Silicon wafer conveying device with self-cleaning function
By designing a silicon wafer transmission device with self -cleaning functions, using high -purity high -pressure nitrogen gas flow blowing and sweeping quartz mechanical surface surfaces, the problem of dust pollution caused by insufficient rectification of the edge of the silicon wafer, improved the yield rate and the yield of the device.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202420500248.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-03-15
- Publication Date
- 2025-01-28
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-03-15
AI Technical Summary
During the production process of epitaxial silicon wafers, the edges of the silicon wafer are insufficient due to crystal integrity, small crystal surface growth, large roughness, etc., resulting in the accumulation of silicon dust particles on the surface of quartz mechanical, contaminating the subsequent silicon wafer, causing epitaxial wafers to occur, resulting in epitaxial wafers The problem of low yield rate.
A silicon wafer transmission device with a self -cleaning function includes quartz robotics, clean cavity and porous cleaning disks. It can achieve automatic cleaning function through high -purity and high -pressure nitrogen gas flow blowing quartz mechanical surfaces.
Effectively improve the surface quality level of the outer lattice, improve the rate of finished product, reduce the poor optical focus focus of the rear processes, and improve the benefits of the device.
Smart Images
Figure CN222421894U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of epitaxial silicon wafer transportation, in particular to a silicon wafer transmission device with a self-cleaning function. Background Art
[0002] During the epitaxial production process, the edge of the silicon wafer has a typical lattice special growth at the junction of the front and chamfered surfaces due to reasons such as crystal integrity, crystal facet growth, and large roughness, resulting in an unsmooth edge flatness. When the silicon wafer is taken out by the quartz manipulator in a front adsorption manner, the edge of the silicon wafer contacts and quartz manipulators and has different degrees of contact and friction, resulting in a certain amount of silicon dust particles. These extremely fine dust particles are more easily adsorbed on the clean quartz surface. In the next cycle (loading-growth-taking the wafer), when the manipulator contacts the clean substrate silicon wafer, these extremely fine dust particles will contaminate the substrate surface. Due to the high cleanliness surface particle size requirements of silicon wafers (for example, if the number of particles larger than 0.2μm and 0.3μm exceeds 15, the silicon wafer will be scrapped), after the particles on the substrate surface are contaminated, they are wrapped in the epitaxial layer during the epitaxial growth process to form defects such as stacking faults and wrapped particles, which can cause the silicon epitaxial wafer to be scrapped and cause yield loss. In severe cases, it can affect the photolithography focus of the epitaxial wafer post-process and damage the device performance. This phenomenon is more prominent in the production of thick and ultra-thick epitaxial wafers, seriously affecting the efficiency of epitaxial production. In order to improve the yield of epitaxial wafer products, reduce the impact on the post-photolithography focus process, and prepare epitaxial layers with low surface defects, it is very meaningful to design and add a cavity and device with a self-cleaning robot function when the robot takes the wafer, and realize its automated processing, which can effectively improve the surface quality level of epitaxial wafers, improve the yield of epitaxial wafers, and stabilize device performance. Utility Model Content
[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the utility model is to provide a silicon wafer transmission device with a self-cleaning function, design a cavity and a device with an automatic cleaning manipulator function, and realize an automated processing function to solve the problem of low yield of epitaxial wafers, especially thick epitaxial wafers and ultra-thick epitaxial wafers. The method can effectively improve the surface quality level of epitaxial wafers, improve the poor focus of lithography in the later process, and improve the device yield.
[0004] The technical solution adopted by the utility model to solve its technical problems is: to provide a silicon wafer transmission device with a self-cleaning function, including a growth chamber, a transfer chamber and a carrier, the growth chamber is installed on one side of the transfer chamber, the carrier is installed on the other side, a quartz manipulator is installed on the transfer chamber, a cleaning chamber is installed on the front side of the transfer chamber, a transfer chamber is installed between the transfer chamber and the carrier, a transport manipulator is installed in the middle of the carrier, and a suction cup structure is installed on the transport end of the quartz manipulator.
[0005] The porous cleaning disc structure comprises a cleaning disc body, blowing holes and matching grooves. Several matching grooves are evenly arranged at the lower end edge of the cleaning disc body, and two circles of blowing holes are arranged at the upper end edge of the cleaning disc body corresponding to the groove positions.
[0006] A porous cleaning disk is installed in the bottom of the cleaning chamber, and the air inlet end of the porous cleaning disk is connected to a nitrogen inlet pipeline, and a nitrogen inlet valve is installed on the nitrogen inlet pipeline.
[0007] A film taking platform is installed at the front of the upper end surface of the platform, and a film loading platform is installed at the rear of the upper end surface of the platform.
[0008] An air outlet pipe is installed at one end of the cleaning chamber. The air outlet pipe is communicated with the interior of the cleaning chamber, and a nitrogen outlet valve is installed on the air outlet pipe.
[0009] A top plate is installed on the upper opening of the cleaning chamber.
[0010] A method for transporting a silicon wafer transport device with a self-cleaning function comprises the following steps:
[0011] S1: After the epitaxial growth is completed, when the wafer is taken out, the EAP reads the machine's wafer taking instruction;
[0012] S2: After receiving the sheet fetching instruction, the EAP triggers the PLC to open the nitrogen inlet valve and the nitrogen outlet valve;
[0013] S3: EAP gives instructions to the machine to control the quartz robot to place the wafer into the transfer chamber and then move it into the cleaning chamber;
[0014] S4: After the quartz manipulator enters the cleaning chamber, it is placed above a porous cleaning plate with fine holes. The area around the quartz manipulator that contacts the silicon wafer is continuously purged by a high-purity, high-pressure nitrogen gas flow for 5 to 30 seconds.
[0015] S5: The quartz manipulator returns to the transfer chamber, and the cleaned quartz manipulator continues to take the slices, and the cycle is repeated to complete all the slice taking processes;
[0016] S6: After receiving the instruction to finish taking the film, the EAP triggers the PLC to close the nitrogen inlet valve and the nitrogen outlet valve, and the self-cleaning process of the quartz manipulator ends.
[0017] Every time the quartz robot in S5 takes out a silicon wafer, it needs to enter the cleaning chamber for cleaning.
[0018] Beneficial effects: The utility model relates to a silicon wafer transmission device with a self-cleaning function, which designs a cavity and a device with an automatic cleaning manipulator function, and realizes an automated processing function, solving the problem of low yield of epitaxial wafers, especially thick epitaxial wafers and ultra-thick epitaxial wafers. The method can effectively improve the surface quality level of epitaxial wafers, improve the poor focus of lithography in the later process, and improve the device yield. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] Figure 1 It is a structural view of the utility model;
[0020] Figure 2 It is a bottom view of the suction cup structure described in the utility model;
[0021] Figure 3 This is a structural view of the cleaning chamber described in the utility model;
[0022] Figure 4 This is the control system block diagram of the utility model;
[0023] Figure 5 It is a program diagram of the transmission device of the utility model;
[0024] Figure 6 It is a working procedure diagram of the quartz manipulator of the utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] The present invention is further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention and are not used to limit the scope of the present invention. In addition, it should be understood that after reading the content taught by the present invention, those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to the present invention, and these equivalent forms also fall within the scope defined by the claims attached to this application.
[0026] The embodiment of the utility model relates to a silicon wafer transmission device with a self-cleaning function, such as Figure 1 ——As shown in 6, it includes a growth chamber 1, a transfer chamber 2 and a carrier 17. The growth chamber 1 is installed on one side of the transfer chamber 2, and the carrier 17 is installed on the other side. A quartz manipulator 3 is installed on the transfer chamber 2, and a cleaning chamber 4 is installed on the front side of the transfer chamber 2. A transfer chamber 5 is installed between the transfer chamber 2 and the carrier 17. A transport manipulator 7 is installed in the middle of the carrier 17. A suction cup structure 13 is installed on the transport end of the quartz manipulator 3. A porous cleaning disk 12 is installed in the cleaning chamber 4. The porous cleaning disk 12 structure includes a cleaning disk body 9, blowing holes 10 and matching grooves 11. A plurality of matching grooves 11 are evenly arranged at the edge of the lower end surface of the cleaning disk body 9, and two circles of blowing holes 10 are set in the middle of the lower end surface of the cleaning disk body 9.
[0027] A porous cleaning disk 12 is installed in the bottom of the cleaning chamber 4. The air inlet end of the porous cleaning disk 12 is connected to a nitrogen inlet pipeline, and a nitrogen inlet valve 16 is installed on the nitrogen inlet pipeline.
[0028] A film removal stage 8 is installed at the front of the upper end surface of the stage 17 , and a film loading stage 6 is installed at the rear of the upper end surface of the stage 17 .
[0029] An air outlet pipe is installed at one end of the cleaning chamber 4 . The air outlet pipe is communicated with the interior of the cleaning chamber 4 . A nitrogen outlet valve 15 is installed on the air outlet pipe.
[0030] A top plate 14 is installed on the upper opening of the cleaning chamber 4 .
[0031] A method for transporting a silicon wafer transport device with a self-cleaning function comprises the following steps:
[0032] S1: After the epitaxial growth is completed, when the wafer is taken out, the EAP reads the machine's wafer taking instruction;
[0033] S2: After receiving the sheet fetching instruction, the EAP triggers the PLC to open the nitrogen inlet valve 16 and the nitrogen outlet valve 15;
[0034] S3: EAP gives a command to the machine to control the quartz robot 3 to place the wafer into the transfer chamber 5 and then move it into the cleaning chamber 4;
[0035] S4: After the quartz manipulator 3 enters the cleaning chamber 4, it is placed above the porous cleaning plate 12 with fine holes, and the area around the quartz manipulator 3 that contacts the silicon wafer is continuously purged by a high-purity high-pressure nitrogen gas flow for 5 to 30 seconds;
[0036] S5: the quartz manipulator 3 returns to the transfer chamber 2, and the cleaned quartz manipulator 3 continues to take the slices, and the operation is cyclical to complete all the slice taking processes;
[0037] S6: After receiving the instruction to finish taking the slice, the EAP triggers the PLC to close the nitrogen inlet valve 16 and the nitrogen outlet valve 15, and the self-cleaning process of the quartz manipulator 3 ends.
[0038] In S5 , each time the quartz robot 3 takes out a silicon wafer, it needs to enter the cleaning chamber 4 for cleaning.
[0039] Example 1
[0040] A cleaning chamber 4 of the quartz manipulator 3 is added. When taking a slice, the quartz manipulator 3 automatically enters the cleaning chamber 4, and the surface of the quartz manipulator 3 is purged with high-purity and high-pressure nitrogen for self-cleaning. The particles purged from the cleaning chamber 4 are sucked into the exhaust gas treatment system along with the airflow, so as to achieve the purpose of self-cleaning of the manipulator. A high-purity quartz disk with a porous structure is designed in the cleaning chamber 4. The edge of the porous cleaning disk 12 is designed with multiple rows of evenly distributed pores with a length of 20 mm. A high-pressure and high-purity nitrogen pipeline is designed in the pores for purging.
[0041] Example 2
[0042] When the silicon wafers are taken out after being grown in the epitaxial furnace, the EAP system receives instructions and triggers the PLC to control the nitrogen inlet valve 16 and the nitrogen outlet valve 15, so as to achieve high-purity and high-pressure nitrogen gas flow to purge and clean the quartz manipulator 3. The purge time can be set according to the thickness of the epitaxial layer and the particle level on the surface of the silicon wafer. This new operation process can realize the self-cleaning and automatic control functions of the surface of the quartz manipulator 3, so as to achieve the goal of improving the yield of epitaxial wafers.
[0043] The contact between the quartz manipulator 3 and the front edge of the silicon wafer may cause particle contamination, which in turn affects the front of the subsequent silicon wafer, resulting in particle contamination. In order to improve this situation, a cleaning chamber 4 is designed to be added, in which a porous cleaning disk 12 with a specific uniformly distributed fine pore structure is installed. The porous cleaning disk 12 is designed with a sealing groove, connected to a high-purity nitrogen gas pipe, and after the gas pipe is connected to the outside of the cleaning chamber, a nitrogen gas inlet valve 16 is installed.
[0044] The bottom of the cavity is also equipped with a nitrogen outlet valve 15 and a pipeline. The nitrogen inlet valve 16 and the nitrogen outlet valve 15 are connected to the PLC controller, and the PLC controller and the EAP system connected to the epitaxial furnace machine can achieve real-time communication. When the EAP receives the machine's wafer-taking instruction, it can trigger the PLC to open the nitrogen inlet valve 16 and the nitrogen outlet valve 15. At this time, after the manipulator takes the wafer from the growth chamber 1 and puts it into the transfer chamber 5, the quartz manipulator 3 enters the cleaning chamber 4, and the area around the quartz disk that contacts the edge of the silicon wafer is continuously purged by a high-purity, high-pressure nitrogen gas flow for 5 to 30 seconds. The time is set according to the product specifications and surface conditions. The quartz disk of the manipulator that has been purged and cleaned returns to the transfer chamber and waits for the next step. When the last wafer is taken and self-cleaning is completed, the machine continues to load the wafer and perform epitaxial growth.
[0045] The above is a detailed introduction to a silicon wafer transfer device with a self-cleaning function provided by the present application. Specific examples are used in this article to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method of the present application and its core idea; at the same time, for general technical personnel in this field, according to the idea of the present application, there will be changes in the specific implementation method and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.
Claims
1. A silicon wafer transfer device with self-cleaning function, characterized in that: The invention comprises a growth chamber (1), a transfer chamber (2) and a carrier (17), wherein the growth chamber (1) is installed on one side of the transfer chamber (2) and the carrier (17) is installed on the other side, a quartz manipulator (3) is installed on the transfer chamber (2), a cleaning chamber (4) is installed on the front side of the transfer chamber (2), a transfer chamber (5) is installed between the transfer chamber (2) and the carrier (17), a transport manipulator (7) is installed in the middle of the carrier (17), a suction cup structure (13) is installed on the transport end of the quartz manipulator (3), a porous cleaning disk (12) is installed in the cleaning chamber (4), the porous cleaning disk (12) structure comprises a cleaning disk body (9), a blowing hole (10) and a matching groove (11), a plurality of matching grooves (11) are evenly arranged at the edge of the lower end surface of the cleaning disk body (9), and two circles of blowing holes (10) are arranged in the middle of the lower end surface of the cleaning disk body (9).
2. The silicon wafer transfer device with self-cleaning function according to claim 1, characterized in that: A porous cleaning disk (12) is installed in the bottom of the cleaning chamber (4), and the air inlet end of the porous cleaning disk (12) is connected to a nitrogen inlet pipeline, and a nitrogen inlet valve (16) is installed on the nitrogen inlet pipeline.
3. The silicon wafer transfer device with self-cleaning function according to claim 1, characterized in that: An air outlet pipe is installed at one end of the cleaning chamber (4), the air outlet pipe is communicated with the interior of the cleaning chamber (4), and a nitrogen outlet valve (15) is installed on the air outlet pipe.
4. The silicon wafer transfer device with self-cleaning function according to claim 1, characterized in that: A top plate (14) is installed on the upper opening of the cleaning chamber (4).