Centrally positionable load lock process chamber

Abstract

The application provides a load lock process cavity capable of centering positioning, comprising: a process cavity, two sides of which are respectively provided with an atmospheric side interface and a vacuum side interface in communication with the inside of the process cavity; a wafer support body in the process cavity; a centering mechanism, comprising: a plurality of centering assemblies, upper ends of which are arranged in the process cavity, lower ends of which penetrate the bottom surface of the process cavity and are sealingly connected with the bottom surface of the process cavity through a centering sealing element; the plurality of centering assemblies are arranged outside the wafer support body; and a centering driving mechanism arranged on the bottom surface of the process cavity, an output end of a transmission mechanism of which is connected with the lower end of the centering assembly and used for driving the plurality of centering assemblies to synchronously swing for centering. The application can realize the centering positioning of wafers or wafer support bodies of different sizes and has good positioning precision and sealing performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor coating technology, and more particularly to a LOADLOCK process cavity that can be centered and positioned. Background Technology

[0002] During semiconductor manufacturing, layers of different materials are etched or deposited onto a substrate to form a semiconductor structure. Typically, to improve the uniformity of the deposited layers on the semiconductor surface, the wafer is placed on a support frame, and the support frame and wafer are fed together into a single-cavity processing unit for processing. Simultaneously, single-cavity processing units (such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and physical vapor deposition (PVD) usually require loadlocking to pressure isolate the processing chamber from the external environment, enabling material transfer and process integration in a high-cleanliness environment.

[0003] Currently, most LOADLOCK process cavities are equipped with internal transfer actuators that can only perform movements such as lifting, rotating, and extending, but cannot perform centering operations. LOADLOCK process cavities with centering functions, such as the Chinese invention patent CN117096071A, use push rods that penetrate the sidewall of the vacuum-locked process cavity to push the wafer for positioning. However, this method suffers from problems with the accuracy of centering and positioning operations and poor sealing of the process cavity, which affects the yield of semiconductor manufacturing. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the technical problems existing in the prior art, the present invention aims to provide a LOADLOCK process cavity that can be aligned and positioned, enabling the alignment of wafers and wafer support equipment within the vacuum process cavity.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention provides a LOADLOCK process cavity capable of centering and positioning, comprising:

[0006] The process cavity has an atmospheric side interface and a vacuum side interface on its two sides, respectively, which communicate with the interior of the process cavity; the process cavity contains a wafer support.

[0007] Institutions targeting China include:

[0008] Multiple alignment components are disposed at their upper ends within the process cavity, including a drive mechanism connected to the drive mechanism, the lower end of the drive mechanism penetrating the bottom surface of the process cavity and sealed to the bottom surface of the process cavity through an alignment seal; multiple alignment components are disposed on the outside of the wafer support.

[0009] A centering drive mechanism is disposed on the bottom surface of the process chamber, and its output end is connected to the lower end of the centering assembly, for driving multiple sets of the centering assembly to swing synchronously.

[0010] According to one technical solution of the present invention, the centering assembly includes a rotating shaft and a centering block disposed at the upper end of the rotating shaft, and the transmission mechanism includes:

[0011] The drive wheel is fixed to the bottom surface of the process chamber;

[0012] A timing pulley is connected to the driving pulley via a timing belt.

[0013] The centering components consist of at least three sets, and the rotating shafts of the three sets of centering components are respectively coaxially arranged with the driving pulley and the timing belt pulley;

[0014] The drive mechanism is connected to the drive wheel and is used to drive the drive wheel to rotate.

[0015] According to one technical solution of the present invention, the drive mechanism is disposed on one side of the drive wheel, and includes:

[0016] A drive motor and a motor wheel, wherein the motor wheel is disposed on the output end of the drive motor;

[0017] A transmission belt is fitted onto the motor wheel and the drive wheel to enable transmission between the motor wheel and the drive wheel.

[0018] According to one technical solution of the present invention, the centering drive mechanism further includes a redirecting drive wheel, which is disposed on the bottom surface of the process cavity and is used to redirect the synchronous belt.

[0019] According to one technical solution of the present invention, the process cavity is provided with an in-situ detection device, the in-situ detection device is disposed above the quartz window, and the in-situ detection device is provided with a first in-situ detection position and a second in-situ detection position, the concentric circles containing the first in-situ detection position and the second in-situ detection position have different radii.

[0020] According to one technical solution of the present invention, the in-situ detection device is in two sets, and the two sets of in-situ detection devices are symmetrically arranged along the diameter of the circle formed by the centering component.

[0021] According to one technical solution of the present invention, the process cavity includes:

[0022] The chamber body has a vacuum side interface and an atmospheric side interface on its two sides respectively; vacuum nozzles are provided on both sides of the vacuum side interface and the atmospheric side interface; a sealing gate is provided on the vacuum side interface;

[0023] The base is fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the chamber body;

[0024] A quartz window is disposed on the top surface of the chamber body and is sealed to the chamber body.

[0025] According to one technical solution of the present invention, a sealing gasket is provided between the chamber body and the base, and between the quartz window and the chamber body.

[0026] According to one technical solution of the present invention, a through hole is provided on the bottom surface of the chamber body, and a rotating support assembly is provided in the through hole, the rotating support assembly comprising:

[0027] A rotating support member has its upper end inserted into the through hole and its lower end protruding radially from the rotating support member with an abutment portion that abuts against the bottom surface of the chamber body; a sealing ring is provided between the abutment portion and the bottom surface of the chamber body; and the rotating support member has a rotating shaft through hole.

[0028] A sealing cap is fixedly mounted on the top surface of the rotating component;

[0029] A double-layer sealing ring is fitted onto the rotating shaft, and the double-layer sealing ring is disposed between the sealing cover and the rotating support.

[0030] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0031] This invention proposes a LOADLOCK process cavity with centering and positioning capability. The centering drive component drives multiple sets of centering components within the process cavity to simultaneously swing and clamp the wafer or wafer support for centering. Depending on the different swing angles of the centering components, centering operations for wafers and wafer supports of different sizes can be achieved, featuring high centering accuracy. The lower end of the centering component is sealed to the bottom surface of the process cavity through a sealing element, providing good sealing performance. Attached Figure Description

[0032] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0033] Figure 1 A schematic perspective view of a center-positionable LOADLOCK process cavity provided according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 A schematic bottom view of a centerable LOADLOCK process cavity provided according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 3 The schematic diagram shows a cross-sectional view of a LOADLOCK process cavity that can be centered and positioned according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 4 Schematic representation Figure 3 Enlarged diagram of point A in the middle.

[0037] The correspondence between component names and reference numerals in the accompanying drawings is as follows:

[0038] 1. Process cavity; 2. Alignment assembly; 3. Alignment drive mechanism; 4. In-situ detection device; 5. Wafer; 6. Tray; 7. Support ring;

[0039] 11. Chamber body; 12. Base; 13. Quartz window; 14. Sealing gate;

[0040] 111. Rotating support component; 112. Sealing cover;

[0041] 31. Drive pulley; 33. Synchronous belt pulley; 34. Synchronous belt; 35. Redirecting pulley;

[0042] 321. Drive motor; 322. Motor pulley; 323. Transmission belt;

[0043] 41. First detection device; 42. Second detection device. Detailed Implementation

[0044] The description of the embodiments in this specification should be taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which should form part of the complete specification. In the drawings, the shape or thickness of the embodiments may be exaggerated and may be indicated in a simplified or convenient manner. Furthermore, parts of the various structures in the drawings will be described separately; it is worth noting that elements not shown in the figures or not described in words are in a form known to those skilled in the art.

[0045] The descriptions of the embodiments herein, including any references to directions and orientations, are for ease of description only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. The following description of preferred embodiments involves combinations of features, which may exist independently or in combination; the invention is not particularly limited to the preferred embodiments. The scope of the invention is defined by the claims.

[0046] like Figures 1 to 4As shown, this invention provides a LOADLOCK process cavity 1 capable of centering and positioning, including a process cavity 1 and a centering mechanism. An atmospheric side interface and a vacuum side interface, communicating with the interior of the process cavity 1, are respectively provided on both sides of the process cavity 1. A wafer support is located inside the process cavity 1. The centering mechanism includes multiple sets of centering components 2 and a centering drive mechanism 3. The upper ends of the multiple sets of centering components 2 are disposed inside the process cavity 1, and the lower ends of the centering components 2 penetrate through the bottom surface of the process cavity 1 and are sealed to the bottom surface of the process cavity 1 through a centering seal. The multiple centering components 2 are disposed on the outside of the wafer support. The centering drive mechanism 3 is disposed on the bottom surface of the process cavity 1, and the output end of the centering drive mechanism 3 is connected to the lower end of the centering components 2, used to drive the multiple sets of centering components 2 to swing synchronously, so as to contact and push the wafer 5 or the wafer support, thereby achieving the centering and positioning of the wafer 5 or the wafer support.

[0047] In an embodiment of the present invention, the process chamber 1 includes a chamber body 11, a base 12, and a quartz window 13. The chamber body 11 has a vacuum side interface and an atmospheric side interface on its two sides, respectively; vacuum nozzles are provided on both sides of the vacuum side interface and the atmospheric side interface; a sealing gate 14 is provided on the vacuum side interface. The base 12 is fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the chamber body 11, and a centering drive mechanism 3 is disposed within the base 12. The quartz window 13 is disposed on the top surface of the chamber body 11 and is sealed to the chamber body 11. Preferably, sealing gaskets are provided between the chamber body 11 and the base 12, and between the quartz window 13 and the chamber body 11, to improve the sealing performance of the process chamber 1.

[0048] In an embodiment of the present invention, the centering assembly 2 includes a rotating shaft and a centering block disposed at the upper end of the rotating shaft. The centering drive mechanism 3 includes a drive mechanism and a transmission mechanism connected to the drive mechanism. The transmission mechanism includes a drive wheel 31 and a synchronous pulley 33. The drive wheel 31 is fixed on the bottom surface of the chamber body 11, and the drive mechanism is used to drive the drive wheel 31 to rotate. The synchronous pulley 33 is connected to the drive wheel 31 via a synchronous belt 34. There are at least three sets of centering assemblies 2. The rotating shafts of the three sets of centering assemblies 2 are respectively coaxially arranged with the drive wheel 31 and the synchronous pulley 33. The drive wheel 31 drives the synchronous pulley 33 to rotate via the synchronous belt 34, thereby realizing the synchronous oscillation of the centering assembly 2. In one embodiment of the present invention, preferably, the centering block is an eccentric wheel. The upper end of the rotating shaft is fixed to one end of the centering block, and the other end of the centering block is used to contact and push the wafer 5 or the wafer support for centering and positioning.

[0049] In an embodiment of the present invention, a drive mechanism is disposed on one side of the drive wheel 31, including a drive motor 321, a motor wheel 322, and a transmission belt 323. The motor wheel 322 is disposed on the output end of the drive motor 321, and the transmission belt 323 is sleeved on the motor wheel 322 and the drive wheel 31 to realize the transmission between the motor wheel 322 and the drive wheel 31. Through the transmission belt 323 and the motor wheel 322, the longitudinal space occupied by the drive wheel 31 can be saved, the position of the drive motor 321 can be adjusted, the bottom space of the chamber body 11 can be rationally utilized, the axial pressure of the drive wheel 31 can be reduced, control accuracy can be improved, and output power can be easily adjusted.

[0050] In an embodiment of the present invention, the centering drive mechanism 3 further includes a redirecting drive wheel 35, which is disposed on the bottom surface of the process cavity 1 and is used to redirect the synchronous belt 34.

[0051] In an embodiment of the present invention, a through hole is provided on the bottom surface of the chamber body 11. The centering seal includes a rotating support 111, a sealing cover 112, and a double-layer sealing ring (not shown in the figure). The upper end of the rotating support 111 is inserted into the through hole, and the lower end of the rotating support 111 has a radially protruding abutment portion that abuts against the bottom surface of the chamber body 11. A sealing ring is provided between the abutment portion and the bottom surface of the chamber body 11. The rotating support 111 has a shaft through hole. The sealing cover 112 is fixedly disposed on the top surface of the rotating support. The shaft is disposed in the shaft through hole, and the double-layer sealing ring is sleeved on the shaft and disposed between the sealing cover 112 and the rotating support 111. Through the centering seal, multiple seals are achieved between the shaft and the process chamber 1, which can effectively improve the sealing performance at the connection between the centering assembly 2 and the process chamber 1 and avoid contamination of the vacuum environment inside the chamber.

[0052] In an embodiment of the present invention, a presence detection device 4 is provided on the process cavity 1, and the presence detection device 4 is positioned above the quartz window 13. The wafer support includes a tray 6 and a retaining ring 7. The tray 6 has a retaining ring slot adapted to the retaining ring 7, and the retaining ring 7 has a wafer 5 mounting slot. The outer diameter of the tray 6 is different from the outer diameter of the retaining ring 7. The presence detection device 4 is provided with a first detection device 41 and a second detection device 42. The radii of the concentric circles containing the first detection device 41 and the second presence detection device 4 are different. The first detection device 41 and the second detection device 42 are used to detect the presence status of the tray 6 and the retaining ring 7, respectively. When the wafer is properly assembled, the wafer 5 is placed in the slot formed by the tray 6 and the retaining ring 7, and the retaining ring 7 is placed on the tray 6 and matched and engaged with the retaining ring slot.

[0053] In an embodiment of the present invention, there are two sets of in-situ detection devices 4, which are symmetrically arranged along the diameter of the circle formed by the centering component 2. The first detection device 41 and the second detection device 42 can be distance sensors, and their detection signals are distance signals. Since the top surfaces of the tray 6 and the ring 7 are both flat, by comparing the distance signals obtained by the two sets of in-situ detection devices 4, when the difference between the distance signals of the two sets of in-situ detection devices 4 exceeds a threshold, it can be determined that the tray 6 and the ring 7 are not fully engaged, and thus the wafer assembly status during the transfer of the wafer 5 can be determined.

[0054] The working process of this invention is as follows:

[0055] The robotic arm places the pallet 6 into the process chamber 1. After the in-situ detection device 4 detects the in-situ detection signal of the pallet 6, the centering drive mechanism 3 drives the rotating shaft of the centering component 2 to rotate, so that the centering blocks swing synchronously to contact the pallet 6. Since the centering blocks are set to at least three sets, as the centering blocks rotate, the three sets of centering blocks contact the pallet 6 at the same time, which can realize the centering and positioning of the pallet 6.

[0056] The robotic arm places the support ring 7 and the wafer 5 set on the support ring 7 onto the tray 6 to achieve wafer assembly;

[0057] The ranging signal is acquired simultaneously by two sets of in-situ detection signals, and the difference between the ranging signals is judged. When the difference exceeds the threshold, the assembly is judged to be defective. The centering drive mechanism 3 drives the rotating shaft of the centering component 2 to rotate, so that the centering block swings synchronously to contact and pushes the support ring 7 to move on the tray 6, so as to center and return the assembly result to the correct position.

[0058] After the alignment is completed, the wafer assembly is re-inspected. Once the wafer assembly inspection results are satisfactory, wafer 5 and the wafer support are removed by a robotic arm.

[0059] The atmospheric side interface and the vacuum side interface are connected to the atmospheric side equipment and the vacuum side equipment, respectively. In this way, the wafer 5 and the wafer support can be transferred between the atmospheric side equipment and the vacuum side equipment.

[0060] The above description represents the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that although preferred embodiments have been described, those skilled in the art, once they understand the basic inventive concept of the present invention, can make various improvements and modifications without departing from the principles described herein. These improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to include both the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A LOADLOCK process cavity that can be centered and positioned, characterized in that, include: The process chamber has an atmospheric side interface and a vacuum side interface on its two sides, which are respectively connected to the interior of the process chamber. The process cavity contains a wafer support; Institutions targeting China include: Multiple alignment components are provided, with their upper ends disposed within the process cavity and their lower ends penetrating the bottom surface of the process cavity, and are sealed to the bottom surface of the process cavity through alignment seals; multiple alignment components are disposed on the outside of the wafer support; each alignment component includes a rotating shaft and an alignment block disposed at the upper end of the rotating shaft, the alignment block being an eccentric wheel, and the upper end of the rotating shaft being fixed to one end of the alignment block; A centering drive mechanism is disposed on the bottom surface of the process chamber, including a drive mechanism and a transmission mechanism connected to the drive mechanism. The output end of the transmission mechanism is connected to the lower end of the centering assembly, and is used to drive multiple sets of the centering assemblies to swing synchronously for centering.

2. The LOADLOCK process cavity capable of centering and positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission mechanism includes: The drive wheel is fixed to the bottom surface of the process chamber; A timing pulley is connected to the driving pulley via a timing belt. The centering components consist of at least three sets, and the rotating shafts of the three sets of centering components are respectively coaxially arranged with the driving pulley and the timing belt pulley; The drive mechanism is connected to the drive wheel and is used to drive the drive wheel to rotate.

3. The LOADLOCK process cavity capable of centering and positioning according to claim 2, characterized in that, The drive mechanism is located on one side of the drive wheel and includes: A drive motor and a motor wheel, wherein the motor wheel is disposed on the output end of the drive motor; A transmission belt is fitted onto the motor wheel and the drive wheel to enable transmission between the motor wheel and the drive wheel.

4. The LOADLOCK process cavity capable of centering and positioning according to claim 3, characterized in that, The centering drive mechanism also includes a redirecting drive wheel, which is disposed on the bottom surface of the process cavity and is used to redirect the synchronous belt.

5. The LOADLOCK process cavity capable of centering and positioning according to claim 2, characterized in that, The process chamber includes: The chamber body has a vacuum side interface and an atmospheric side interface on its two sides respectively; vacuum nozzles are provided on both sides of the vacuum side interface and the atmospheric side interface; a sealing gate is provided on the vacuum side interface; The base is fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the chamber body; A quartz window is disposed on the top surface of the chamber body and is sealed to the chamber body.

6. The LOADLOCK process cavity capable of centering and positioning according to claim 5, characterized in that, A sealing gasket is provided between the chamber body and the base, and between the quartz window and the chamber body.

7. The LOADLOCK process cavity capable of centering and positioning according to claim 5, characterized in that, The bottom surface of the chamber body is provided with a through hole, and the centering seal includes: A rotating support member has its upper end inserted into the through hole and its lower end protruding radially from the rotating support member with an abutment portion that abuts against the bottom surface of the chamber body. A sealing ring is provided between the abutment portion and the bottom surface of the chamber body. The rotating support member has a rotating shaft through hole, and the rotating shaft is disposed in the rotating shaft through hole. A sealing cap is fixedly mounted on the top surface of the rotating support member; A double-layer sealing ring is fitted onto the rotating shaft, and the double-layer sealing ring is disposed between the sealing cover and the rotating support.

8. The LOADLOCK process cavity capable of centering and positioning according to claim 5, characterized in that, The process chamber is equipped with an in-situ detection device, which is located above the quartz window.

9. The LOADLOCK process cavity capable of centering and positioning according to claim 8, characterized in that, The wafer support includes a tray and a support ring. The tray has a support ring slot that matches the support ring, and the support ring has a wafer mounting slot. The outer diameter of the tray is different from the outer diameter of the support ring. The in-situ detection device is equipped with a first detection device and a second detection device. The concentric circles containing the first detection device and the second in-situ detection device have different radii and are used to detect the in-situ status of the tray and the in-situ status of the support ring, respectively.

10. The LOADLOCK process cavity capable of centering and positioning according to claim 9, characterized in that, The in-situ detection device consists of two sets, which are symmetrically arranged along the diameter of the circle formed by the centering component. The detection signals of the first detection device and the second detection device are ranging signals.

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