Air exhaust ring and semiconductor processing equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides an air exhaust ring and semiconductor processing equipment. The air exhaust ring comprises an upper ring, a lower ring and a side ring. The upper ring is arranged in a process chamber of semiconductor processing equipment and surrounds a wafer tray. The lower ring is arranged below the upper ring, and an air exhaust gap is reserved between the lower ring and the upper ring. The side ring is provided with an annular groove. And the annular groove surrounds the air exhaust gap. The upper wall of the annular groove surrounds and is connected with the outer edge of the upper ring in a sealed mode. The lower wall of the annular groove surrounds and is connected with the outer edge of the lower ring in a sealed mode. The annular groove is provided with at least one extraction opening and is connected with an external extraction module through the at least one extraction opening. According to the utility model, the compatibility of the process chamber to different processes can be improved, so that the requirement of transferring chips among different process chambers to carry out different processes is canceled, the processing efficiency of semiconductor devices is improved, and the requirement of opening the chamber to replace an air exhaust ring is canceled, so that external pollution is prevented from being introduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductor processing, in particular to an air pumping ring and semiconductor processing equipment. Background Art

[0002] In the field of semiconductor device processing technology, an exhaust ring is usually set above, below or on the periphery of the same horizontal plane of the reaction area of ​​semiconductor device processing equipment such as thin film deposition equipment, and Figure 1 As shown, evenly distributed exhaust holes are provided along the circumference to timely extract process exhaust gas, so as to achieve the purpose of reducing particle pollution and / or adjusting the gas pressure in the process chamber.

[0003] Furthermore, the art has also proposed some improvement schemes for improving the uniformity of the exhaust of the reaction area by the exhaust ring by adjusting the size and / or distribution density of each exhaust hole, so as to improve the thickness uniformity of the deposited film. Although these improvement schemes can meet the precision requirements of semiconductor device processing in some scenarios. However, in some thin film deposition processes that are relatively sensitive to gas flow rate and pressure, the distribution of film thickness at the edge of the wafer will still be affected by the spacing structure between the exhaust holes. For example, the thickness of the film aligned with the exhaust hole position will be smaller, while the thickness of the film sandwiched between the two exhaust holes will be larger, resulting in the problem of uneven film thickness at the edge of the wafer.

[0004] In addition, for the different processes in the semiconductor device processing process, and the different exhaust requirements between different steps in each process, the field usually needs to be equipped with a variety of semiconductor processing equipment with different processes, or to set a variety of process chambers with different process parameters in the semiconductor processing equipment, and then transfer the wafers to be processed to each process chamber in turn through the rotation of the assembly line to perform thin film deposition of the corresponding process. This processing scheme of transferring wafers between multiple different semiconductor processing equipment or process chambers will reduce the processing efficiency of semiconductor devices on the one hand, and easily introduce external contamination during the wafer transmission process on the other hand, thereby affecting the yield and performance of semiconductor devices.

[0005] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the art is in urgent need of an improved pumping technology to eliminate the influence of the spacing structure between the pumping holes on the pumping uniformity, so as to improve the thickness uniformity of the film at the edge of the wafer, and further improve the compatibility of the process chamber with different processes, so as to eliminate the need to transfer wafers between different process chambers, thereby improving the processing efficiency of semiconductor devices and avoiding the introduction of external contamination. Utility Model Content

[0006] A brief summary of one or more aspects is given below to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all conceived aspects, and is neither intended to identify the key or decisive elements of all aspects nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its only purpose is to give some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description that will be given later.

[0007] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects existing in the prior art, the utility model provides an exhaust ring and a semiconductor processing equipment, which can extract the process exhaust gas in the reaction area through the exhaust gap between the upper exhaust ring and the lower exhaust ring, thereby eliminating the influence of the spacing structure between the exhaust holes on the exhaust uniformity, so as to improve the thickness uniformity of the thin film at the edge of the wafer.

[0008] Specifically, the above-mentioned exhaust ring provided according to the first aspect of the utility model includes an upper ring, a lower ring and an edge ring. The upper ring is arranged inside the process chamber of the semiconductor processing equipment and surrounds the wafer tray. The lower ring is arranged below the upper ring and maintains an exhaust gap with the upper ring. The edge ring has an annular groove. The annular groove surrounds the exhaust gap. The upper wall of the annular groove surrounds and seals the outer edge of the upper ring. The lower wall of the annular groove surrounds and seals the outer edge of the lower ring. The annular groove is provided with at least one exhaust port, and is connected to an external exhaust module via the at least one exhaust port.

[0009] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of the air extraction ports are evenly distributed at multiple positions of the annular groove. The air extraction gaps are equidistant gaps.

[0010] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, at least one air extraction port is provided on the first side of the annular groove. A first spacing of the air extraction gap on the first side is smaller than a second spacing of the air extraction gap on the second side away from the first side.

[0011] Further, in some embodiments of the utility model, at least one circle of first protrusions is provided on the lower side of the upper ring. At least one circle of first recesses is provided on the upper side of the lower ring. The first protrusion cooperates with the first recess to form at least one section of transverse gap and at least one section of longitudinal gap. The first width of the first protrusion on the first side is greater than its second width on the second side, or the third width of the first recess on the first side is less than its fourth width on the second side, so that the first transverse spacing of the air extraction gap on the first side is less than its second transverse spacing on the second side. Or at least one second recess is provided on the lower side of the upper ring. At least one second protrusion is provided on the upper side of the lower ring. The second recess cooperates with the second protrusion to form at least one section of transverse gap and at least one section of longitudinal gap. The fifth width of the second recess on the first side is less than its sixth width on the second side, or the seventh width of the second protrusion on the first side is greater than its eighth width on the second side, so that the first transverse spacing of the air extraction gap on the first side is less than its second transverse spacing on the second side.

[0012] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the flow resistance difference between the air extraction gap of the first spacing and the air extraction gap of the second spacing is equal to the flow resistance of the path from the second side of the airflow along the annular groove to the first side.

[0013] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, the upper ring is fixedly connected or integrated to the top of the process chamber. The side ring is fixedly connected or integrated to the side wall of the process chamber. The lower ring is detachably or movably mounted to the inner side of the lower wall of the annular groove to adjust the spacing distribution of the exhaust gap to meet the actual exhaust demand of the process chamber.

[0014] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the pumping ring further comprises at least one pumping ring adjustment mechanism. The pumping ring adjustment mechanism is connected to at least one position of the lower ring, and is used to drive the corresponding position of the lower ring to perform longitudinal displacement according to the actual pumping demand of the process chamber, so as to adjust the spacing distribution of the pumping gap online.

[0015] Further, in some embodiments of the utility model, the vacuum ring adjustment mechanism includes a drive motor, a slide rail, a slider and a support rod. The drive motor is used to provide a driving force. The slide rail is arranged outside the process chamber and extends in the longitudinal direction. The slider is used to move longitudinally along the slide rail under the drive of the drive motor. The first end of the support rod is connected to the slider, and the second end thereof passes through the outer wall of the process chamber and is connected to the corresponding position of the lower ring to drive it to move longitudinally.

[0016] Further, in some embodiments of the utility model, at least one circle of the first radial bending structure is provided on the lower side of the upper ring. At least one circle of the second radial bending structure is provided on the upper side of the lower ring. The at least one circle of the first radial bending structure and the at least one circle of the second radial bending structure match each other to form a radially bent air extraction gap between the upper ring and the lower ring. The first radial bending structure and the second radial bending structure are stepped, wavy or sawtooth in the radial direction.

[0017] In addition, the semiconductor processing equipment provided according to the second aspect of the utility model includes a process chamber and an exhaust module. The process chamber is provided with a wafer tray and an exhaust ring as provided in the first aspect of the utility model. The exhaust ring surrounds the wafer tray. The exhaust module is connected to at least one exhaust port of the annular groove of the exhaust ring via at least one exhaust pipeline to exhaust gas from the inside of the process chamber via the at least one exhaust port. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above features and advantages of the present invention can be better understood after reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the following drawings. In the drawings, the components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components with similar related properties or features may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a conventional air pumping ring is shown.

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of semiconductor processing equipment provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0021] Figure 3 A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of an air pumping ring provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0022] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an air pumping ring provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0023] Figure 5 A pressure distribution diagram of the surface of a wafer to be processed provided in accordance with a reference example of the present utility model is shown.

[0024] Figure 6 The figure shows the thickness distribution diagram of the processed wafer provided in the reference example of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of semiconductor processing equipment provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0026] Figure 8A schematic structural diagram of an air pumping ring provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0027] Fig. 9 A schematic structural diagram of an air pumping ring provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0028] Fig.10 A schematic structural diagram of an air pumping ring provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0029] Fig.11 A schematic structural diagram of an air pumping ring provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0030] Fig.12 A schematic structural diagram of an air pumping ring provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0031] Fig.13 A schematic structural diagram of an air pumping ring provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0032] Fig.14 A schematic structural diagram of an air pumping ring adjustment mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0033] Fig.15 A schematic structural diagram of an air pumping ring adjustment mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0034] Fig.16 A schematic diagram of the connection between the support rod and the first ring body provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0035] Fig.17 A schematic diagram of the mechanism of the support rod fixing hole provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0036] Fig.18 A schematic flow chart of a method for processing a semiconductor device according to some embodiments of the present utility model is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

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

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

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

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

[0041] As mentioned above, in some thin film deposition processes that are relatively sensitive to gas flow rate and pressure, Figure 1The conventional exhaust structure shown will cause the problem of uneven film thickness at the edge of the wafer. In addition, for the different processes in the semiconductor device processing process, and the different exhaust requirements between different steps in each process, this field usually needs to be equipped with semiconductor processing equipment with multiple different processes, or to set up process chambers with multiple different process parameters in the semiconductor processing equipment, and then transfer the wafers to be processed to each process chamber in turn through the rotation of the assembly line to perform thin film deposition of the corresponding process. This processing scheme of transferring wafers between multiple different semiconductor processing equipment or process chambers will, on the one hand, reduce the processing efficiency of semiconductor devices, and on the other hand, it is easy to introduce external contamination during the wafer transmission process, thereby affecting the yield and performance of semiconductor devices.

[0042] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects existing in the prior art, the utility model first provides an exhaust ring and a semiconductor processing equipment, which can extract the process exhaust gas in the reaction area through the exhaust gap between the upper exhaust ring and the lower exhaust ring, thereby eliminating the influence of the spacing structure between the exhaust holes on the exhaust uniformity, so as to improve the thickness uniformity of the thin film at the edge of the wafer.

[0043] In some non-limiting embodiments, the pumping ring provided by the first aspect of the utility model can be configured to be implemented in the semiconductor processing equipment provided by the second aspect of the utility model.

[0044] Please refer to Figure 2 . Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of semiconductor processing equipment provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0045] exist Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the semiconductor processing equipment provided by the second aspect of the present invention includes a process chamber 10 and an exhaust module (not shown). The process chamber 10 is provided with a wafer tray 11 and the exhaust ring 12 provided by the first aspect of the present invention. Here, the wafer tray 11 is used to carry the wafer to be processed. The exhaust ring 12 is arranged around the wafer tray 11 and includes an upper ring 121 and a lower ring 122. An exhaust gap 124 is maintained between the upper ring 121 and the lower ring 122, and the exhaust gap 124 is connected to the external exhaust module via at least one exhaust port provided on the outer wall of the process chamber 10 and at least one corresponding exhaust pipeline 21, so that the exhaust module can extract the process exhaust gas inside the process chamber 10 via the at least one exhaust pipeline 21 and the at least one exhaust port.

[0046] Please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 . Figure 3 A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of an air pumping ring provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown. Figure 4A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an air pumping ring provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0047] like Figure 3 As shown, the above-mentioned vacuum ring 12 provided in the first aspect of the utility model includes an upper ring 121, a lower ring 122 and an edge ring 123. The upper ring 121 is arranged inside the process chamber 10 of the semiconductor processing equipment, and is arranged around the wafer tray 11. The lower ring 122 is arranged below the upper ring 121, and maintains an exhaust gap 124 with the upper ring 121. The side of the edge ring 123 facing the wafer tray 11 has an annular groove. The upper wall of the annular groove surrounds and is sealed to the outer edge of the upper ring 121, while the lower wall surrounds and is sealed to the outer edge of the lower ring 122. In addition, at least one exhaust port is provided at the bottom of the annular groove, and an external exhaust module (for example: a vacuum pump) is connected via the at least one exhaust port.

[0048] Further, in Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, multiple exhaust ports may be evenly distributed at multiple positions at the bottom of the annular groove. Correspondingly, the exhaust gap 124 between the upper ring 121 and the lower ring 122 may be an equidistant gap. In this way, the exhaust module can evenly extract process exhaust gas from the reaction area above the wafer tray 11 through the multiple evenly distributed exhaust ports and the equidistantly distributed exhaust gaps 124.

[0049] Optionally, in other embodiments, the at least one air extraction port may also be eccentrically disposed on the first side of the bottom of the annular groove (for example: Figure 2 At this time, the air extraction gap 124 between the upper ring 121 and the lower ring 122 may preferably be smaller at a first spacing close to the first side than at a second spacing away from the first side (for example: Figure 2 The second spacing (as shown on the right side) is provided, thereby utilizing the flow resistance difference corresponding to the first spacing and the second spacing to compensate for the flow resistance of the gas flowing from the second side to the first side, so that the exhaust module can evenly extract the process exhaust gas from the reaction area above the wafer tray 11 through the at least one eccentrically arranged exhaust port and the non-equidistantly arranged exhaust gap 124.

[0050] Please refer to further Figure 1 and Figure 5-6 ,as well as Figure 7-Figure 8 . Figure 5 A pressure distribution diagram of the surface of a wafer to be processed provided in accordance with a reference example of the present utility model is shown. Figure 6 The figure shows the thickness distribution diagram of the processed wafer provided in the reference example of the present invention. Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of semiconductor processing equipment provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown. Figure 8A schematic structural diagram of an air pumping ring provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0051] like Figure 1 and Figure 5-6 As shown, the existing vacuum ring has multiple vacuum holes of the same size evenly distributed along its circumference. Since the vacuum flow resistance on the first side of the vacuum port near the bottom of the vacuum ring is small, and the vacuum flow resistance on the second side away from the vacuum port is large, the air pressure distribution on the surface of the wafer to be processed is eccentric to the second side. Correspondingly, in the processed wafer, the second side away from the vacuum port will also obtain a larger film thickness due to the larger partial pressure of the reaction gas, while the first side close to the vacuum port will obtain a smaller film thickness due to the smaller partial pressure of the reaction gas, thereby causing the problem of inconsistent film thickness.

[0052] In contrast, Figure 7 and Figure 8 In the illustrated embodiment, a first spacing of the exhaust gap 124 on the first side close to the exhaust port may preferably be smaller than a second spacing on the second side away from the first side. The flow resistance difference between the first spacing and the second spacing is utilized to compensate for the flow resistance of the gas flowing from the second side to the first side, so that the exhaust module can evenly extract the process exhaust gas from the reaction area above the wafer tray 11 via the at least one eccentrically arranged exhaust port and the non-equidistantly arranged exhaust gap 124.

[0053] Furthermore, the first spacing and the second spacing may include not only Figure 8-Figure 9 The axial spacing along the up-down direction shown may also include radial spacing along the front-back, left-right directions.

[0054] Please refer to Figure 9-10 . Fig. 9 A schematic structural diagram of an air pumping ring provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown. Fig.10 A schematic structural diagram of an air pumping ring provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0055] exist Fig. 9 In the embodiment shown, the lower side of the upper ring 121 may be provided with a circle of first protrusions, and the upper side of the lower ring 122 may be provided with a circle of first recesses correspondingly. The first protrusions may cooperate with the first recesses to form two transverse gaps and one longitudinal gap. Here, the first width of the first protrusion on the first side may be greater than the second width thereof on the second side, so that the first transverse spacing d of the air extraction gap 124 on the first side is 1 Alternatively, the third width of the first recess on the first side may be smaller than the fourth width on the second side, so that the first lateral spacing d of the air extraction gap 124 on the first side is also smaller than the first lateral spacing d of the first recess on the second side. 1It may be smaller than its second lateral spacing on the second side.

[0056] Or, in Fig.10 In the embodiment shown, the lower side of the upper ring 121 may be provided with two circles of second recesses, and the upper side of the lower ring 122 may be provided with two circles of second protrusions correspondingly. The second recesses may cooperate with the second protrusions to form two sections of transverse gaps and two sections of longitudinal gaps. Here, the fifth width of the second recess on the first side may be smaller than the sixth width on the second side, so that the first transverse spacing d of the air extraction gap 124 on the first side is 2 Alternatively, the seventh width of the second protrusion on the first side may be greater than the eighth width on the second side, so that the first transverse spacing d of the air extraction gap 124 on the first side is also 2 smaller than its second lateral spacing on the second side.

[0057] Furthermore, the flow resistance difference between the first spacing of the exhaust gap and the second spacing of the exhaust gap can preferably be equal to the flow resistance of the path of the gas from the second side along the annular groove to the first side. In this way, the exhaust ring provided by the first aspect of the utility model can fully compensate for the asymmetry of the position of the exhaust port in the process chamber 10 by utilizing the flow resistance difference between the first spacing of the exhaust gap and the second spacing of the exhaust gap, so as to exhaust the reaction area above the wafer tray 11 uniformly in all directions, thereby avoiding uneven wafer thickness.

[0058] In addition, please refer to Figures 9 to 12 . Fig.11 A schematic structural diagram of an air pumping ring provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown. Fig.12 A schematic structural diagram of an air pumping ring provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0059] exist Figures 9 to 12 In the illustrated embodiment, at least one circle of the first radial bending structure may be provided on the lower side of the upper ring 121, and at least one circle of the second radial bending structure may be provided on the upper side of the lower ring 122. The at least one circle of the first radial bending structure and the at least one circle of the second radial bending structure match each other to form a radially bent exhaust gap 124 between the upper ring 121 and the lower ring 122. Here, the first radial bending structure and the second radial bending structure may be stepped, wavy or sawtooth in the radial direction to prevent the plasma in the reaction area from entering the interior of the exhaust ring 12 and generating byproduct contamination.

[0060] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 3The embodiments shown in which the upper ring 121 and the lower ring 122 are separated and maintain an exhaust gap 124 are only some non-limiting implementation methods provided by the utility model, which are intended to clearly demonstrate the main concept of the utility model and provide some specific solutions that are convenient for the public to implement, rather than to limit the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0061] Optionally, in Fig.13 In the illustrated embodiment, those skilled in the art may also configure the air pumping ring 12 to have strip holes that are not separated between the upper ring 121 and the lower ring 122 based on the above concept, so as to reduce the difficulty of processing the air pumping ring.

[0062] In addition, please refer to Figure 14 to Figure 17 . Fig.14 A schematic structural diagram of an air pumping ring adjustment mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown. Fig.15 A schematic structural diagram of an air pumping ring adjustment mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown. Fig.16 A schematic diagram of the connection between the support rod and the first ring body provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown. Fig.17 A schematic diagram of the mechanism of the support rod fixing hole provided according to some embodiments of the utility model is shown.

[0063] exist Fig.14 In the illustrated embodiment, the process chamber 10 may also preferably include an exhaust ring adjustment mechanism 13. The exhaust ring adjustment mechanism 13 includes a drive motor 131, a slide rail 132, a slider 133 and a support rod 134. Here, the drive motor 131 is used to provide a driving force. The slide rail 132 is disposed outside the process chamber 10 and extends longitudinally. The slider 133 is used to move longitudinally along the slide rail 132 under the drive of the drive motor 131. The first end of the support rod 134 is connected to the slider, and the second end thereof passes through the outer wall of the process chamber to connect to the first ring body (for example, the lower ring) of the exhaust ring inside the process chamber, driving the first ring body to move longitudinally to adjust the exhaust rate through the exhaust gap 124. In this way, during the processing of semiconductor devices, the utility model does not need to transfer the wafer out of the process chamber 10, and can adjust the width of the exhaust gap 124 online inside the process chamber 10 to adapt to the exhaust requirements of different semiconductor processing techniques, thereby improving the compatibility of the process chamber 10 with different processes and eliminating the need to transfer wafers between different process chambers for different processing techniques, thereby improving the processing efficiency of semiconductor devices and avoiding external contamination introduced by opening the cavity and transferring the wafer.

[0064] Specifically, in Fig.14In the illustrated embodiment, the first ring body may be a lower ring 122, and the second ring body may be an upper ring 121. Here, the upper ring 121 is fixedly connected or integrated to the top of the process chamber 10, the side ring 123 is fixedly connected or integrated to the side wall of the process chamber 10, and the lower ring 122 is detachably or movably mounted to the inner side of the lower wall of the annular groove. The exhaust ring adjustment mechanism 13 can drive the lower ring 122 to move longitudinally via its support rod 134, changing the distance between the lower ring 122 and the upper ring 121 to adjust the exhaust rate via the exhaust gap 124.

[0065] In addition, in some embodiments, the pumping ring adjustment mechanism 13 may preferably include a plurality of support rods 134. Here, each support rod 134 may be respectively connected to a different position of the lower ring 122, and the slider 133 is respectively connected to each support rod 134. In this way, the pumping ring adjustment mechanism 13 can drive multiple positions of the lower ring 122 to perform synchronous longitudinal displacement via each support rod 134.

[0066] Furthermore, corresponding to the above-mentioned embodiment of the non-equidistantly arranged air-extraction gaps 124, the first length of the first support rod located on the first side of the air-extraction gap 124 may be greater than the second length of the second support rod located on the second side away from the first side, so that the first spacing of the air-extraction gap 124 on the first side is smaller than the second spacing on the second side.

[0067] Optionally, in other embodiments, the first ring body may be an upper ring 121, and the second ring body may be a lower ring 122. Here, the lower ring 122 is fixedly connected or integrated to the edge of the wafer tray 11, and the upper ring 121 is detachably or movably mounted to the inner side of the upper wall of the annular groove. The exhaust ring adjustment mechanism 13 can drive the upper ring 121 to move longitudinally via its support rod 134, changing the distance between it and the lower ring 122, so as to achieve the same effect of adjusting the exhaust rate through the exhaust gap 124.

[0068] Correspondingly, in this embodiment, the first length of the first support rod located on the first side of the air-extraction gap 124 can be smaller than the second length of the second support rod located on the second side away from the first side, so as to also obtain a non-equidistant structure in which the first spacing of the air-extraction gap 124 on the first side is smaller than the second spacing on the second side.

[0069] Furthermore, if Figure 15 to Figure 17 As shown, the outer edge of the first ring body may be provided with a plurality of support rod fixing holes 135. The second end of each support rod 134 may be connected to the corresponding support rod fixing hole 135 via a screw 136 to drive the corresponding position of the first ring body to perform longitudinal displacement.

[0070] In addition, Fig.14In the illustrated embodiment, a bellows 137 may be provided between the slider 133 and the process chamber 10. Here, the bellows 137 surrounds and seals the outlet of the support rod hole 138 of the process chamber 10 for accommodating the support rod 134, and surrounds the first end of the support rod 134 extending out of the process chamber 10, so as to improve the sealing of the vacuum environment in the process chamber 10.

[0071] Further, in some embodiments, the process chamber 10 preferably includes a plurality of pumping ring adjustment mechanisms 13, wherein each pumping ring adjustment mechanism 13 may include a set of independent drive motors 131, slide rails 132, sliders 133 and support rods 134. Here, each slide rail 132 may be respectively arranged at different positions outside the process chamber 10, and all extend in the longitudinal direction. The first end of each support rod 134 may be respectively connected to the corresponding slider, and the second end thereof may respectively pass through the outer wall of the process chamber 10, respectively connect and drive a plurality of different positions of the first ring body to move longitudinally, so as to adjust the distribution of the pumping rate of the process exhaust gas extracted from the reaction area through the pumping gap 124.

[0072] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the process chamber 10 may also preferably include a memory and a controller. Here, the memory stores computer instructions. The controller is connected to the memory and is configured to execute the computer instructions stored in the memory to implement the processing method of the semiconductor device.

[0073] The following will describe the working principles of the semiconductor processing equipment and the pumping ring adjustment mechanism 13 in conjunction with some embodiments of the processing methods of semiconductor devices. Those skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments of the processing methods of these semiconductor devices are only some non-restrictive implementation methods provided by the utility model, which are intended to clearly demonstrate the main concept of the utility model and provide some specific solutions that are convenient for the public to implement, rather than to limit all functions or all working modes of the semiconductor processing equipment. Similarly, the semiconductor processing equipment and the pumping ring adjustment mechanism 13 are only a non-restrictive implementation method provided by the utility model, and do not constitute a limitation on the execution subject or execution order of each step in the processing methods of these semiconductor devices.

[0074] Please refer to Fig.18 , Fig.18 A schematic flow chart of a method for processing a semiconductor device according to some embodiments of the present utility model is shown.

[0075] like Fig.18 As shown, during the processing of semiconductor devices, the semiconductor processing equipment can first obtain target height data corresponding to the target pumping rate. Here, the target height data can be pre-calibrated through a calibration experiment of film thickness-pumping gap width-slider height.

[0076] Afterwards, the semiconductor processing equipment can control the operation of the driving motor 131 of the vacuum ring adjustment mechanism 13 in the process chamber 10 according to the target height data, and move the upper ring 121 and / or the lower ring 122 of the vacuum ring 12 longitudinally to the corresponding target height via the slider 133 and the support rod 134, so as to exhaust gas from the reaction area above the wafer tray 11 at the target exhaust rate through the exhaust gap 124 between the upper ring 121 and the lower ring 122.

[0077] Specifically, the process chamber 10 can be compatible with a variety of different processing techniques, wherein each processing technique can correspond to a different target exhaust rate. During the processing of semiconductor devices, the semiconductor processing equipment can first obtain the first target height data corresponding to the first target exhaust rate of the first processing technique, introduce at least one first reaction gas of the first processing technique into the process chamber 10, and adjust the upper ring 121 and / or the lower ring 122 to the corresponding first target height, so as to exhaust gas from the reaction area above the wafer tray 11 at the first target exhaust rate, thereby generating a first film of a corresponding first thickness on the wafer to be processed.

[0078] Afterwards, in response to the completion of the first process, the semiconductor processing equipment can obtain the second target height data corresponding to the second target exhaust rate of the second process, introduce at least one second reaction gas of the second process into the process chamber, and adjust the upper ring 121 and / or the lower ring 122 to the corresponding second target height to exhaust gas from the reaction area above the wafer tray 11 at the second target exhaust rate, thereby generating a second film of a corresponding second thickness on the first film. Afterwards, the semiconductor processing equipment can also switch the process by analogy until the deposition of multiple layers of films of different processes on the wafer is completed.

[0079] In this way, the semiconductor processing equipment provided by the utility model can adjust the spacing distribution of the exhaust gap 124 online by correspondingly moving the upper ring 121 and / or the lower ring 122 longitudinally according to the exhaust requirements of different semiconductor processing processes, so as to achieve the effect of in-situ switching of the processing process in the same process chamber 10, thereby improving the compatibility of the process chamber 10 with different processes.

[0080] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, at least one processing process in the process chamber 10 may involve a plurality of processing steps under different gas pressure conditions, wherein the processing steps include but are not limited to gas injection steps, precursor injection steps, deposition steps, gas extraction steps, stabilization steps, treatment steps, and purification steps.

[0081] Specifically, in each processing process, the semiconductor processing equipment can first obtain the third target height data corresponding to the third target pumping rate of the first processing step, and adjust the upper ring 121 and / or the lower ring 122 to the corresponding third target height to pump air from the reaction area above the wafer tray 11 according to the third target pumping rate, thereby adjusting the air pressure above the wafer tray 11 to the corresponding first air pressure.

[0082] Afterwards, in response to completing the processing of the first step, the semiconductor processing equipment can obtain fourth target height data corresponding to the fourth target pumping rate of the second processing step, and adjust the upper ring 121 and / or the lower ring 122 to the corresponding fourth target height to pump air from the reaction area above the wafer tray 11 at the fourth target pumping rate, thereby adjusting the air pressure above the wafer tray 11 to the corresponding second air pressure.

[0083] Afterwards, the semiconductor processing equipment can switch the processing steps in a similar manner until all steps of the corresponding processing technology are completed and a thin film with corresponding parameters and thickness is deposited.

[0084] In this way, the semiconductor processing equipment can adjust the spacing distribution of the exhaust gap 124 online by correspondingly moving the upper ring 121 and / or the lower ring 122 longitudinally according to the exhaust requirements of different processing steps of the same semiconductor processing process, so as to achieve the effect of dynamically adjusting the gas pressure in the same process chamber 10, thereby improving the compatibility of the process chamber 10 with various different process gas pressure requirements.

[0085] Furthermore, in some embodiments, in response to a change in the target height of the first ring body caused by process switching and / or step switching, the semiconductor processing equipment can preferably determine the longitudinal movement speed of the upper ring 121 and / or the lower ring 122 based on a preset air pressure change threshold, and accordingly move the upper ring 121 and / or the lower ring 122 longitudinally at a uniform speed from the original target height (e.g., the first target height, the third target height) to the switched target height (e.g., the second target height, the fourth target height) to avoid a sudden adjustment of the pumping rate causing the air pressure to change too quickly, thereby causing wafer slip problems.

[0086] Specifically, in each step of the processing technology, the gas injection step, the precursor injection step, the deposition step, the stabilization step, the treatment step and the purification step generally have a higher first gas pressure, while the first pumping step and the second pumping step usually have a lower second gas pressure.

[0087] In response to switching to a process such as switching to a gas injection step from a lower second gas pressure to a higher first gas pressure, the semiconductor processing equipment can first determine the longitudinal movement speed of the upper ring 121 and / or the lower ring 122 based on the difference between the first gas pressure and the second gas pressure, and the gas pressure change threshold, and accordingly uniformly lower the upper ring 121 from the original target height (e.g., the first target height, the third target height) to the switched target height (e.g., the second target height, the fourth target height), or uniformly raise the lower ring 122 from the original target height (e.g., the first target height, the third target height) to the switched target height (e.g., the second target height, the fourth target height), so as to uniformly reduce the width of the exhaust gap 124 and uniformly increase the gas pressure in the reaction area above the wafer tray 11 to the first gas pressure.

[0088] In addition, in response to switching to the first pumping step process or the second pumping step process, etc., to switch from a higher first air pressure to a lower second air pressure, the semiconductor processing equipment can first determine the longitudinal movement speed of the upper ring 121 and / or the lower ring 122 based on the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure, and the air pressure change threshold, and accordingly, uniformly raise the upper ring 121 from the original target height (e.g., the first target height, the third target height) to the switched target height (e.g., the second target height, the fourth target height), or uniformly lower the lower ring 122 from the original target height (e.g., the first target height, the third target height) to the switched target height (e.g., the second target height, the fourth target height), so as to uniformly increase the width of the pumping gap 124 and uniformly drop the air pressure above the wafer tray to the second air pressure.

[0089] For example, in the process of switching to the gas injection process, the step of injecting the carrier gas takes a total of 25 seconds, and the semiconductor processing equipment can control the upper ring 121 and / or the lower ring 122 to move longitudinally at a uniform speed via the drive motor 131 to uniformly reduce the width of the gas extraction gap 124 from 4 mm to less than 1 mm. Afterwards, in the process of switching to the first gas extraction process or the second gas extraction process, the step of extracting gas from the process chamber 10 takes a total of 5 seconds, and the semiconductor processing equipment can control the upper ring 121 and / or the lower ring 122 to move longitudinally at a uniform speed via the drive motor 131 to uniformly increase the width of the gas extraction gap 124 from less than 1 mm to 4 mm.

[0090] In addition, in some preferred embodiments, the semiconductor processing equipment can also pre-calibrate the target height data of the upper ring 121 and / or the lower ring 122 at multiple different positions along the circumferential distribution through a calibration experiment of film thickness distribution-exhaust gap width distribution-slider height distribution. Afterwards, during the processing of semiconductor devices, the semiconductor processing equipment can control the corresponding exhaust ring adjustment mechanism 13 according to each target height data, and move multiple positions of the upper ring and / or the lower ring longitudinally to the corresponding target heights, so as to adjust the exhaust rate distribution of the exhaust ring 12 in each direction. In this way, the semiconductor processing equipment can independently control the exhaust rate of the exhaust ring 12 at multiple positions along the circumferential direction through multiple exhaust ring adjustment mechanisms 13 to improve the uniformity of the film thickness, and even flexibly perform eccentric exhaust according to the personalized needs of a specific semiconductor processing process to deposit a personalized film with a specific thickness distribution.

[0091] In summary, the above-mentioned pumping ring and semiconductor processing equipment provided by some embodiments of the present invention can extract the process exhaust gas in the reaction area through the pumping gap 124 between the upper pumping ring 121 and the lower pumping ring 122, thereby eliminating the influence of the spacing structure between the pumping holes on the pumping uniformity, so as to improve the thickness uniformity of the film at the edge of the wafer. Furthermore, the above-mentioned pumping ring adjustment mechanism 13, process chamber 10, semiconductor processing equipment and semiconductor device processing method provided by some embodiments of the present invention can adjust the width of the pumping gap 124 online according to the different pumping requirements of different semiconductor processing processes and / or processing steps, so as to improve the compatibility of the process chamber 10 with different processes, thereby eliminating the need to transfer wafers between different process chambers for different processes, so as to improve the processing efficiency of semiconductor devices, and eliminate the need to open the cavity to replace the pumping ring to adapt to the pumping parameters of different processing processes, so as to avoid the introduction of external pollution.

[0092] Although the above methods are illustrated and described as a series of actions for simplicity of explanation, it should be understood and appreciated that these methods are not limited by the order of the actions, because according to one or more embodiments, some actions may occur in a different order and / or concurrently with other actions from those illustrated and described herein or not illustrated and described herein but understandable to those skilled in the art.

[0093] The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be granted the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A vacuum ring, characterized in that: include: An upper ring, which is located inside a process chamber of a semiconductor processing equipment and surrounds a wafer tray; A lower ring, disposed below the upper ring and maintaining an air extraction gap with the upper ring; and The side ring has an annular groove, wherein the annular groove surrounds the exhaust gap, the upper wall of the annular groove surrounds and seals the outer edge of the upper ring, the lower wall of the annular groove surrounds and seals the outer edge of the lower ring, and at least one exhaust port is provided on the annular groove, and the external exhaust module is connected via the at least one exhaust port.

2. The air pumping ring according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of the air extraction ports are evenly distributed at multiple positions of the annular groove, and the air extraction gaps are equidistant gaps.

3. The air pumping ring according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one of the air extraction ports is disposed on a first side of the annular groove, and a first spacing of the air extraction gaps on the first side is smaller than a second spacing of the air extraction gaps on a second side away from the first side.

4. The air pumping ring according to claim 3, characterized in that: The lower side of the upper ring is provided with at least one circle of first protrusions, and the upper side of the lower ring is provided with at least one circle of first recesses, and the first protrusions cooperate with the first recesses to form at least one section of transverse gap and at least one section of longitudinal gap, wherein the first width of the first protrusion on the first side is greater than the second width thereof on the second side, or the third width of the first recess on the first side is less than the fourth width thereof on the second side, so that the first transverse spacing of the air extraction gap on the first side is less than the second transverse spacing thereof on the second side, or At least one second recess is provided on the lower side of the upper ring, and at least one second protrusion is provided on the upper side of the lower ring, and the second recess cooperates with the second protrusion to form at least one transverse gap and at least one longitudinal gap, wherein the fifth width of the second recess on the first side is smaller than its sixth width on the second side, or the seventh width of the second protrusion on the first side is larger than its eighth width on the second side, so that the first transverse spacing of the exhaust gap on the first side is smaller than its second transverse spacing on the second side.

5. The air pumping ring according to claim 3, characterized in that: The flow resistance difference between the air extraction gap of the first spacing and the air extraction gap of the second spacing is equal to the flow resistance of the path of the airflow from the second side along the annular groove to the first side.

6. The air pumping ring according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper ring is fixedly connected or integrated to the top of the process chamber, the side ring is fixedly connected or integrated to the side wall of the process chamber, and the lower ring is detachably or movably installed to the inner side of the lower wall of the annular groove to adjust the spacing distribution of the exhaust gap to adapt to the actual exhaust demand of the process chamber.

7. The air pumping ring according to claim 6, characterized in that: Also includes: At least one pumping ring adjustment mechanism is connected to at least one position of the lower ring, and is used to drive the corresponding position of the lower ring to perform longitudinal displacement according to the actual pumping demand of the process chamber, so as to adjust the spacing distribution of the pumping gap online.

8. The air pumping ring according to claim 7, characterized in that: The pumping ring adjustment mechanism comprises: A driving motor, used to provide driving force; A slide rail is arranged outside the process chamber and extends in the longitudinal direction; A slider, used for moving longitudinally along the slide rail under the drive of the drive motor; and A support rod, a first end of which is connected to the sliding block, and a second end of which passes through the outer wall of the process chamber and is connected to the corresponding position of the lower ring to drive it to move longitudinally.

9. The air pumping ring according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one circle of first radial bending structure is provided on the lower side of the upper ring, and at least one circle of second radial bending structure is provided on the upper side of the lower ring. The at least one circle of first radial bending structure and the at least one circle of second radial bending structure match each other to form a radially bent air-extraction gap between the upper ring and the lower ring, wherein the first radial bending structure and the second radial bending structure are stepped, wavy or serrated in the radial direction.

10. A semiconductor processing equipment, characterized in that: include: A process chamber, wherein a wafer tray is provided, and an exhaust ring as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the exhaust ring surrounds the wafer tray; as well as The exhaust module is connected to at least one exhaust port of the annular groove of the exhaust ring via at least one exhaust pipeline, so as to exhaust gas from the interior of the process chamber via the at least one exhaust port.

Images