Film thickness measuring equipment

Abstract

The utility model discloses film thickness measuring equipment, which comprises an equipment main body, the equipment main body comprises an outer wall and a film thickness measuring device, the outer wall is enclosed to form an accommodating space, the outer wall is provided with an opening communicated with the accommodating space, and the film thickness measuring device is located in the accommodating space; the proximity sensor is arranged on the side, away from the containing space, of the outer wall and used for detecting an object close to the opening; the area of the cover plate is larger than or equal to that of the opening; the actuating device is connected with the cover plate and used for driving the cover plate to be switched between a first position and a second position, the opening is opened when the cover plate is located at the first position, and the opening is closed when the cover plate is located at the second position; the controller is connected with the proximity sensor and the actuating device and used for controlling the actuating device to drive the cover plate to be switched between the first position and the second position according to the detection result of the proximity sensor. According to the film thickness measuring equipment, particle pollution in the equipment main body can be remarkably reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of detection equipment, and in particular to a film thickness measuring device. Background Art

[0002] Currently, an opening is usually provided on the outer wall of a film thickness measurement device to allow a wafer to be measured for entry and exit.

[0003] Since the opening is in an open state for a long time, particles outside the device can easily enter the film thickness measurement device through the opening, causing particle contamination inside the film thickness measurement device. Furthermore, particles may form on the surface of the wafer entering the film thickness measurement device, and in severe cases, the wafer may even be scrapped.

[0004] Therefore, improvements are needed to at least partially solve the above problems. Utility Model Content

[0005] A series of simplified concepts are introduced in the utility model content section, which will be further described in detail in the detailed implementation section. The utility model content section of the utility model does not mean to attempt to define the key features and essential technical features of the technical solution claimed for protection, nor does it mean to attempt to determine the scope of protection of the technical solution claimed for protection.

[0006] In order to at least partially solve the above problems, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a film thickness measuring device is provided, comprising:

[0007] An equipment body, the equipment body comprising an outer wall and a film thickness measuring device, the outer wall encloses a receiving space, and an opening communicating with the receiving space is provided on the outer wall, and the film thickness measuring device is located in the receiving space;

[0008] a proximity sensor, disposed on a side of the outer wall away from the accommodation space, for detecting an object approaching the opening;

[0009] a cover plate, the area of ​​the cover plate being greater than or equal to the area of ​​the opening;

[0010] an actuating device connected to the cover plate and used to drive the cover plate to switch between a first position and a second position, wherein the cover plate opens the opening when the cover plate is in the first position and closes the opening when the cover plate is in the second position;

[0011] The controller is connected to the proximity sensor and the actuator, and is used to control the actuator to drive the cover plate to switch between the first position and the second position according to the detection result of the proximity sensor.

[0012] Exemplarily, the proximity sensor includes an infrared transmitter and an infrared receiver, and the infrared transmitter and the infrared receiver are respectively arranged on two sides of the opening.

[0013] Exemplarily, the proximity sensor is a capacitive proximity sensor, an inductive proximity sensor or an ultrasonic proximity sensor.

[0014] Exemplarily, the cover plate is arranged on a side of the outer wall facing the accommodating space, a side of the outer wall away from the accommodating space, or inside the outer wall.

[0015] Exemplarily, the actuating device comprises an air supply and exhaust assembly and a cylinder, wherein the cylinder is connected to the air supply and exhaust assembly and the cover plate.

[0016] Exemplarily, the actuating device includes a motor and a rack and pinion transmission structure, and the motor is connected to the cover plate via the rack and pinion transmission structure.

[0017] Exemplarily, the actuating device includes a motor and a ball screw transmission structure, and the motor is connected to the cover plate via the ball screw transmission structure.

[0018] Exemplarily, the actuating device comprises a linear motor.

[0019] Exemplarily, the controller is a single chip microcomputer.

[0020] According to the film thickness measuring device of the utility model, a proximity sensor can be used to detect whether the object to be measured for film thickness enters and exits the storage space of the device body through the opening. Then, when the object to be measured for film thickness (such as a wafer) needs to enter the storage space through the opening for measurement, the actuator device can be controlled to drive the cover plate to move to the first position to open the opening for the object to be measured for film thickness to enter; after the object to be measured for film thickness leaves the storage space through the opening, that is, when the film thickness measuring device does not perform film thickness measurement, the actuator device can be controlled to drive the cover plate to move to the second position to close the opening to prevent particles outside the device body from entering the storage space. Therefore, the film thickness measuring device of the utility model can significantly reduce particle contamination in the device body and prevent particles from forming on the surface of the object to be measured for film thickness that enters the inside of the device body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The following drawings of the present application are hereby used as part of the present application for understanding the present application. The drawings show the embodiments of the present application and their descriptions, and are used to explain the device and principle of the present application. In the drawings,

[0022] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a film thickness measurement device according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the cover plate is in a first position;

[0023] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of a film thickness measurement device according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the cover plate is in the second position.

[0024] Description of reference numerals:

[0025] 10 - outer wall, 11 - opening, 20 - proximity sensor, 30 - cover plate, 40 - actuator. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In the following description, a large number of specific details are provided to provide a more thorough understanding of the present application. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present application can be implemented without one or more of these details. In other examples, in order to avoid confusion with the present application, some technical features well known in the art are not described.

[0027] It should be understood that the present application can be implemented in different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments presented herein. On the contrary, providing these embodiments will make the disclosure thorough and complete and fully convey the scope of the present application to those skilled in the art. In the accompanying drawings, the sizes and relative sizes of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity. The same reference numerals throughout represent the same elements.

[0028] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. can be used to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts, these elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or part from another element, component, region, layer or part. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the present application, the first element, component, region, layer or part discussed below can be represented as a second element, component, region, layer or part.

[0029] Spatially relative terms such as "under", "beneath", "below", "under", "above", "above", etc., may be used herein for convenience of description to describe the relationship of one element or feature to other elements or features shown in the figures. It should be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use and operation in addition to the orientation shown in the figures.

[0030] The purpose of the terms used herein is only to describe specific embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the present application. When used herein, the singular forms "one", "an" and "said / the" are also intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "consisting of" and / or "comprising", when used in this specification, determine the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or groups. When used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of the relevant listed items.

[0031] Embodiments of the utility model are described herein with reference to cross-sectional views as schematic diagrams of ideal embodiments (and intermediate structures) of the present application. In this way, variations in the shapes shown due to, for example, manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances can be expected. Therefore, the embodiments of the present application should not be limited to the specific shapes shown herein, but include shape deviations due to, for example, manufacturing. Therefore, what is shown in the figures is schematic in nature, and their shapes are not intended to display the actual shape of the device and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application.

[0032] Refer to the attached Figure 1-2 An exemplary description is given of a film thickness measuring device according to an embodiment of the present application. The film thickness measuring device includes a device body, a proximity sensor 20 , a cover plate 30 , an actuator 40 , and a controller.

[0033] The device body includes an outer wall 10 and a film thickness measuring device. The outer wall 10 encloses a receiving space, and an opening 11 communicating with the receiving space is arranged on the outer wall 10, and the film thickness measuring device is located in the receiving space.

[0034] Specifically, there are multiple outer walls 10, and the multiple outer walls 10 are connected together to form a storage space for accommodating a film thickness measuring device, and an opening 11 is provided on one of the outer walls 10, and the opening 11 is used for the object to be measured for film thickness to enter and exit the storage space. In this embodiment, the object to be measured for film thickness is a wafer, and the wafer can be sent into the storage space from the opening 11 by a robot, and the film thickness measuring device can perform film thickness detection on the wafer entering the storage space, and the wafer that has completed the film thickness detection can be moved out of the storage space from the opening 11 by the robot, that is, moved out to the outside of the device body.

[0035] The film thickness measuring device can be a device for measuring the thickness of the film on the wafer surface using an optical-based film measurement method. Exemplarily, the film thickness measuring device can be a device for measuring the film thickness using spectral reflectometry and / or ellipsometry. The spectral reflectometry uses the reflectivity of positive angle incidence to measure the thickness and refractive index of the film, and extracts the phase change before and after the light is incident on the film, which has the advantages of fast measurement speed, simple structure, and low cost; the ellipsometry uses the reflected polarization state and intensity of large angle incidence to measure the thickness and refractive index of the film, and extracts the polarization change before and after the light is incident on the film, which has the characteristics of high measurement accuracy. The film thickness measuring device may include a spectrometer and a light source module. It should be noted that the film thickness measuring device may also be a device capable of measuring the thickness of a film known to other persons skilled in the art, and this application does not specifically limit this.

[0036] The proximity sensor 20 is arranged on the side of the outer wall 10 away from the accommodation space, that is, arranged on the outside of the outer wall 10, and is used to detect objects approaching the opening 11. When the robot transfers the wafer to the position of the opening 11, sends the wafer into the accommodation space through the opening 11, and removes the wafer from the accommodation space, it will approach and trigger the proximity sensor 20, and when the robot removes the wafer from the accommodation space and moves away from the opening 11 (away from the proximity sensor 20), the proximity sensor 20 will not be triggered. Therefore, according to the detection result of the proximity sensor 20, it can be determined whether the object to be detected needs to enter the accommodation space, whether it has entered the accommodation space, and whether it has left the accommodation space.

[0037] In this embodiment, the proximity sensor 20 includes an infrared transmitter and an infrared receiver, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the opening 11, and the infrared receiver is used to receive the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter. When the robot carries the wafer and moves to the outside of the opening 11, the robot or the wafer will block the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter, so that the infrared receiver cannot receive the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter, and at this time, the proximity sensor 20 is triggered; when the robot sends the wafer into the accommodation space through the opening 11 and takes the wafer out of the accommodation space, the robot will block the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter, so that the infrared receiver cannot receive the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter; when the robot moves the wafer to the outside of the accommodation space and away from the opening 11, that is, when there is no object outside the opening 11, the robot or the wafer no longer blocks the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter, and the infrared receiver can receive the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter again, and at this time, the proximity sensor 20 is not triggered.

[0038] In some other embodiments, the proximity sensor 20 may be a capacitive proximity sensor 20, an inductive proximity sensor 20, or an ultrasonic proximity sensor 20. When the robot carries the wafer to the outside of the opening 11, sends the wafer into the accommodation space through the opening 11, and takes the wafer out of the accommodation space, the robot or the wafer will approach and trigger the above sensor; and when there is no object outside the opening 11, the above sensor will not be triggered.

[0039] In this embodiment, the cover plate 30 is disposed on the side of the outer wall 10 away from the accommodation space, that is, disposed on the outside of the outer wall 10, and the area of ​​the cover plate 30 is greater than or equal to the area of ​​the opening 11, so that the cover plate 30 can form a cover at the opening 11 to close the opening 11. In some other embodiments, the cover plate 30 can be disposed on the side of the outer wall 10 facing the accommodation space, that is, disposed on the inner side of the outer wall 10, and located in the accommodation space. In some other embodiments, the cover plate 30 can be disposed inside the outer wall 10, specifically, the outer wall 10 can be a double-layer structure, and the corresponding position of the double-layer outer wall 10 is provided with the opening 11, and the cover plate 30 can be located between the double-layer outer walls 10.

[0040] The actuator 40 is connected to the cover plate 30 and is used to drive the cover plate 30 to switch between the first position and the second position. When the cover plate 30 is in the first position, the opening 11 is opened, and when the cover plate 30 is in the second position, the opening 11 is closed. Figure 1 When the cover plate 30 is in the first position, the cover plate 30 does not form a shield at the opening 11, the accommodation space in the device body is connected to the outside through the opening 11, and the object to be detected can enter and exit the accommodation space through the opening 11; see the attached Figure 2 When the cover plate 30 is in the second position, the cover plate 30 forms a shield at the opening 11, and the storage space in the device body is no longer connected to the outside through the opening 11, and particles outside the device body cannot enter the storage space through the opening 11. The actuator 40 drives the cover plate 30 to move so that it switches between the first position and the second position. It should be noted that the movement of the cover plate 30 will not trigger the proximity sensor 20, which can be achieved by reasonably setting the positions of the proximity sensor 20 and the cover plate 30.

[0041] In this embodiment, the actuator 40 includes a supply and exhaust assembly and a cylinder, and the cylinder is connected to the supply and exhaust assembly and the cover plate 30. Specifically, the cylinder body of the cylinder is connected to the supply and exhaust assembly, and the piston rod of the cylinder is connected to the cover plate 30. The supply and exhaust assembly is used to supply air into the cylinder body to extend the piston rod, and the supply and exhaust assembly is also used to exhaust the gas in the cylinder to retract the piston rod. When the piston rod extends and retracts, it drives the cover plate 30 to move so that it switches between the first position and the second position.

[0042] In some embodiments, the actuator 40 includes a motor and a gear rack transmission structure, and the motor is connected to the cover plate 30 through the gear rack transmission structure. The gear rack transmission structure is used to convert the rotational motion output by the motor into the linear motion of the cover plate 30, so that by controlling the forward and reverse rotation of the motor, the cover plate 30 can be linearly reciprocated to switch between the first position and the second position.

[0043] In some embodiments, the actuator 40 includes a motor and a ball screw transmission structure, and the motor is connected to the cover plate 30 through the ball screw transmission structure. The ball screw transmission structure is used to convert the rotational motion output by the motor into the linear motion of the cover plate 30, so that by controlling the forward and reverse rotation of the motor, the cover plate 30 can be linearly reciprocated to switch between the first position and the second position.

[0044] In some embodiments, the actuator 40 can be a linear motor. A linear motor is a transmission device that directly converts electrical energy into linear motion mechanical energy without any intermediate conversion mechanism. It can be regarded as a rotating motor that is radially cut and unfolded into a plane. A linear motor is also called a linear motor, a linear motor, a linear motor, and a push rod motor. The linear motor type can be a flat plate type, a U-shaped groove type, and a tubular type. The cover plate 30 can be driven to move linearly back and forth by a linear motor to switch between a first position and a second position.

[0045] The controller (not shown in the figure) is connected to the proximity sensor 20 and the actuator 40 , and is used to control the actuator 40 to drive the cover plate 30 to switch between the first position and the second position according to the detection result of the proximity sensor 20 . Specifically, the controller is used to control the actuator device 40 to drive the cover plate 30 to move to the first position and maintain the first position to open the opening 11 when the proximity sensor 20 is triggered (an object is detected to be approaching), that is, when an object approaches the opening 11 outside the device body, that is, when the robot transfers the wafer to the outside of the opening 11, sends the wafer into the accommodation space through the opening 11, and takes the wafer out of the accommodation space; when the proximity sensor 20 is not triggered (no object is detected to be approaching), that is, when the robot moves the wafer to the outside of the accommodation space and away from the opening 11, the actuator device 40 is controlled to drive the cover plate 30 to move to the second position and maintain the second position to close the opening 11, so as to prevent particles outside the device body from entering the inside of the device body through the opening 11, that is, when the film thickness measurement device does not perform film thickness measurement, the opening 11 is closed to prevent particles outside the device body from entering the inside of the device body through the opening 11, thereby significantly reducing particle contamination in the device body and preventing particles from forming on the surface of the object (such as a wafer) to be measured for film thickness that enters the inside of the device body.

[0046] The controller may be a single chip microcomputer or other control device that can control the actuator device 40 according to the detection result of the proximity sensor 20 , and those skilled in the art may select one according to needs.

[0047] Although example embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the above example embodiments are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application to this. Those of ordinary skill in the art may make various changes and modifications therein without departing from the scope and spirit of the present application. All these changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present application as required by the appended claims.

[0048] In the description provided herein, a large number of specific details are described. However, it is understood that the embodiments of the present application can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques are not shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this description.

[0049] Similarly, it should be understood that in order to streamline the present application and help understand one or more of the various utility model aspects, in the description of the exemplary embodiments of the present application, the various features of the present application are sometimes grouped together into a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. However, the method of the present application should not be interpreted as reflecting the following intention: the claimed application requires more features than the features explicitly stated in each claim. More specifically, as reflected in the corresponding claims, the inventive point is that the corresponding technical problem can be solved with features that are less than all the features of a single disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the claims following the specific embodiment are hereby explicitly incorporated into the specific embodiment, wherein each claim itself serves as a separate embodiment of the present application.

[0050] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, except for mutually exclusive features, all features disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstracts and drawings) and all processes or units of any method or device disclosed in this specification may be combined in any combination. Unless otherwise expressly stated, each feature disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstracts and drawings) may be replaced by an alternative feature that provides the same, equivalent or similar purpose.

[0051] In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that, although some embodiments described herein include certain features included in other embodiments but not other features, the combination of features of different embodiments is meant to be within the scope of the present application and form different embodiments. For example, in the claims, any one of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

[0052] It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention and that those skilled in the art will be able to design alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A film thickness measuring device, characterized in that: include: An equipment body, the equipment body comprising an outer wall and a film thickness measuring device, the outer wall encloses a receiving space, and an opening communicating with the receiving space is provided on the outer wall, and the film thickness measuring device is located in the receiving space; a proximity sensor, disposed on a side of the outer wall away from the accommodation space, for detecting an object approaching the opening; a cover plate, the area of ​​the cover plate being greater than or equal to the area of ​​the opening; an actuating device connected to the cover plate and used to drive the cover plate to switch between a first position and a second position, wherein the cover plate opens the opening when the cover plate is in the first position and closes the opening when the cover plate is in the second position; The controller is connected to the proximity sensor and the actuator, and is used to control the actuator to drive the cover plate to switch between the first position and the second position according to the detection result of the proximity sensor.

2. The film thickness measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The proximity sensor comprises an infrared transmitter and an infrared receiver, and the infrared transmitter and the infrared receiver are respectively arranged on two sides of the opening.

3. The film thickness measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The proximity sensor is a capacitive proximity sensor, an inductive proximity sensor or an ultrasonic proximity sensor.

4. The film thickness measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cover plate is arranged on a side of the outer wall facing the accommodation space, a side of the outer wall away from the accommodation space, or inside the outer wall.

5. The film thickness measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The actuating device comprises an air supply and exhaust component and a cylinder, wherein the cylinder is connected to the air supply and exhaust component and the cover plate.

6. The film thickness measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The actuating device comprises a motor and a gear rack transmission structure, and the motor is connected to the cover plate through the gear rack transmission structure.

7. The film thickness measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The actuating device comprises a motor and a ball screw transmission structure, and the motor is connected to the cover plate through the ball screw transmission structure.

8. The film thickness measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The actuating means comprises a linear motor.

9. The film thickness measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller is a single chip microcomputer.

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