member 10 after the heating wire 30 is fixed on the first insulating member 10.

[0068] In the scheme of connecting the heating wire in the heater to an external circuit, please refer to... Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of a heater provided by related technologies, where (a) is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram and (b) is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram. Please refer to both diagrams. Figure 1 The heater also includes an annular top plate 50a, an annular bottom plate 60a, and a power supply terminal 71a, all of which are conductors. An insulating sleeve 72a is fitted around the power supply terminal 71a to separate it from the annular top plate 50a. The bottom of the power supply terminal 71a has a shoulder-neck structure, where the shoulder abuts against the exposed copper sheet 21a of the heating wire 20a layer and is electrically connected to the heating wire. The neck passes through the lower annular insulating plate 30a and is locked by a nut 73a. A washer 74a is provided between the nut 73a and the exposed copper sheet 21a. The power supply terminal 71a is connected to terminals C and D of the connector 80a to connect to an external power source.

[0069] During the heating process, both the insulating sleeve 72a and the upper annular insulating plate 10a are insulators. Due to the different coefficients of thermal expansion of the insulating sleeve 72a, the annular top plate 50a, and the upper annular insulating plate 10a, a gap will form between the insulating sleeve 72a and the upper annular insulating plate 10a. Since the electrical strength of air insulation is much lower than that of solid insulation, when the heater is heated and a gap forms, it is equivalent to being in air... Figure 7 As shown in (b), the creepage distance at this time is a+b, where a is the length of the creepage path along the side of the upper annular insulating plate 10a, and b is the length of the creepage path along the top surface of the upper annular insulating plate 10a. As mentioned above, for voltages below 300V in air, the safe insulation distance should be greater than 2.5mm. When a+b is less than 2.5mm, the insulation effect fails, causing partial discharge of the heater. Since the top plate 50a is grounded, arcing to ground will occur at the power supply terminal 71a. Therefore, the electrical interface of this structure cannot ensure the insulation requirements.

[0070] As an improved embodiment, please refer to Figure 8 , Figure 8 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of a heater provided in an embodiment of this application, wherein (a) is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram and (b) is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram. The heater 30 may further include a top plate 60. Corresponding to the embodiment where the heater has a ring structure, the top plate 60 may also be a ring-shaped top plate. The top plate 60 is disposed on the side of the second insulating member 40 away from the first insulating member 10 (i.e., the top surface of the second insulating member 40 shown in the figure). The second insulating member 40 is provided with a second through hole 41, and the top plate 60 is provided with a third through hole 61 with a diameter larger than that of the second through hole 41, and the second through hole 41 is exposed in the third through hole 61. In this embodiment, the top plate 60 is disposed on the top surface of the second insulating member 40 of the heater, which can encapsulate and protect the heater. Furthermore, by providing a third through hole 61 with a diameter larger than that of the second through hole 41 on the top plate 60, when an electrical connector is connected to the second through hole 41, the insulation between the electrical connector and the top plate 60 can be ensured by setting an appropriate diameter for the third through hole 61.

[0071] As an example, the heater may also include a power supply terminal 80, which acts as an electrical connector, passing through the third through-hole 61 and connecting to the second through-hole 41, and is electrically connected to the heating wire 30, for example, as configured... Figure 7 The exposed copper sheet is directly ultrasonically welded to the power supply terminal 80. The distance between the power supply terminal 80 and the wall of the third through hole 61 is greater than the safety insulation distance. The power supply terminal 80 is used to connect to an external power source.

[0072] In this embodiment, by setting the distance between the power supply terminal 80 and the wall of the third through hole 61 to be greater than the safe insulation distance, the insulation effect between the power supply terminal 80 and the top plate 60 can be ensured, avoiding... Figure 7 The structure may experience arcing and insulation failure. Since the voltage connected to the power supply terminal 80 does not exceed 300V, the distance between the power supply terminal 80 and the wall of the third through hole 61 can be set to be greater than 2.5mm, such as 2.8mm, 3mm, 3.5mm, 4.5mm, 6mm, etc.

[0073] Preferably, insulating adhesive 81 is used to fill the space between the power supply terminal 80 and the wall of the third through hole 61. Filling with insulating adhesive improves the insulation performance between the power supply terminal 80 and the top plate 60. More preferably, the insulating adhesive 81 is a high-temperature resistant adhesive, for example, capable of withstanding temperatures above 600°C, which reduces its coefficient of thermal expansion at low temperatures and prevents deformation that could create gaps.

[0074] In one embodiment, please refer to... Figure 8 The heater may also include a temperature sensor 90 embedded within it. In conventional heaters, the temperature sensor is cylindrical and mounted on the upper surface of the lining groove using a pressure plate. The cylindrical surface of the temperature sensor contacts the plane of the lining, resulting in line contact and significant measurement errors. This affects the power output of the temperature controller and leads to abnormal lining temperatures. In this embodiment, the bottom surface of the temperature sensor 90 is flush with the bottom surface of the base plate 70. Therefore, when the heated component is pressed against the bottom surface of the base plate 70, the temperature sensor 90 is in contact with the heated component, resulting in surface contact and accurate temperature measurement. The side surface of the temperature sensor 90 is also in contact with the edge of the base plate 70, allowing for accurate temperature measurement of the heater. This balance between the two components enables more precise temperature control of the heated component.

[0075] In one embodiment, please refer to... Figure 3 In order to allow the heat from the heater to be transferred to the heated part, the second insulating part 40 can be composed of a thick mica sheet, or it can be composed of two mica sheets 40A and 40B stacked together, which can simultaneously suppress the conduction of heat to other objects above.

[0076] In one embodiment, please refer to... Figure 3 and Figure 5The heater may also include a base plate 70 and a notch 101. In embodiments where the heater has a ring structure, the base plate 70 can also be an annular base plate. The base plate 70 is disposed on the side of the third insulating member 50 away from the first insulating member 10 (i.e., the bottom surface of the third insulating member 50 shown in the figure). The notch 101 sequentially penetrates the top plate 60, the second insulating member 40, the first insulating member 10, the third insulating member 50, and the base plate 70. The heating wire 30 is disposed on the first insulating member 10 to avoid the notch 101. The notch 101 can be used for the thermal expansion and contraction of the heater itself, or to avoid other structures in the process chamber, such as air outlets. As an example, the base plate 70 can be made of aluminum (thermal conductivity 138 W / mk). Compared to 304 stainless steel (15-16 W / mk), aluminum has better heat transfer performance, which helps to better conduct heat to the heated device and solves the problem of failure caused by abnormal temperature of surrounding materials due to temperature accumulation.

[0077] As an example of the winding method of the heating wire 30 of the heater in the above embodiment, taking the fixing structure 20 including a plurality of first grooves 20A and a plurality of second grooves 20B as an example, please refer to... Figure 5 and Figure 8 The two power supply terminals 80 of the heater correspond to terminals C and D of connector 100, respectively. Terminals C and D are AC208V power supply lead interfaces. The two ends of the heater corresponding to the notch 101 are the first end C' and the second end D', respectively. The first groove 20A and the second groove 20B between terminal C and the first end C' are numbered sequentially from 1 in a counterclockwise direction. One free end of the heating wire 30 is connected to terminal C. The first insulating member 10 can be spirally wound counterclockwise from terminal C. The odd-numbered first groove 20A and the even-numbered second groove 20B can be wound alternately in sequence. After reaching the first end C', the winding method is reversed in a clockwise direction, alternating between the even-numbered first groove 20A and the odd-numbered second groove 20B. After reaching the vicinity of terminal C, the first groove 20A and the second groove 20B between terminal D and the second end D' are wound in the same way until the other free end of the heating wire 30 is connected to terminal D.

[0078] As an example, please continue reading Figure 8 The heater may also include an over-temperature switch 91, which is a two-wire switch. The leads of the over-temperature switch 91 are crimped to terminals A and B of connector 100, respectively. When the temperature is too high, the over-temperature switch 91 sends a signal to the temperature controller, which then stops the heating. The temperature sensor 90 is a three-wire temperature sensor. The leads of the temperature sensor 90 are crimped to terminals E, F, and G of connector 100, respectively. The temperature sensor 90 transmits a signal to the temperature controller, allowing the temperature controller to read the real-time temperature.

[0079] This application also provides a heating method applicable to the heaters described in the above embodiments. The heating method may include: controlling the heater to heat the component to be heated from a current temperature T0 to a first intermediate temperature T1, and holding it at that temperature for a first preset time t1; then controlling the heater to heat the component to be heated from the first intermediate temperature T1 to a second intermediate temperature T2, and holding it at that temperature for a second preset time t2, ..., controlling the heater to heat the component to be heated from the nth intermediate temperature T1... n Heat to the preset target temperature T a And maintain the preset target temperature, where n≥1.

[0080] Traditional heater heating process such as Figure 9 As shown, taking heating a component to 150℃ as an example, the traditional heating method is as follows: the host computer directly sets the temperature to 150℃, then controls the power to continuously output 100% until 145℃, and then reduces the power through PID control until the component is heated to 150℃. Because heat conduction takes time, this heating process can cause the heater body temperature to become too high, resulting in a large temperature difference between the heater and the heated component. Furthermore, excessively high heater temperatures can damage non-metallic components around the heater, such as O-rings.

[0081] The heating method in this embodiment divides the entire heating process into different heating zones. Upon reaching each target temperature (intermediate temperature), the temperature is held for a certain period to allow for sufficient heat conduction. After the temperature stabilizes, heating continues until the preset target temperature T is reached. a Please see. Figure 10 , Figure 10 This is a schematic flowchart of a heating method provided in an embodiment of this application. Taking heating the workpiece from room temperature to 150°C as an example, the heating can be divided into four stages (i.e., n=4 as mentioned above): room temperature - 50°C - 80°C - 110°C - 150°C, each stage lasting 30 minutes. Please refer to... Figure 11 , Figure 11 This is a power comparison diagram between a heating method provided in this application embodiment and a traditional heating method. Under the condition of controlling the same target temperature of 150°C, the heating method of this embodiment reduces the output power of the heater temperature controller by 5% compared with the traditional heating method.

[0082] The heating method in this embodiment allows the heat of the heater itself to be fully dissipated, preventing the heater temperature from becoming too high and helping to protect non-metallic components around the heater.

[0083] This application also provides a process chamber, please refer to the embodiments therein. Figure 12 and Figure 13 , Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a process chamber provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 13 This is a top view schematic diagram of the internal structure of a process chamber provided in an embodiment of this application, wherein (a) does not include the annular cover plate, and (b) includes the annular cover plate. The process chamber may include an inner liner 110, an annular cover plate 120, and a heater 130 as described in the above embodiments. The inner ring top surface of the inner liner 110 is provided with an annular groove 111, and the heater 130 is disposed in the groove 111. The annular cover plate 120 seals the heater 130 in the groove. The process chamber may also include a base 140 and an upper electrode 150. The base 140 is used to support the wafer, and the upper electrode 150 is used to load radio frequency energy to excite the process gas to form plasma.

[0084] In this embodiment, the distance between the heating wire 30 in the heater 130 and the edge of the heater 130 in the process chamber can be precisely controlled, thereby ensuring the insulation of the heater edge.

[0085] This application also provides a semiconductor process apparatus, which includes the process chambers described in the above embodiments. For other working principles and processes of the process chambers, semiconductor process apparatus, and process methods of this embodiment, please refer to the description of the heater in the foregoing embodiments of the present invention, which will not be repeated here.

[0086] The heater, heating method, process chamber, and semiconductor process equipment provided in this application have been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. It should be noted that the descriptions of each embodiment in this application have different emphases, and parts not described in detail or in a certain embodiment can be referred to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0087] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application and do not limit the patent scope of this application. The technical features of the technical solution of this application can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made using the content of this application's specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are also included within the patent protection scope of this application, as long as the combination of these technical features does not contradict each other.

Claims

1. A heater, characterized in that, include: The first insulating element includes an inner edge and an outer edge, and a plurality of fixing structures are provided on the first insulating element along the circumferential direction; A heating wire is sequentially connected to the plurality of fixing structures according to a preset path to be fixed to the first insulating member, and the distances of the fixing structures from the inner edge and the outer edge both satisfy the following: the distances of the heating wire from the inner edge and the outer edge are both greater than the safety insulation distance; and, The second and third insulating components are respectively disposed on both sides of the first insulating component to encapsulate the heating wire inside.

2. The heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of fixed structures include: A plurality of first grooves are provided circumferentially along the inner edge and recessed to one side of the outer edge, wherein the depth of the first grooves is greater than the safety insulation distance; A plurality of second grooves are provided circumferentially along the outer edge and recessed to one side of the inner edge, wherein the depth of the second grooves is greater than the safety insulation distance; The heating wire is spirally wound around the first insulating element in a circumferential direction and is connected to the first groove and the second groove in sequence.

3. The heater according to claim 2, characterized in that, The plurality of first grooves are correspondingly arranged with the plurality of second grooves, and are alternately arranged on the inner edge with projections toward the center of the first insulating member; The heating wire is alternately connected to the first groove and the second groove.

4. The heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of fixed structures include: A plurality of first protrusions are provided on the side of the first insulating member facing the second insulating member, wherein the distance of the first protrusion from the inner edge and the distance from the outer edge are both greater than the safety insulation distance; A plurality of second protrusions are provided on the side of the first insulating member facing the third insulating member, wherein the distance of the second protrusion from the inner edge and the distance from the outer edge are both greater than the safety insulation distance; The first insulating member is further provided with a first through hole, and the distance of the first through hole from the inner edge and the distance from the outer edge are both greater than the safety insulation distance; The heating wire is connected to the plurality of first protrusions in sequence along the circumferential direction, then passes through the first through hole, and then is connected to the plurality of second protrusions in sequence; or, the heating wire is connected to the plurality of second protrusions in sequence along the circumferential direction, then passes through the first through hole, and then is connected to the plurality of first protrusions in sequence.

5. The heater according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, Also includes: A top plate is disposed on the side of the second insulating member away from the first insulating member; the second insulating member is provided with a second through hole, and the annular top plate is provided with a third through hole with a diameter larger than the second through hole, and the second through hole is exposed in the third through hole.

6. The heater according to claim 5, characterized in that, Also includes: A power supply terminal passes through the third through hole and is connected to the second through hole, and is electrically connected to the heating wire. The distance between the power supply terminal and the wall of the third through hole is greater than the safety insulation distance. The power supply terminal is used to connect to an external power source.

7. The heater according to claim 6, characterized in that, The space between the power supply terminal and the wall of the third through hole is filled with insulating adhesive.

8. The heater according to claim 5, characterized in that, Also includes: The base plate is disposed on the side of the third insulating member away from the first insulating member; And a notch, which sequentially penetrates the top plate, the second insulating element, the first insulating element, the third insulating element, and the bottom plate; The heating wire is positioned on the first insulating member to avoid the notch.

9. A heating method, characterized in that, Applied to the heater as described in any one of claims 1-8, the heating method comprises: The heater is controlled to heat the component to be heated from its current temperature to a first intermediate temperature T1 and hold it at that temperature for a first preset time. Then, the heater is controlled to heat the component to be heated from the first intermediate temperature to a second intermediate temperature T2 and hold it at that temperature for a second preset time, and so on, until the component is heated from the nth intermediate temperature T1. n Heat to a preset target temperature and maintain the preset target temperature, where n≥1.

10. A process chamber, characterized in that, Including the heater as described in any one of claims 1-8, and, The inner liner has an annular groove on the top surface of its inner ring, and the heater is disposed in the groove; An annular cover plate seals the heater within the groove.

11. A semiconductor process apparatus, characterized in that, Includes the process chamber as described in claim 10.

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