Wafer transport structure integrating cooling and centering functions and semiconductor apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to wafer processing equipment technical field, especially to a kind of wafer transport structure and semiconductor equipment of integrated cooling and centering function, including centering piece and cooling member, centering piece is set along certain camber and is surrounded to form centering cavity, centering piece is lifted along axial motion, to take off wafer from the mechanical finger that stretches into centering cavity when rising to first position;The radial cross-sectional area of centering cavity decreases from top to bottom along axial direction, so that wafer is moved downward along the cavity wall of centering cavity under its own gravity and realizes automatic centering under the circumferential resistance of the cavity wall of centering cavity;Cooling member is arranged below centering piece;The present application is integrated by centering cavity with upper big lower small section and centering piece that can be lifted along axis, under the premise of canceling rotation photoelectric or optical sensing centering, it can realize automatic centering using the circumferential resistance of wafer self-weight sliding along the cavity wall of centering cavity, and completely get rid of the adaptation limit to wafer material.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wafer processing equipment technology, and more particularly to a wafer transport structure and semiconductor device that integrates cooling and centering functions. Background Technology

[0002] In semiconductor manufacturing processes, wafers need to be pre-aligned with high precision during the multi-chamber transfer and processing stages such as etching, deposition, and photolithography to ensure process yield. Furthermore, heat-sensitive wafers such as gallium arsenide and indium phosphide require controlled cooling before and after transfer to prevent thermal deformation and breakage. In existing technologies, alignment and cooling devices are mostly designed separately. Rotary photoelectric induction alignment schemes cannot be adapted to flat-edge wafers, and automatic alignment schemes are not suitable for transparent wafers such as silicon carbide and lithium tantalate, resulting in limited equipment adaptability. Traditional static natural cooling or fixed water cooling plates are difficult to dynamically adapt to brittle wafers with poor ductility. The cooling mode of wafer picking and placing by the ejector pin is prone to causing titanium drum wafers to break under stress. Moreover, the lengthy sequence of alignment and cooling performed in separate steps increases the process cycle time and reduces equipment productivity. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates to a wafer transport structure and semiconductor device that integrates cooling and centering functions, aiming to solve the problems of poor adaptability, easy damage to brittle wafers, and lengthy process cycles of existing split devices.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a wafer transport structure integrating cooling and alignment functions for transporting wafers between a process chamber and a storage chamber, comprising: A centering component is arranged along a certain arc and surrounds a centering cavity. The centering component has a window for a robotic finger to pick up and place a wafer. The centering component moves up and down along the axial direction so that when it rises to a first position, it picks up the wafer from the robotic finger that extends into the centering cavity. The radial cross-sectional area of ​​the centering cavity decreases from top to bottom along the axial direction, so that the wafer moves downward along the cavity wall under its own gravity and achieves automatic centering under the circumferential resistance of the cavity wall. A cooling component is disposed below the centering member so that when the centering member, carrying the aligned wafer, descends to the second position, it contacts the top of the cooling component, thereby cooling the wafer.

[0005] Optionally, the diameter of the wafer is between the radial length of the upper opening of the centering cavity and the radial length of the lower opening of the centering cavity, and the radial width between the two ends of the window is greater than the maximum radial width of the mechanical finger.

[0006] Optionally, the cooling component includes a cooling substrate and a cooling element; The cooling element protrudes from the top of the cooling substrate and is located directly below the alignment cavity. The area of ​​the orthographic projection structure of the cooling element on the top of the cooling substrate is less than or equal to the area of ​​the orthographic projection structure of the lower opening of the alignment cavity on the top of the cooling substrate, so that the cooling element can pass through the lower opening of the alignment cavity and enter the alignment cavity to contact the bottom of the aligned wafer.

[0007] Optionally, the axial height of the cooling element is less than or equal to the axial height of the centering element.

[0008] Optionally, the cooling component may further include a position sensor and a control module; The position sensor is located on the top of the cooling component to collect contact information between the cooling component and the aligned wafer. The control module is connected to the position sensor and the cooling component respectively, and is used to control the on / off state of the cooling component based on the contact information collected by the position sensor.

[0009] Optionally, the cooling component further includes an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe; The cooling substrate has internal cooling liquid channels; One end of the inlet pipe is connected to the inlet end of the coolant flow channel, and the other end is connected to an external coolant supply pipe. One end of the outlet pipe is connected to the outlet end of the coolant flow channel, and the other end is connected to an external liquid recovery system.

[0010] Optionally, the wafer transport structure integrating cooling and centering functions may further include a rotating component; The inner wall of the centering cavity is recessed with a first support groove that extends circumferentially and communicates with the window. The rotating component is arranged in a ring within the first support groove. The radial cross-sectional area of ​​the inner cavity of the rotating component is adapted to the radial cross-sectional area of ​​the centering cavity. The rotating component is provided with a notch adapted to the window. The rotating component is located near the lower opening of the centering cavity, and the rotating component rotates circumferentially to drive the wafer after centering to rotate.

[0011] Optionally, the wafer transport structure integrating cooling and centering functions further includes a first driving element and several second driving elements; The end faces of the rotating component and the first support groove opposite each other are the first mating part and the second mating part; The first driving component is disposed at the first docking portion; Several second driving members are circumferentially spaced at the second docking portion. The first driving member and several second driving members are respectively connected to an independent power supply. By controlling the on / off state of each second driving member, the first driving member is attracted to drive the rotating member to rotate circumferentially.

[0012] Optionally, the wafer transport structure integrating cooling and centering functions further includes a heat conduction element; The heat conduction element is located at the bottom of the centering member, and the radial cross-sectional area of ​​the heat conduction element is adapted to the radial cross-sectional area of ​​the cooling member, so that when the centering member, carrying the aligned wafer, contacts the top of the cooling member, the heat conduction element and the cooling member make contact synchronously, so that the temperature of the cooling member is conducted to the centering member through the heat conduction element, thereby cooling the circumferential sidewall of the wafer that contacts the cavity wall of the centering cavity.

[0013] Optionally, the wafer transport structure with integrated cooling and centering functions may further include several axial drive components; A plurality of axial drive members are circumferentially spaced on the cooling member, and the drive end of each axial drive member extends axially and connects to the centering member to drive the centering member to move upward and downward along the axial direction.

[0014] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention also provides a semiconductor device, including a mechanical finger, a process chamber, a storage chamber, and a wafer transfer structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions. The wafer transfer structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions is integrated and connected to the mechanical finger. After the mechanical finger transfers the wafer into the wafer transfer structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions for alignment and cooling, it is transferred between the process chamber and the storage chamber.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention integrates an alignment cavity with a larger upper cross-section and a smaller lower cross-section with an axially movable alignment component. By eliminating the need for rotational photoelectric or optical sensing alignment, automatic alignment is achieved using the circumferential resistance of the wafer's own weight sliding down the cavity wall, completely eliminating limitations related to wafer material compatibility. Simultaneously, a cooling component is positioned below the alignment component, allowing it to contact the back of the wafer as the alignment component descends. This combines wafer alignment with controlled cooling, avoiding the risk of brittle wafer breakage caused by traditional ejector pins. Furthermore, the timing of the alignment and cooling actions significantly shortens the process cycle time, improving equipment compatibility with different wafer materials and process yield, while effectively increasing overall production capacity. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of a wafer transport structure integrating cooling and centering functions in some embodiments of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A magnified structural diagram of position A in the diagram; Figure 3 for Figure 2 The diagram shows the structure of the centering component and the rotating component. Figure 4 for Figure 3 A magnified structural diagram of position B in the diagram.

[0017] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Cooling substrate; 2. Axial drive component; 3. Centering component; 31. Centering cavity; 32. Window; 33. First support groove; 4. Cooling component; 5. Position sensor; 6. Liquid inlet pipe; 7. Liquid outlet pipe; 8. Heat conduction component; 9. Rotating component; 91. Notch; 10. First drive component; 11. Second drive component. Detailed Implementation

[0018] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this invention. Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used herein should have the ordinary meaning understood by those skilled in the art. The terms "comprising" and similar expressions used herein mean that the element or object preceding the word covers the element or object listed following the word and its equivalents, but do not exclude other elements or objects.

[0019] This invention relates to a wafer transport structure and semiconductor device that integrates cooling and centering functions, aiming to solve the problems of poor adaptability, easy damage to brittle wafers, and lengthy process cycles of existing split devices.

[0020] To address the problems existing in the prior art, embodiments of the present invention provide a wafer transport structure integrating cooling and alignment functions for transferring wafers between process chambers and storage chambers, such as... Figure 1As shown, the wafer transport structure integrating cooling and centering functions includes a centering component 3 and a cooling component. This invention integrates the originally separate centering and cooling processes into the same transport path of the wafer between the process chamber and the storage chamber. It utilizes its own weight to center various types of wafers, such as flat-edge and transparent wafers, and avoids the limitations of optical sensing centering. It also avoids brittle wafer damage caused by ejector pins by descending synchronously contacting the cooling component. At the same time, the combined action sequence significantly shortens the process cycle time, effectively improving overall production capacity while enhancing equipment versatility and process yield.

[0021] In some embodiments, the material of the centering component 3 may be a copper, aluminum or diamond composite material with high thermal conductivity, or an alloy structure with a thermally conductive coating on its surface.

[0022] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the centering component 3 is arranged along a certain arc and surrounds the centering cavity 31; the shape of the centering component 3 can be a frustum cylinder, a cone cylinder or a polygonal cylinder with an arc transition that gradually narrows from top to bottom, and its inner wall forms a continuous and smooth guide surface to ensure that the wafer slides smoothly along the cavity wall of the centering cavity 31 under its own weight and fits evenly, thereby achieving high-precision and damage-free automatic centering.

[0023] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the centering member 3 is provided with a window 32 for the mechanical finger to pick up and place the wafer. The centering member 3 moves up and down along the axial direction so that when it rises to the first position, it can pick up the wafer from the mechanical finger that extends into the centering cavity 31. The radial cross-sectional area of ​​the centering cavity 31 decreases from top to bottom along the axial direction, so that the wafer moves down along the cavity wall of the centering cavity 31 under its own gravity and achieves automatic centering under the circumferential resistance of the cavity wall of the centering cavity 31.

[0024] This design, with its variable cross-section centering cavity 31 (larger at the top and smaller at the bottom), eliminates the need for additional optical or mechanical clamping mechanisms. The wafer can automatically center itself by sliding down the cavity wall of the centering cavity 31 under its own gravity, under the circumferential resistance of the cavity wall. This completely eliminates the limitations of adapting to wafer materials (such as transparent or flat-edge wafers) and avoids damage to brittle wafers caused by uneven clamping forces. At the same time, the centering component 3 is integrated with the mechanical finger pick-and-place window 32, and with the axial lifting action, a continuous process of "wafer attachment, centering, and wafer cooling" can be completed. This significantly simplifies the transmission path and action sequence, and improves the process cycle time and equipment versatility.

[0025] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the cooling component is located below the centering member 3 so that when the centering member 3 lowers to the second position with the aligned wafer, it contacts the top of the cooling component, thereby cooling the wafer.

[0026] By placing the cooling component below the centering component 3, the wafer, after centering, can directly contact the top of the cooling component as the centering component 3 descends, eliminating the need for additional ejector pins to lift or transfer the wafer. This avoids the risk of brittle wafers breaking due to localized stress concentration and combines the centering and cooling processes, significantly shortening the process cycle time. At the same time, the cooling position coincides with the centering station, ensuring the centering accuracy of the wafer during cooling and improving temperature uniformity and process yield.

[0027] In some embodiments, the first position can be understood as the wafer picking station where the centering member 3 rises to its highest position. At this time, the window 32 of the centering cavity 31 is flush with the mechanical finger, which makes it easy for the mechanical finger to horizontally feed the wafer into the centering cavity 31 and receive it by the centering member 3. The second position can be understood as the cooling station where the centering member 3 descends to its lowest position. At this time, the centering member 3 carries the aligned wafer down to fit against the top of the cooling component, so that the back side of the wafer directly contacts the cooling component to achieve efficient cooling.

[0028] It is worth noting that after the alignment member 3 rises to the first position and removes the wafer from the mechanical finger, the mechanical finger exits the alignment cavity 31 from the window 32. Then the alignment member 3 descends, and the wafer automatically aligns along the cavity wall of the alignment cavity 31 under its own weight, without the need for additional clamping action. This avoids the problem of identifying transparent or flat-edge wafers and eliminates the interference risk caused by the mechanical finger remaining, making the wafer picking, alignment, and cooling processes seamlessly connected.

[0029] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the diameter of the wafer is between the radial length of the upper opening of the alignment cavity 31 and the radial length of the lower opening of the alignment cavity 31. The difference in radial length between the upper and lower openings of the alignment cavity 31 forms a natural limiting mechanism, ensuring that the wafer can be smoothly inserted through the upper opening of the alignment cavity 31, while also achieving automatic circumferential alignment during gravity-induced sliding through the lower opening of the alignment cavity 31. This eliminates the need for additional clamping mechanisms, adapting to wafers of different diameters, and simultaneously preventing the wafer from accidentally falling out of the lower opening of the alignment cavity 31, thus balancing versatility and alignment accuracy.

[0030] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the radial width between the two ends of the window 32 is greater than the maximum radial width of the mechanical finger. This design ensures that the mechanical finger can smoothly pass through the window 32 to enter or exit the centering cavity 31, avoiding mechanical interference with the centering component 3 during the loading and unloading of pieces. At the same time, during the entire process of the centering component 3 lifting, unloading, centering, and cooling, sufficient radial clearance space is provided for the mechanical finger, ensuring stable and reliable transmission and smooth process connection.

[0031] Specifically, the mechanical finger moves the wafer to a position directly above the alignment member 3, ensuring that the mechanical finger is directly above the window 32. As the alignment member 3 moves upward, the window 32 gradually fits into the base of the mechanical finger. Under the influence of gravity, the wafer is smoothly transferred to the cavity wall of the alignment cavity 31 and supported by it. When the wafer detaches from the mechanical finger, the mechanical finger immediately exits from the window 32, completing the contactless bonding process.

[0032] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the cooling component includes a cooling substrate 1 and a cooling element 4. The cooling substrate 1 and the cooling element 4 can be circular, polygonal, or annular to fit the back side of the wafer, wherein the cooling element 4 is preferably columnar, platform-shaped, or disk-shaped.

[0033] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the cooling element 4 protrudes from the top of the cooling substrate 1 and is located directly below the alignment cavity 31. The area of ​​the orthographic projection structure of the cooling element 4 on the top of the cooling substrate 1 is less than or equal to (can be understood as slightly less than, so that when the cooling element 4 passes through the lower opening of the alignment cavity 31, the inner sidewall of the lower opening of the alignment cavity 31 contacts the circumferential sidewall of the cooling element 4) the area of ​​the orthographic projection structure of the lower opening of the alignment cavity 31 on the top of the cooling substrate 1, so that the cooling element 4 can pass through the lower opening of the alignment cavity 31 and enter the alignment cavity 31 to contact the bottom of the aligned wafer.

[0034] This configuration ensures that the area of ​​the orthographic projection structure of the cooling component 4 is no larger than the lower opening of the centering cavity 31, allowing the cooling component 4 to smoothly pass through the lower opening of the centering cavity 31 and achieve surface contact heat transfer with the back side of the aligned wafer, thus avoiding mechanical interference between the cooling component 4 and the centering component 3. At the same time, the centering station and the cooling station are coaxially aligned, so that the wafer can be cooled simultaneously during the alignment and descent process without additional transfer or lifting actions. This avoids the risk of brittle wafer breakage caused by ejector pins and significantly shortens the process cycle time by merging processes, thereby improving equipment capacity and process stability.

[0035] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the cooling element 4 can be a Peltier effect cooling chip with a high thermal conductivity material layer on its surface and a coolant flow channel as described later below. This can prevent the wafer temperature from dropping too quickly and meet the requirements for rapid cooling, ensuring that the cooling element 4 achieves uniform and controllable heat exchange with the back of the wafer after passing through the lower opening of the center cavity 31.

[0036] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1As shown, the axial height of the cooling element 4 is less than or equal to the axial height of the centering element 3. This configuration, by limiting the axial height of the cooling element 4 to not exceed the total axial height of the centering element 3, ensures that when the centering element 3 descends to the second position, regardless of the wafer size, the cooling element 4 can reliably pass through the lower opening of the centering cavity 31 and always abut against the bottom of the wafer. This avoids the cooling element 4 interfering with the mechanical fingers when the centering element 3 is in a high position, and also ensures that wafers of different specifications can achieve stable and uniform back-side contact cooling after centering.

[0037] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the cooling component also includes a position sensor 5 and a control module; the position sensor 5 can be a photoelectric sensor or a displacement sensor. The control module is preferably a PLC or an embedded controller.

[0038] In some embodiments, the number of position sensors 5 can be set to several, and the several position sensors 5 can be arranged at equal intervals along the circumference. Specifically, the number of position sensors 5 can be three, four or more, which will not be elaborated here.

[0039] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the position sensor 5 is located on the top of the cooling component 4 to collect contact information between the cooling component 4 and the aligned wafer; the control module is connected to the position sensor 5 and the cooling component respectively, and is used to control the on / off state of the cooling component according to the contact information collected by the position sensor 5.

[0040] This embodiment directly collects the contact status between the cooling component 4 and the back of the wafer through the position sensor 5, realizing closed-loop control of cooling start and stop. This avoids temperature control failure or thermal shock caused by accidental triggering of cooling when the centering component 3 is not fully in place or the wafer is not in contact. At the same time, based on the contact signal, the cooling component is dynamically switched on and off. This ensures that the wafer starts precise cooling immediately after centering is completed and stable contact is established. It also prevents energy waste in air cooling or abnormal conditions, significantly improving temperature control reliability and process consistency.

[0041] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the cooling component also includes an inlet pipe 6 and an outlet pipe 7.

[0042] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, a coolant flow channel is provided inside the cooling substrate 1; one end of the inlet pipe 6 is connected to the inlet end of the coolant flow channel, and the other end is connected to an external coolant supply pipe; one end of the outlet pipe 7 is connected to the outlet end of the coolant flow channel, and the other end is connected to an external liquid recovery system.

[0043] By integrating coolant channels inside the cooling substrate 1 and forming a composite heat exchange structure with the cooling component 4, the cooling component 4 (such as a Peltier chip) can be used to achieve rapid and precise temperature control of the wafer. At the same time, the circulating coolant can remove the heat generated by the cooling component 4 in a timely manner, avoiding overheating of the cooling component 4 and temperature control failure. Meanwhile, the inlet pipe 6 and outlet pipe 7 are connected to the external coolant supply source and the recovery system, respectively, to ensure continuous and stable circulation of coolant, so that the cooling component 4 is always in a high-efficiency working state, taking into account both the uniformity of wafer cooling and the long-term stability of the cooling system.

[0044] In some embodiments, the shape of the coolant flow channel can be a spiral, S-shaped or concentric ring arrangement along the interior of the cooling substrate 1, and its coverage area matches the cooling element 4 and the back projection area of ​​the wafer, so as to enhance the heat dissipation efficiency of the cooling element 4 and ensure the uniformity of temperature distribution on the bottom surface of the wafer, and avoid local overheating affecting the temperature control accuracy.

[0045] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the wafer transport structure integrating cooling and centering functions also includes a rotating component 9. The rotating component 9 is made of a thermally conductive material, specifically a high thermal conductivity metal such as aluminum alloy, copper alloy, or stainless steel.

[0046] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the inner wall of the alignment cavity 31 has a first support groove 33 that extends circumferentially and communicates with the window 32; the rotating member 9 is arranged in the first support groove 33, the radial cross-sectional area of ​​the inner cavity of the rotating member 9 is adapted to the radial cross-sectional area of ​​the alignment cavity 31, the rotating member 9 is provided with a notch 91 adapted to the window 32, the rotating member 9 is located near the lower opening of the alignment cavity 31, and the rotating member 9 rotates circumferentially to drive the aligned wafer to rotate.

[0047] This configuration embeds the rotating component 9 within the first support groove 33 on the side wall of the alignment cavity 31, ensuring a smooth connection between the inner cavity of the rotating component 9 and the alignment cavity 31. This avoids damaging the integrity of the guide surface of the alignment cavity 31, ensuring that the wafer can smoothly complete automatic alignment along the cavity wall of the alignment cavity 31 and the inner side wall of the rotating component 9 during its downward slide under its own weight. Furthermore, the circumferential rotation drives the aligned wafer to rotate precisely to match the process orientation requirements of flat edges or notches. At the same time, the notch 91 on the rotating component 9 is aligned with the window 32, ensuring unobstructed passage for the robotic fingers when picking up and placing wafers. This achieves a compact integration of alignment, rotation orientation, and transfer actions, improving the wafer process alignment accuracy while avoiding the equipment complexity and cycle time extension caused by adding an additional rotating station.

[0048] Specifically, after the wafer slides down the centering cavity 31 under its own weight, it falls smoothly into the inner cavity of the rotating component 9 to achieve automatic centering, with the rotating component 9 providing circumferential support. When the rotating component 9 is driven to rotate around the central axis of the centering component 3, it drives the wafer to rotate synchronously, causing the portion of the wafer's circumferential sidewall facing the notch 91 to rotate and move into the first support groove 33. This achieves 360° auxiliary cooling of the wafer's circumferential sidewall without dead angles, effectively compensating for the shortcomings of only cooling the back side of the wafer and the inability to cool the portion facing the notch 91.

[0049] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the wafer transport structure integrating cooling and alignment functions further includes a first driving element 10 and a plurality of second driving elements 11; the number of second driving elements 11 can be two, three or more, and the number of second driving elements 11 is preferably three. The specific structure of the first driving element 10 is preferably a permanent magnet; the specific structure of the second driving element 11 is preferably an electromagnet.

[0050] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the opposite end faces of the rotating member 9 and the first support groove 33 are the first docking portion and the second docking portion; the first driving member 10 is disposed in the first docking portion; a plurality of second driving members 11 are disposed at circumferential intervals in the second docking portion, preferably at equal intervals; the first driving member 10 and the plurality of second driving members 11 are respectively connected to an independent power supply, and the first driving member 10 is attracted to rotate the rotating member 9 circumferentially by controlling the on and off of each second driving member 11.

[0051] This embodiment employs a magnetic drive scheme using permanent magnets as the first driving element 10 and electromagnets arranged at equal intervals around the circumference as the second driving element 11. By controlling the on / off sequence of each electromagnet, a rotating magnetic field is generated, which non-contactly attracts the permanent magnets to drive the rotating element 9 to rotate around the circumference. This avoids wear and particulate contamination caused by mechanical transmission structures, adapts to the requirements of semiconductor clean environments, and achieves stepless and stable adjustment of wafer rotation orientation through magnetic field force, ensuring accurate alignment of flat edges or notches. At the same time, the centering and rotation stations are integrated into the same centering cavity 31, eliminating the need for an additional rotation mechanism. This improves the alignment accuracy of wafer processes while further reducing the size of the equipment and the cycle time.

[0052] Specifically, after the wafer is aligned and falls into the inner cavity of the rotating component 9, the wafer's flat edge (which can be understood as the part of the wafer facing the notch 91) needs to be oriented to the avoidance position corresponding to the window 32. This can be achieved by sequentially activating three circumferentially spaced electromagnets with a 120° phase difference: first, the electromagnet at the 0° position is activated to attract the permanent magnet and drive the rotating component 9 and the wafer to the 0° position; then, the electromagnet at the 120° position is activated to allow the wafer to continue rotating 120°; finally, the electromagnet at the 240° position is activated to complete the remaining angle adjustment. Through this time-division excitation "step-by-step" rotation control, the wafer's flat edge can be accurately oriented from any initial angle to the target angle, with no mechanical contact or particle generation throughout the process, and the rotation angle is controllable with high positioning repeatability.

[0053] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the wafer transfer structure integrating cooling and centering functions also includes a heat conduction element 8; the heat conduction element 8 can be made of copper, aluminum or diamond composite material with high thermal conductivity, or it can be an alloy structure with a thermally conductive coating on the surface, so as to efficiently conduct the heat absorbed by the cooling component to the centering component 3 and the rotating component 9, thereby achieving uniform cooling of the circumferential sidewalls of the wafer.

[0054] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the heat conduction element 8 is disposed at the bottom of the centering member 3, and the radial cross-sectional area of ​​the heat conduction element 8 is adapted to the radial cross-sectional area of ​​the cooling member, so that when the centering member 3, carrying the aligned wafer, contacts the top of the cooling member, the heat conduction element 8 contacts the cooling member synchronously, so that the temperature of the cooling member is conducted to the centering member 3 through the heat conduction element 8, thereby cooling the circumferential sidewall of the wafer that contacts the cavity wall of the centering cavity 31.

[0055] By integrating a heat conduction element 8 that is radially adapted to the cooling component at the bottom of the centering component 3, when the centering component 3 descends to the second position, the heat conduction element 8 contacts the cooling component synchronously (which can be understood as contacting the circumferential sidewall of the cooling component 4), efficiently conducting the low-temperature cooling to the cavity wall of the centering cavity 31 (i.e., the centering component 3 and the rotating component 9), thereby achieving synchronous cooling of the circumferential sidewall of the wafer that is in contact with the cavity wall of the centering cavity 31. This effectively compensates for the insufficiency of cooling only the back side (which can be understood as the bottom) of the wafer, and avoids thermal stress deformation or cracks caused by uneven heat dissipation from the circumferential sidewall of the wafer.

[0056] In some embodiments, the heat conduction element 8 is preferably an annular structure adapted to the bottom of the centering member 3, with its inner radial dimension matching the radial profile of the cooling member to form a continuous and uniform heat conduction path in the circumferential direction. This ensures that the low temperature of the cooling member can be synchronously and without dead angles transferred to the cavity wall of the centering cavity 31, thereby achieving uniform cooling of the circumferential sidewalls of the wafer. The annular heat conduction element 8 may also have another notch adapted to the notch 91.

[0057] In some embodiments, the size of the heat conduction element 8 is adapted to the size of the cooling element 4. For example, when the cooling element 4 is a columnar Peltier chip with a diameter of 50 mm, the heat conduction element 8 is a ring with an outer diameter of 55 mm and an inner diameter of 51 mm.

[0058] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the wafer transport structure integrating cooling and centering functions also includes several axial drive components 2; the number of axial drive components 2 can be two, three or more.

[0059] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, a plurality of axial drive members 2 are circumferentially spaced on the cooling member, preferably circumferentially equally spaced; the drive end of each axial drive member 2 extends axially and connects to the centering member 3 to drive the centering member 3 to move upward and downward along the axial direction.

[0060] By arranging several axial drive components 2 at equal intervals along the circumference, a multi-point synchronous drive structure is formed, which makes the centering component 3 uniformly stressed and stable in posture during the lifting process, avoiding skew or jamming caused by unilateral drive, and ensuring that the wafer is always in a coaxial state (which can be understood as a horizontal state) in the centering cavity 31. At the same time, the lifting drive mechanism of the centering component 3 is integrated above the cooling component, which is compact and reasonable in layout. It saves axial space and makes the drive path highly coincide with the cooling and centering station, ensuring the continuity of action and positioning accuracy of the entire process of "wafer bonding, centering, and cooling".

[0061] In some embodiments, the structure of the axial drive 2 can be a pneumatic cylinder arranged at intervals along the circumference, with its piston rod extending axially as the drive end and connected to the centering component 3. Multi-point synchronous lifting is achieved through unified air circuit control, which has the advantages of fast response speed, stable output, compact structure and convenient maintenance. It can ensure that the centering component 3 can switch smoothly between the wafer receiving, centering and cooling stations, while avoiding the introduction of additional particulate contamination and adapting to the requirements of semiconductor clean environment.

[0062] To address the problems existing in the prior art, embodiments of the present invention also provide a semiconductor device, the semiconductor device including a mechanical finger, a process chamber, a storage chamber, and the wafer transfer structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions. The wafer transfer structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions is integrated and connected with the mechanical finger. After the mechanical finger transfers the wafer into the wafer transfer structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions to achieve alignment and cooling, it is transferred between the process chamber and the storage chamber.

[0063] This setup directly integrates the wafer transport structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions with the robotic fingers, enabling high-precision alignment and controllable cooling to be completed simultaneously in a single pick-and-place operation of the robotic arm (including the integrated cooling and alignment wafer transport structure and robotic fingers). This eliminates the need for additional transfer and cooling stations, completely removing the limitations of wafer material compatibility (such as transparent or flat-edge wafers) and avoiding damage to brittle wafers caused by ejector pins. At the same time, by merging the alignment and cooling processes, the process cycle time is significantly shortened, improving equipment versatility and process yield while effectively increasing overall production capacity.

[0064] In some embodiments, the semiconductor equipment can be etching equipment, deposition equipment, or resist stripping equipment. These processes all have stringent requirements for wafer alignment accuracy and temperature control. By embedding a wafer transport structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions into such equipment, high-precision alignment and controllable cooling can be completed simultaneously before and after the wafer enters and exits the process chamber. This effectively avoids process defects caused by thermal deformation or positioning deviation, significantly improves etching uniformity, deposition quality, and resist stripping cleanliness, while shortening the process cycle time and enhancing the equipment's process adaptability and capacity.

[0065] While embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to these embodiments. However, it should be understood that such modifications and variations fall within the scope and spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention described herein may have other embodiments and can be implemented or carried out in various ways.

Claims

1. A wafer transport structure integrating cooling and alignment functions for transporting wafers between a process chamber and a storage chamber, characterized in that, include: A centering component is arranged along a certain arc and surrounds a centering cavity. The centering component has a window for a robotic finger to pick up and place a wafer. The centering component moves up and down along the axial direction so that when it rises to a first position, it picks up the wafer from the robotic finger that extends into the centering cavity. The radial cross-sectional area of ​​the centering cavity decreases from top to bottom along the axial direction, so that the wafer moves downward along the cavity wall under its own gravity and achieves automatic centering under the circumferential resistance of the cavity wall. A cooling component is disposed below the centering member so that when the centering member, carrying the aligned wafer, descends to the second position, it contacts the top of the cooling component, thereby cooling the wafer.

2. The wafer transport structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions according to claim 1, characterized in that, The diameter of the wafer is between the radial length of the upper opening of the centering cavity and the radial length of the lower opening of the centering cavity, and the radial width between the two ends of the window is greater than the maximum radial width of the mechanical finger.

3. The wafer transport structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cooling component includes a cooling substrate and a cooling element; The cooling element protrudes from the top of the cooling substrate and is located directly below the alignment cavity. The area of ​​the orthographic projection structure of the cooling element on the top of the cooling substrate is less than or equal to the area of ​​the orthographic projection structure of the lower opening of the alignment cavity on the top of the cooling substrate, so that the cooling element can pass through the lower opening of the alignment cavity and enter the alignment cavity to contact the bottom of the aligned wafer.

4. The wafer transport structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions according to claim 3, characterized in that, The axial height of the cooling component is less than or equal to the axial height of the centering component.

5. The wafer transport structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions according to claim 3, characterized in that, The cooling component also includes a position sensor and a control module; The position sensor is located on the top of the cooling component to collect contact information between the cooling component and the aligned wafer. The control module is connected to the position sensor and the cooling component respectively, and is used to control the on / off state of the cooling component based on the contact information collected by the position sensor.

6. The wafer transport structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions according to claim 3, characterized in that, The cooling component also includes an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe; The cooling substrate has internal cooling liquid channels; One end of the inlet pipe is connected to the inlet end of the coolant flow channel, and the other end is connected to an external coolant supply pipe. One end of the outlet pipe is connected to the outlet end of the coolant flow channel, and the other end is connected to an external liquid recovery system.

7. The wafer transport structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes rotating parts; The inner wall of the centering cavity is recessed with a first support groove that extends circumferentially and communicates with the window. The rotating component is arranged in a ring within the first support groove. The radial cross-sectional area of ​​the inner cavity of the rotating component is adapted to the radial cross-sectional area of ​​the centering cavity. The rotating component is provided with a notch adapted to the window. The rotating component is located near the lower opening of the centering cavity, and the rotating component rotates circumferentially to drive the wafer after centering to rotate.

8. The wafer transport structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions according to claim 7, characterized in that, It also includes a first drive component and several second drive components; The end faces of the rotating component and the first support groove opposite each other are the first mating portion and the second mating portion; The first driving component is disposed at the first docking portion; Several second driving members are circumferentially spaced at the second docking portion. The first driving member and several second driving members are respectively connected to an independent power supply. By controlling the on / off state of each second driving member, the first driving member is attracted to drive the rotating member to rotate circumferentially.

9. The wafer transport structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes heat conduction components; The heat conduction element is located at the bottom of the centering member, and the radial cross-sectional area of ​​the heat conduction element is adapted to the radial cross-sectional area of ​​the cooling member, so that when the centering member, carrying the aligned wafer, contacts the top of the cooling member, the heat conduction element and the cooling member make contact synchronously, so that the temperature of the cooling member is conducted to the centering member through the heat conduction element, thereby cooling the circumferential sidewall of the wafer that contacts the cavity wall of the centering cavity.

10. The wafer transport structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes several axial drive components; A plurality of axial drive members are circumferentially spaced on the cooling member, and the drive end of each axial drive member extends axially and connects to the centering member to drive the centering member to move upward and downward along the axial direction.

11. A semiconductor device, characterized in that, The invention includes a mechanical finger, a process chamber, a storage chamber, and a wafer transfer structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions as described in any one of claims 1 to 10. The wafer transfer structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions is integrated and connected to the mechanical finger. After the mechanical finger transfers the wafer into the wafer transfer structure with integrated cooling and alignment functions to achieve alignment and cooling, it is transferred between the process chamber and the storage chamber.

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