Heat preservation barrel and semiconductor heat treatment equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a heat preservation barrel and semiconductor heat treatment equipment. The heat preservation barrel comprises a heat preservation assembly which is provided with a plurality of first heat preservation pieces arranged at intervals, and the size of gaps among all the first heat preservation pieces can be adjusted at least in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the heat preservation barrel. The density distribution degree in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the heat preservation barrel is changed by adjusting the size of gaps in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the heat preservation barrel between all the first heat preservation parts, so that the heat capacity of the corresponding position of the area is adjusted through the density distribution degree of the first heat preservation parts, and the heat preservation capacity of the corresponding area can be adjusted. Therefore, the temperature field distribution condition in the reaction chamber in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel is adjusted, and the uniformity of film formation on the surface of a wafer in the reaction chamber can be adjusted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of semiconductor process equipment, specifically relating to an insulated container and semiconductor heat treatment equipment. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of the integrated circuit manufacturing industry, the feature size of devices is constantly shrinking, the integration density of chips is increasing, and the requirements for process indicators are becoming more and more stringent. In the integrated circuit manufacturing process, vertical diffusion furnaces mainly undertake processes such as thermal oxidation film deposition, annealing, and alloying. Among these, film deposition is its most important responsibility. In order to achieve excellent film thickness uniformity, the temperature field and gas flow field uniformity during the wafer film deposition process must be good.

[0003] Existing vertical diffusion furnaces typically include a reaction chamber, a process gate, and an insulation tank to prevent heat loss from the reaction chamber. A wafer boat carrying the wafer undergoes heat treatment within the reaction chamber. The process gate is connected to the transfer port of the reaction chamber. The insulation tank is located in the bottom region of the reaction chamber near the process gate to insulate the reaction chamber. Existing insulation tanks typically consist of multiple layers of insulation sheets distributed along the axial direction of the reaction chamber to block heat exchange between the reaction chamber and the process gate. However, since the insulation sheets are usually uniformly thick sheets, the insulation capacity of all areas of the insulation tank is the same, failing to improve the insulation capacity of any localized area. In actual processes, the temperature field inside the reaction chamber is inherently uneven, and having the same insulation capacity in all areas can actually lead to poor film uniformity on the wafer surface. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides an insulated bucket and a semiconductor heat treatment device, aiming to solve the problem that the heat preservation capacity of each area of ​​the insulated bucket cannot be adjusted separately.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a heat-insulating container for heat-insulating the bottom of the reaction chamber of a semiconductor heat treatment device; the heat-insulating container includes:

[0006] The heat insulation component includes a plurality of spaced-apart first heat insulation elements, and the size of the gap between all the first heat insulation elements is adjustable at least in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the heat insulation barrel. The density of the distribution of all the first heat insulation elements in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the heat insulation barrel is changed by adjusting the size of the gap between them, thereby adjusting the temperature field distribution in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the heat insulation barrel within the reaction chamber.

[0007] Optionally, there are multiple insulation components, and the multiple insulation components are distributed at intervals around the axis of the insulation barrel;

[0008] Each of the insulation components includes at least one set of the first insulation elements. Each set of the first insulation elements consists of multiple elements and is distributed along a direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel. The density of the first insulation elements in the same set is adjusted by changing the gap size to change the density of their distribution in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel, thereby adjusting the radial temperature field distribution within the reaction chamber.

[0009] Optionally, the insulation component further includes:

[0010] The second insulation component is arranged along the plane containing the axis of the insulation barrel, and at least one set of the first insulation component is provided on the second insulation component.

[0011] Optionally, the first insulation component is movably connected to the second insulation component, and the density distribution of the same group of first insulation components in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel can be adjusted by movement.

[0012] Optionally, the second insulation component is provided with a through groove extending in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel; the through groove penetrates the second insulation component in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the second insulation component;

[0013] The first insulation component includes a sliding part and an insulation part. The sliding part passes through the through groove and slides in cooperation with the through groove. The insulation part is connected to the sliding part so that the first insulation component can slide in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel.

[0014] Optionally, there are two insulation parts, each located on one side of the second insulation component, with the two insulation parts spaced apart. The sliding part is connected between the two insulation parts, and the sliding part and the two insulation parts form a limiting groove located between the two insulation parts. The limiting groove is used to limit and cooperate with the second insulation component simultaneously in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the insulation barrel and in a direction surrounding the axial direction of the insulation barrel.

[0015] Optionally, the first insulation component is rotatable about the sliding part. The first insulation component can adjust the angle of the insulation part relative to the through groove by rotating, so that the limiting groove and the second insulation component are engaged or disengaged in the axial direction of the rotating shaft. The rotation axis of the first insulation component is perpendicular to the extension direction of the through groove.

[0016] Optionally, the first insulation component and the second insulation component are detachably connected, and the density distribution of the first insulation components in the same group in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel can be adjusted by changing the number of the first insulation components connected to the second insulation component.

[0017] Optionally, there are multiple second insulation components, which are stacked sequentially along the axial direction of the insulation barrel, and each second insulation component is provided with a set of first insulation components.

[0018] The thermal insulation component further includes: a third thermal insulation component, which is fixedly connected to the second thermal insulation component;

[0019] Along the axial direction of the insulation barrel, two adjacent third insulation components are mutually restrictive, so that two adjacent second insulation components along the axial direction of the insulation barrel are mutually fitted in both directions perpendicular to and parallel to the axis of the insulation barrel.

[0020] Optionally, in the same group of first insulation components, the farther away from the axis of the insulation barrel, the larger the size of the first insulation component in the direction surrounding the axis of the insulation barrel.

[0021] Optionally, in the direction surrounding the axis of the insulation barrel, an airflow channel is formed between the first insulation elements of two adjacent insulation assemblies, extending in directions perpendicular to and parallel to the axis of the insulation barrel.

[0022] Optionally, the insulated container further includes:

[0023] A support component, detachably connected to a plurality of the insulation components, is used to support all of the insulation components connected thereto.

[0024] Optionally, the support component includes:

[0025] A central column is arranged along the axial direction of the insulation barrel; a plurality of insulation components are arranged around the central column and are detachably connected to the central column;

[0026] A top plate is provided perpendicular to the central column and connected to the top end of the central column; a plurality of first slots are provided on the bottom surface of the top plate, and the first slots are used to be detachably inserted into the corresponding insulation group;

[0027] The base plate is perpendicular to the central column and connected to the bottom end of the central column; the bottom surface of the top plate is provided with a plurality of second slots, which are used to detachably connect to the corresponding insulation group.

[0028] In a second aspect, a semiconductor heat treatment apparatus includes a reaction chamber and a heat-insulating barrel as described above; the heat-insulating barrel is disposed in the bottom region of the reaction chamber.

[0029] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0030] The thermal insulation component provided in this embodiment of the invention has a plurality of spaced-apart first thermal insulation elements, and the size of the gap between all the first thermal insulation elements is adjustable at least in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the thermal insulation barrel. The density of the plurality of first thermal insulation elements in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the thermal insulation barrel can be changed by adjusting the size of the gap between all the first thermal insulation elements. Since the heat capacity distribution of a solid is positively correlated with its distribution density, the heat capacity of a certain region can be adjusted by adjusting the density of the first thermal insulation elements in a certain region, thereby adjusting the thermal insulation capacity of the corresponding region, thereby adjusting the temperature field distribution in the corresponding region in the reaction chamber, and further adjusting the uniformity of the film formation on the wafer surface in the reaction chamber. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor heat treatment device in related technologies;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the insulated bucket provided by the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the semiconductor heat treatment equipment provided by the present invention;

[0034] Figure 4A This is a film formation trend diagram on the wafer surface when the temperature field distribution is uneven.

[0035] Figure 4B This is another film formation trend diagram on the wafer surface when the temperature field distribution is uneven;

[0036] Figure 5A An axial cross-sectional view of the first insulation component in the insulated bucket provided by the present invention when the outer side is sparse and the inner side is dense;

[0037] Figure 5B An axial cross-sectional view of the first insulation component in the insulated bucket provided by the present invention, when the outer layer is densely distributed and the inner layer is sparsely distributed;

[0038] Figure 5C An axial cross-sectional view of the first insulation component in the insulated bucket provided by the present invention when the insulation component is distributed at high density.

[0039] Figure 6 This is a front view schematic diagram of the second insulation component, the third insulation component, and a corresponding set of first insulation components provided by the present invention;

[0040] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the airflow direction inside the insulated container provided by the present invention;

[0041] Figure 8 A top view schematic diagram of the second insulation component, the third insulation component, and a corresponding set of first insulation components provided by the present invention;

[0042] Figure 9A This is a schematic diagram showing the limiting movement adjustment of the second insulation component, the third insulation component, and the corresponding first insulation component provided by the present invention.

[0043] Figure 9B for Figure 9A A cross-sectional view along the AA direction;

[0044] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the structure of the first thermal insulation component provided by the present invention;

[0045] Figure 11A A front view schematic diagram of multiple second insulation components and corresponding multiple sets of first insulation components provided by the present invention;

[0046] Figure 11B for Figure 11A Rear view of the structure shown;

[0047] Figure 11C for Figure 11A A side view of the structure shown;

[0048] Figure 12A A side view schematic diagram of a plurality of second insulation components and a plurality of corresponding third insulation components provided by the present invention;

[0049] Figure 12B for Figure 12A A side view of a second insulation component and a corresponding third insulation component shown in the figure;

[0050] Figure 13A This is a front view schematic diagram of the central column and base plate provided by the present invention;

[0051] Figure 13B for Figure 13A Top view of the structure shown;

[0052] Figure 14A A bottom view of the top plate provided by the present invention;

[0053] Figure 14B for Figure 14A Side view of the structure shown;

[0054] Figure 14C for Figure 14A Top view of the structure shown. Detailed Implementation

[0055] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0056] It is understood that the specific embodiments and accompanying drawings described herein are merely for explaining the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0057] It is understood that, without conflict, the various embodiments of the present invention and the features thereof can be combined with each other.

[0058] It is understood that, for ease of description, the accompanying drawings of this invention only show the parts related to the embodiments of this invention, while the parts unrelated to the embodiments of this invention are not shown in the drawings.

[0059] It is understood that, without conflict, the functions and steps marked in the flowcharts and block diagrams of the embodiments of the present invention may occur in a different order than that marked in the accompanying drawings.

[0060] It is understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary implementations used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0061] like Figure 1As shown, in related technologies, semiconductor heat treatment equipment mainly includes a reaction chamber 01, a process door 02, a heating furnace body 03, an inlet assembly 04, an exhaust assembly 05, and an insulation tank 06. The reaction chamber 01 is used for semiconductor heat treatment processes. Specifically, a crystal boat carrying multiple wafers can be placed inside the reaction chamber 01 for heat treatment of the wafers. The inlet assembly 04 and the exhaust assembly 05 are both connected to the reaction chamber 01 to introduce and exhaust reaction gases. The heating furnace body 03 is arranged around the outer periphery of the reaction chamber 01. The heating furnace body 03 serves as the heat source for the semiconductor heat treatment process, heating the internal temperature of the reaction chamber 01 to the reaction temperature so that the wafers can reach the reaction temperature, thereby enabling the wafers to undergo heat treatment. It reacts with the reactive gas; the process door 02 is located at the transfer port at the lower end of the reaction chamber 01, used to seal the transfer port and to support the insulation barrel 06 and the quartz crystal boat stacked on top of the insulation barrel 06; the insulation barrel 06 is located between the process door 02 and the crystal boat to provide thermal insulation between the two, thereby reducing the temperature loss in the area above the insulation barrel 06, providing thermal insulation for the crystal boat area and stabilizing the heat flow field, and can also slow down the heat conduction between the reaction chamber 01 and the process door 02 to prevent the process door 02 from being damaged due to exceeding the heat resistance threshold. The temperature field distribution in the top region of the reaction chamber 01 depends only on the output power of the heating furnace body 03; however, since the bottom region of the reaction chamber 01 is located close to the process door 02, the air inlet assembly 04, and the air outlet assembly, the temperature field in the bottom region of the reaction chamber 01 depends not only on the output power of the heating furnace body 03, but also on the temperature of the process door 02, the air inlet temperature, and the heat preservation capacity of the heat preservation tank 06. It can be seen that there are multiple factors that can interfere with the temperature field distribution in the bottom region of the reaction chamber 01, which can easily lead to uneven temperature field distribution in the bottom region.

[0062] However, as Figure 1 As shown, since the existing heat preservation barrel 06 has a horizontally stacked heat preservation barrel 06 structure, which includes multiple horizontally uniformly distributed heat preservation sheets, the heat preservation capacity of the horizontally stacked heat preservation barrel 06 is also uniformly distributed in the horizontal direction, and it is impossible to specifically adjust the heat preservation capacity of a certain area in the reaction chamber 01, and thus it is impossible to adjust the temperature field distribution in the bottom area of ​​the reaction chamber 01.

[0063] To solve the above technical problems, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, this embodiment provides a heat-insulating container 1 for heat-insulating the bottom of the reaction chamber 2 of a semiconductor heat treatment device. The heat-insulating container 1 includes a heat-insulating component 11, which can use its own material to absorb heat energy and prevent the reaction chamber 2 from dissipating heat to the outside, thereby achieving a heat-insulating effect.

[0064] Furthermore, the insulation component 11 includes a plurality of spaced-apart first insulation elements 111, and the gap between all the first insulation elements 111 is adjustable at least in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel, and the gap between adjacent first insulation elements 111 is filled only with gas. The density distribution of all the first insulation elements 111 can be changed by adjusting the size of the gap in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel. Since the heat capacity distribution of a solid is positively correlated with its density distribution, and the heat capacity of a gas is negligible compared to that of a solid, the heat capacity distribution of the insulation component 11 can be adjusted by adjusting the density distribution of all the first insulation elements 111, thereby adjusting the distribution of the insulation capacity of the insulation component 11 in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel, and thus adjusting the distribution of the temperature field in the reaction chamber 2 in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel. Specifically, in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation tank, if it is necessary to increase the temperature of a specific area in the reaction chamber 2, the spacing between the first insulation members 111 at the corresponding positions in that area can be reduced to increase the density at those positions, thereby improving the insulation capacity at that location and thus increasing the temperature of the specified area in the reaction chamber 2. Conversely, if it is necessary to decrease the temperature of a specific area in the reaction chamber 2, the spacing between the first insulation members 111 at the corresponding positions in that area can be increased to decrease the density at those positions, thereby reducing the insulation capacity at that location and thus decreasing the temperature of the specified area in the reaction chamber 2. Specifically, the density distribution of all the first insulation members 111 in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation tank can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the first insulation members 111 in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation tank and by adjusting the number of the first insulation members 111.

[0065] The heat-insulating barrel 1 provided in this embodiment can change the heat capacity distribution by adjusting the density of all the first heat-insulating components 111 in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the heat-insulating barrel. This can achieve the effect of adjusting the temperature field distribution inside the reaction chamber 2 in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the heat-insulating barrel, and thus adjust the temperature distribution of the wafer. In actual processes, the temperature difference between different areas of the wafer in the bottom region of the reaction chamber 2 can be reduced by adaptively adjusting the density of the first heat-insulating components 111, thereby improving the uniformity of film formation on the wafer surface and improving the film formation quality.

[0066] Furthermore, since there are gaps between adjacent first insulation components 111, the gas inside the reaction chamber 2 can flow between these gaps, allowing heat exchange between the first insulation components 111 and the reaction chamber 2 via airflow. It is easy to understand that a larger airflow results in a higher heat exchange rate; and by adjusting the spacing between all the first insulation components 111, a wider spacing results in a larger airflow rate within that spacing, and correspondingly, a higher heat exchange rate. Therefore, by increasing the density of the first insulation components 111, the airflow at the corresponding location can be reduced, thereby improving the insulation capacity at that location, and consequently increasing the temperature of a designated area in the reaction chamber 2; conversely, by decreasing the density of the first insulation components 111, the airflow at the corresponding location can be increased, thereby reducing the insulation capacity at that location, and consequently decreasing the temperature of a designated area in the reaction chamber 2.

[0067] Furthermore, such as Figure 1 As shown, since the heating furnace body 03 in the semiconductor processing equipment of the related technology surrounds the outer periphery of the reaction chamber 01, during the heating process of the heating furnace body on the reaction chamber 01, the temperature field inside the reaction chamber 01 may be in a state where the temperature at the edge is higher than the temperature at the center. This results in the temperature at the center of the wafer placed inside the reaction chamber 01 being lower than the temperature at the edge, which may lead to a lower film formation rate in the center region of the wafer than in the edge region, ultimately resulting in poor film uniformity on the wafer surface. Moreover, as Figure 1 As shown, since the gas inlet component 04 in the semiconductor processing equipment is usually located on the side of the bottom region of the reaction chamber 01, the reaction gas will flow from the edge region of the reaction chamber 01 to the center region and from the bottom region to the top region during the process. However, since the gas inlet temperature is low, the introduction of the reaction gas may cause the temperature at the edge of the bottom region of the reaction chamber 01 to be lower than the temperature at the center, which may also cause the problem of poor film uniformity on the wafer surface.

[0068] To address this technical problem, in some embodiments, there are multiple insulation components 11, which are spaced apart around the axis of the insulation chamber 1. Each insulation component 11 includes at least one set of first insulation elements 111, and there are multiple first insulation elements 111 in each set, which are distributed along a direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation chamber 1. The density of the first insulation elements 111 in the same set is changed by adjusting the gap size, thereby adjusting the distribution of insulation capacity in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation chamber 1, thus adjusting the radial temperature field distribution in the reaction chamber 2, and further adjusting the radial temperature distribution of the wafer placed in the reaction chamber 2.

[0069] Taking a cylindrical insulated bucket 1 as an example, each group of first insulation components 111 can be distributed radially along the cylindrical insulated bucket 1.

[0070] For example, if the film formation of the wafer in the lower region of reaction chamber 2 is as follows: Figure 4A The concave film shown, thin at the center and thick at the edges, indicates that the temperature field in the lower region of reaction chamber 2 is distributed such that the temperature at the edges is higher than that at the center. In this case, if... Figure 5A As shown, the density of the first insulation element 111 in the central region of the insulation barrel 1 can be increased by adjusting the radial distribution of the first insulation element 111 among the multiple insulation components 11, so that the heat capacity at the edge of the insulation barrel 1 is lower than that at the center, thereby making the insulation capacity at the center of the insulation barrel 1 better than that at the edge of the insulation barrel 1. This increases the temperature in the central region of the reaction chamber 2 and decreases the temperature in the edge region of the reaction chamber 2, so that the current temperature field is adjusted to a radially uniform distribution, thereby making the film formation of each wafer uniform.

[0071] For example, if the film formation of the wafer in the lower region of reaction chamber 2 is as follows... Figure 4B The convex film shown, thicker at the center and thinner at the edges, indicates that the temperature field in the lower region of reaction chamber 2 is distributed with a higher temperature in the center than at the edges. In this case, if... Figure 5B As shown, the density of the first insulation element 111 in the radial direction of the insulation barrel 1 can be increased by adjusting the density distribution of the first insulation element 111 in the edge region of the insulation barrel 1, so that the heat capacity at the edge of the insulation barrel 1 is higher than that at the center, thereby making the insulation capacity at the edge of the insulation barrel 1 better than that at the center of the insulation barrel 1. This increases the temperature at the edge region of the reaction chamber 2 and decreases the temperature at the center region of the reaction chamber 2, so as to adjust the current temperature field to a radially uniform distribution state, thereby making the film formation of each wafer uniform.

[0072] Furthermore, since the overall size of the insulated container 1 is limited, the overall density of the insulation assembly 11 can be increased or decreased by increasing or decreasing the total number of the first insulation components 111, thereby increasing or decreasing the overall insulation capacity of the insulated container 1. For example, as Figure 5C As shown, when the process to be carried out in the reaction chamber 2 is an extremely high-temperature process such as ultra-high temperature annealing, the overall heat preservation capacity of the heat preservation barrel 1 can be improved by increasing the total number of the first heat preservation components 111, so as to reduce the heat dissipation rate of the reaction area, thereby ensuring that the temperature of the reaction area can be maintained at a high temperature, and thus ensuring the normal progress of the process.

[0073] In some embodiments, such as Figure 6As shown, the insulation component 11 also includes a second insulation element 112; specifically, since there are multiple insulation components 11, there are also multiple second insulation elements 112. The second insulation elements 112 are arranged along the plane containing the axis of the insulation barrel 1, so that multiple second insulation elements 112 are arranged radially around the axis of the insulation barrel 1. At least one set of first insulation elements 111 is provided on the second insulation element 112, so that multiple sets of first insulation elements 111 are arranged around the axis of the insulation barrel 1 using multiple second insulation elements 112.

[0074] Furthermore, the distribution density of all first insulation components 111 in the direction surrounding the axis of the insulation barrel 1 can be adjusted by adjusting the number of second insulation components 112, thereby adjusting the distribution of insulation capacity of the insulation barrel 1 in the direction surrounding its own axis. Specifically, if the insulation barrel 1 is cylindrical, the "direction surrounding the axis of the insulation barrel 1" in this application can be understood as the circumferential direction of the insulation barrel 1.

[0075] In some preferred embodiments, the multiple second insulation elements 112 are spaced equally in the direction surrounding the axis of the insulation barrel 1, so that the multiple second insulation elements 112 are symmetrically arranged around the axis of the insulation barrel 1, and multiple sets of first insulation elements 111 arranged on the second insulation elements 112 are symmetrically arranged around the axis of the insulation barrel 1.

[0076] Furthermore, in the process of adjusting the spacing between the first insulation components 111, the density distribution of different groups of first insulation components 111 can be made consistent, so that the density distribution of all the first insulation components 111 is consistent in the direction surrounding the axis of the insulation barrel 1, thereby making the density distribution of the insulation barrel 1 uniform in the direction surrounding its own axis, thus avoiding the defect of uneven thickness in the circumferential direction of the film formed on the wafer surface.

[0077] In some embodiments, such as Figure 7 As shown, in the direction surrounding the axis of the insulation barrel 1, an airflow channel is formed between the first insulation element 111 of two adjacent insulation assemblies 11, extending in directions parallel to and perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel 1, so that the airflow ( Figure 7 (Indicated by arrows) can flow axially and perpendicularly within the insulated container 1, thereby reducing the interference of the insulated container 1 on the airflow field inside the reaction chamber 2.

[0078] In some embodiments, such as Figure 8 As shown, in the same group of first insulation components 111, the farther away from the axis of the insulation barrel 1, the larger the dimension of the first insulation component 111 in the direction surrounding the axis of the insulation barrel 1; that is, the closer the first insulation component 111 is to the edge region of the insulation barrel 1, the wider it is. Figure 7As shown, if the multiple adjacent first insulation components 111 in the direction surrounding the axis of the insulation barrel 1 are considered as a circle, then the smaller the radius of the circle, the smaller its circumference. Therefore, during the adjustment of the spacing between the first insulation components 111, the risk of interference between adjacent first insulation components 111 in the direction surrounding the axis of the insulation barrel 1 can be reduced.

[0079] For example, such as Figure 8 As shown, the orthographic projection of the first insulation element 111 onto the bottom surface of the insulation container 1 is arc-shaped. For example, the first insulation element 111 can be an arc-shaped plate, so that multiple adjacent first insulation elements 111 in the direction surrounding the axis of the insulation container 1 can form a shape that is close to a circle. This makes the density distribution of the insulation container 1 closer to a circle, corresponding to the shape of a circular wafer. Moreover, compared to a flat first insulation element 111, the arc-shaped plate-shaped first insulation element 111 can maximize the volume of the first insulation element 111 within a certain circumferential space, thereby maximizing the insulation capacity of each first insulation element 111.

[0080] However, this application does not impose excessive limitations on the shape of the first insulation element 111. The first insulation element 111 can be adapted to the shape of the wafer so that the density distribution shape of the insulation tank 1 is closer to the shape of the wafer. Therefore, in some other embodiments, the first insulation element 111 can also be hemispherical, columnar, annular, or cubic in shape.

[0081] In some embodiments, the first insulation element 111 is movably connected to the second insulation element 112. The spacing between adjacent first insulation elements 111 in the same group is adjusted by moving them to adjust the density distribution in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel 1, thereby adjusting the radial uniformity of the temperature field inside the reaction chamber 2.

[0082] In some specific embodiments, such as Figure 9A and Figure 9B As shown, the second insulation member 112 is provided with a through groove 1121 extending in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel 1, and the through groove 1121 penetrates the second insulation member 112 in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the second insulation member 112. The first insulation member 111 includes a sliding part 1111 and an insulation part 1112. The sliding part 1111 passes through the through groove 1121 and slides in cooperation with the through groove 1121. The insulation part 1112 is connected to the sliding part 1111, so that the first insulation member 111 can slide in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel 1. Thus, the gap between adjacent first insulation members 111 can be adjusted by driving the first insulation member 111 to slide in the through groove 1121.

[0083] Furthermore, since the adjacent first insulation components 111 are spaced apart, the positions corresponding to the gaps between the through slots 1121 and the first insulation components 111 can allow airflow to pass through. Thus, the gaps between the multiple through slots 1121 and the adjacent second insulation components 112 can collectively form gas flow channels distributed inside the insulation container 1, allowing airflow to pass within the insulation container 1. This reduces the interference of the insulation container 1 on the airflow field inside the reaction chamber 2 in the axial and circumferential directions, thereby promoting the flow of the reaction gas along the axial and circumferential directions of the reaction chamber 2. Moreover, during the upward flow of the reaction gas in the reaction chamber 2, the reaction gas can make full contact with the multiple first insulation components 111 and second insulation components 112 by flowing through the insulation container 1, thereby achieving preliminary preheating of the reaction gas. This reduces the interference of the unpreheated reaction gas on the internal temperature field of the reaction chamber 2, in other words, further improving the stability of the internal temperature field of the reaction chamber 2.

[0084] For example, the through grooves 1121 in all the second insulation components 112 are positioned in the same axial direction of the insulation barrel 1 so that all the through grooves 1121 are at the same height in the axial direction of the insulation barrel 1, thereby reducing the interference of the edge of the through groove 1121 on the airflow and improving the stability of the airflow flowing around the axis of the insulation barrel 1.

[0085] For example, the second insulation member 112 is plate-shaped, and the plate-shaped second insulation member 112 extends in a direction parallel to and perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel 1, that is, the plate-shaped second insulation member 112 is coplanar with the axis of the insulation barrel 1.

[0086] For example, such as Figure 8 As shown, the first insulation component 111 is also plate-shaped, and the plate-shaped first insulation component 111 is arranged along the axial direction of the insulation barrel 1 and perpendicular to the corresponding plate-shaped second insulation component 112.

[0087] However, this application does not impose excessive limitations on the connection structure between the first insulation component 111 and the second insulation component 112. The first insulation component 111 and the second insulation component 112 can also be of other shapes, as long as the first insulation component 111 can be installed on the second insulation component 112 and can move relative to the second insulation component 112 in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel 1. For example, the second insulation component 112 can also be a solid straight rod, and the first insulation component 111 can be provided with a through hole that mates with the second insulation component 112, so that it can be sleeved on the second insulation component 112 and can slide along the second insulation component 112.

[0088] In some specific embodiments, such as Figure 9AAs shown, the surface of the second insulation component 112 is provided with a scale, and the scale is located at the edge of the through groove 1121, so that the operator can visually determine the position of the first insulation component 111 and the distance between two adjacent first insulation components 111, thereby facilitating the operator to manually adjust the distance between the first insulation components 111.

[0089] For example, the scale on the surface of each second insulation component 112 is the same, so that the operator can align the first insulation components 111 in all groups along the direction around the axis of the insulation barrel 1, so that the density distribution of the first insulation components 111 in different groups is consistent, thereby making the density distribution of the insulation barrel 1 uniform in the direction around its own axis.

[0090] For example, the aforementioned scale can be a pattern coated on the surface of the second insulation member 112, or it can be a plurality of grooves evenly distributed on the surface of the second insulation member 112.

[0091] In some specific embodiments, such as Figure 9B and Figure 10 As shown, the first insulation member 111 has two insulation portions 1112, which are located on both sides of the second insulation member 112 and are spaced apart. The sliding portion 1111 of the first insulation member 111 is connected between the two insulation portions 1112. The sliding portion 1111 and the two insulation portions 1112 form a limiting groove 1113, which is located between the two insulation portions 1112. The limiting groove 1113 is used to limit and cooperate with the second insulation member 112 simultaneously in the direction parallel to the axis of the insulation barrel 1 and in the direction surrounding the axis of the insulation barrel 1.

[0092] For example, the sliding part 1111 is integrally formed with the two heat insulation parts 1112.

[0093] In some embodiments, the first insulation member 111 and the second insulation member 112 are detachably connected, so that the density distribution of the multiple first insulation members 111 in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel 1 can be adjusted by changing the number of the same group of first insulation members 111 connected to the second insulation member 112. It is easy to understand that in a space of a specified size, the density of the first insulation members 111 is positively correlated with the number of the first insulation members 111. Therefore, the density of the first insulation members 111 can be increased by increasing the number of the first insulation members 111, and conversely, the density of the first insulation members 111 can be decreased by decreasing the number of the first insulation members 111.

[0094] It should be noted that this application does not impose too many restrictions on the detachable connection method between the first insulation component 111 and the second insulation component 112. The two can be connected by means such as plug-in, snap-fit ​​or pin-fit, as long as a detachable connection can be achieved.

[0095] Furthermore, in some specific embodiments, such as Figure 10 As shown, the first insulation component 111 is rotatable about the sliding part 1111, that is, the sliding part 1111 can be a rotating shaft, and the axis of this rotating shaft is perpendicular to the extending direction of the through groove 1121, that is, parallel to the through direction of the through groove 1121. Please refer to... Figure 9A and Figure 9B The first insulation component 111 adjusts the angle between the insulation part 1112 and the through groove 1121 by rotating, so that the limiting groove 1113 and the second insulation component 112 are engaged or disengaged in the axial direction of the rotating shaft. In this way, the first insulation component 111 and the second insulation component 112 can be detachably connected, and the first insulation component 111 can move relative to the second insulation component 112 in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel 1 after the two are connected.

[0096] In some specific embodiments, the outer periphery of the sliding part 1111 has at least one support surface corresponding to the shape of the inner wall of the through groove 1121. The support surface is used to abut against the inner wall of the through groove 1121 when the first heat insulation member 111 is rotated to the limiting engagement position, so that the first heat insulation member 111 can smoothly maintain its current position. For example, if the inner wall of the through groove 1121 is flat, the support surface can also be flat, so that it can be stably supported on the through groove 1121 and can slide relative to the through groove 1121.

[0097] For example, the through groove 1121 can be in the shape of a triangular prism or a quadrangular prism.

[0098] Furthermore, in some specific embodiments, such as Figures 11A to 11C As shown, there are multiple second insulation components 112, and these components are stacked sequentially along the axial direction of the insulation barrel 1. Each second insulation component 112 has a set of first insulation components 111. Thus, by adjusting the number of layers of second insulation components 112, the axial density of the insulation barrel 1 can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the overall insulation capacity of the insulation barrel 1. Specifically, increasing the number of layers of second insulation components 112 improves the overall insulation capacity of the insulation barrel 1, and conversely, decreasing the number of layers reduces the overall insulation capacity. It is easily understood that the connection positions between the first insulation components 111 and the second insulation components 112, as well as the widths of the first and second insulation components 111 and 112 along the axial direction of the insulation barrel 1, ensure that the end face of the first insulation component 111 does not exceed the end face range of the second insulation component 112, thereby preventing interference between adjacent first insulation components 111 along the axial direction.

[0099] like Figures 11A to 11CAs shown, the insulation assembly 11 also includes a third insulation element 113, which is fixedly connected to the second insulation element 112. In the axial direction of the insulation barrel 1, adjacent third insulation elements 113 are mutually restrictive, so that adjacent second insulation elements 112 in the axial direction of the insulation barrel 1 are mutually restrictive in both directions perpendicular to and parallel to the axis of the insulation barrel 1. This allows the multiple layers of second insulation elements 112 to be connected and fixed in the direction surrounding the axis of the insulation barrel 1, thus fixing the entire insulation barrel 1 structure. Furthermore, when the insulation barrel 1 is placed in the reaction chamber 2, the axis of the insulation barrel 1 is usually arranged vertically; therefore, the multiple layers of insulation assembly 11 can be stacked on top of each other due to their own weight to achieve axial fixation.

[0100] For example, the third insulation element 113 is disposed at one end of the second insulation element 112 away from the central axis of the insulation barrel 1.

[0101] For example, such as Figure 12A As shown, one of the two adjacent third insulation components 113 has at least one groove 1131 extending axially along the insulation barrel 1, and the other has a protrusion 1132 corresponding to the shape of the groove 1131, so as to be able to be inserted into the groove 1131, thereby fixing the two adjacent third insulation components 113 in the direction around the axis of the insulation barrel 1. Moreover, as Figure 12B As shown, the upper and lower ends of the third insulation component 113 can be respectively provided with grooves 1131 and protrusions 1132, so that multiple stacked third insulation components 113 can be interlocked.

[0102] For example, the first insulation component 111, the second insulation component 112, and the third insulation component 113 can all be made of quartz or silicon carbide to avoid introducing impurities into the reaction chamber 2 that are not desired by the process, thereby avoiding interference with the process results of the heat treatment process. Moreover, quartz and silicon carbide have high heat capacity, which can improve the overall heat preservation capacity of the insulation tank 1.

[0103] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the insulation bucket 1 also includes a support assembly 12. The support assembly 12 is detachably connected to a plurality of insulation assemblies 11 and is used to support all the insulation assemblies 11 connected thereto. During the installation phase of the insulation bucket 1, the number of insulation assemblies 11 can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the density distribution of the insulation bucket 1 in the direction around its own axis, and thus adjusting the heat preservation capacity distribution of the insulation bucket 1 in the direction around its own axis.

[0104] In some specific embodiments, the support assembly 12 includes a central column 121, a top plate 122, and a bottom plate 123. For example... Figure 13AAs shown, the central column 121 is arranged along the axial direction of the insulation tank 1; multiple insulation components 11 are arranged around the central column 121 and detachably connected to the central column 121. The top plate 122 is arranged perpendicular to the central column 121 and connected to the top end of the central column 121. Specifically, the top surface of the top plate 122 is used to support the crystal boat 3. Figure 14A As shown, a plurality of first slots 1221 are provided on the bottom surface of the top plate 122, and the first slots 1221 are used for detachable insertion with the corresponding insulation units. Figure 13B As shown, the base plate 123 is perpendicular to the central column 121 and connected to the bottom end of the central column 121. Multiple second slots 1231 are provided on the top surface of the base plate 123, which are used to detachably connect to corresponding insulation components. Specifically, the number of first slots 1221 and second slots 1231 determines the upper limit of the number of insulation components 11 that can be installed in the insulation container 1. Therefore, the first slots 1221 and second slots 1231 can be set according to the range of the number of insulation components 11. In this way, multiple insulation components 11 can be supported between the top plate 122 and the base plate 123, so that when the insulation container 1 supports the wafer, the multiple insulation components 11 can provide support along the axial direction of the insulation container 1, thereby assisting the central column 121 in support. This prevents the central column 121 from being deformed due to excessive pressure under high temperature, ensuring the overall structural stability of the insulation container 1 and thus ensuring the stability of the crystal boat 3 during the process. Moreover, the plug-in connection method is relatively simple, which can reduce the installation difficulty of the insulation bucket 1 and make it easy to adjust the number of insulation components 11 by disassembly and assembly.

[0105] Specifically, among the multiple stacked second insulation components 112, the uppermost second insulation component 112 can be inserted into the aforementioned first slot 1221, and the lowermost second insulation component 112 can be inserted into the aforementioned second slot 1231.

[0106] For example, a plurality of third slots 1211 are provided on the outer periphery of the central column 121, and the two ends of the plurality of third slots 1211 are respectively connected to the first slot 1221 and the second slot 1231; in this way, during the installation of the insulation barrel 1, the third slots 1211 can be used to align the first slot 1221 and the second slot 1231, thereby ensuring that the second mounting component is set along the axial direction of the insulation barrel 1 after installation is completed. Moreover, the third slots 1211 are used to detachably insert into the corresponding second insulation component 112 to limit and fix the plurality of second insulation components 112 in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel 1.

[0107] For example, such as Figure 13BAs shown, a plurality of fourth slots 1232 are provided on the top surface of the base plate 123. The plurality of fourth slots 1232 are provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of second slots 1231, so as to be inserted into the corresponding third insulation component 113, thereby connecting and fixing all the third insulation components 113 to each other.

[0108] For example, such as Figure 14B and Figure 14C As shown, the top surface of the top plate 122 has a snap-fit ​​structure 1222 for limiting and fixing with the crystal boat 3, so as to stably fix the crystal boat 3 above the top plate 122.

[0109] For example, the aforementioned central pillar 121 can be cylindrical, so that uniformly distributed third slots 1211 can be easily machined on the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder during the manufacturing process. Moreover, since the central pillar 121 has a certain heat capacity, it can also play a role in heat preservation by utilizing its own heat absorption capacity. Therefore, designing the central pillar 121 as a cylinder can make the density distribution in the central region of the heat preservation tank 1 uniformly distributed in a circle, so as to match the circular wafer shape, thereby making the temperature field distribution in the central axis region of the reaction chamber 2 uniform.

[0110] For example, such as Figure 13A As shown, the central column 121 can be integrally formed with the base plate 123, and the top part of the central column 121 can be inserted into the top plate 122. In the process of installing the insulation barrel 1, the insulation components 11 can be installed on the central column 121 and the base plate 123 first, and then the top plate 122 can be placed on the central column 121 and the top of all the insulation components 11.

[0111] For example, the central column 121, top plate 122, and bottom plate 123 can all be made of quartz or silicon carbide to avoid introducing impurities into the reaction chamber 2 that are not desired by the process, thereby avoiding interference with the process results of the heat treatment process. Moreover, quartz and silicon carbide have high heat capacity, which allows the central column 121, top plate 122, and bottom plate 123 to have good heat preservation capabilities without interfering with the process, so as to assist the heat preservation component 11 in heat preservation and further improve the overall heat preservation effect of the heat preservation barrel 1.

[0112] As another technical solution, such as Figure 3 As shown, this embodiment also provides a semiconductor heat treatment apparatus, including a reaction chamber and a heat-insulating container 1 as described above. Specifically, the heat-insulating container 1 is disposed in the bottom region of the reaction chamber 2 to insulate the reaction chamber 2, and by adjusting the density distribution of the heat-insulating container 1, the temperature field inside the reaction chamber 2 is made uniform, thereby improving the uniformity of film formation on the wafer surface in the reaction chamber 2. Moreover, the heat-insulating container 1 can also support a wafer boat 3 to support multiple wafers for heat treatment processes.

[0113] It is understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary implementations used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A heat-insulating container for heat-insulating the reaction chamber of a semiconductor heat treatment equipment; characterized in that, The insulated container includes: The heat insulation component includes a plurality of spaced-apart first heat insulation elements, and the gap between all the first heat insulation elements is adjustable at least in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the heat insulation barrel. The density of the distribution of all the first heat insulation elements in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the heat insulation barrel is changed by adjusting the size of the gap in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the heat insulation barrel, so as to adjust the temperature field distribution in the reaction chamber in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the heat insulation barrel.

2. The insulated bucket according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heat insulation components are multiple, and the multiple heat insulation components are distributed at intervals around the axis of the heat insulation barrel; Each of the insulation components includes at least one set of the first insulation elements. Each set of the first insulation elements consists of multiple elements and is distributed along a direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel. The density of the first insulation elements in the same set is adjusted by changing the gap size to change the density of their distribution in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel, thereby adjusting the radial temperature field distribution within the reaction chamber.

3. The insulated bucket according to claim 2, characterized in that, The thermal insulation component also includes: The second insulation component is arranged along the plane containing the axis of the insulation barrel, and at least one set of the first insulation component is provided on the second insulation component.

4. The insulated bucket according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first insulation component is movably connected to the second insulation component, and the density distribution of the same group of first insulation components in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel can be adjusted by movement.

5. The insulated bucket according to claim 4, characterized in that, The second insulation component is provided with a through groove extending in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel; The through groove penetrates the second insulation component in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the second insulation component; The first insulation component includes a sliding part and an insulation part. The sliding part passes through the through groove and slides in cooperation with the through groove. The insulation part is connected to the sliding part so that the first insulation component can slide in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel.

6. The insulated bucket according to claim 5, characterized in that, The insulation part consists of two parts, which are located on both sides of the second insulation component and are spaced apart. The sliding part is connected between the two insulation parts and forms a limiting groove between the two insulation parts. The limiting groove is used to limit and cooperate with the second insulation component in both the direction parallel to the axial direction of the insulation barrel and in the direction surrounding the axial direction of the insulation barrel.

7. The insulated container according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first insulation component is rotatable about the sliding part. The first insulation component can adjust the angle of the insulation part relative to the through groove by rotating, so that the limiting groove can be engaged or disengaged from the limiting groove with the second insulation component. The rotation axis of the first insulation component is perpendicular to the extension direction of the through groove.

8. The insulated bucket according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first insulation component and the second insulation component are detachably connected. The density of the first insulation components in the same group is adjusted in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the insulation barrel by changing the number of the first insulation components connected to the second insulation component.

9. The insulated bucket according to claim 3, characterized in that, There are multiple second insulation components, which are stacked sequentially along the axial direction of the insulation barrel. Each second insulation component is provided with at least one set of the first insulation components. The thermal insulation component further includes: a third thermal insulation component, which is fixedly connected to the second thermal insulation component; Along the axial direction of the insulation barrel, two adjacent third insulation components are mutually restrictive, so that two adjacent second insulation components along the axial direction of the insulation barrel are mutually restrictive in both directions perpendicular to and parallel to the axis of the insulation barrel.

10. The insulated container according to claim 2, characterized in that, In the same group of first insulation components, the farther away from the axis of the insulation barrel, the larger the size of the first insulation component in the direction surrounding the axis of the insulation barrel.

11. The insulated bucket according to claim 2, characterized in that, In the direction surrounding the axis of the insulation barrel, an airflow channel is formed between the first insulation element of two adjacent insulation assemblies, extending in directions perpendicular to and parallel to the axis of the insulation barrel.

12. The insulated bucket according to claim 2, characterized in that, The insulated container also includes: A support component, detachably connected to a plurality of the insulation components, is used to support all of the insulation components connected thereto.

13. The insulated bucket according to claim 12, characterized in that, The support components include: A central column is arranged along the axial direction of the insulation barrel; a plurality of insulation components are arranged around the central column and are detachably connected to the central column; A top plate is provided perpendicular to the central column and connected to the top end of the central column; a plurality of first slots are provided on the bottom surface of the top plate, and the first slots are used to be detachably inserted into the corresponding insulation group; The base plate is perpendicular to the central column and connected to the bottom end of the central column; a plurality of second slots are provided on the top surface of the base plate, and the second slots are used to be detachably inserted into the corresponding insulation group.

14. A semiconductor heat treatment apparatus, characterized in that, Includes a reaction chamber and an insulated container as described in any one of claims 1-13; The insulated container is located in the bottom area of ​​the reaction chamber.

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