Process boat and semiconductor heat treatment equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides a process boat and semiconductor heat treatment equipment. Wherein the process boat comprises a boat body; the boat body is internally provided with a plurality of layers of bearing positions which are distributed along the axial direction and are used for bearing wafers; each layer of bearing position comprises at least three supporting structures; each supporting structure comprises a supporting piece and a supporting bulge protruding from the upper surface of the supporting piece, and the supporting bulge is used for supporting a wafer; the top face of the supporting protrusion is a plane extending in the horizontal direction or a curved face protruding upwards. Or each supporting structure comprises a supporting piece; concave parts are formed in the upper surfaces of the supporting pieces; the upper surface of the supporting piece is used for supporting a wafer; the upper surface of the supporting piece is a plane extending in the horizontal direction or a curved surface protruding upwards. According to the process boat provided by the utility model, the area of the supporting surface of the supporting structure for supporting the wafer can be reduced, so that the possibility of adhesion between the wafer and the supporting structure is effectively reduced, and the risks of edge warping and middle collapse of the wafer can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of semiconductor heat treatment, and particularly relates to a process boat and a semiconductor heat treatment device. Background Art

[0002] At present, semiconductor heat treatment processes are usually carried out in vertical furnace equipment. Among them, the process boat is a device for carrying wafers. It is used to carry multiple wafers for processes and then carry multiple wafers out of the reaction chamber together after the processes are completed. There are usually multiple carrier structures in the process boat; specifically, when the process boat is used for the first time, the surface of the carrier structure is flat and smooth, so it can be in full contact with the wafer, and process gas cannot enter the gap between the wafer and the surface of the carrier structure; however, after the process boat is used for a period of time, the process boat needs to be cleaned, and after cleaning, the surface of the carrier structure will become rough and pitted. Then, when the process is carried out again, the process gas may enter the gap between the wafer and the surface of the carrier structure and form a film between the two, resulting in adhesion between the wafer and the process boat. However, after the wafer and the process boat are taken out of the furnace, the wafer will cool down from an extremely high reaction temperature to room temperature in a short time. If the wafer and the process boat are adhered, the wafer is very likely to break due to stress changes.

[0003] Currently, in order to solve the problem of wafer adhesion, a solution of repairing the surface coating of the carrier structure or a solution of replacing the process boat is usually adopted, but these solutions will seriously increase the equipment cost. Summary of the Utility Model

[0004] The utility model at least partially solves the problem that wafers in the existing process boat are prone to adhesion, and provides a process boat and a semiconductor process device, and can effectively reduce the equipment cost.

[0005] An embodiment of the utility model provides a process boat, which is applied to a semiconductor heat treatment device; it includes a boat body; there are multiple layers of carrier positions distributed axially inside the boat body for carrying wafers; each layer of the carrier position includes at least three support structures;

[0006] Each support structure includes a support member and a support protrusion protruding from the upper surface of the support member, and the support protrusion is used to support the wafer; the top surface of the support protrusion is a plane extending in the horizontal direction or a curved surface protruding upward;

[0007] Alternatively, each support structure includes a support member; a recessed portion is provided on the upper surface of the support member; the upper surface of the support member is used to support the wafer; the upper surface of the support member is a plane extending in the horizontal direction or a curved surface protruding upward.

[0008] Optionally, the supporting protrusion is frustum-shaped, and the area of the top surface of the supporting protrusion is smaller than that of the bottom surface.

[0009] Optionally, the supporting protrusion is hemispherical or semi-cylindrical, and the curved surface of the supporting protrusion faces the wafer, and the flat surface of the supporting protrusion is connected to the support.

[0010] Optionally, the support is in the shape of a flat plate.

[0011] Optionally, the recess is a through hole penetrating the support, or a blind hole provided on the support.

[0012] Optionally, the support structure is in a partial circular ring shape.

[0013] Optionally, the support and the supporting protrusion are integrally formed;

[0014] Alternatively, the support and the supporting protrusion are connected by welding or bonding.

[0015] Optionally, the boat body includes at least three support columns extending in the same direction, and all the support columns are circumferentially distributed along a specified circumference;

[0016] Each layer of the support structure is correspondingly arranged on the support column.

[0017] Optionally, the boat body further includes a top plate and a bottom plate, and the top plate and the bottom plate are respectively fixedly connected to the tops and bottoms of all the support columns;

[0018] The top plate and the bottom plate at least cover the specified circumference.

[0019] As another embodiment, the present invention further provides a semiconductor heat treatment apparatus, which includes: a process tube and the process boat as described above; the process boat is used to carry wafers into or out of the process tube.

[0020] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] The process boat provided by the embodiment of the present utility model has a plurality of support structures inside for supporting wafers. Moreover, each support structure includes a support member and a support protrusion protruding from the upper surface of the support member, and the support protrusion is used to support the wafer; alternatively, each support structure includes a support member having a recessed portion, and the upper surface of the support member is used to support the wafer; in this way, by providing a support protrusion or a recessed portion on the surface of the support member, the area of the support surface of the support structure for supporting the wafer can be reduced, thereby effectively reducing the possibility of adhesion between the wafer and the support structure, and further reducing the risk of wafer breakage. Moreover, when using the process boat proposed by the present utility model for the heat treatment process, there is no need to frequently repair the surface coating of the carrier structure or frequently replace the process boat. In other words, the equipment cost can be effectively reduced.

[0022] Moreover, the top surface of the support protrusion in the embodiment of the present utility model is a plane extending in the horizontal direction or a curved surface protruding upward, or the upper surface of the support member having a recessed portion is a plane extending in the horizontal direction or a curved surface protruding upward, that is, the support surface of the support structure is a horizontal plane or a curved surface protruding upward, so as to be able to provide an upward support force to the wafer, thereby being able to reduce the risk of edge warping and middle collapse of the wafer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the process boat provided by the present utility model;

[0024] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the support structure with a frustum-shaped support protrusion provided by the present utility model;

[0025] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the support structure with a recessed portion provided by the present utility model;

[0026] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a process boat in the related art;

[0027] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the support structure of the annular support member provided by the present utility model;

[0028] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the support structure with a semi-cylindrical support protrusion provided by the present utility model;

[0029] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the support structure with a hemispherical support protrusion provided by the present utility model;

[0030] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the support structure with a quadrangular prism-shaped support member provided by the present utility model;

[0031] Figure 9Schematic structural diagram of the semiconductor heat treatment equipment provided by the present utility model. Detailed implementation manners

[0032] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present utility model, the present utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation manners.

[0033] It can be understood that the specific embodiments and accompanying drawings described herein are only used to explain the present utility model, rather than limiting the present utility model.

[0034] It can be understood that, without conflict, the various embodiments of the present utility model and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0035] It can be understood that for the convenience of description, only the parts related to the embodiments of the present utility model are shown in the accompanying drawings of the present utility model, and the parts unrelated to the embodiments of the present utility model are not shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0036] It can be understood that, without conflict, the functions and steps marked in the flowcharts and block diagrams of the embodiments of the present utility model may occur in a sequence different from that marked in the accompanying drawings.

[0037] It can be understood that the above implementation manners are only exemplary implementation manners adopted to illustrate the principle of the present utility model, and the present utility model is not limited thereto. For those of ordinary skill in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present utility model, and these modifications and improvements are also regarded as the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0038] This embodiment provides a process boat, which can be applied to semiconductor heat treatment equipment, such as vertical furnace equipment. As Figure 1 shown, the process boat includes a boat body, and the boat body has multiple layers of bearing positions distributed along the axial direction for bearing wafers. Each layer of bearing position includes at least three support structures 1 to support the wafer at least at three points, so as to ensure the stability of the wafer support.

[0039] Furthermore, as Figure 2As shown, each support structure 1 includes a support member 11 and a support protrusion 12 protruding from the upper surface of the support member 11. The support protrusion 12 is used to support the wafer. The top surface of the support protrusion 12 is a plane extending in the horizontal direction or a curved surface protruding upward. In this way, by providing the support protrusion 12 on the support member 11, the area of the support surface of the support structure 1 for supporting the wafer can be reduced. After the process gas enters the gap between the wafer and the support surface and forms a film, the adhesion force of the film layer to both is proportional to the area of the film layer, and the area of the film layer formed by the process gas is proportional to the area of the above-mentioned support surface. Therefore, by reducing the area of the support surface, the adhesion force between the wafer and the support structure 1 can be effectively reduced, thereby reducing the possibility of adhesion between the wafer and the support structure 1.

[0040] Alternatively, in some other embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, each support structure 1 includes a support member 11; a recess 13 is provided on the upper surface of the support member 11 to reduce the area of the upper surface of the support member 11. The upper surface of the support member 11 is used to support the wafer, and the upper surface of the support member 11 is a plane extending in the horizontal direction or a curved surface protruding upward. In this way, by providing the recess 13 in the support member 11, the area of the support surface of the support structure 1 for supporting the wafer can be reduced. Similarly to the above, by reducing the area of the support surface, the adhesion force between the wafer and the support structure 1 can be effectively reduced, thereby reducing the possibility of adhesion between the wafer and the support structure 1, and further reducing the risk of the wafer being broken.

[0041] Moreover, the above two embodiments respectively propose that the top surface of the support protrusion 12 is a plane extending in the horizontal direction or a curved surface protruding upward, and the upper surface of the support member 11 with a recess is a plane extending in the horizontal direction or a curved surface protruding upward. That is to say, the support surface of the support structure 1 is a horizontal plane or a curved surface protruding upward, so as to provide an upward support force to the wafer, thereby balancing the gravity of the wafer itself.

[0042] Figure 4 A wafer support structure in a related art is shown, the upper surface of which is an inclined plane and is in line contact with the wafer. However, as Figure 4As shown, since the upper surface of the wafer support structure 01 in the related art is a downward inclined surface in the direction from the edge of the boat to the center of the boat, the support force on the wafer is an upward oblique support force from the edge of the wafer to the center of the wafer. Furthermore, since the material stress of the wafer itself may change during the process, the wafer may warp at the edge and collapse in the middle under the action of multiple upward oblique support forces. If the wafer warps at the edge, the wafer may also be adhered to the surface of the wafer support structure 01. It can be seen that compared with the related technical solution of designing the support surface of the wafer support structure 01 as an inclined surface, the support surface of the support structure 1 proposed in this embodiment is designed as a horizontal surface or an upwardly convex curved surface, which can reduce the risk of edge warping and middle collapse of the wafer, thereby improving the process yield.

[0043] In some specific embodiments, Figure 2 As shown, the support protrusion 12 is in the shape of a prism, and the top surface area of the prism-shaped support protrusion 12 is smaller than the bottom surface area, so that the surface area of the support protrusion 12 facing the wafer is larger than the surface area facing the support member 11, so that the support surface area of the support protrusion 12 is at least smaller than the top surface area of the support member 11, thereby reducing the risk of adhesion between the support structure and the wafer.

[0044] As Figure 2 Taking the support protrusion shown as an example, the end face shape of the support protrusion 12 is, for example, a trapezoid, and the upper and lower surfaces of the support protrusion 12 are both planes, and have two inclined surfaces as two side surfaces. Furthermore, the angles between the two inclined side surfaces of the support protrusion 12 and the horizontal bottom surface are both about 10°. In this way, compared with the traditional flat support structure, the contact area between the support protrusion 12 and the wafer can be reduced by 80%, thereby effectively reducing the risk of wafer adhesion.

[0045] In some specific embodiments, Figure 6 As shown, the support protrusion 12 is semi-cylindrical. The curved surface of the semi-cylindrical support protrusion 12 is arranged toward the wafer, so that the cylindrical surface is used as a support surface, thereby forming a line contact with the bottom surface of the wafer, so that the contact area between the support protrusion 12 and the wafer can be ignored, thereby preventing the wafer from sticking as much as possible. Moreover, the plane of the support protrusion 12 is connected to the support member 11.

[0046] In some specific embodiments, Figure 7 As shown, the support protrusion 12 is hemispherical. The curved surface of the hemispherical support protrusion 12 is arranged toward the wafer, so that the spherical surface is used as a support surface, thereby forming a point contact with the bottom surface of the wafer, so that the contact area between the support protrusion 12 and the wafer can be ignored, thereby preventing the wafer from sticking as much as possible. Moreover, the plane of the support protrusion 12 is connected to the support member 11.

[0047] In some specific embodiments, the support member 11 is in the shape of a flat plate. Figure 3 and Figure 6 As shown, the upper surface of the support member 11 is, for example, trapezoidal or rectangular. However, this embodiment does not impose too many restrictions on the specific shape of the flat support member 11, as long as it can provide sufficient support force for the wafer.

[0048] On this basis, in some specific embodiments, the recessed portion 13 is a through hole that penetrates the flat support member 11, or is a blind hole that does not penetrate the support member 11. By adjusting the area ratio of the recessed portion 13 in the upper surface of the support member 11, the contact area between the support structure 1 and the wafer can be reduced by about 80% compared with the traditional flat support structure, thereby effectively reducing the risk of wafer adhesion.

[0049] Exemplarily, the recessed portion 13 is, for example, a triangular hole or a circular hole. Moreover, the number of the holes may be one or more.

[0050] Exemplarily, the extending direction of the through hole or the blind hole is, for example, perpendicular to the surface of the flat support member 11 .

[0051] Or, in some specific embodiments, Figure 5 As shown, the support structure 1 is in the shape of a partial ring, that is, the support member 11 is a plate in the shape of a partial circle, and correspondingly, the recessed portion 13 is a through hole with a partially circular opening. Specifically, the two ends of the aforementioned partially circular support structure 1 are used to connect with the support column 2 in the boat body. It should be noted that the aforementioned "partial circle" refers to a part of a circle cut by a certain chord. Figure 5 Taking the support member shown as an example, the support structure 1 is, for example, in the shape of a semicircular ring, and the recessed portion 13 therein is, for example, in the shape of a hemisphere.

[0052] Preferably, Figure 5 As shown, the surface of the support structure 1 is, for example, a torus. Specifically, the torus is a surface generated by a circle rotating around an axis coplanar with the circle. In layman's terms, the torus is a rotating curved surface shaped like a doughnut. In this way, when the annular surface of the support structure 1 supports the wafer, it can form a line contact with the bottom surface of the wafer, so that the contact area between the support structure 1 and the wafer can be ignored, thereby preventing the wafer from sticking as much as possible.

[0053] In some specific embodiments, Figure 8As shown, the support members 11 and the support protrusions 12 in the support structure 1 can be prisms with the same length and width respectively, and can form a support structure 1 in the shape of a regular quadrangular prism. In this way, the shapes and sizes of the four side surfaces of the support structure 1 are all the same, so that the four side surfaces of the support structure 1 can all be used as support surfaces, thereby reducing the difficulty of installing the support structure 1 on the support column 2 and improving the installation efficiency.

[0054] Preferably, as Figure 8 shown, the sides of the support structure 1 in the shape of a regular quadrangular prism are all rounded, so that the rounded part on the upper surface of the support structure 1 will not come into contact with the wafer, thereby further reducing the area of the support surface, and further reducing the possibility of adhesion between the wafer and the support structure 1, and further reducing the risk of wafer breakage.

[0055] In some specific embodiments, the support structure can also be cylindrical, and one end of the cylindrical support structure is used to connect with the support column in the boat body.

[0056] In some specific embodiments, the above-mentioned support member 11 and the above-mentioned support protrusion 12 can be integrally formed. Alternatively, the support member 11 and the support protrusion 12 are connected by welding or bonding. Therefore, a support protrusion 12 can be welded or bonded on the basis of the traditional flat support structure to transform the existing support structure 1 into the support structure 1 proposed in this embodiment, thereby further reducing the equipment cost.

[0057] Moreover, a hollow structure can also be processed on the basis of the traditional flat support structure to transform the existing support structure 1 into the support structure 1 proposed in this embodiment, thereby further reducing the equipment cost.

[0058] In some embodiments, as Figure 1 shown, the boat body includes at least three support columns 2 extending in the same direction, and all the support columns 2 are circumferentially distributed along a specified circumference. Each layer of the support structure 1 is correspondingly arranged on the support column 2. Specifically, the diameter of the specified circumference depends on the size of the wafer to be carried; for example, the diameter of the specified circumference can be slightly larger than the wafer diameter.

[0059] In some embodiments, as Figure 1 shown, the boat body further includes a top plate 3 and a bottom plate 4, and the top plate 3 and the bottom plate 4 are respectively fixedly connected to the tops and bottoms of all the support columns 2. The top plate 3 and the bottom plate 4 at least cover the above-mentioned specified circumference to stack multiple wafers between multiple support columns 2.

[0060] In some specific embodiments, the cross-section of the support column 2 is rectangular or approximately rectangular, and correspondingly, the support column 2 is integrally in the shape of a rectangular quadrangular prism.

[0061] However, the support column 2 is not limited to a rectangular prism shape, and can also be a columnar structure such as a cylinder.

[0062] In some specific embodiments, the top plate 3 and the bottom plate 4 are circular or oval.

[0063] As another technical solution, this embodiment also provides a semiconductor heat treatment device, as Figure 9 shown, which includes a process tube 5 and the process boat for carrying wafers described above. Among them, the furnace tube 5 is used to accommodate the process boat to perform a heat treatment process on the wafers.

[0064] Furthermore, as Figure 9 shown, the semiconductor heat treatment device further includes a heating furnace body 6; the heating furnace body 6 surrounds the outside of the process tube 5 and is used to provide heat for the heat treatment process.

[0065] The process tube 5 includes a process inner tube 51 and a process outer tube 52; the process outer tube 52 surrounds the outer circumference of the process inner tube 51, and the top opening of the process inner tube 51 is communicated with the process outer tube 52. The semiconductor heat treatment device further includes an air inlet and outlet structure 7 provided at the bottom, and the air inlet and outlet structure 7 is communicated with the process outer tube 52 and is used for air intake and exhaust to provide a process atmosphere for the heat treatment process.

[0066] It can be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments adopted to illustrate the principle of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For those of ordinary skill in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A process boat, applied to a semiconductor heat treatment equipment; characterized in that, It includes a boat body; inside the boat body, there are multiple layers of bearing positions distributed along the axial direction for bearing wafers; each layer of the bearing position includes at least three support structures; each of the support structures includes a support member; a recessed portion is formed on the upper surface of the support member; the upper surface of the support member is used to support the wafer; the upper surface of the support member is a plane extending in the horizontal direction or a curved surface protruding upward; the recessed portion is a through hole penetrating the support member or a blind hole provided on the support member.

2. The process boat according to claim 1, wherein The support member is in a flat plate shape.

3. The process boat according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support structure is in a partial circular ring shape.

4. The process boat according to claim 1, wherein The boat body includes at least three support columns extending in the same direction, and all the support columns are circumferentially distributed along a specified circumference; each of the support structures in each layer of the bearing position is correspondingly arranged on the support column.

5. The process boat according to claim 4, characterized in that, The boat body further includes a top plate and a bottom plate, and the top plate and the bottom plate are respectively fixedly connected to the top ends and bottom ends of all the support columns; the top plate and the bottom plate at least cover the specified circumference.

6. A semiconductor heat treatment apparatus, characterized in that, It includes: a process tube and the process boat according to any one of claims 1-5; the process boat is used to carry the wafer into or out of the process tube.

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