Process boat and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The utility model discloses a process boat and semiconductor process equipment, the process boat comprises a top plate, a bottom plate and a bearing part, one end of the bearing part is fixedly connected to the top plate, and the other end of the bearing part is fixedly connected to the bottom plate; one side of the bearing part is connected with a bearing table, the upper surface of the bearing table comprises an avoiding surface and a bearing surface, the bearing surface is used for bearing a wafer and is perpendicular to the axial direction of the process boat, the avoiding surface is connected with the bearing surface, and the avoiding surface is located between the bearing surface and the bearing part. And in the axial direction of the process boat, the avoiding surface is positioned below the bearing surface. According to the process boat, the condition that the wafer is adhered to the boat teeth can be reduced, and the possibility of warping of the wafer can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of semiconductor processing technology, and specifically relates to a process boat and semiconductor process equipment. Background Art

[0002] A process boat is a mechanism that can be used to carry wafers to be processed during the semiconductor processing process. It usually includes multiple tooth columns, and each tooth column is provided with multiple boat teeth distributed in the vertical direction. Each wafer can be supported on a boat tooth with a corresponding vertical position on multiple tooth columns at the same time, thereby providing a good bearing effect for the wafer.

[0003] However, during the processing of the wafer, the wafer and the boat teeth are prone to sticking to each other. After the processing is completed, the temperature of the wafer drops, causing the wafer to break due to the change in its own stress. For this reason, in the current technology, the bearing surface of the boat teeth is usually tilted relative to the horizontal plane so that the bearing surface of the wafer and the boat teeth are in a linear contact state as much as possible, so as to solve the problem of easy adhesion between the wafer and the boat teeth.

[0004] However, when the above technical solution is adopted, since the wafer and the boat teeth are in line contact, the force on the edge of the wafer is relatively concentrated, which can easily cause the wafer to warp during processing, which will also have a significant adverse effect on the wafer yield. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a process boat and semiconductor process equipment to solve the problem that the technical solution currently used to prevent the wafer from sticking to the boat teeth may cause the wafer to warp.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application discloses a process boat, which includes a top plate, a bottom plate, and a bearing portion, wherein one end of the bearing portion is fixedly connected to the top plate, and the other end of the bearing portion is fixedly connected to the bottom plate;

[0007] A carrying platform is connected to one side of the carrying portion, and the upper surface of the carrying platform includes an avoidance surface and a carrying surface, the carrying surface is used to carry the wafer, and the carrying surface is perpendicular to the axial direction of the process boat, the avoidance surface is connected to the carrying surface, the avoidance surface is located between the carrying surface and the carrying portion, and in the axial direction of the process boat, the avoidance surface is located below the carrying surface.

[0008] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application discloses a semiconductor process equipment, which includes a process tube and the above-mentioned process boat, wherein the process boat is used to carry wafers, and the process boat can be moved into and out of the process tube.

[0009] The embodiment of the present application provides a process boat, which includes a top plate and a bottom plate, and a bearing part fixedly connected between the top plate and the bottom plate, and at the same time, a bearing platform is connected to one side of the bearing part, and the upper surface of the bearing platform includes an avoidance surface and a bearing surface, and the bearing surface is located at one end of the bearing platform away from the bearing part, that is, the avoidance surface is located between the bearing surface and the bearing part, and the bearing surface is perpendicular to the axial direction of the process boat, so that the bearing surface can form a surface contact and matching relationship with the wafer, and provide a good bearing effect for the wafer, and prevent the wafer from warping during the processing process. In addition, in the axial direction of the process boat, the avoidance surface is located below the bearing surface. In this case, when the wafer is carried on the bearing surface, even if the outer edge of the wafer exceeds the outer edge of the bearing surface and is located above the avoidance surface, because the avoidance surface is located below the bearing surface, the wafer will not contact the avoidance surface, so that the contact area between the bearing platform and the wafer can be minimized while ensuring that the wafer has a good bearing effect, so as to minimize the probability and degree of wafer adhesion and improve the yield rate of the wafer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0011] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a process boat disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0012] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the process boat shown in another direction;

[0013] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of part of the process boat in another direction is shown;

[0014] Figure 4 Another structural schematic diagram of the process boat disclosed in the embodiment of the present application;

[0015] Figure 5 This is another structural schematic diagram of the process boat disclosed in the embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a structure of a boat tooth in a process boat disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the cooperation between the process boat and the wafer disclosed in the embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 8-Figure 11 It is a schematic diagram of other structures of boat teeth in the process boat disclosed in the embodiments of the present application;

[0019] Fig.12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the semiconductor process equipment disclosed in the embodiment of the present application.

[0020] Reference numerals:

[0021] 1-top plate, 2-bottom plate, 3-first tooth column, 4-third tooth column, 5-second tooth column, 6-fourth tooth column, 7-avoidance surface, 8-bearing surface, 9-boat tooth, 10-connecting part, 11-reinforcement part, 12-expansion accommodating joint,

[0022] 101-furnace body, 102-metal inlet and outlet structure, 103-process boat, 104-process inner tube, 105-process outer tube, 106-lower insulation structure, 107-base body,

[0023] 200-wafer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] 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.

[0025] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of this 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.

[0026] like Figure 1-Figure 11 As shown, the embodiment of the present application discloses a process boat, which can be used to carry a wafer 200. The process boat includes a top plate 1, a bottom plate 2 and a bearing portion, and the top plate 1 and the bottom plate 2 can generally be flat structural members, and the two are also used to provide an assembly function for the bearing portion to ensure that the bearing portion can provide a stable bearing function for the wafer 200. The top plate 1, the bottom plate 2 and the bearing portion can all be formed of high temperature resistant materials such as quartz, and the specific sizes of the three can be determined according to the actual diameter of the wafer 200 to be carried.

[0027] In detail, one end of the bearing part is fixedly connected to the top plate 1, and the other end of the bearing part is fixedly connected to the bottom plate 2, so as to ensure that the entire process boat has good structural strength to provide reliable bearing for the wafer. Considering that the wafer is usually a circular structure, for this reason, the top plate 1 and the bottom plate 2 can also be circular plate-shaped structural members. Of course, if there are other requirements, at least one of the top plate 1 and the bottom plate 2 can also be a structure of other regular shapes such as a rectangle or a pentagon, or other irregular shapes can also be used.

[0028] The bearing part can be an arc-shaped sheet structure, and its two opposite ends are respectively connected to the top plate 1 and the bottom plate 2, and the space enclosed by the arc-shaped structure is used as the wafer accommodating space. The open mouth in the bearing part can be an opening, and the accommodating space is connected to the opening, and the opening is located between the top plate 1 and the bottom plate 2, so that the wafer can be sent into the accommodating space from the opening. More specifically, the bearing part is half of the side of the cylindrical structure, that is, the bearing part is a semicircular columnar structure, and the bearing part extends in the relative direction of the top plate 1 and the bottom plate 2. It should be noted that the relative direction of the top plate 1 and the bottom plate 2 is the axial direction of the process boat. Taking the state of the process boat in the working state as a reference, the relative direction of the top plate 1 and the bottom plate 2 can be understood as the vertical direction. Correspondingly, the horizontal direction is the direction perpendicular to the aforementioned relative direction.

[0029] In order to ensure that the bearing part has the ability to bear the wafer, a bearing platform is connected to one side of the bearing part. Of course, the bearing platform needs to be located on the side of the bearing part facing the accommodating space. In other words, the inner side of the bearing part is connected to the bearing platform, which is the part of the process boat that directly contacts the wafer to bear the wafer. Of course, during the processing, the bearing part and the bearing platform that are connected to each other can be formed in an integrated manner. On the one hand, the connection reliability between the two can be enhanced, and on the other hand, the processing difficulty of the entire process boat can be reduced to a certain extent.

[0030] In more detail, the upper surface of the carrying platform includes an avoidance surface 7 and a carrying surface 8, wherein the carrying surface 8 is located at an end of the carrying platform away from the carrying portion, that is, the carrying surface 8 is located at the end of the upper surface of the carrying platform. In addition, since the carrying platform and the carrying portion are connected to each other, it can also be considered that the carrying surface 8 is located at the free end of the upper surface of the carrying platform, that is, compared with the avoidance surface 7, the distance between the carrying surface 8 and the carrying portion is relatively larger.

[0031] Furthermore, the carrying surface 8 is perpendicular to the axial direction of the process boat, that is, when the process boat is in working state, the carrying surface 8 is parallel to or substantially parallel to the horizontal plane, and the carrying surface 8 is used to carry the wafer entering the accommodating space from the opening. When this technical solution is adopted, since the carrying surface 8 is substantially a horizontal plane, the wafer can be in a surface contact relationship with the carrying surface 8 when it is carried on the carrying surface 8, thereby improving the carrying effect of the wafer, reducing the concentrated stress of the part of the wafer in contact with the carrying surface 8, and preventing the wafer from warping during the processing process.

[0032] As mentioned above, the upper surface of the carrier also includes an avoidance surface 7, which is connected to the bearing surface 8. As mentioned above, the bearing surface is located at the free end of the upper surface of the carrier, that is, the avoidance surface 7 is located between the bearing surface 8 and the bearing portion. At the same time, in the axial direction of the process boat, in simple terms, in the vertical direction, the avoidance surface 7 is located below the bearing surface 8. In the case of adopting this technical solution, even if the outer edge of the wafer exceeds the outer edge of the bearing surface 8 when the wafer is carried on the bearing surface 8, and is located above the avoidance surface 7, since the avoidance surface 7 is located below the bearing surface 8, the wafer can be prevented from contacting the avoidance surface 7, thereby preventing the contact area between the wafer and the carrier from being too large, thereby reducing the probability and degree of adhesion of the wafer to the carrier during processing. Accordingly, in the case of adopting the technical solution claimed for protection in the embodiment of the present application, the shape and size of the bearing surface 8 on the carrier can be designed to minimize the contact area between the wafer and the carrier while the bearing surface 8 has a bearing effect that meets the requirements.

[0033] Specifically, the avoidance surface 7 can be a plane parallel to the horizontal plane, or a plane inclined relative to the horizontal plane, or the avoidance surface 7 can also be an arc-shaped surface, which is not limited in this article. In the process of processing the process boat, the support platform and the support surface 8 on the support platform can be formed by machining, and the avoidance surface 7 that is lower than the support surface 8 in the vertical direction can be formed by removing the processing. Of course, when the structural form of the avoidance surface 7 is different, the processing method of the avoidance surface 7 can also be changed accordingly, which is not limited in this article. Of course, the above-mentioned horizontal plane is a plane perpendicular to the distribution direction of the top and the bottom.

[0034] An embodiment of the present application provides a process boat, which includes a top plate 1 and a bottom plate 2, and a bearing portion fixedly connected between the top plate 1 and the bottom plate 2. At the same time, a bearing platform is connected to one side of the bearing portion, and the upper surface of the bearing platform includes an avoidance surface 7 and a bearing surface 8. The bearing surface 8 is located at an end of the bearing platform away from the bearing portion, that is, the avoidance surface 7 is located between the bearing surface 8 and the bearing portion, and the bearing surface 8 is perpendicular to the axial direction of the process boat, so that the bearing surface 8 can form a surface contact and matching relationship with the wafer, and provide a good bearing effect for the wafer, thereby preventing the wafer from warping during processing. Moreover, in the axial direction of the process boat, the avoidance surface 7 is located below the carrying surface 8. In this case, when the wafer is carried on the carrying surface 8, even if the outer edge of the wafer exceeds the outer edge of the carrying surface 8 and is located above the avoidance surface 7, since the avoidance surface 7 is located below the carrying surface 8, the wafer will not contact the avoidance surface 7. Therefore, while ensuring that the wafer has a good carrying effect, the contact area between the carrying platform and the wafer can be minimized to minimize the probability and degree of wafer adhesion and improve the wafer yield.

[0035] As described above, the bearing portion may be in a form such as a semicircular structure. In another embodiment of the present application, Figure 1 As shown, the bearing portion may include at least three tooth columns. In the axial direction around the process boat, any two adjacent tooth columns are spaced apart from each other, and the plurality of tooth columns enclose a receiving space. Specifically, the cross-section of each tooth column may be rectangular, etc. Of course, if there is a corresponding need, the cross-section of the tooth column may also be triangular or other shapes, which is not limited in this article. In addition, as for the positional relationship between the top plate 1, the bottom plate 2 and the tooth column, optionally, as Figure 3 As shown, the projections of each tooth column on the horizontal plane can be covered by the top plate 1 and the bottom plate 2.

[0036] In another embodiment of the present application, Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the tooth column can include a connecting portion 10 and a reinforcing portion 11, wherein one end of the connecting portion 10 is connected to the top plate 1, and the other end of the connecting portion 10 is connected to the bottom plate 2, thereby ensuring that the tooth column can form a reliable fixed connection relationship with the top plate 1 and the bottom plate 2. At the same time, the reinforcing portion 11 is connected to the side of the connecting portion 10 away from the accommodating space, and the projection of the reinforcing portion 11 in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the process boat is located outside the top plate 1 and the bottom plate 2. In this case, the tooth column is affected by the reinforcing portion 11, so that the overall structural strength of the tooth column is relatively greater, thereby further improving the structural stability of the entire process boat, and then improving the bearing effect on the wafer. Specifically, the cross-sectional shape and size and other parameters of the connecting portion 10 and the reinforcing portion 11 can be flexibly selected according to actual needs, and this article does not limit this. Optionally, the cross-section of the reinforcing portion 11 is rectangular.

[0037] The support platform includes a plurality of boat teeth 9 corresponding to each other in the axial direction of the process boat, and the plurality of boat teeth 9 are connected to a plurality of tooth columns in a one-to-one correspondence. Among them, the plurality of boat teeth 9 corresponding to each other in the axial direction of the process boat are used to carry the same wafer. Generally speaking, the plurality of boat teeth 9 are located in the same horizontal plane. Of course, since the boat teeth 9 have a certain thickness, in the above description, it can be considered that the points or surfaces of the boat teeth 9 corresponding to each other in the vertical direction at the highest point in the vertical direction are located in the same horizontal plane, thereby ensuring that the plurality of boat teeth 9 can provide support for the same wafer at the same time. In addition, in the present embodiment, the boat teeth 9 can be connected to the first side of the connecting portion 10, and the reinforcing portion 11 can be connected to the second side of the connecting portion 10 away from the first side.

[0038] In the case of adopting the above technical solution, since any adjacent tooth columns are spaced from each other, the contact area between the carrier and the wafer can be further reduced, thereby making the probability of the wafer and the carrier sticking to each other smaller. Specifically, the number of tooth columns can be three, four or more. Of course, without considering the contact area between a single boat tooth 9 and the wafer, since the number of tooth columns is positively correlated with the bearing effect of the wafer, and the number of tooth columns is negatively correlated with the contact area between the wafer and the carrier, considering the relatively high structural stability of the quadrilateral, in the embodiment of the present application, the number of tooth columns can be four, which can ensure that the contact area between the wafer and the carrier is relatively small while ensuring the relatively high bearing stability of the wafer.

[0039] As described above, the bearing portion also has an opening connected to the accommodating space. In the case where the bearing portion includes at least three tooth columns, two of the multiple tooth columns can be respectively the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5, and the interval space between the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 can be used as the above-mentioned opening, while the other of the multiple tooth columns can be clamped on the side of the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 away from the opening. That is, with the line between the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 as the boundary, one side of the line can be used to form an opening, and the other side of the line can be used to set other tooth columns, and the other tooth columns can specifically include the third tooth column 4 and the fourth tooth column 6. Accordingly, since the third tooth column 4 and the fourth tooth column 6 may be set on the other side of the aforementioned line, the angle spanned by two adjacent tooth columns will be reduced accordingly, and thus cannot be used as an opening for the wafer to pass through.

[0040] Specifically, the angle spanned by the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 can be equal to 180°, that is, in the direction around the axial direction of the process boat, the angle between the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 is 180°, or, the axes of the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 are regarded as two, respectively. Then, in the present application, the angle formed between the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 and the perpendicular line between the axial direction of the process boat is equal to 180°. In this case, it can be basically guaranteed that the multiple tooth columns can provide relatively reliable support for the wafer. Correspondingly, in this case, the angle spanned by the opening is also basically equal to 180°. At this time, by making the spacing between the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 slightly larger than the diameter of the wafer to be carried, it can be ensured that the wafer can pass through the opening between the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5, and be carried on the boat teeth 9 corresponding to each other in each of the multiple tooth columns. It should be noted that when determining the angle between the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5, the straight lines where the axes of the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 are located can be regarded as the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 respectively, and their three-dimensional dimensions can be ignored.

[0041] In another embodiment of the present application, in the axial direction around the process boat, the angle spanned by the opening can be made less than 180°, and accordingly, the angle spanned by the side where other teeth are arranged between the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 is greater than 180°. In this case, the bearing stability of the wafer by the plurality of boat teeth 9 arranged on the first tooth column 3, the second tooth column 5 and the other teeth columns is relatively higher. Of course, in the case where the angle spanned by the opening is less than 180°, the specific value of the angle spanned between the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 can be correspondingly increased by increasing the spacing between the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 to ensure that the wafer can still pass through the gap between the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 and be placed in the accommodating space.

[0042] As described above, the bearing portion may include at least three tooth columns. Based on this, to put it another way, in the above embodiment, the triangle formed by the lines connecting the three tooth columns in the bearing portion may be an acute triangle. Similarly, in the aforementioned technical solution, the three-dimensional size of the tooth column is still not considered, and the three tooth columns are all regarded as straight lines. In this case, by making the triangle formed by the lines connecting the three tooth columns an acute triangle, it can also be ensured that at least three tooth columns can provide good support for the wafer. Of course, in the process of determining the lines connecting the three tooth columns, it is necessary to ensure that each line is perpendicular to the three tooth columns.

[0043] As described above, boat teeth 9 corresponding to each other along the axial direction (i.e., vertical direction) of the process axis are respectively provided on the plurality of tooth columns, so that the wafer can be carried together by using the plurality of boat teeth 9 corresponding to each other. Specifically, one of the plurality of boat teeth 9 can be provided with the avoidance surface 7 and the bearing surface 8 mentioned above, so that the contact area between the wafer and the boat tooth 9 is relatively small. In order to minimize the contact area between the wafer and the boat tooth 9 while ensuring a relatively good bearing effect of the wafer, in another embodiment of the present application, the upper surface of each boat tooth 9 can include an avoidance surface 7 and a bearing surface 8. In this case, the contact area between the wafer and each boat tooth 9 is relatively small, and under the action of each bearing surface 8, a relatively good bearing effect can be provided for the wafer.

[0044] Of course, when the boat teeth 9 corresponding to each other in the vertical direction on multiple tooth columns all include the above-mentioned avoidance surface 7 and the bearing surface 8, the shapes and sizes of the avoidance surface 7 and the bearing surface 8 of each boat tooth 9 can be made to be the same, or, according to the position of each tooth column, the structures of the boat teeth 9 corresponding to each other on multiple tooth columns can be designed separately, which is not limited in this article.

[0045] As described above, the carrying portion is provided with a carrying platform. Optionally, the number of the carrying platform is one. In another embodiment of the present application, the number of the carrying platforms can be multiple, and the multiple carrying platforms can be distributed on the carrying portion at intervals along the vertical direction, so that the multiple carrying platforms can be used to carry the wafers respectively, thereby increasing the amount of wafers carried by the process boat at a single time, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the wafers.

[0046] On this basis, each carrier can include a plurality of boat teeth 9 corresponding to each other in the vertical direction, and then, each tooth column is provided with a plurality of boat teeth 9 spaced apart in the vertical direction. Optionally, among the plurality of boat teeth 9 provided on the same tooth column, only one is provided with the avoidance surface 7 and the bearing surface 8. In order to improve the bearing effect of any wafer while making the contact area between each wafer and the carrier relatively small, in the embodiment of the present application, the plurality of boat teeth 9 on each tooth column can include the avoidance surface 7 and the bearing surface 8.

[0047] As described above, the avoidance surface 7 may be a planar structure parallel to the horizontal plane. In another embodiment of the present application, the avoidance surface 7 may be a surface inclined relative to the horizontal plane, and a smooth transition may be formed between the avoidance surface 7 and the bearing surface 8. Specifically, in the direction from the position connected to the bearing surface 8 to the position away from the bearing surface 8, the avoidance surface 7 may be gradually inclined downward and extended along the axial direction of the process boat.

[0048] In other words, the entire avoidance surface 7 is still located below the bearing surface 8, and the closer the avoidance surface 7 is to the bearing surface 8, the smaller the distance between the avoidance surface 7 and the bearing surface 8 in the vertical direction. Conversely, the farther the avoidance surface 7 is from the bearing surface 8, the larger the distance between the avoidance surface 7 and the bearing surface 8 in the vertical direction. In the case of adopting the above technical solution, the avoidance surface 7 inclined relative to the horizontal plane can be processed on the upper surface of the bearing platform first, and then, by grinding or other methods, the end of the avoidance surface 7 (or the free end, that is, the area on the upper surface of the bearing platform relatively far away from the bearing part) can be further processed to form a bearing surface 8 parallel to the horizontal plane, which can greatly reduce the processing difficulty of the avoidance surface 7 and the bearing surface 8.

[0049] Furthermore, if Figure 8-Figure 11 As shown, the parameters such as shapes, extension directions and sizes of the multiple boat teeth 9 arranged on the same tooth column can be different, or only one or several of the aforementioned multiple parameters can be the same. For example, the shapes of the avoidance surfaces 7 of the multiple boat teeth 9 on the same tooth column can be different, or, when the avoidance surfaces 7 are all arc-shaped surfaces, the curvatures of the avoidance surfaces 7 can be different, or, when the avoidance surfaces 7 are all planes, the angles between the avoidance surfaces 7 and the horizontal plane can be different; or, the shapes of the boat teeth 9 can be different, and the extension directions relative to the position where the axis of the process boat is located can be different, etc. Considering the simplicity of the text, they are not listed here one by one.

[0050] In order to further reduce the difficulty of processing the multiple boat teeth 9, the avoidance surfaces 7 of the multiple boat teeth 9 on at least one tooth column can be planes, and the angles between the avoidance surfaces 7 of the multiple boat teeth 9 on the tooth column and the horizontal plane are equal. In this case, when processing the boat teeth 9 on the tooth column, the avoidance surfaces 7 of the multiple boat teeth 9 can be formed at one time in the form of batch processing by using machining methods such as cutting or grinding. After that, by changing the cutting or grinding direction, multiple bearing surfaces 8 can be formed on the avoidance surfaces 7 of the multiple boat teeth 9 in batches, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the process boat.

[0051] Furthermore, the avoidance surfaces 7 of the multiple boat teeth 9 on each tooth column can be planes, and the avoidance surfaces 7 on the same tooth column can have the same inclination angle relative to the horizontal plane, that is, the avoidance surfaces of the multiple boat teeth on the tooth column can be parallel to each other. Of course, for the avoidance surfaces 7 on different tooth columns, the inclination angles of the avoidance surfaces 7 relative to the horizontal plane can be the same or different according to actual conditions, and this document does not limit this.

[0052] In order to further reduce the processing difficulty of the entire process boat, the parameters such as the appearance and size of the multiple boat teeth 9 on at least one tooth column can be made to be the same, and the projections of the multiple boat teeth 9 on the tooth column on the plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the process boat overlap each other. Similarly, when the multiple boat teeth 9 on each tooth column adopt the above-mentioned technical solution, the shapes and sizes of the boat teeth 9 on different tooth columns can be flexibly selected according to the actual situation, so that they are completely the same, partially the same, or completely different, which is not limited in this article.

[0053] In the case of adopting the above technical solution, the side and lower surfaces of the multiple boat teeth 9 on the same tooth column can also be formed by batch processing, thereby further reducing the processing difficulty of the multiple boat teeth 9 on the same tooth column to a certain extent. With respect to the above technical solution, in other words, the shapes and sizes of the bearing surfaces 8 and the avoidance surfaces 7 of the multiple boat teeth 9 on the same tooth column can be made to correspond to each other, and accordingly, the inclination form and direction of the avoidance surface 7 are also corresponding to each other; at the same time, the shapes, sizes and inclination forms of the upper surfaces, lower surfaces and side surfaces connected between the upper surfaces and the lower surfaces of the multiple boat teeth 9 are all corresponding to each other. From another perspective, among the multiple boat teeth 9 on the same tooth column, any two boat teeth 9 can completely overlap.

[0054] As described above, the third tooth column 4 and the fourth tooth column 6 may be provided on the side of the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 facing away from the opening. In this case, along the axial direction around the process boat, the first tooth column 3, the third tooth column 4, the fourth tooth column 6 and the second tooth column 5 may be uniformly and spaced in sequence. Of course, in other embodiments of the present application, the angles spanned by different adjacent two of the above four may also be different, which is not limited herein.

[0055] In another embodiment of the present application, the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 can be arranged symmetrically about the first plane, and the third tooth column 4 and the fourth tooth column 6 can also be arranged symmetrically about the aforementioned first plane, which can improve the bearing effect provided by the aforementioned four for the wafer to a certain extent. Among them, the straight line where the axial direction of the process boat is located is located in the first plane. Further, the angle spanned between the first tooth column 3 and the third tooth column 4 can be made greater than the angle spanned between the third tooth column 4 and the fourth tooth column 6. In the case of adopting the above technical solution, the spacing between the third tooth column 4 and the fourth tooth column 6 is relatively small, and then when the first tooth column 3, the second tooth column 5, the third tooth column 4 and the fourth tooth column 6 are all regarded as straight lines, the figure formed by the vertical lines connecting the four in sequence is an equilateral trapezoid, and the bottom of the trapezoid is located on the side where the opening is located. Compared with the arrangement of the aforementioned four using other quadrilaterals, in the case of adopting the aforementioned technical solution, the stability of the bearing effect provided by the four for the wafer can be further improved.

[0056] As described above, in the case where the bearing portion includes a plurality of toothed posts, the bearing platform may include a plurality of boat teeth 9 corresponding to each other in the vertical direction, and the plurality of boat teeth 9 are arranged on the plurality of toothed posts one by one, and the parameters such as the shape and size of the boat teeth 9 on the plurality of toothed posts may be the same or different. Based on the above situation, in the embodiment of the present application, the extension direction of the boat teeth 9 arranged on the first toothed post 3, the second toothed post 5, the third toothed post 4 and the fourth toothed post 6 may be designed accordingly to further improve the bearing effect on the wafer.

[0057] In detail, since the third tooth column 4 and the fourth tooth column 6 are both located at relatively inner positions in the accommodating space, the extension direction of the boat teeth 9 on each of the third tooth column 4 and the fourth tooth column 6 can be made parallel or substantially parallel to the radial direction of the wafer carried in the process boat, so that the bearing effect provided by the boat teeth 9 on the two is relatively good. As for the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5, similar to the third tooth column 4, the extension direction of the boat teeth 9 arranged on the two can also be parallel or substantially parallel to the radial direction of the wafer carried in the process boat. Of course, no matter which tooth column the boat teeth 9 are arranged on, their extension direction is basically toward the inner side of the outer edge of the wafer to ensure that they can provide bearing effect.

[0058] In another embodiment of the present application, in the case where the plurality of tooth columns include the first tooth column 3, the second tooth column 5 and the third tooth column 4, the third tooth column 4 can be located on the first side of the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5, and at least a portion of the boat teeth 9 provided on the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 can be located on the second side of the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5, wherein the first side and the second side are opposite sides bounded by the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5, respectively. In other words, relative to the interior of the accommodation space, the boat teeth 9 of the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 extend in a direction away from the interior of the accommodation space, or in other words, the boat teeth 9 of the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 extend outside the opening, so that the boat teeth 9 on the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 are in a protruding shape, which makes the angle spanned by the boat teeth 9 on the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 in the vertical direction relatively smaller, thereby further enhancing the stability of the bearing effect on the wafer. Among them, the distribution direction of the first side and the second side mentioned above can be specifically: Figure 3 In the direction A. In addition, the boat teeth 9 on the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 do not necessarily extend in a direction completely opposite to the side where the third tooth column 4 is located, and they can also be arranged obliquely, but generally, the boat teeth 9 of the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 extend to the outside of the accommodating space.

[0059] As described above, the upper surfaces of the multiple boat teeth 9 included in the supporting platform can be provided with avoidance surfaces 7. In this case, the lower surface of each boat tooth 9 can be determined as a plane or an arc surface according to actual needs, and when the lower surface is a plane, the lower surface of each boat tooth 9 can be made parallel to the horizontal plane or inclined relative to the horizontal plane.

[0060] In a specific embodiment of the present application, the lower surfaces of the boat teeth 9 on the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 can be planes and inclined relative to the horizontal plane, and the direction of inclination is gradually inclined upward from the root of the boat teeth 9 to the free end of the boat teeth 9. In the case of adopting this technical solution, the boat teeth 9 of the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 adjacent to the opening have a certain avoidance effect, so that in the process of the wafer being sent from the opening to the accommodating space, the gap between the two adjacent boat teeth 9 on the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 is relatively large, so that the difficulty of wafer transmission can be reduced to a certain extent. More specifically, the inclination angle of the lower surface of the boat teeth 9 of the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 relative to the horizontal plane can be equal to the inclination angle of the upper surface of the respective boat teeth 9, which can further reduce the difficulty of processing the boat teeth 9 on the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5.

[0061] As for other tooth columns such as the third tooth column 4 and the fourth tooth column 6, considering that the tooth columns are basically located at the end or close to the end of the moving path of the wafer, and further, in order to reduce the processing difficulty of the tooth column and the boat tooth 9, the lower surfaces of other tooth columns such as the third tooth column 4 and the fourth tooth column 6 can be made into planar structures parallel to the horizontal plane.

[0062] Based on the process boat including the first tooth column 3, the second tooth column 5, the third tooth column 4 and the fourth tooth column 6, a specific embodiment is that the first tooth column 3 and the second tooth column 5 are both provided with a boat tooth 9 in a triangular structure, and the side lengths of the boat tooth 9 can be 12mm, 15mm and 20mm respectively, and the free end of the boat tooth 9 can be chamfered. In addition, the upper and lower surfaces of the boat tooth 9 both include a plane that is 2° or 3° with the horizontal plane, and the area where the free end of the boat tooth 9 is located is provided with a bearing surface 8 that is approximately triangular. The third tooth column 4 and the fourth tooth column 6 are both provided with a boat tooth 9 in a hexagonal structure, and the boat tooth 9 is a face-symmetrical structure, which includes two parallel sides and symmetrical hypotenuses, as well as a top side and a bottom side connected to the tooth column, wherein the lengths of the side side, hypotenuse and top side can be 3mm, 9mm and 3mm respectively. As for the spacing of the boat teeth 9 on each tooth column in the vertical direction, it can be 7mm or 8mm. In addition, both the top plate 1 and the bottom plate 2 can be circular plate structures, and the diameters of the two can be 300 mm. Moreover, an expansion accommodating seam 12 can be provided on the top plate 1 and / or the bottom plate 2. The expansion accommodating seam 12 can extend from the center of the top plate 1 and / or the bottom plate 2 to the outer edge, and be provided through the thickness direction. Thus, during the use of the process boat, the process boat can be prevented from being deformed due to heat expansion, and even the wafer cannot be stably carried.

[0063] Based on the process boat disclosed in any of the above embodiments, Fig.12 As shown, the embodiment of the present application also discloses a semiconductor process equipment, which includes a furnace body 101 and a process tube and other structures. The furnace body 101 is installed on the base body 107, and the temperature required for the process is provided by electric heating. The process tube can specifically include a process inner tube 104 and a process outer tube 105, wherein the process inner tube 104 and the process door enclose a process chamber, and a metal inlet and exhaust structure 102 is provided on the base body 107, and the metal inlet and exhaust structure 102 is used to support the process chamber and can provide the function of air intake and exhaust. The process boat 103 disclosed in the embodiment of the present application is installed on the lower insulation structure 106, and the process boat 103 is used to support the wafer and is placed in the process chamber. The process inner tube 104 is installed in the circular groove on the annular support plate on the inner side of the metal inlet and exhaust structure 102 to dredge the airflow and improve the gas flow field in the chamber. The process outer tube 105 is installed on the metal inlet and exhaust structure 102, and the process outer tube 105 is used to isolate the outside world from the process chamber to provide a closed environment for the process. The lower heat-insulating structure 106 is used to maintain the temperature of the bottom of the process chamber, thereby ensuring good temperature uniformity in the process chamber.

[0064] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "comprise", "include" or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise one..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element. In addition, it should be pointed out that the scope of the methods and devices in the embodiments of the present application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, and may also include performing functions in a substantially simultaneous manner or in reverse order according to the functions involved, for example, the described method may be performed in an order different from that described, and various steps may also be added, omitted, or combined. In addition, the features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0065] 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 process boat, characterized in that: It comprises a top plate, a bottom plate and a bearing part, one end of the bearing part is fixedly connected to the top plate, and the other end of the bearing part is fixedly connected to the bottom plate; A carrying platform is connected to one side of the carrying portion, and the upper surface of the carrying platform includes an avoidance surface and a carrying surface, the carrying surface is used to carry the wafer, and the carrying surface is perpendicular to the axial direction of the process boat, the avoidance surface is connected to the carrying surface, the avoidance surface is located between the carrying surface and the carrying portion, and in the axial direction of the process boat, the avoidance surface is located below the carrying surface.

2. The process boat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bearing portion includes at least three tooth columns, and in the direction around the axial direction, any two adjacent ones of the multiple tooth columns are spaced from each other. The bearing platform includes a plurality of boat teeth corresponding to each other in the axial direction, and the multiple boat teeth are connected to the multiple tooth columns in a one-to-one correspondence.

3. The process boat according to claim 2, characterized in that: The avoidance surface extends gradually and tilted downward along the axial direction in a direction from a position connected to the bearing surface to a position away from the bearing surface.

4. The process boat according to claim 3, characterized in that: There are multiple bearing platforms, and each tooth column is provided with multiple boat teeth spaced apart along the axial direction. The avoidance surfaces of the multiple boat teeth on at least one tooth column are all planes, and the avoidance surfaces of the multiple boat teeth on the tooth column are parallel to each other.

5. The process boat according to claim 4, characterized in that: The shapes and sizes of the multiple boat teeth on at least one of the tooth columns are correspondingly the same, and the projections of the multiple boat teeth on the tooth column in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction overlap with each other.

6. The process boat according to claim 2, characterized in that: Two of the plurality of tooth columns are respectively a first tooth column and a second tooth column, a third tooth column and a fourth tooth column are provided on the same side of the first tooth column and the second tooth column, and the third tooth column is sandwiched between the first tooth column and the fourth tooth column in the direction around the axial direction; The first tooth column and the second tooth column are symmetrically arranged with respect to a first plane, the third tooth column and the fourth tooth column are symmetrically arranged with respect to the first plane, the straight line where the axial direction is located is located in the first plane, and in the direction around the axial direction, the angle spanned by the first tooth column and the third tooth column is greater than the angle spanned by the third tooth column and the fourth tooth column.

7. The process boat according to claim 2, characterized in that: The plurality of tooth posts include a first tooth post, a second tooth post and a third tooth post, the third tooth post is located on a first side of the first tooth post and the second tooth post, and at least a portion of the boat teeth arranged on the first tooth post and the second tooth post are located on a second side of the first tooth post and the second tooth post away from the first side.

8. The process boat according to claim 2, characterized in that: The tooth column includes a connecting portion and a reinforcing portion, one end of the connecting portion is connected to the top plate, the other end of the connecting portion is connected to the bottom plate, the boat tooth is connected to a first side of the connecting portion, the reinforcing portion is connected to a second side of the connecting portion away from the first side, and a projection of at least a portion of the reinforcing portion in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction is located outside the top plate and the bottom plate.

9. The process boat according to claim 2, characterized in that: The triangle formed by the connecting lines between the three tooth columns in the bearing portion is an acute triangle.

10. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: The invention comprises a process tube and the process boat according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the process boat is used to carry wafers and the process boat can be moved into and out of the process tube.

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