Air extractor of wafer transmission chamber and wafer transmission chamber

Abstract

The utility model provides an air extractor of a wafer transmission chamber and the wafer transmission chamber, the air extractor comprises a dry pump and a molecular pump which are respectively connected with the transmission chamber through valves, the dry pump is also connected with the molecular pump through a valve, the molecular pump is also connected with a nitrogen source with a pneumatic isolation valve, and the nitrogen source is connected with the pneumatic isolation valve. The air extractor can improve the vacuum degree of the transmission chamber.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to an air extraction device for a wafer transmission chamber and the wafer transmission chamber. Background Art

[0002] Today, the types of semiconductor coating process products are showing a diversified development trend. Some processes require that during the wafer coating process, the reaction chamber must be in a high vacuum state. After the film is formed, the wafer is transferred out of the reaction chamber.

[0003] Inevitably, the pressure in the transfer chamber and the gas composition in the transfer chamber will affect the quality of the film, so a higher vacuum degree is required for the wafer transfer chamber. Some solutions in the prior art directly use a dry pump to evacuate the transfer chamber, but the dry pump has limited vacuum capacity and cannot achieve the expected high vacuum effect of the transfer chamber.

[0004] Therefore, the art is in urgent need of a vacuum device for a wafer transfer chamber and a wafer transfer chamber, which can evacuate the transfer chamber to a high vacuum state during the semiconductor process while protecting the molecular pump, thereby better ensuring the quality of the process film and expanding the controllable range of the wafer transfer pressure in the transfer chamber to achieve process diversity. Utility Model Content

[0005] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects, the utility model aims to provide an exhaust device for a wafer transfer chamber, comprising: a dry pump and a molecular pump respectively connected to the transfer chamber through valves, the dry pump and the molecular pump are also connected through a valve, and the molecular pump is also connected to a nitrogen source with a pneumatic isolation valve.

[0006] In one embodiment, preferably, in the vacuum device of the wafer transfer chamber provided by the utility model, the valve located on the connecting pipeline between the molecular pump and the transfer chamber is a plug valve, and the molecular pump and the transfer chamber are angle valves in the pipeline valves respectively connected to the dry pump.

[0007] In one embodiment, preferably, in the vacuum device of the wafer transfer chamber provided by the utility model, a vacuum gauge with a relay is respectively provided at the front end and the rear end of the molecular pump.

[0008] In one embodiment, preferably, in the exhaust device of the wafer transfer chamber provided by the utility model, the gate valve and the two angle valves are configured to be linked and controlled according to the pressure value measured by the vacuum gauge.

[0009] In one embodiment, preferably, in the vacuum device of the wafer transfer chamber provided by the utility model, the transfer chamber is further connected to an ionization gauge having a measuring range greater than that of the vacuum gauge.

[0010] In one embodiment, preferably, in the exhaust device of the wafer transfer chamber provided by the utility model, a manual valve is provided on the output end pipeline of the transfer chamber.

[0011] In one embodiment, preferably, in the vacuum device for the wafer transfer chamber provided by the utility model, a hand valve is also provided on the front end pipeline of the dry pump.

[0012] In one embodiment, preferably, in the exhaust device of the wafer transfer chamber provided by the utility model, a heating component is provided in the transfer chamber.

[0013] In one embodiment, preferably, in the exhaust device of the wafer transfer chamber provided by the utility model, the transfer chamber is sealed by a sealing component made of metal material.

[0014] Another aspect of the present invention provides a wafer transfer chamber, comprising an exhaust device for the wafer transfer chamber as described in any one of the above items.

[0015] According to the vacuum device and transfer chamber of the wafer transfer chamber provided by the utility model, the transfer chamber can be evacuated to a high vacuum state during the semiconductor process, while protecting the molecular pump. While better ensuring the quality of the process film, the range of the wafer transfer pressure in the transfer chamber is expanded to achieve process diversity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The above features and advantages of the present invention can be better understood after reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the following drawings. In the drawings, the components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components with similar related properties or features may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a vacuum device for a wafer transfer chamber according to an example of the prior art;

[0018] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the device structure principle of the exhaust device of the wafer transfer chamber according to one embodiment of the utility model;

[0019] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a device structure in which a heating component is added to a wafer transfer chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0020] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the device structure of a metal sealing component on a wafer transfer chamber according to an embodiment of the utility model.

[0021] For the sake of clarity, a brief description of the reference numerals is given below:

[0022] 101 Transfer Chamber

[0023] 102 Dry Pump

[0024] 103 Angle valve

[0025] 301 Transfer Chamber

[0026] 302 Dry Pump

[0027] 303 Molecular Pump

[0028] 304 Gate Valve

[0029] 305, 306 Angle valve

[0030] 307a, 307b Vacuum gauge

[0031] 308 Ionization Gauge

[0032] 309a, 309b Hand valve

[0033] 310 Nitrogen Source

[0034] 311 Pneumatic Isolation Valve

[0035] 401 Heating Components

[0036] 501 Metal sealing ring DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and functions of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention will be introduced in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, this does not mean that the features of this utility model are limited to this implementation. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the utility model in conjunction with the implementation is to cover other options or modifications that may be extended based on the claims of the present utility model. In order to provide an in-depth understanding of the present utility model, the following description will include many specific details. The present utility model can also be implemented without using these details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion or blurring the focus of the present utility model, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0038] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation", "connection" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0039] In addition, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "horizontal" and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood as the directions shown in the paragraph and the related drawings. Such relative terms are only used for the convenience of description and do not mean that the device described therein must be manufactured or operated in a specific direction, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0040] It is understood that although the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. may be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers and / or parts, these components, regions, layers and / or parts should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish different components, regions, layers and / or parts. Therefore, the first component, region, layer and / or part discussed below may be referred to as the second component, region, layer and / or part without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 1 The present invention is a schematic diagram of the structure of a vacuum device for a wafer transfer chamber according to an example of the prior art.

[0042] like Figure 1 As shown, in the prior art, the transfer chamber 101 and the dry pump 102 are directly connected via an angle valve 103, and the transfer chamber 101 directly uses the dry pump 102 to evacuate the interior thereof. In some processes, the vacuum degree of the transfer chamber is extremely high, and the exhaust device often cannot meet the high vacuum degree requirement of the transfer chamber, which indirectly affects the process quality.

[0043] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects existing in the prior art, the utility model provides an exhaust device for a wafer transfer chamber and a wafer transfer chamber, which can exhaust the transfer chamber to a high vacuum state during the semiconductor process, while protecting the molecular pump, thereby better ensuring the quality of the process film and expanding the range of the wafer transfer pressure in the transfer chamber to achieve process diversity.

[0044] Figure 2 The figure is a schematic diagram showing the structure principle of an exhaust device for a wafer transfer chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Please refer to Figure 2 The vacuum device of the wafer transfer chamber provided by the utility model may include a dry pump 302 and a molecular pump 303 respectively connected to the transfer chamber 301 through valves. The dry pump 302 and the molecular pump 303 are also connected through a valve. The molecular pump 303 is also connected to a nitrogen source 310 with a pneumatic isolation valve 311.

[0046] In a preferred embodiment, Figure 2As shown, a vacuum gauge 307a, 307b with a relay is respectively provided at the front end and the rear end of the molecular pump 303.

[0047] Adding a molecular pump to the exhaust pipeline of the transmission chamber can utilize the characteristics of the molecular pump to achieve high vacuum in the transmission chamber, and use the vacuum gauge to measure the pressure to meet the use conditions of the molecular pump. When in use, first use the front pump, i.e., the dry pump, to pump the pressure of the transmission chamber to the pressure that the molecular pump can open, then open the valve at the front end of the molecular pump to evacuate the transmission chamber, and then achieve a high vacuum exhaust effect.

[0048] The molecular pump 303 is connected to a nitrogen source 310 with a pneumatic isolation valve 311 .

[0049] Those skilled in the art can understand that when the wafer is transferred from the reaction chamber to the transfer chamber, there may be a certain amount of gas exchange, and the gas overflowing from the reaction chamber may affect the use of the molecular pump. Therefore, a nitrogen source is added to the front end of the molecular pump, such as nitrogen from the factory end, which is connected to the molecular pump through a pneumatic isolation valve to purge the rotor inside the molecular pump, so that the molecular pump can be turned on during each wafer transfer process to protect it from the influence of the reaction gas.

[0050] In particular, the valve located on the connecting pipeline between the molecular pump 303 and the transmission chamber 301 is a gate valve 304, and the valves of the pipelines of the molecular pump 303 and the transmission chamber 301 respectively connected to the dry pump 302 are angle valves 305 and 306.

[0051] Further, more preferably, in one embodiment, the vacuum device of the wafer transfer chamber provided by the utility model is configured such that the gate valve 304 and the two angle valves 305 and 306 are linked and controlled according to the pressure value measured by the vacuum gauge.

[0052] The use conditions of the molecular pump require that the fore pump first pump the chamber to a certain pressure range before opening the front valve of the molecular pump to pump air into the chamber. In order to prevent the chamber pressure from suddenly increasing due to unexpected circumstances, affecting or even damaging the molecular pump, a vacuum gauge with a relay is added to the front and rear ends of the molecular pump, which can protect the molecular pump to the greatest extent while detecting the intake and exhaust pressures of the molecular pump.

[0053] By configuring linkage control between each valve and the vacuum gauge, you can increase the soft and hard interlocking. For example, by remotely monitoring the pressure value before and after the molecular pump and controlling the opening and closing of each valve, the operation is more convenient. At the same time, you can set the control program to control the hardware through software to ensure that the plug valve at the front end of the molecular pump is closed when the working pressure required by the molecular pump is not met, ensuring the safe use of the molecular pump.

[0054] In a preferred embodiment, reference may be made to Figure 2 The transmission chamber 301 is also connected to an ionization gauge 308 having a measuring range greater than that of the vacuum gauge.

[0055] It can be understood that when the vacuum pump provided by the utility model is in a working state, since the transmission chamber may be in a high vacuum pressure state, the use of a general vacuum gauge cannot meet the pressure range that can be pumped by the molecular pump, so an ionization gauge is added to the transmission chamber to make the detectable transmission chamber pressure range larger, thereby meeting the measurement requirements of high vacuum pressure.

[0056] In addition, Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, preferably, a manual valve 309a is provided on the output end pipeline of the transmission chamber 301, which can be used to detect the content of important elements in the transmission chamber, and further connected to process detection equipment, such as RGA, etc. through the manual valve.

[0057] Preferably, at the same time, a manual valve 309b is also provided on the front end pipeline of the dry pump, which can be used to detect the leakage rate of the transmission chamber.

[0058] Figure 3 The utility model is a schematic diagram of a device structure in which a heating component is added to a wafer transfer chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] You can refer to Figure 3 In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a heating component 401 is provided in the transmission chamber, that is, Figure 3 Shown in red circle.

[0060] During the use of the molecular pump, when it reaches the high vacuum stage, for example, 10.5-10.7 Torr, it will be difficult to reach the target pressure, or it will take a long time. At this time, the presence of water molecules often affects the pumping effect.

[0061] Therefore, the device provided by the utility model adds a heating component to the transmission chamber for baking the transmission chamber, so that water molecules can evaporate better and it is also more conducive to the release of gas adsorbed by the cavity wall of the transmission chamber, so that the cavity body and other components of the transmission chamber can be better exhausted, reducing the time to reach a high vacuum state and improving the vacuum degree of the transmission chamber.

[0062] At the same time, preferably, in one embodiment, the transmission chamber is sealed by a sealing component made of metal. Figure 4 .

[0063] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the device structure of a metal sealing component on a wafer transfer chamber according to an embodiment of the utility model.

[0064] like Figure 4As shown, the black part is the metal sealing ring 501 on the transmission chamber. Compared with the rubber ring seal mostly used in the prior art, the device provided by the utility model changes the original rubber ring seal into a metal seal, thereby shortening the air extraction time, increasing the vacuum leakage rate of the transmission chamber, and thus improving the vacuum degree of the transmission chamber.

[0065] Another aspect of the utility model provides a wafer transfer chamber, comprising a vacuum device for the wafer transfer chamber as described in any one of the above. The transfer chamber can be vacuumed to a high vacuum state during the semiconductor process, while protecting the molecular pump in the vacuum device, thereby better ensuring the quality of the process film and expanding the range of the transfer chamber pressure to achieve process diversity.

[0066] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. However, it should be understood that the scope of protection of the present utility model shall be subject to the appended claims and shall not be limited to the specific structures and components of the above-described embodiments. Those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the embodiments within the spirit and scope of the present utility model, and these changes and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A vacuum device for a wafer transfer chamber, characterized in that: include: A dry pump and a molecular pump are respectively connected to the transmission chamber through valves. The dry pump and the molecular pump are also connected through a valve. The molecular pump is also connected to a nitrogen source with a pneumatic isolation valve.

2. The air extraction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The valve located on the connecting pipeline between the molecular pump and the transmission chamber is a plug valve, and the valves on the pipelines of the molecular pump and the transmission chamber respectively connected to the dry pump are angle valves.

3. The air extraction device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A vacuum gauge with a relay is respectively provided at the front end and the rear end of the molecular pump.

4. The air extraction device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The gate valve and the two angle valves are configured to be linked and controlled according to the pressure value measured by the vacuum gauge.

5. The air extraction device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The transmission chamber is also connected to an ionization gauge having a measuring range greater than that of the vacuum gauge.

6. The air extraction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A hand valve is provided on the output end pipeline of the transmission chamber.

7. The air extraction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A hand valve is also provided on the front end pipeline of the dry pump.

8. The air extraction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A heating component is arranged in the transmission chamber.

9. The air extraction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission chamber is sealed by a sealing component made of metal material.

10. A wafer transfer chamber, characterized in that: A vacuum device comprising a wafer transfer chamber as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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