Bearing device and process chamber of semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The utility model discloses a bearing device and a process chamber of semiconductor process equipment, and relates to the field of semiconductors. A bearing device is applied to a process chamber of semiconductor process equipment and comprises a bearing seat, a plurality of lifting parts and a plurality of limiting parts, the bearing seat is provided with a plurality of first through holes and a plurality of second through holes, and the first through holes and the second through holes penetrate through the bearing seat in the axial direction of the bearing seat. The plurality of lifting parts are respectively arranged in the plurality of first through holes in a lifting and penetrating manner and are used for protruding out of the surface of the bearing seat to support the wafer when the wafer is taken and placed; and the plurality of limiting pieces are respectively arranged in the second through holes in a liftable and penetrating manner and are used for abutting against the outer edge of the wafer. The process chamber of the semiconductor process equipment comprises the bearing device. The wafer lifting device at least can solve the problems that the thickness, resistivity uniformity, temperature field distribution uniformity and the like are affected by the phenomena of slippage, edge deviation and edge attaching in the wafer lifting process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of semiconductors, and specifically relates to a carrier device and a process chamber of semiconductor process equipment. Background Art

[0002] Wafers are an indispensable part of semiconductor materials, and thickness and resistivity are important indicators of wafers. In order to obtain better devices for information technology, it is necessary to ensure the consistency of wafer thickness and resistivity. In the growth-related processes, there are many factors that affect thickness and resistivity.

[0003] In some process chambers in the related art, during the transfer process from the wafer to the susceptor, there is a certain space between the wafer and the susceptor. When the wafer falls on the susceptor, due to the surface tension, the wafer will slip on the susceptor. In addition, during the wafer lifting process, due to the shaking or vibration of the lifting mechanism, the ejector pins for lifting the wafer will shake, which will aggravate the edge deviation or edge adhesion when the wafer falls on the susceptor. However, the phenomena of slippage, edge deviation, and edge adhesion will affect the normal progress of the process, resulting in poor uniformity of wafer thickness and resistivity, and will also cause uneven distribution of wafer temperature field. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a carrying device and a process chamber of semiconductor process equipment, which can at least solve the problems of slippage, deflection, and edge adhesion during the wafer lifting process, which affect the thickness, resistivity uniformity, and temperature field distribution uniformity.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, this application is implemented as follows:

[0006] The embodiment of the present application provides a carrying device, which is applied to a process chamber of a semiconductor process equipment, and the carrying device includes: a carrying seat, a plurality of lifting members, and a plurality of limiting members;

[0007] The bearing seat is provided with a plurality of first through holes and a plurality of second through holes, and the plurality of first through holes and the plurality of second through holes respectively penetrate the bearing seat along the axial direction of the bearing seat;

[0008] The plurality of lifting members can be lifted and lowered through the plurality of the first through holes respectively, and are used to protrude from the surface of the supporting seat to support the wafer when taking and placing the wafer; the plurality of limiting members can be lifted and lowered through the second through holes respectively, and are used to abut against the outer edge of the wafer.

[0009] The embodiment of the present application also provides a process chamber of a semiconductor process equipment, comprising a chamber and the above-mentioned carrying device;

[0010] The carrying device is arranged in the cavity.

[0011] In the embodiment of the present application, the wafer can be supported by multiple lifting members and can be driven to lift and lower the wafer to meet the process requirements; the edges of the wafers carried by the multiple lifting members can be limited by multiple limiting members to prevent the wafer from slipping, deviating from the edge, or sticking to the edge when the wafer is lifting or lowering or placed on a supporting seat, thereby ensuring the position accuracy of the wafer on the base, and then ensuring the subsequent process accuracy, thereby improving the uniformity of the wafer thickness, resistivity and temperature field, and further ensuring product quality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 A schematic top view of a base and an ejector pin in the related art;

[0013] Figure 2 A top view of the carrying device disclosed in the embodiment of the present application;

[0014] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a carrier device and a wafer disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0015] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the limiter disclosed in the embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the bearing seat, lifting member and limiting member disclosed in the embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a process chamber of a semiconductor process equipment disclosed in an embodiment of the present application.

[0018] Description of reference numerals:

[0019] 01-base; 02-three-pin structure;

[0020] 100-carrying device;

[0021] 110-bearing seat; 111-bearing surface; 112-first through hole; 113-second through hole; 114-groove; 115-step structure; 1151-first limiting surface; 1152-supporting surface; 116-sinking groove;

[0022] 120-lifting member; 121-supporting end;

[0023] 130-limiting member; 131-limiting end; 1311-second limiting surface;

[0024] 140-first lifting mechanism; 141-first support arm; 142-first lifting shaft;

[0025] 150 - second lifting mechanism; 151 - second support arm; 152 - second lifting shaft;

[0026] 200- chamber; 211- upper dome; 212- lower dome; 220- preheating ring; 231- upper liner; 232- lower liner; 240- heating module;

[0027] M-first plane; N-second plane; H-preset interval. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0029] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described here, and the objects distinguished by "first", "second", etc. are generally of one type, and the number of objects is not limited. For example, the first object can be one or more. In addition, "and / or" in the specification and claims represents at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the objects associated with each other are in an "or" relationship.

[0030] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below through specific embodiments and their application scenarios in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0031] refer to Figure 1 In the related art, a bearing device is proposed, including a base 01 and a three-needle structure 02, wherein the base 01 is provided with three through holes for the three-needle structure 02 to penetrate; the three-needle structure 02 can support the wafer and drive the wafer to rise and fall to meet the wafer transmission and process position requirements. However, in the process of the three-needle structure 02 driving the wafer to rise and fall, the wafer is prone to slippage, and when the three-needle structure 02 places the wafer on the base 01, due to the existence of surface tension, the wafer is prone to slippage on the surface of the base 01, resulting in the wafer being biased or attached to the edge on the base 01. Therefore, when the wafer is processed, the uniformity of the wafer thickness and resistivity will be poor, and the temperature field distribution of the wafer will also be affected, seriously affecting the product quality.

[0032] Based on the above problems, the present application discloses a carrier device 100, which is applied to the process chamber of semiconductor process equipment. The carrier device 100 can carry, lift and limit the wafer, so as to realize the wafer transmission or movement while ensuring the wafer position accuracy. Figures 2 to 6 The disclosed carrying device 100 includes a carrying seat 110 , a plurality of lifting members 120 and a plurality of limiting members 130 .

[0033] The support seat 110 is a basic component, which can provide a foundation for the lifting member 120, the limiting member 130, etc. In addition, the support seat 110 can also provide a support foundation for the wafer so that the wafer can be processed in the process chamber. In some embodiments, the support seat 110 may have a bearing surface 111, which is used to bear the wafer. Under actual working conditions, the top surface of the support seat 110 is the bearing surface 111. In addition, a plurality of lifting members 120 are used to support the wafer, and can drive the wafer to be lifted and lowered, so that the wafer can fall on the bearing surface 111, or the wafer can be lifted from the bearing surface 111. A plurality of limiting members 130 are used to limit the wafer to ensure that the wafer will not slide at will during the lifting movement and the placement on the support seat 110.

[0034] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 In order to realize the installation of the plurality of lifting members 120 and the plurality of stoppers 130, the bearing surface 111 is provided with a plurality of first through holes 112 and a plurality of second through holes 113. The plurality of first through holes 112 respectively penetrate the bearing seat 110 along the axial direction of the bearing seat 110, and the plurality of second through holes 113 also respectively penetrate the bearing seat 110 along the axial direction of the bearing seat 110. Specifically, the first through holes 112 and the second through holes 113 both penetrate the bearing surface 111, so that the lifting members 120 and the stoppers 130 can respectively contact the wafers carried by the bearing surface 111.

[0035] The plurality of lifting members 120 can be lifted and traversed through the plurality of first through holes 112, and are used to protrude from the surface of the support seat 110 when placing and taking the wafer, so as to support the wafer, and the plurality of limiting members 130 can be lifted and traversed through the plurality of second through holes 113, so as to abut against the outer edge of the wafer. Based on this, the plurality of lifting members 120 can be lifted and traversed along the first through holes 112 corresponding to the respective ones in the axial direction of the support seat 110, so as to support and drive the wafer to be lifted and traversed; at the same time, during the process of lifting and traversing the wafer, the plurality of limiting members 130 can be lifted and traversed along the second through holes 113 corresponding to the respective ones in the axial direction of the support seat 110, so as to limit the edge of the wafer, so as to prevent the wafer from slipping during the lifting and traversing process, and when the wafer contacts the support surface 111, it can be ensured that the wafer will not slip due to the action of the air between the wafer and the support surface 111.

[0036] It should be noted here that multiple lifting members 120 and multiple limiting members 130 can be lifted and lowered synchronously, or of course, they can be lifted and lowered asynchronously. As long as the multiple limiting members 130 can limit the edge of the wafer during the wafer lifting and lowering process, the specific form is not limited.

[0037] Exemplarily, the carrier 100 may include at least three lifting members 120, and the wafer is carried and lifted by at least three lifting members 120 to ensure the stability of the wafer. In addition, the carrier 100 may include at least three stoppers 130, and the at least three stoppers 130 are distributed around the wafer, and can limit the edge of the wafer from multiple directions to prevent the wafer from moving randomly, thereby ensuring the position accuracy of the wafer.

[0038] Correspondingly, the bearing surface 111 is provided with at least three first through holes 112 and at least three second through holes 113 to correspond to the number of the lifting members 120 and the limiting members 130 , respectively.

[0039] In the embodiment of the present application, the wafer can be supported by a plurality of lifting members 120, and can be driven to be lifted and lowered to meet the process requirements; the edge of the wafer can be limited by a plurality of limit members 130 to prevent the wafer from slipping, deviating from the edge, or sticking to the edge during the process of lifting the wafer and placing the wafer on the supporting seat 110, thereby ensuring the position accuracy of the wafer on the supporting seat 110, and then ensuring the accuracy of subsequent processes, so as to improve the uniformity of wafer thickness, resistivity and temperature field, and further ensure product quality.

[0040] refer to Figure 3 In some embodiments, the surface of the support seat 110 (i.e., the support surface 111) may be provided with a groove 114 for accommodating the wafer. Through the setting of the groove 114, the wafer can be supported and a certain limiting effect can be played on the wafer in the radial direction to prevent the wafer from having a large displacement deviation and affecting the process accuracy.

[0041] In order to support and lift the wafer, multiple lifting members 120 need to contact the bottom surface of the wafer. When the wafer is placed in the groove 114, the bottom surface of the wafer is opposite to the bottom wall of the groove 114. In this way, multiple first through holes 112 can be distributed on the bottom wall of the groove 114, so that the multiple lifting members 120 correspondingly arranged in the multiple first through holes 112 can contact the bottom surface of the wafer, so as to facilitate the lifting and lowering of the wafer.

[0042] It should be noted here that when the wafer is placed in the groove 114, in order to make the bottom surface of the wafer contact with the bottom surface of the groove 114, the multiple lifting members 120 can be completely retracted into the corresponding first through hole 112 to prevent the lifting members 120 from being exposed and causing a gap between the bottom surface of the wafer and the bottom wall of the groove 114.

[0043] Of course, when the lifting member 120 has a support end 121 with a larger cross-sectional area than the first through hole 112, in order to enable the lifting member 120 to be completely retracted into the first through hole 112, a circle of recessed grooves can be provided at the top of the first through hole 112, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the recessed grooves is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the first through hole 112, so as to accommodate the support end 121 through the recessed grooves when the lifting member 120 retracts.

[0044] In order to limit the wafer, multiple limiting members 130 need to contact the edge of the wafer. When the wafer is placed in the groove 114, the edge of the wafer is opposite to the side wall of the groove 114. In this way, multiple second through holes 113 can be distributed at the edge of the groove 114, that is, close to the side wall of the groove 114, so as to limit the edge of the wafer from the side.

[0045] To prevent assembly and movement interference between structures, the cross-sectional dimension of the groove 114 may be larger than the cross-sectional dimension of the wafer, so that a certain gap is formed between the outer edge of the wafer and the side wall of the groove 114 to reserve installation space for the limiter 130 .

[0046] refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 5 In some embodiments, a step structure 115 may be provided at the edge of the groove 114, and the step structure 115 includes a supporting surface 1152 and a first limiting surface 1151, wherein the supporting surface 1152 is used to support the wafer, the first limiting surface 1151 is located at the outer edge of the supporting surface 1152, and the first limiting surface 1151 is connected between the supporting surface 1152 and the surface of the supporting seat 110. Through this arrangement, when the wafer is placed in the groove 114, the supporting surface 1152 can support the wafer to ensure the stability of the wafer, and the first limiting surface 1151 can also limit the wafer to a certain extent to prevent the wafer position from being greatly offset.

[0047] In addition, when the wafer is supported by the supporting surface 1152, a certain gap remains between the bottom surface of the wafer and the bottom wall of the groove 114, so that there is no need to open a recessed groove in the bottom wall of the groove 114. The existence of the gap can provide a holding space for the supporting end 121 of the lifting member 120, thereby effectively preventing the supporting end 121 of the lifting member 120 from interfering with the stability of the wafer placed on the supporting surface 1152.

[0048] In order to reduce or even eliminate the gap between the outer edge of the wafer and the side wall of the groove 114, the stopper 130 can be integrated into the side wall of the groove 114 to prevent the stopper 130 from occupying the space between the side wall of the groove 114 and the edge of the wafer. Based on this, a plurality of sink grooves 116 are provided on the surface of the support seat 110 (i.e., the support surface 111) and in the area adjacent to the step structure 115. Each sink groove 116 passes through the first limit surface 1151 and is connected to the groove 114. In this way, the setting of the sink grooves 116 can provide installation space for the stopper 130, and the sink grooves 116 pass through the groove 114, so that the stopper 130 can contact the edge of the wafer placed in the groove 114, thereby limiting the edge of the wafer.

[0049] Furthermore, the plurality of sinking grooves 116 are respectively connected to the plurality of second through holes 113 , and the limiting ends 131 of the plurality of limiting members 130 are respectively located in the sinking grooves 116 . Based on this, multiple limiting members 130 can be lifted and lowered along the corresponding second through holes 113 and sink grooves 116 to limit the edge of the wafer and prevent the wafer from slipping during the lifting process or the process of placing the supporting seat 110; when the wafer descends to enter the groove 114, as the wafer continues to descend, multiple limiting members 130 are respectively embedded in their corresponding sink grooves 116. At the same time, since the sink groove 116 is connected at the first limiting surface 1151, it will not affect the contact between the limiting ends 131 of each limiting member 130 and the wafer and the limiting effect on the wafer. Therefore, under the limiting effect of the limiting ends 131 of multiple limiting members 130, it can be ensured that the wafer can smoothly enter the groove 114 and be placed on the support surface 1152, thereby ensuring that the wafer will not slip during the process of placing the supporting seat 110.

[0050] refer to Figure 4 In some embodiments, the limiting end 131 of the limiting member 130 may be provided with a second limiting surface 1311 on the side facing the center line of the supporting seat 110, and the edge of the wafer is limited by the second limiting surface 1311 contacting the edge of the wafer to ensure that the wafer will not slip during the lifting and placement process.

[0051] The second limiting surface 1311 may be a plane, and the planes of the plurality of limiting ends 131 may limit the edge of the wafer in a plurality of directions.

[0052] Of course, considering that the outer edge of the wafer is in an arc shape, in order to increase the contact area between the limit end 131 and the edge of the wafer, the second limit surface 1311 can also be a curved surface. In this case, the curved surface on the side of the limit end 131 can be adapted to the arc of the outer edge of the wafer, thereby increasing the contact area between the limit end 131 and the edge of the wafer, thereby improving the stability of the wafer limitation, preventing relative movement between the wafer and the limit end 131, and ensuring the positioning accuracy of the wafer.

[0053] Exemplarily, the limit end 131 can be a semi-cylindrical structure. When the limit member 130 is raised, the plane of the limit end 131 (i.e., the second limit surface 1311) fits against the edge of the wafer, thereby preventing the wafer from deviating from or overlapping due to the action of centrifugal force during the rotation of the wafer with the supporting seat 110. This can optimize the thickness resistivity abnormality caused by the edge or overlap (i.e., the high temperature at the deviated or overlapping position causes the thickness and resistivity uniformity to change), or the slippage caused by the edge, thereby ensuring the position accuracy of the wafer.

[0054] refer to Figure 6 In order to achieve lifting and lowering, the carrier device 100 may also include a first lifting mechanism 140, which can drive multiple lifting members 120 to lift and lower, so as to facilitate the wafer to be lifted and lowered by the lifting members 120; of course, the first lifting mechanism 140 can also drive multiple limiting members 130 to lift and lower, so as to facilitate the wafer to be limited during the lifting process by multiple lifting members 120.

[0055] It should be noted here that the lifting of multiple lifting members 120 and the lifting of multiple limiting members 130 can use the same lifting power source, that is, the lifting power is provided by the first lifting mechanism 140 to ensure the synchronization of the lifting of multiple lifting members 120 and the multiple limiting members 130; of course, the lifting of multiple lifting members 120 and the lifting of multiple limiting members 130 can also use different lifting power sources. At this time, the control system can be used to control the lifting of multiple lifting members 120 and the lifting of multiple limiting members 130 to maintain synchronization.

[0056] In some embodiments, the first lifting mechanism 140 may include a plurality of first support arms 141. When the first lifting mechanism 140 provides lifting power for the plurality of lifting members 120, the bottom ends of the plurality of lifting members 120 are respectively arranged corresponding to the plurality of first support arms 141, and can contact or separate from the corresponding first support arms 141. Based on this, the plurality of first support arms 141 can be respectively contacted with the bottom ends of the plurality of lifting members 120 to support and drive the plurality of lifting members 120, so as to ensure that the plurality of lifting members 120 can be lifted and lowered synchronously, and the plurality of lifting members 120 can drive the wafer to be lifted and lowered.

[0057] In addition, the first lifting mechanism 140 can also include a first lifting shaft 142 and a first lifting drive member. Multiple first support arms 141 are respectively connected to the first lifting shaft 142, and the first lifting shaft 142 is connected to the first lifting drive member. In this way, under the driving action of the first lifting drive member, the first lifting shaft 142 can be used to drive the multiple first support arms 141 to be lifted and lowered to realize the lifting and lowering of the lifting member 120 and the limiting member 130.

[0058] Of course, in some cases, in order to improve the uniformity of the process, the support seat 110 can be rotated, and the multiple lifting members 120 are respectively inserted into the multiple first through holes 112 of the support seat 110, so that the multiple lifting members 120 will rotate with the support seat 110. At the same time, the first lifting mechanism 140 cannot rotate. In this way, the multiple first support arms 141 can be separated from the multiple lifting members 120 respectively to avoid the first support arms 141 interfering with the rotation of the lifting members 120 with the support seat 110, thereby ensuring the smooth rotation of the support seat 110; and it can also effectively prevent the lifting members 120 from rubbing against the first support arms 141 during the rotation with the support seat 110 to generate particles and cause pollution, and effectively avoid the problem of collision between structures.

[0059] Exemplarily, under the process state, the distance between the bottom end of the lifting member 120 and the first support arm 141 can range from 1mm to 5mm, for example, including 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, etc., and of course it can also be other values, which are not specifically limited here.

[0060] In some other embodiments, the first lifting mechanism 140 may include a plurality of first support arms 141. When the first lifting mechanism 140 provides lifting power for the plurality of stoppers 130, the bottom ends of the plurality of stoppers 130 are respectively arranged corresponding to the plurality of first support arms 141, and can contact or separate from the corresponding first support arms 141. Based on this, the plurality of first support arms 141 can be respectively contacted with the bottom ends of the plurality of stoppers 130 to support and drive the plurality of stoppers 130, so as to ensure that the plurality of stoppers 130 can be lifted and lowered synchronously, and the edge of the wafer can be limited by the plurality of stoppers 130.

[0061] Of course, in some cases, in order to improve the uniformity of the process, the support seat 110 can be rotated, and the multiple limiting members 130 are respectively inserted into the multiple second through holes 113 of the support seat 110, so that the multiple limiting members 130 will rotate with the support seat 110. At the same time, the first lifting mechanism 140 cannot rotate. In this way, the multiple first support arms 141 can be separated from the multiple limiting members 130 respectively to avoid the first support arm 141 interfering with the rotation of the limiting member 130 with the support seat 110, thereby ensuring the smooth rotation of the support seat 110; and it can also effectively prevent the limiting member 130 from rubbing against the first support arm 141 during the rotation with the support seat 110 to generate particles and cause pollution, and effectively avoid the problem of collision between structures.

[0062] Exemplarily, under the process state, the distance between the bottom end of the limit member 130 and the first support arm 141 can range from 1mm to 5mm, for example, including 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, etc., of course, it can also be other values, which are not specifically limited here.

[0063] In some embodiments, the number of lifting members 120 and limiting members 130 can be the same, and any lifting member 120 and the corresponding limiting member 130 can be located on the same diameter of the supporting base 110, so that the supported positions of the wafer can correspond to the limited positions.

[0064] Furthermore, the lifting member 120 and the limiting member 130 located on the same diameter are both arranged corresponding to the same first support arm 141. In this way, the lifting member 120 and the limiting member 130 located on the same diameter can be supported simultaneously by the same first support arm 141. On the one hand, it can ensure that the lifting member 120 and the limiting member 130 located on the same diameter are lifted and lowered synchronously. On the other hand, the arrangement of the first support arm 141 can be reduced, thereby reducing the structural complexity and occupied space.

[0065] Exemplarily, there can be three lifting members 120, and the three lifting members 120 are respectively located at the three vertices of the first equilateral triangle. Correspondingly, there can also be three limiting members 130, and the three limiting members 130 are respectively located at the three vertices of the second equilateral triangle, and the first equilateral triangle is located on the inner side of the second equilateral triangle, and the three vertices of each are correspondingly arranged; in addition, the first lifting mechanism 140 can include three first support arms 141, and the angle between two adjacent first support arms 141 is 120°. In this way, each first support arm 141 simultaneously supports the lifting member 120 and the limiting member 130 located on the same diameter, so as to realize the synchronous lifting of the corresponding lifting member 120 and the limiting member 130.

[0066] refer to Figure 3In the embodiment of the present application, when the bottom ends of each lifting member 120 and the corresponding limiting member 130 are in contact with the same first support arm 141, the top end surfaces of the limiting ends 131 of the plurality of limiting members 130 are all located in the first plane M, and the top end surfaces of the supporting ends 121 of the plurality of lifting members 120 are all located in the second plane N, wherein the first plane M and the second plane N are spaced apart by a preset interval H in the axial direction of the supporting seat 110, that is, the limiting member 130 is higher than the lifting member 120 in the axial direction of the supporting seat 110 to form a distance difference, so that the side surface of the limiting member 130 corresponds to the edge of the wafer, while the top end surface of the lifting member 120 corresponds to the bottom surface of the wafer. Based on this setting, the bottom surface of the wafer can be supported by the top end surfaces of the multiple support ends 121 located on the second plane N, and the wafer can be driven to rise and fall, and the horizontality of the wafer can be ensured to prevent the wafer from tilting; since the first plane M intersects the second plane N at a preset interval H, the side surfaces of the multiple limit ends 131 can contact the edges of the wafer respectively, thereby limiting the edge of the wafer to ensure the positioning accuracy of the wafer.

[0067] Exemplarily, the preset interval H may range from 0.3 mm to 0.8 mm, including, for example, 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.7 mm, 0.8 mm, etc. Of course, it may also be other values, which are not specifically limited here. In some embodiments, the depth of the step structure 115 of the bearing seat 110 (i.e., the distance between the bearing surface and the supporting surface 1152) is 0.66 mm, and the size of the preset interval H may be smaller than the depth of the step structure 115. Preferably, the preset interval H may be 0.5 mm, so that it can be ensured that the wafer will not overlap or stick to the edge when it falls on the supporting surface 1152.

[0068] In order to achieve the lifting and lowering of the carrier 110, the carrier device 100 can also include a second lifting mechanism 150, which is connected to the carrier 110 and is used to drive the carrier 110 to rise and fall, so as to drive the wafer to rise and fall through the carrier 110, thereby meeting the requirements for the wafer position under various conditions.

[0069] refer to Figure 6 In some embodiments, the second lifting mechanism 150 may include multiple second support arms 151, and the multiple second support arms 151 are respectively connected to the supporting base 110 through supporting members. In this way, under the action of the second support arms 151, the supporting base 110 can be driven to rise and fall through the supporting members, and the wafer can be driven to rise and fall synchronously through the supporting base 110 to meet the requirements for the wafer position under different states.

[0070] In addition, the second lifting mechanism 150 can also include a second lifting shaft 152 and a second lifting drive component. Multiple second support arms 151 are respectively connected to the second lifting shaft 152, and the second lifting shaft 152 is connected to the second lifting drive component. In this way, under the driving action of the second lifting drive component, the second lifting shaft 152 can be used to drive multiple second support arms 151 to be lifted and lowered to realize the lifting and lowering of the support base 110.

[0071] In some embodiments, the first lifting shaft 142 can be coaxial with the second lifting shaft 153. The first lifting shaft 142 can be a hollow shaft, and the second lifting shaft 152 is inserted into the axial cavity of the first lifting shaft 142 to facilitate the support seat 110 and multiple lifting members 120 and multiple limit members 130 to rotate around the same axis.

[0072] In order to improve the stability of wafer support and lifting, multiple lifting members 120 can be evenly distributed along the circumference of the support base 110. In this way, a relatively uniform supporting force can be applied to the supported wafer through the multiple lifting members 120. In this way, it can be ensured that the bottom surface of the wafer is evenly stressed, thereby improving the stability of the wafer and effectively preventing tilting, slipping, etc. caused by uneven force.

[0073] In addition, multiple limit members 130 can also be evenly distributed along the circumference of the support seat 110. In this way, a relatively uniform extrusion force can be applied to the edge of the limited wafer through multiple limit members 130. In this way, it can be ensured that the edge of the wafer is subjected to uniform force, thereby effectively preventing the edge of the wafer from being subjected to uneven force, causing deformation or damage of the wafer, and will not cause the wafer to tilt or slip.

[0074] refer to Figures 2 to 6 Based on the above-mentioned carrier device 100, an embodiment of the present application further discloses a process chamber of a semiconductor process equipment. The disclosed process chamber includes a cavity 200 and the above-mentioned carrier device 100, wherein the carrier device 100 is arranged in the cavity 200.

[0075] Among them, the cavity 200 may include an upper dome 211, a lower dome 212, an upper liner 231 and a lower liner 232. A closed space can be enclosed by structures such as the upper dome 211, the lower dome 212, the upper liner 231 and the lower liner 232 to provide a sealed environment for the process. In addition, a preheating ring 220 may be provided in the cavity 200. The preheating ring 220 can effectively alleviate the entry of process gas from the gap between the lower liner 232 and the supporting seat 110, thereby improving the deposition efficiency and film thickness uniformity to a certain extent.

[0076] In addition, the upper dome 211 may be made of transparent quartz, and the heating module 240 is located above the upper dome 211 to provide heat through the upper dome 211 .

[0077] It should be noted here that in the embodiments of the present application, reference may be made to related technologies for the specific structure of the process chamber and its working principle, which will not be elaborated here.

[0078] The working process of the process chamber in the embodiment of the present application is as follows:

[0079] In the initial state, the support base 110 is located at the process position. At this time, the position of the support base 110 is higher than the wafer transfer position. Before the wafer is transferred, the support base 110 needs to be lowered to a position lower than the wafer transfer position. Of course, before the wafer is transferred, the support base 110 can also be located below the wafer transfer position, which can be set according to actual working conditions.

[0080] The robot transfers the wafer to the wafer transfer position in the chamber 200;

[0081] The support base 110, the lifting member 120 and the limiting member 130 rise together until the lifting member 120 contacts the wafer. After the wafer is stable on the lifting member 120, the support base 110, the lifting member 120 and the limiting member 130 continue to rise together to a certain position. Then the support base 110 drives the wafer to continue to rise to the process position, while the lifting member 120 and the limiting member 130 no longer rise. In this way, the lifting member 120 and the limiting member 130 can be separated from the first support arm 141 and be in a suspended state to avoid friction-generated particles or collisions between structures. It should be noted here that in the process of the wafer rising, it is restricted by multiple limiting members 130, so that the wafer will not slip in the groove 114 of the support base 110.

[0082] The wafer is processed, and in order to improve the uniformity of the process, the wafer can be driven to rotate by the support base 110; it should be noted that in the process of the support base 110 driving the wafer to rotate, the plurality of limit members 130 limit the edge of the wafer, thereby ensuring that the wafer will not slip in the groove 114 during the process;

[0083] After the process is completed, the carrier 110 drives the wafer to descend. When the carrier 110 descends to a certain position, the lifting member 120 contacts the wafer, and then the carrier 110, the lifting member 120 and the stopper 130 descend together. During the descent process, the stopper 130 can limit the wafer to prevent the wafer from slipping in the groove 114.

[0084] When the wafer is lowered to the wafer transfer position, the lifting member 120 and the stopper 130 stop lowering, while the support base 110 continues to lower, so that the wafer can be pushed out of the groove 114 by the lifting member 120, and the stopper 130 limits the wafer to ensure the position accuracy of the wafer;

[0085] The robot enters the chamber 200 and takes the wafer away;

[0086] The carrier 110 returns to its initial position to prepare for the next process.

[0087] In summary, the embodiments of the present application can effectively prevent wafer slippage and cause edge sticking or overlapping, thereby optimizing thickness resistivity uniformity and improving product yield.

[0088] The embodiments of the present application are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation methods. The above-mentioned specific implementation methods are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the guidance of the present application, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms without departing from the purpose of the present application and the scope of protection of the claims, all of which are within the protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A carrier device, applied to a process chamber of a semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: The bearing device (100) comprises: a bearing seat (110), a plurality of lifting members (120) and a plurality of limiting members (130); The bearing seat (110) is provided with a plurality of first through holes (112) and a plurality of second through holes (113), and the plurality of first through holes (112) and the plurality of second through holes (113) respectively penetrate the bearing seat (110) along the axial direction of the bearing seat (110); The plurality of lifting members (120) are respectively and movably disposed through the plurality of first through holes (112), and are used to protrude from the surface of the support seat (110) when taking or placing a wafer, so as to support the wafer; The plurality of stoppers (130) are respectively arranged in a liftable manner through the plurality of second through holes (113) and are used to abut against the outer edge of the wafer.

2. The carrying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The surface of the carrier (110) is provided with a groove (114) for accommodating the wafer; A plurality of the first through holes (112) are distributed on the bottom wall of the groove (114); A plurality of the second through holes (113) are distributed at the edge of the groove (114).

3. The carrying device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A step structure (115) is provided at the edge of the groove (114), the step structure (115) comprising a supporting surface (1152) for supporting the wafer and a first limiting surface (1151) located at the outer edge of the supporting surface (1152), the first limiting surface (1151) being connected between the supporting surface (1152) and the surface of the bearing seat (110); A plurality of sink grooves (116) are provided on the surface of the bearing seat (110) and in an area adjacent to the step structure (115), and each of the sink grooves (116) passes through the first limiting surface (1151) and is in communication with the groove (114); The plurality of sink grooves (116) are respectively connected to the plurality of second through holes (113) correspondingly, and the limiting ends (131) of the plurality of limiting members (130) are respectively located in the plurality of sink grooves (116).

4. The carrying device according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The limiting end (131) of the limiting member (130) is provided with a second limiting surface (1311) on a side facing the center line of the bearing seat (110), and the second limiting surface (1311) is a plane or an arc surface.

5. The carrying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The carrying device (100) further comprises a first lifting mechanism (140), wherein the first lifting mechanism (140) comprises a plurality of first supporting arms (141); The bottom ends of the plurality of lifting members (120) are respectively arranged corresponding to the plurality of first support arms (141), and can be in contact with or separated from the corresponding first support arms (141); And / or, the bottom ends of the plurality of limit members (130) are respectively arranged corresponding to the plurality of first support arms (141), and can be in contact with or separated from the corresponding first support arms (141).

6. The carrying device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The number of the lifting members (120) and the limiting members (130) is the same, wherein any lifting member (120) and the corresponding limiting member (130) are located on the same diameter of the bearing seat (110), and the lifting member (120) and the limiting member (130) located on the same diameter are both arranged corresponding to the same first support arm (141).

7. The carrying device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: When the bottom ends of each lifting member (120) and the corresponding limiting member (130) are in contact with the same first supporting arm (141), the top ends of the limiting ends (131) of the plurality of limiting members (130) are located on the first plane (M), and the top ends of the supporting ends (121) of the plurality of lifting members (120) are located on the second plane (N); The first plane (M) and the second plane (N) are spaced apart by a preset interval (H) in the axial direction.

8. The carrying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The carrying device (100) further comprises a second lifting mechanism (150), wherein the second lifting mechanism (150) comprises a plurality of second supporting arms (151); A plurality of the second support arms (151) are respectively connected to the bearing seat (110) via supporting top members.

9. The carrying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of lifting members (120) are evenly distributed along the circumference of the bearing seat (110); And / or, the plurality of limit members (130) are evenly distributed along the circumference of the bearing seat (110).

10. A process chamber of a semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: The process chamber comprises a cavity (200) and a carrying device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9; The carrying device (100) is arranged in the cavity (200).

Images