Semiconductor processing equipment
The reactor tube is cleaned by the ionization gas supply module, which solves the equipment problem caused by the fall of the amorphous silicon thin film of the reactor tube, realizes efficient cleaning and low-cost cleaning process, and improves the equipment production capacity.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202421820892.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-07-30
- Publication Date
- 2025-07-11
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-07-30
AI Technical Summary
When the thickness of the amorphous silicon film in the cavity wall of the reactor tube increases, the existing semiconductor processing equipment is prone to fall off and cracks, affecting the service life and production capacity. The existing cleaning methods require frequent shutdowns, consume a large amount of pure water and generate waste liquid, which is low in cleaning efficiency and high cost.
The ionization gas supply module is used to generate reacted fluorine radicals by decomposing the ionizer, and the reacted fluorine radicals react with the amorphous silicon thin film to corrosion and clean, avoid disassembling the reactor tubes, and use fluoride gases such as NF3 and CF4 to achieve simultaneous cleaning of multiple reactor tubes.
It improves cleaning efficiency, avoids frequent equipment shutdowns, reduces cleaning costs, reduces the use of pure water and waste liquid, and improves equipment production capacity.
Smart Images
Figure CN223087904U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductor processing, in particular to semiconductor processing equipment. Background Art
[0002] Low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) applied to the photovoltaic industry is a technology in which a certain amount of mixed reaction gas is introduced into the chamber of a reaction furnace tube under low-pressure and high-temperature process conditions, and a thin film grows and deposits on the surface of a silicon wafer. During the reaction process of the LPCVD equipment, a layer of amorphous silicon thin film will also be deposited on the inner cavity wall of the reaction furnace tube. As the reaction time increases, the amorphous silicon thin film will continue to thicken. When the thickness of the amorphous silicon thin film reaches a certain thickness, due to the difference in the expansion coefficient between the amorphous silicon thin film and the reaction furnace tube made of quartz, when the equipment undergoes process cooling or sudden power failure, etc., there will be a situation where the amorphous silicon thin film on the inner cavity wall of the reaction furnace tube falls off and the reaction furnace tube cracks, reducing the service life of the reaction furnace tube. At the same time, it seriously affects the process quality of the equipment and reduces the production capacity of the equipment. At present, the general solution in the industry is to extract the reaction furnace tube from the inside of the reaction chamber after it has been operating for a period of time, and use the method of wet etching with acid solution for pre-cleaning. At the same time, a large amount of pure water is used to wash the residual acid solution on the surface and then dried. This method requires frequent shutdowns and disassembly and assembly of the reaction furnace tube, affecting the equipment production capacity; moreover, a large amount of pure water is consumed during the cleaning process, and the waste liquid generated after cleaning also needs to be treated separately, resulting in a high cleaning cost. At the same time, the existing wet etching cleaning with acid solution generally only cleans a single reaction furnace tube, with a low cleaning efficiency. For the cleaning requirements of multiple reaction furnace tubes, multiple disassembly and assembly of the cleaning equipment are required.
[0003] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a semiconductor processing equipment to solve the above problems. Summary of the Utility Model
[0004] The purpose of the utility model is to provide semiconductor processing equipment, which is used to solve the problems caused by the existing reaction furnace tube being disassembled and cleaned by wet etching, such as frequent shutdowns of the equipment, affecting production capacity, only being able to clean a single reaction furnace with low efficiency, and consuming a large amount of pure water and generating cleaning waste liquid during the cleaning process, resulting in a high cleaning cost.
[0005] To achieve this purpose, the utility model adopts the following technical solutions:
[0006] A semiconductor processing apparatus is provided, which includes a plurality of reaction furnace tubes arranged in parallel and an ionization gas supply assembly. The ionization gas supply assembly includes a decomposition ionizer. The ionization gas supply assembly has an inlet communicating with the decomposition ionizer and a plurality of outlets. The inlet communicates with an external gas supply device, and the external gas supply device is used to provide a cleaning gas. The decomposition ionizer can ionize and decompose the cleaning gas to generate reactive fluorine radicals. The plurality of outlets respectively communicate with the plurality of reaction furnace tubes, and the reactive fluorine radicals can enter the reaction furnace tubes through the outlets to clean the inner cavity walls of the reaction furnace tubes.
[0007] In one embodiment, the plurality of outlets can be selectively communicated with the inlet respectively.
[0008] In one embodiment, the ionization gas supply assembly further includes a main gas supply pipeline and a plurality of gas supply branch pipelines. One end of the main gas supply pipeline communicates with the discharge port of the decomposition ionizer, and the other end is connected in parallel with the plurality of gas supply branch pipelines. The other ends of the gas supply branch pipelines away from the main gas supply pipeline form the outlets and are connected to the reaction furnace tubes.
[0009] In one embodiment, the ionization gas supply assembly further includes a plurality of control valves. The plurality of control valves are correspondingly connected to the plurality of gas supply branch pipelines, and the control valves are used to control the opening and closing of the gas supply branch pipelines.
[0010] In one embodiment, the inner parts of the main gas supply pipeline and / or the gas supply branch pipelines and / or the control valves are coated with an anti-corrosion coating.
[0011] In one embodiment, the semiconductor processing apparatus further includes a gas supply sealing assembly. The gas supply sealing assembly is connected between the decomposition ionizer and the external gas supply device. The gas supply sealing assembly includes a flange jacket and an inlet pipe provided with a connecting flange. The first end of the inlet pipe communicates with the external gas supply device, the connecting flange is arranged at the second end of the inlet pipe, and the flange jacket is sleeved on the connecting flange and is detachably connected to the decomposition ionizer.
[0012] In one embodiment, the cleaning gas is a single gas, and the cleaning gas is any one of NF3, CF4, SF6, CHF3 and C2F6.
[0013] In one embodiment, the reaction furnace tube includes a tube body having a reaction cavity and a furnace door. The furnace door is connected to the tube body to close the reaction cavity, and the furnace door is provided with a communication port which communicates with the outlet.
[0014] In one embodiment, the semiconductor processing equipment further includes a mounting frame, which is arranged on one side of the furnace door and is used to support the decomposition ionizer.
[0015] In one embodiment, a plurality of the reaction furnace tubes are arranged in a stacked manner from bottom to top, the mounting frame extends along the stacking direction of the plurality of reaction furnace tubes, the ionization gas supply assembly further includes a plurality of gas supply branch pipelines, one ends of the plurality of gas supply branch pipelines can communicate with the discharge port of the decomposition ionizer, and the other ends form the gas outlet, and the plurality of gas supply branch pipelines are connected to the mounting frame and respectively extend along the mounting frame to connect to the corresponding reaction furnace tubes.
[0016] Advantages of the present utility model:
[0017] The semiconductor processing equipment provided by the present utility model includes a plurality of reaction furnace tubes arranged in parallel and an ionization gas supply assembly. The ionization gas supply assembly includes a decomposition ionizer. The ionization gas supply assembly has an air inlet communicating with the decomposition ionizer and a plurality of air outlets. The air inlet communicates with an external gas supply device, and the external gas supply device is used to provide a cleaning gas, and the cleaning gas is a fluoride gas such as NF3 or CF4. The cleaning gas provided by the external gas supply device enters the decomposition ionizer, and the decomposition ionizer can ionize and decompose the cleaning gas formed by the fluoride gas to generate reactive fluorine radicals. The plurality of air outlets respectively communicate with the plurality of reaction furnace tubes. The reactive fluorine radicals can enter the reaction furnace tubes through the air outlets, and the reactive fluorine radicals can chemically react with the amorphous silicon thin film, thereby corroding the amorphous silicon thin film to achieve a cleaning effect. There is no need to remove the reaction furnace tubes, avoiding frequent shutdowns of the semiconductor processing equipment and affecting production capacity, and the cleaning efficiency is relatively high. The cleaning process does not require the consumption of pure water and does not generate waste liquid. The waste gas generated during cleaning can be discharged through the existing exhaust pipeline of the reaction furnace tube, reducing the cleaning cost. The plurality of air outlets respectively communicate with the plurality of reaction furnace tubes. Through a set of ionization gas supply assembly, a plurality of reaction furnace tubes can be cleaned, and there is no need to disassemble and assemble the decomposition ionizer multiple times, improving the cleaning efficiency. Description of the Drawings
[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the ionization gas supply assembly provided by an embodiment of the present utility model;
[0019] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the decomposition ionizer connected to the gas supply sealing assembly provided by an embodiment of the present utility model;
[0020] Figure 3 is a partial structural schematic diagram of the semiconductor processing equipment provided by an embodiment of the present utility model.
[0021] In the figure:
[0022] 1. Ionization gas supply component; 11. Decomposition ionizer; 12. Air inlet; 13. Air outlet; 14. Main gas supply pipeline; 15. Branch gas supply pipeline; 16. Control valve;
[0023] 2. Gas supply sealing component; 21. Flange jacket; 22. Gas inlet pipe; 221. Connecting flange; 222. Connecting bolt;
[0024] 100. Reaction furnace tube; 101. Tube body; 1010. Reaction chamber; 102. Furnace door; 200. Installation rack; 201. Support plate. Detailed implementation mode
[0025] The present utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It can be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present utility model, rather than limiting the present utility model. In addition, it should be noted that for the convenience of description, only parts related to the present utility model are shown in the drawings, rather than all structures.
[0026] In the description of the present utility model, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the terms "connected", "connected", and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or integrated; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present utility model can be understood according to specific situations.
[0027] In the present utility model, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the first feature being "above" or "below" the second feature may include the direct contact between the first and second features, or may include the situation where the first and second features are not in direct contact but in contact through other features between them. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "above", and "on" the second feature includes the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicating that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature being "below", "below", and "under" the second feature includes the first feature being directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or merely indicating that the horizontal height of the first feature is lower than that of the second feature.
[0028] In the description of this embodiment, the orientation or positional relationship terms such as "above", "below", "left", and "right" are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of description and simplifying the operation, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation to the present utility model. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for distinction in description and have no special meaning.
[0029] As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, this embodiment provides a semiconductor processing device for cleaning a reaction furnace tube 100. After a long-term low-pressure chemical vapor deposition reaction, an amorphous silicon film is formed by deposition on the inner cavity wall of the reaction furnace tube 100. The semiconductor processing device includes a plurality of reaction furnace tubes 100 arranged in parallel and an ionization gas supply component 1. The plurality of reaction furnace tubes 100 can improve production capacity. The ionization gas supply component 1 includes a decomposition ionizer 11. The ionization gas supply component 1 has an air inlet 12 communicating with the decomposition ionizer 11 and a plurality of air outlets 13. The air inlet 12 communicates with an external gas supply device for providing a cleaning gas, and the cleaning gas is a fluoride gas such as NF3, CF4, etc. The cleaning gas provided by the external gas supply device enters the decomposition ionizer 11. The decomposition ionizer 11 can ionize and decompose the cleaning gas formed by the fluoride gas to generate reactive fluorine radicals. The plurality of air outlets 13 respectively communicate with the plurality of reaction furnace tubes 100. The reactive fluorine radicals can enter the reaction furnace tube 100 through the air outlet 13. The reactive fluorine radicals can react chemically with the amorphous silicon film, thereby corroding the amorphous silicon film to achieve a cleaning effect. There is no need to remove the reaction furnace tube 100, avoiding frequent shutdowns of the semiconductor processing device and affecting production capacity, and the cleaning efficiency is relatively high. The cleaning process does not require the consumption of pure water and does not generate waste liquid. The waste gas generated during cleaning can be discharged through the existing exhaust pipeline of the reaction furnace tube 100, reducing the cleaning cost. Moreover, the plurality of air outlets 13 respectively communicate with the plurality of reaction furnace tubes 100. Through a set of ionization gas supply components 1, a plurality of reaction furnace tubes 100 can be cleaned, and there is no need to disassemble and assemble the decomposition ionizer 11 multiple times, improving the cleaning efficiency.
[0030] The specific structure and ionization and decomposition principle of the decomposition ionizer 11 can be set with reference to the prior art, and will not be elaborated in this embodiment.
[0031] Specifically, the cleaning gas is a single gas, and the cleaning gas is any one of NF3, CF4, SF6, CHF3, and C2F6. The above fluoride gases can all generate reactive fluorine radicals through ionization and decomposition.
[0032] In one embodiment, the plurality of air outlets 13 can be selectively communicated respectively. The respective cleaning operations of the plurality of reaction furnace tubes 100 are independent. The plurality of reaction furnace tubes 100 can be cleaned simultaneously or non-simultaneously without affecting each other, meeting the cleaning requirements under different working conditions.
[0033] To meet the convenience of gas supply to multiple reaction furnace tubes 100, the ionization gas supply assembly 1 further includes a main gas supply pipeline 14 and multiple gas supply branch pipelines 15. One end of the main gas supply pipeline 14 is connected to the discharge port of the decomposition ionization device 11, and the other end is connected in parallel with multiple gas supply branch pipelines 15. The other ends of the gas supply branch pipelines 15 away from the main gas supply pipeline 14 form gas outlet ports 13 and are connected to the reaction furnace tubes 100. For Figure 3 illustration, six reaction furnace tubes 100 are arranged in sequence along the height direction to form a six-layer structure, and the semiconductor processing equipment can be provided with two groups of ionization gas supply assemblies 1; each group of ionization gas supply assemblies 1 has one main gas supply pipeline 14 and three gas supply branch pipelines 15, and the three gas supply branch pipelines 15 are respectively connected to three layers of reaction furnace tubes 100 in a corresponding manner, and the three gas supply branch pipelines 15 can be selectively connected respectively. In other embodiments, the specific number of the gas supply branch pipelines 15 can be designed and selected according to the cleaning requirements, such as according to the volume of the reaction furnace tubes 100, the ionization ability of the decomposition ionization device 11, etc., and is not limited to the attached drawings of this embodiment.
[0034] To achieve the selective on-off of the gas supply branch pipelines 15, the ionization gas supply assembly 1 further includes multiple control valves 16, and the multiple control valves 16 are connected to the multiple gas supply branch pipelines 15 in a corresponding manner. The control valves 16 are used to control the opening and closing of the gas supply branch pipelines 15. The control valves 16 preferably adopt pneumatic control valves, which have the advantages of fast response and high control accuracy, and are suitable for the working conditions of semiconductor processing equipment.
[0035] Since the reactive fluorine radicals generated by the decomposition ionization of fluoride gas by the decomposition ionization device 11 are highly active, in one embodiment, at least one of the inner walls of the main gas supply pipeline 14, the gas supply branch pipelines 15, and the control valves 16 is coated with an anti-corrosion coating. The anti-corrosion coating is formed by covering the inner wall with a corrosion-resistant coating, and the inner wall includes but is not limited to the inner pipe walls of the main gas supply pipeline 14 and the gas supply branch pipelines 15, the inner walls of the control valves 16 through which the gas flows, etc.
[0036] To improve the sealing performance at the gas inlet 12 of the ionization gas supply assembly 1, the semiconductor processing equipment further includes a gas supply sealing assembly 2, as Figure 2 shown, the gas supply sealing assembly 2 is connected between the decomposition ionization device 11 and an external gas supply device to ensure the stable connection between the external gas supply device and the decomposition ionization device 11. The gas supply sealing assembly 2 includes a flange jacket 21 and an inlet pipe 22 provided with a connecting flange 221. The first end of the inlet pipe 22 is connected to the external gas supply device, the connecting flange 221 is provided at the second end of the inlet pipe 22, the flange jacket 21 is sleeved on the connecting flange 221, and is detachably connected to the decomposition ionization device 11. The connecting flange 221 of the inlet pipe 22 is clamped between the flange jacket 21 and the decomposition ionization device 11, and the detachable connection between the flange jacket 21 and the decomposition ionization device 11 is realized through connecting bolts 222, thereby forming a stable connection between the inlet pipe 22 and the decomposition ionization device 11.
[0037] In one embodiment, the reaction furnace tube 100 includes a tube body 101 having a reaction cavity 1010 and a furnace door 102. The furnace door 102 is connected to the tube body 101 to enclose the reaction cavity 1010. The furnace door 102 is provided with a communication port (not shown in the figure), and the communication port communicates with the air outlet 13. The reaction fluorine radicals generated by the decomposition and ionization of the decomposer-ionizer 11 enter the tube body 101 through the communication port of the furnace door 102, avoiding the influence of the opening of the tube body 101 on the overall structure.
[0038] To implement the installation of the ionization gas supply assembly 1, the semiconductor processing equipment further includes an installation rack 200. The installation rack 200 is disposed on one side of the furnace door 102. The installation rack 200 has a support plate 201, and the support plate 201 is used to support the decomposer-ionizer 11.
[0039] In one embodiment, a plurality of reaction furnace tubes 100 are arranged in a stacked manner from bottom to top. The installation rack 200 extends along the stacking direction of the plurality of reaction furnace tubes 100. A plurality of gas supply branch pipes 15 are connected to the installation rack 200 and respectively extend along the installation rack 200 to connect to the corresponding reaction furnace tubes 100. When multiple sets of ionization gas supply assemblies 1 are provided, the installation rack 200 has a plurality of support plates 201 spaced apart in the height direction to respectively support the plurality of decomposer-ionizers 11. The installation rack 200 can use the existing frame of the semiconductor processing equipment for supporting the reaction furnace tubes 100 as the installation rack 200, simplifying the structure and saving the equipment space.
[0040] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly explaining the present invention, rather than limiting the embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, various obvious changes, re-adjustments and substitutions can be made without departing from the protection scope of the present invention. It is not necessary and impossible to enumerate all the embodiments here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.
Claims
1. A semiconductor processing apparatus, characterized in that, It includes a plurality of reaction furnace tubes (100) arranged in parallel and an ionization gas supply assembly (1). The ionization gas supply assembly (1) includes a decomposition ionizer (11). The ionization gas supply assembly (1) has an air inlet (12) communicating with the decomposition ionizer (11) and a plurality of air outlets (13). The air inlet (12) communicates with an external gas supply device, and the external gas supply device is used to provide a cleaning gas. The decomposition ionizer (11) can ionize and decompose the cleaning gas to generate reactive fluorine radicals. The plurality of air outlets (13) respectively communicate with the plurality of reaction furnace tubes (100), and the reactive fluorine radicals can enter the reaction furnace tubes (100) through the air outlets (13) to clean the inner cavity walls of the reaction furnace tubes (100).
2. The semiconductor processing equipment according to claim 1, wherein The plurality of air outlets (13) can be selectively communicated with the air inlet (12) respectively.
3. The semiconductor processing equipment according to claim 2, wherein The ionization gas supply assembly (1) further includes a main gas supply pipeline (14) and a plurality of branch gas supply pipelines (15). One end of the main gas supply pipeline (14) communicates with the discharge port of the decomposition ionizer (11), and the other end is connected in parallel with the plurality of branch gas supply pipelines (15). The other ends of the branch gas supply pipelines (15) away from the main gas supply pipeline (14) form the air outlets (13) and are connected to the reaction furnace tubes (100).
4. The semiconductor processing equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The ionization gas supply assembly (1) further includes a plurality of control valves (16). The plurality of control valves (16) are correspondingly connected to the plurality of branch gas supply pipelines (15), and the control valves (16) are used to control the opening and closing of the branch gas supply pipelines (15).
5. The semiconductor processing equipment according to claim 4, wherein The inner parts of the main gas supply pipeline (14) and / or the branch gas supply pipelines (15) and / or the control valves (16) are coated with an anti-corrosion coating.
6. The semiconductor processing equipment according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The semiconductor processing equipment further includes a gas supply sealing assembly (2). The gas supply sealing assembly (2) is connected between the decomposition ionizer (11) and the external gas supply device. The gas supply sealing assembly (2) includes a flange jacket (21) and an inlet pipe (22) provided with a connecting flange (221). The first end of the inlet pipe (22) communicates with the external gas supply device, the connecting flange (221) is arranged at the second end of the inlet pipe (22), the flange jacket (21) is sleeved on the connecting flange (221), and is detachably connected to the decomposition ionizer (11).
7. The semiconductor processing equipment according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The cleaning gas is a single gas, and the cleaning gas is any one of NF3, CF4, SF6, CHF3, and C2F6.
8. The semiconductor processing equipment according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The reaction furnace tube (100) includes a tube body (101) having a reaction cavity (1010) and a furnace door (102). The furnace door (102) is connected to the tube body (101) to close the reaction cavity (1010). The furnace door (102) is provided with a communication port, and the communication port communicates with the air outlet (13).
9. The semiconductor processing equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, The semiconductor processing equipment further includes a mounting frame (200). The mounting frame (200) is arranged on one side of the furnace door (102), and the mounting frame (200) is used to support the decomposition ionizer (11).
10. The semiconductor processing equipment according to claim 9, wherein A plurality of the reaction furnace tubes (100) are arranged in a stacked manner from bottom to top, the installation rack (200) extends along the stacking direction of the plurality of reaction furnace tubes (100), the ionization gas supply assembly (1) further includes a plurality of gas supply branch pipelines (15), one ends of the plurality of gas supply branch pipelines (15) can be communicated with the discharge port of the decomposition ionizer (11), and the other ends form the gas outlet (13), and the plurality of gas supply branch pipelines (15) are connected to the installation rack (200) and respectively extend along the installation rack (200) to be connected to the corresponding reaction furnace tubes (100).