Plate-type ALD equipment
By setting up a silicon wafer separation device with hollowed-out area and silicon wafer fixtures in the plate ALD equipment, the problems of pass-through gas consumption and drainage blockage caused by silicon wafer debris entering the process cavity are solved, which improves production efficiency and reduces human resource consumption.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202421521176.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-06-28
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-22
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-06-28
AI Technical Summary
In plate ALD equipment, silicon chip fragments are easily adsorbed by suction cups into the process chamber, increasing the consumption of the through-source gas, reducing the production of alumina, and causing blockage of the feeding process, affecting production efficiency. Existing solutions rely on manual picking, pose security risks and are inefficient.
A plate-type ALD device is designed, including a silicon wafer separation device, and a hollow area and silicon wafer fixture are provided on the loading board to separate silicon wafer fragments and complete silicon wafers during loading and unloading, ensuring that only the complete silicon wafers enter the process cavity.
Through the use of the separation device, the possibility of silicon chip debris entering the process cavity is reduced, the risk of through-source gas consumption and discharge blockage is reduced, the batch efficiency of ALD coating is improved, and the consumption of human resources is reduced.
Smart Images
Figure CN222781687U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The utility model relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing and processing, in particular to a plate-type ALD device. Background Art
[0002] Plate-type ALD (atomic layer deposition) equipment is a device used to batch process multiple silicon wafers on a graphite carrier and send multiple silicon wafers into the process chamber for ALD coating through an integrated operation. The equipment can greatly improve the speed and overall production efficiency of the coating process without sacrificing the coating quality.
[0003] During the operation of the plate-type ALD equipment, the silicon wafer is first transported to the graphite carrier through the loading belt. Subsequently, the graphite carrier with the silicon wafer is transferred to the process chamber for ALD coating. The silicon wafer that has completed the process is then transported back to the loading and unloading machine through the graphite carrier, and the silicon wafer on the graphite carrier is transferred from the loading and unloading machine to the unloading belt through the suction cup. Finally, the unloading belt transports the silicon wafer to the unloading basket, thus completing the operation of an aluminum oxide coating batch.
[0004] However, when using plate-type ALD equipment to assist in ALD coating, if there are fragments on the feeding belt, these fragments are highly likely to be sucked into the process chamber by the suction cup to participate in the ALD coating operation, which not only increases the consumption of the source gas, but also reduces the output of single-plate aluminum oxide. In addition, the fragments after the process are still attached to the graphite carrier. When the suction cup transports the complete silicon wafer to the unloading belt, it will also transfer the silicon wafer fragments to the unloading belt, causing blockage during the unloading process, further reducing the efficiency of the aluminum oxide coating batch.
[0005] Currently, the solution to this problem is to manually enter the machine to pick and remove the debris. This method not only poses a safety risk, but also seriously affects the production efficiency of aluminum oxide coating. Utility Model Content
[0006] The utility model aims to provide a plate-type ALD device, which can separate silicon wafer fragments generated during loading and unloading, improve the batch efficiency of ALD coating, and reduce the coating cost.
[0007] The utility model provides a plate-type ALD device, comprising:
[0008] The silicon wafer separation device comprises a loading plate and a silicon wafer fixing member; the loading plate comprises a plurality of cells, each of the cells comprises a frame structure and a hollow area arranged in the frame structure, the hollow area is used to screen silicon wafer fragments; the silicon wafer fixing member is arranged on the frame structure and partially extends to the hollow area, and is used to fix the complete silicon wafer;
[0009] The silicon wafer separation device is respectively arranged on the loading and transporting device and the unloading and transporting device;
[0010] The loading and transporting device is used to transport the silicon wafers to the silicon wafer separation device for screening the silicon wafer fragments, and to transport the complete silicon wafers to the process chamber;
[0011] The process chamber is used to perform process operations on the complete silicon wafer;
[0012] The unloading and transporting device is used to transport the processed silicon wafers to the silicon wafer separation device for screening the silicon wafer fragments.
[0013] Furthermore, the loading plate includes a plurality of rectangular cells, the cells are arranged at equal distances, and the plurality of cells are arranged to form a rectangle.
[0014] Furthermore, the area of the hollowed-out region is the same as the area of the complete silicon wafer.
[0015] Furthermore, the frame structure is a rectangular frame.
[0016] Furthermore, the silicon wafer fixing piece is a latch tooth.
[0017] Furthermore, at least two latching teeth are arranged in each of the cells, and the latching teeth have a fixing portion and a latching tooth cap connected to the fixing portion; the fixing portion is arranged in the rectangular frame, and the latching tooth cap is located in the hollow area.
[0018] Furthermore, four latching teeth are arranged in each unit cell, and the fixing parts of the latching teeth are arranged at the four vertices of the rectangular frame respectively.
[0019] Furthermore, four latching teeth are arranged in each cell, and the latching teeth are respectively arranged at the midpoints of the four frames of the frame structure.
[0020] Furthermore, the separation device also includes a silicon wafer recovery box, and the silicon wafer recovery box is arranged below the loading plate.
[0021] Furthermore, it also includes a graphite carrier plate,
[0022] The graphite carrier is located between the silicon wafer separation devices and is used to carry the complete silicon wafer that needs to be processed and the silicon wafer after the process.
[0023] Compared with the prior art, the utility model has at least the following technical effects:
[0024] At least one loading plate is respectively arranged on the loading and unloading transport device and the unloading transport device of the plate-type ALD equipment. The loading plate can separate silicon wafer fragments from intact silicon wafers during the loading and unloading processes, thereby reducing the consumption of the source gas in the process chamber by the silicon wafer fragments and the possibility of the fragments causing blockage of the unloading transport device, thereby improving the batch efficiency of ALD coating. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a plate-type ALD device in one embodiment of the utility model;
[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a debris separation device in an ALD device in one embodiment of the utility model;
[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the positional relationship between the unit cells of the loading plate and the silicon wafer fixing member in one embodiment of the utility model;
[0028] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of another position relationship between the unit cells of the loading plate and the silicon wafer fixing member in one embodiment of the utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] A plate-type ALD device of the present invention will be described below in conjunction with a schematic diagram, wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. It should be understood that those skilled in the art can modify the present invention described herein while still achieving the advantageous effects of the present invention. Therefore, the following description should be understood as being widely known to those skilled in the art, and not as a limitation to the present invention.
[0030] The present invention is described in more detail in the following paragraphs by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. The advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description. It should be noted that the accompanying drawings are in very simplified form and in non-precise proportions, and are only used to conveniently and clearly assist in explaining the purpose of the embodiments of the present invention.
[0031] Embodiment 1
[0032] This embodiment provides a plate-type ALD device, please refer to Figure 1 , including a silicon wafer separation device, a process chamber, a loading and transporting device and a unloading and transporting device.
[0033] Specifically, the silicon wafer separation device includes a loading plate 1 and a silicon wafer fixing member 4, wherein the loading plate 1 includes a plurality of cells 2, and one cell 2 is used to separate or fix a silicon wafer fragment or a complete silicon wafer 5; each of the cells 2 includes a hollow area 3, and the hollow area 3 is used to screen silicon wafer fragments; the non-hollow area 7 in the cell 2 is a frame structure; the silicon wafer fixing member 4 is arranged on the frame structure and partially extends to the hollow area 3, and is used to fix the complete silicon wafer 5. The silicon wafer separation device is arranged on a loading and unloading transport device and a unloading and unloading transport device.
[0034] More specifically, the loading and transporting device is used to transport the silicon wafers to the silicon wafer separation device for screening of silicon wafer fragments, and to transport the complete silicon wafer 5 to the process chamber; the process chamber is used to perform process operations on the complete silicon wafer 5; the unloading and transporting device is used to transport the silicon wafers after the process operations are completed to the silicon wafer separation device for screening of silicon wafer fragments.
[0035] In this embodiment, the loading plate 1 of the above structure is respectively arranged on the loading and unloading transport device and the unloading transport device of the plate-type ALD equipment, so as to achieve the separation between the silicon wafer fragments and the complete silicon wafer 5 during the loading and unloading process. Specifically, if it is a complete silicon wafer 5, it is fixed in the cell 2 of the loading plate through the silicon wafer fixing member 4; if it is a silicon wafer fragment, it will fall into the fragment receiving area through the hollow area 3, thereby reducing the consumption of the source gas in the process chamber by the silicon wafer fragments, and the possibility of the fragments causing the unloading and transport device to be blocked, thereby improving the batch efficiency of the ALD coating. In addition, the above loading plate 1 can automatically separate the silicon wafer fragments, reduce the consumption of human resources, and greatly improve the speed and efficiency of the silicon wafer fragment processing.
[0036] In this embodiment, the specific number, shape and size of the cells 2 and the hollow area 3 in the loading plate 1 of the above-mentioned structure, the overall structure of the loading plate 1, and the distance between the hollow area 3 and the edge of the cell 2 are not specifically limited here. Those skilled in the art can make different choices based on process requirements, cost requirements and silicon wafer style.
[0037] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 In a specific example, the size and structure of the loading plate 1 are consistent. The loading plate 1 is rectangular as a whole, 282 cm long and 54 cm wide; the internal structure is a grid structure, each cell 2 is arranged equidistantly, each cell 2 is a rectangle, the hollow area 3 is also a rectangle, and each cell 2 also includes a non-hollow area 7, and the shape of the non-hollow area 7 is a rectangular frame.
[0038] In the above rectangular frame shape, 4 cells 2 can be set in each row, 12 cells 2 can be set in each column, and a total of 48 cells 2 are set. Since the shape and size of the fragments may not be determined during the production process, in order to ensure that each fragment can be separated, the size of the hollow area 3 can be consistent with the specifications of the complete silicon wafer 5.
[0039] For example, the length and width of the complete silicon wafer 5 range from 182.5 mm to 210 mm, and the length and width of the hollow area 3 in the cell 2 are also set to 182.5 mm to 210 mm. The loading plate 1 of this structure can accommodate all silicon wafers required for loading and unloading, and because the overall structure is a mesh structure, a certain distance is set between each cell 2, so that there is no squeezing between each silicon wafer, which is easy to place the silicon wafer; in addition, the cell 2 also includes a non-hollow area 7, which is conducive to the installation of the silicon wafer fixing part 4; further, the loading plate 1 of this structure is easier to prepare, reducing the design cost of the loading plate 1.
[0040] In a specific example, the type and fixing method of the silicon wafer fixing part 4 can also be selected according to the actual situation. In this embodiment, the silicon wafer fixing part 4 is a latch, and the fixing part of the latch is fixed at the non-hollow area 7, and the latch cap is located in the hollow area 3, and the latch cap can fix the complete silicon wafer 5. The fixing method can be clamping, welding, threaded fixing, etc., and no specific limitation is made here. The use of latches can fix the silicon wafer more firmly, and the area occupied by a single latch is small, and disassembly is also more convenient. In addition, a distance can be set between the hollow area 3 and the edge of the cell 2 to create a gap for placing the latch, for example, the distance between the two is 2 mm, and the distance can be set according to the actual size of the latch.
[0041] The number of the silicon wafer fixing members 4 is at least 2 to ensure that the complete silicon wafer 5 can be fixed on the loading plate 1. It is understandable that the number of the silicon wafer fixing members 4 can also be 3, 4, etc., and those skilled in the art can select according to actual conditions.
[0042] In a specific example, when the hollow area 3 is a rectangle, the silicon chip fixing members 4 can be set to four, respectively fixed at the four corners of the rectangular frame, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown; in another example, the silicon wafer fixing members 4 are 4, which are respectively fixed at the midpoints of the four borders of the rectangular frame near the hollow area 3, such as Figure 3 As shown, both fixing methods can firmly and stably fix the complete silicon wafer 5 in the loading plate 1. When the latch teeth are larger, the fixing portion of the latch teeth can abut against the edge of the cell 2, and when the latch teeth are smaller, a certain distance can be left between the fixing portion of the latch teeth and the edge of the cell 2.
[0043] In a specific example, the diameter of the latch teeth is 0.5 mm-1 mm, and those skilled in the art can select the size of the latch teeth according to the size of the rectangular frame, the unit cell 2 and the silicon wafer.
[0044] The specific location of the loading plate 1 in the fragment separation device is not specifically limited here, and is determined according to the specific structure of the plate-type ALD device. For example, it is set at the side of the loading and unloading conveying device and the unloading conveying device, and is respectively located on both sides of the graphite carrier 6 in the plate-type ALD device. The specific number of loading plates is also not limited here, and can be determined according to the number of silicon wafers required for the actual process, for example, 1, 2 or 3 loading plates 1 are respectively set at the side of the loading belt and the unloading belt.
[0045] In a specific embodiment, the loading and transporting device is a loading belt in an upper and lower loading and unloading machine of a plate-type ALD device, and the unloading and transporting device is a unloading belt in an upper and lower loading and unloading machine of a plate-type ALD device.
[0046] Preferably, the plate-type ALD device further includes an automation device. The automation device is used to absorb the silicon wafer from the loading and transporting device to the hollow area 3 of the loading plate 1 and absorb the complete silicon wafer 5 into the graphite carrier 6 during the loading process; and is also used to absorb the silicon wafer from the graphite carrier 6 to the hollow area 3 of the loading plate 1 and absorb the complete silicon wafer 5 into the unloading and transporting device during the unloading process. In a specific example, the automation device can be: a mechanical gripper or a suction cup.
[0047] Preferably, the plate-type ALD device further comprises a graphite carrier 6, which is located between the silicon wafer separation devices and is used to carry the silicon wafers to be processed. Specifically, after the silicon wafers are loaded, the graphite carrier 6 with the silicon wafers can be transferred to the process chamber for ALD coating by an automated device, and the silicon wafers that have completed the process are transported to the unloading transport device through the graphite carrier 6.
[0048] Preferably, the plate-type ALD equipment further comprises a loading and unloading machine platform, and the loading and unloading machine platform is used to carry the loading and unloading transport device, the unloading and unloading transport device and the graphite carrier plate 6 .
[0049] Preferably, the plate-type ALD device further comprises a silicon wafer recovery box, which is arranged below the loading plate 1 and is used to separate silicon wafer fragments. In a specific example, the shape of the silicon wafer recovery box can be selected according to actual needs, such as a tray shape and a rectangular shape.
[0050] The workflow of the plate-type ALD equipment described above is as follows:
[0051] When loading silicon wafers, the automated equipment absorbs the silicon wafers in the loading and transporting device into the hollow area 3 of the loading plate installed on the side of the loading and transporting device. If it is a complete silicon wafer 5, it is fixed in the cell 2 of the loading plate through the silicon wafer fixing part 4; if it is a silicon wafer fragment, it will fall into the fragment collection area through the hollow area 3. When all the silicon wafers that need to be processed are adsorbed onto the loading plate 1, the automation device then adsorbs the complete silicon wafer 5 on the loading plate 1 into the graphite carrier 6. Then, the complete silicon wafer 5 in the graphite carrier 6 is sent into the process chamber for reaction through the automation equipment. Since silicon wafer fragments will also be generated after coating, when unloading, the automation equipment adsorbs the processed silicon wafers in the graphite carrier 6 into the hollow area 3 in the loading plate installed on the side of the unloading and transportation device. Similarly, if it is a complete silicon wafer 5, it is fixed in the cell 2 of the loading plate 1 through the silicon wafer fixing part 4. If it is a silicon wafer fragment, it falls into the fragment collection area through the hollow position. After loading is completed, the suction cup adsorbs the silicon wafer in the loading plate 1 to the unloading belt for unloading, thereby completing a single batch of aluminum oxide coating.
[0052] It can be seen that this embodiment realizes the separation of silicon wafer fragments and intact silicon wafers 5 during the loading and unloading processes by setting the fragment separation device of the above structure in the plate-type ALD equipment, which greatly reduces the consumption of the source gas by the silicon wafer fragments and the possibility of the fragments causing the unloading belt to be blocked, thereby improving the batch efficiency of ALD coating.
[0053] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention is also intended to include these modifications and variations.
Claims
1. A plate-type ALD device, characterized in that: include: Silicon wafer separation device, loading and transporting device, process chamber and unloading and transporting device; The silicon wafer separation device comprises a loading plate and a silicon wafer fixing member; The loading plate includes a plurality of cells, each of which includes a frame structure and a hollow area arranged in the frame structure, and the hollow area is used to screen silicon wafer fragments; the silicon wafer fixing member is arranged on the frame structure and partially extends to the hollow area to fix the complete silicon wafer; The silicon wafer separation device is respectively arranged on the loading and transporting device and the unloading and transporting device; The loading and transporting device is used to transport the silicon wafers to the silicon wafer separation device for screening the silicon wafer fragments, and to transport the complete silicon wafers to the process chamber; The process chamber is used to perform process operations on the complete silicon wafer; The unloading and transporting device is used to transport the processed silicon wafers to the silicon wafer separation device for screening the silicon wafer fragments.
2. The plate-type ALD device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The loading plate includes a plurality of rectangular cells, the cells are arranged equidistantly, and the plurality of cells are arranged to form a rectangle.
3. The plate-type ALD device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The area of the hollowed-out region is the same as the area of the complete silicon wafer.
4. The plate-type ALD device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The frame structure is a rectangular frame.
5. The plate-type ALD device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The silicon chip fixing piece is a latch tooth.
6. The plate-type ALD device according to claim 5, characterized in that: At least two latching teeth are arranged in each unit cell, and the latching teeth have a fixing portion and a latching tooth cap connected to the fixing portion; the fixing portion is arranged on the frame structure, and the latching tooth cap is located in the hollow area.
7. The plate-type ALD device according to claim 6, characterized in that: Four latching teeth are arranged in each cell, and the four latching teeth are respectively arranged at four top corners of the frame structure.
8. The plate-type ALD device according to claim 6, characterized in that: Four latching teeth are arranged in each cell, and the latching teeth are respectively arranged at the midpoints of the four frames of the frame structure.
9. The plate-type ALD device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a silicon wafer recovery box, which is arranged below the loading plate.
10. The plate-type ALD device according to claim 1, wherein: Also includes a graphite carrier plate, The graphite carrier is located between the silicon wafer separation devices and is used to carry the complete silicon wafer to be processed and the silicon wafer after the process.