Wafer processing equipment and wafer processing system

Abstract

The utility model provides a wafer processing device and a wafer processing system, the wafer processing device comprises a first mechanical arm, a second mechanical arm, a first conversion chamber, a second conversion chamber and a vacuum chamber, the first mechanical arm is used for transferring a wafer to the vacuum chamber or transferring the wafer out of the vacuum chamber, and the second mechanical arm is used for transferring the wafer out of the vacuum chamber. A base and an edge ring arranged on the base are arranged in the vacuum chamber, and the second mechanical arm is used for transferring the edge ring from the vacuum chamber to the second conversion chamber or transferring the edge ring from the second conversion chamber to the vacuum chamber. According to the wafer processing equipment, when the service time of the edge ring reaches the upper limit and the edge ring needs to be replaced or maintained, the cavity opening time of the vacuum cavity is shortened, the risk of reset abnormity is reduced, and the production efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and more specifically, relates to a wafer processing device and a wafer processing system. Background Art

[0002] Dry etching in the semiconductor industry is accomplished by transferring the wafer from the carrier to the vacuum chamber using a robotic arm. The processing parts inside the carrier cavity are all consumables. When the parts reach their service life limit, the cavity needs to be opened for maintenance or replacement of parts. Since the front-end process inside the carrier cavity is in cleaning mode, the cavity environment is relatively clean, so each maintenance only requires replacing the edge ring inside the vacuum chamber.

[0003] During existing maintenance, replacing an edge ring requires purging the vacuum chamber and then refilling it with air to atmosphere. After replacing the edge ring, the chamber is cleaned again and then evacuated to a vacuum state. The machine is then warmed up according to the restart process, and the chamber is tested for particle size and etch rate. This entire maintenance period results in approximately 30 hours of lost machine production time, impacting production efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of the utility model is to provide a wafer processing device and a wafer processing system, which can save maintenance time and improve production efficiency.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: In a first aspect, the present invention provides a wafer processing device, comprising:

[0006] A first robotic arm, a second robotic arm, a first conversion chamber, a second conversion chamber, and a vacuum chamber;

[0007] The first robotic arm is used to transfer the wafer from the vacuum chamber to the first conversion chamber or to transfer the wafer from the first conversion chamber to the vacuum chamber;

[0008] A base and an edge ring disposed on the base are disposed in the vacuum chamber, and the second robotic arm is used to transfer the edge ring from the vacuum chamber to the second conversion chamber or to transfer the edge ring from the second conversion chamber to the vacuum chamber.

[0009] In one embodiment, the base includes a lifting structure, and the lifting structure is used to drive the edge ring to rise or fall.

[0010] In one embodiment, the lifting structure includes a driving structure and a supporting structure provided at a driving end of the driving structure, and the supporting structure is used to support the edge ring.

[0011] In one embodiment, a first positioning portion is provided on the edge ring, and a second positioning portion cooperating with the first positioning portion is provided on the support structure.

[0012] In one embodiment, the support structure includes at least three support columns, the second positioning portion is a conical protrusion provided on the top of the support column, and the first positioning portion is a conical hole.

[0013] In one embodiment, the second robotic arm includes a finger portion, and the finger portion is provided with a third positioning portion for positioning the edge ring.

[0014] In one embodiment, the second robotic arm is located below the first robotic arm.

[0015] In one embodiment, the base includes an electrostatic adsorption chuck; and the edge ring is a quartz edge ring or a ceramic edge ring.

[0016] In one embodiment, there are plural first conversion chambers and plural vacuum chambers.

[0017] A second aspect of the present invention provides a wafer processing system, comprising the wafer processing equipment as described above.

[0018] The wafer processing equipment provided by the utility model includes a first robotic arm, a second robotic arm, a first transfer chamber, a second transfer chamber, and a vacuum chamber. The first robotic arm is used to transfer a wafer from the vacuum chamber to the first transfer chamber or from the first transfer chamber to the vacuum chamber. The vacuum chamber is provided with a base and an edge ring provided on the base. The second robotic arm is used to transfer the edge ring from the vacuum chamber to the second transfer chamber or from the second transfer chamber to the vacuum chamber. When the edge ring reaches its upper limit of service life and needs to be replaced or maintained, the wafer processing equipment uses the second robotic arm to transfer the edge ring from the vacuum chamber to the second transfer chamber for removal. When the replaced or maintained edge ring is placed in the second transfer chamber, the second robotic arm is used to transfer the edge ring from the second transfer chamber to the vacuum chamber. The vacuum chamber of the wafer processing equipment can remain in a vacuum state during the edge ring replacement process. Compared with existing edge ring maintenance, the vacuum chamber opening time and the risk of abnormal recovery are reduced, thereby improving production efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0020] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a wafer processing device provided by an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a base and an edge ring of a wafer processing device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the wafer processing equipment provided by the embodiment of the present invention after the lifting structure drives the edge ring to rise;

[0023] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a lifting structure of a wafer processing device provided by an embodiment of the present invention after the support structure is retracted;

[0024] Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of a wafer processing device provided by an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the edge ring is located on a second robotic arm;

[0025] Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of the edge ring of a wafer processing device provided by an embodiment of the present invention being transferred to a second transfer chamber;

[0026] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of a first robotic arm and a second robotic arm of a wafer processing device provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Among them, the reference numerals in the figures are:

[0028] 1-first robotic arm; 2-second robotic arm; 3-conversion chamber; 4-vacuum chamber; 21-third positioning portion; 41-base; 42-edge ring; 43-driving structure; 44-support structure; 521-first positioning portion; 541-second positioning portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] To make the purpose, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof used herein are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or apparatus comprising a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or apparatuses.

[0031] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0032] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of this utility model, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0033] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer processing device provided by an embodiment of the present utility model is shown. Figure 2 For a schematic diagram of the structure of the base and edge ring of the wafer processing equipment provided by the embodiment of the present invention, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , a first aspect of an embodiment of the present utility model provides a wafer processing device, comprising a first robotic arm 1, a second robotic arm 2, a first conversion chamber 3, a second conversion chamber 4 and a vacuum chamber 5;

[0034] The first robot arm 1 is used to transfer the wafer from the vacuum chamber 5 to the first conversion chamber 3 or transfer the wafer from the first conversion chamber 3 to the vacuum chamber 5;

[0035] A base 51 and an edge ring 52 arranged on the base 51 are provided in the vacuum chamber 5. The second robotic arm 2 is used to transfer the edge ring 52 from the vacuum chamber 5 to the second conversion chamber 4 or to transfer the edge ring 52 from the second conversion chamber 4 to the vacuum chamber 5.

[0036] The wafer processing equipment in this embodiment is a dry etching device. Dry etching equipment in the semiconductor industry typically uses a robotic arm to transfer wafers from a stage to a vacuum chamber to complete the etching process. The first conversion chamber 3 is typically a transfer chamber between atmospheric and vacuum conditions, and is an essential core device in the wafer transfer process. It frequently switches between atmospheric and vacuum conditions. When wafers need to be placed in or removed from the first conversion chamber 3, nitrogen is introduced to adjust the pressure within the first conversion chamber 3 to atmospheric pressure, and then the first conversion chamber 3 is opened for wafer placement. When wafers need to be placed in or removed from the vacuum chamber 5, the gas in the first conversion chamber 3 needs to be evacuated to a vacuum state, and then the valve of the first conversion chamber 3 near the vacuum chamber 5 is opened to facilitate wafer placement. This embodiment does not impose any particular restrictions on the specific structure and dimensions of the first conversion chamber 3 and vacuum chamber 5.

[0037] The first robotic arm 1 of this embodiment is used to transfer a wafer from the vacuum chamber 5 to the first conversion chamber 3 or to transfer a wafer from the first conversion chamber 3 to the vacuum chamber 5. For example, the first robotic arm 1 is used to transfer a wafer into the vacuum chamber 5 for etching. After etching is completed, the first robotic arm 1 removes the wafer from the vacuum chamber 5. This embodiment does not impose any particular limitation on the specific structure of the first robotic arm 1.

[0038] The vacuum chamber 5 of this embodiment is provided with a base 51 and an edge ring 52 mounted on the base 51. The base 51 is used to support wafers, and the specific structure of the base 51 is not particularly limited in this embodiment. The edge ring 52 of this embodiment can provide positioning and alignment functions for the wafers, and the size and material of the edge ring 52 are not particularly limited in this embodiment. The base 51 of this embodiment includes a lifting structure that drives the edge ring 52 upward or downward. The second robotic arm 2 is used to transfer the edge ring 52 from the vacuum chamber 5 to the second transfer chamber 4, or vice versa. In this embodiment, the lifting structure is used to raise or lower the edge ring 52 onto the base 51, facilitating the second robotic arm 2 to remove or insert the edge ring 52 into or out of the vacuum chamber 5.

[0039] When the edge ring 52 of the wafer processing equipment of this embodiment reaches its maximum service life and requires maintenance or replacement, the process for removing and placing the edge ring 52 is as follows: the lifting structure is controlled to lift the edge ring 52, the second robot arm 2 enters the vacuum chamber 5, removes the edge ring 52, and transfers the edge ring 52 to the second transfer chamber 4. The second transfer chamber 4 is then inflated to atmospheric pressure, the edge ring 52 is removed, and a new edge ring 52 is placed in the first transfer chamber 3. The second transfer chamber 4 is then evacuated to restore the vacuum state. The second robot arm 2 is used to transfer the edge ring 52 to the lifting structure of the base 51 in the vacuum chamber 5. The second robot arm 2 is retracted, and the lifting structure drives the edge ring 52 downward, placing the edge ring 52 on the base 51. The second transfer chamber 4 of this embodiment also serves as a transition chamber between atmospheric pressure and vacuum, used for replacing the edge ring 52. The specific structure and dimensions of the second transfer chamber 4 are not particularly limited in this embodiment, nor is the specific structure of the second robot arm 2.

[0040] During the maintenance of the existing dry etching equipment in the semiconductor industry, it is necessary to circulate and clean the vacuum chamber 5, inflate it to the atmosphere, and replace the edge ring 52. After that, the vacuum chamber 5 is cleaned, the chamber is evacuated to a vacuum state, and then the machine is warmed up according to the restart process. The chamber particles and etching rate are tested. During the entire maintenance period, about 30 hours of machine production time will be lost, affecting the output. The wafer processing equipment of this embodiment maintains a vacuum state in the vacuum chamber 5 during the entire process of replacing the edge ring 52. The vacuum environment inside the vacuum chamber 5 is not affected in any way, and it will not cause any impact on the product yield. In addition, compared with traditional edge ring maintenance, it reduces the time of opening the cavity to replace the edge ring 52 and the risk of abnormal restart, thereby greatly improving production efficiency.

[0041] When the edge ring of the wafer processing equipment provided in this embodiment reaches the upper limit of its service life and needs to be replaced or maintained, the lifting structure drives the edge ring to rise and lift it up, and the second robot arm is used to transfer the edge ring from the vacuum chamber to the second conversion chamber for removal. When the replaced edge ring is placed in the second conversion chamber, the second robot arm is used to transfer the edge ring from the second conversion chamber to the vacuum chamber, and the lifting structure drives the edge ring to descend to the base. During the edge ring replacement process, the vacuum chamber of the wafer processing equipment can be kept in a vacuum state. Compared with the existing edge ring maintenance, the vacuum chamber opening time and the risk of abnormal re-machine operation are reduced, thereby improving production efficiency.

[0042] Figure 3 For a schematic diagram of the structure of the wafer processing equipment provided by the embodiment of the utility model after the lifting structure drives the edge ring to rise, please refer to Figure 3In one specific embodiment, the lifting structure includes a drive structure 53 and a support structure 54 disposed at the drive end of the drive structure 53. The support structure 54 is used to support the edge ring 52. In this embodiment, the drive end of the drive structure 53 is connected to the support structure 54. When the drive structure 53 drives the support structure 54 to rise, the edge ring 52 rises, facilitating the second robot arm 2 to remove the edge ring. When the drive structure 53 drives the support structure 54 to descend, the edge ring 52 descends and is placed on the base 51. The lifting structure of this embodiment is simple in structure, and this embodiment does not particularly limit the specific form of the drive structure 53.

[0043] Figure 4 For a schematic diagram of the structure of the lifting structure of the wafer processing equipment provided by the embodiment of the present invention after the support structure is retracted, please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 Furthermore, the edge ring 52 is provided with a first positioning portion 521, and the support structure 54 is provided with a second positioning portion 541 that cooperates with the first positioning portion 521. This embodiment ensures that the edge ring 52 does not deviate during the ascending and descending processes by providing the first positioning portion 521 and the second positioning portion 541 that cooperate with each other on the edge ring 52 and the support structure 54.

[0044] Preferably, the support structure 54 includes at least three support columns, the second positioning portion 541 is a conical protrusion provided on the top of the support column, and the first positioning portion 521 is a conical hole. This embodiment of the support structure 54 includes three support columns, the second positioning portion 541 is a conical protrusion provided on the top of the support column, and the first positioning portion 521 is a conical hole, which simplifies the manufacturing method. Of course, in other embodiments, the first positioning portion 521 and the second positioning portion 541 can also have other shapes and adaptable structures.

[0045] Figure 5 For a schematic diagram of the structure of the edge ring of the wafer processing equipment provided by the embodiment of the present invention being located on the second robotic arm, please refer to Figure 5 Furthermore, the second robot arm 2 includes a finger portion, and the finger portion is provided with a third positioning portion 21 for positioning the edge ring 52. In this embodiment, by providing the third positioning portion 21 for positioning the edge ring 52 on the finger portion of the second robot arm 2, the position of the edge ring 52 on the finger portion of the second robot arm 2 will not shift during the process of transferring the edge ring 52 from the vacuum chamber 5 to the second transfer chamber 4 or from the second transfer chamber 4 to the vacuum chamber 5.

[0046] Preferably, the third positioning portion 21 is a slot adapted to the outer contour of the edge ring 52. The third positioning portion 21 of this embodiment is a slot structure, which is simple to manufacture.

[0047] Furthermore, the base 51 includes an electrostatic suction cup. The base 51 of this embodiment utilizes electrostatic suction, which is more stable, accurate, and reliable than traditional mechanical suction rods. The electrostatic suction cup can adjust the precision and sensing range of the suction cup, thereby achieving more precise suction.

[0048] Optionally, the edge ring 52 is a quartz edge ring 52 or a ceramic edge ring 52. Preferably, the edge ring 52 of this embodiment is a ceramic edge ring 52. Ceramics are more resistant to corrosion and consumption than quartz. By setting the edge ring 52 to be a ceramic material, the service life of the edge ring 52 will be greatly improved.

[0049] In this embodiment, there are multiple first conversion chambers 3 and multiple vacuum chambers 5. A centralized vacuum system can significantly reduce the cost of parts and labor for equipment maintenance, and reduce the maintenance requirements for individual equipment.

[0050] Figure 7 For a schematic diagram of the structure of the first and second robotic arms of the wafer processing equipment provided by the embodiment of the present invention, please refer to Figure 7 In the above embodiment, the second robotic arm 2 is located below the first robotic arm 1, and the vertical projections of the first and second robotic arms 1 and 2 overlap when retracted. In this embodiment, the second robotic arm 2 and the first robotic arm 1 are stacked, saving the horizontal space occupied by the second robotic arm 2 within the machine chamber.

[0051] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of transferring the edge ring of the wafer processing equipment provided by the embodiment of the present invention to the conversion chamber. Figure 1 and Figure 6 In the wafer processing equipment provided by the embodiment of the present invention, when the service life of the edge ring 52 reaches the upper limit and needs to be replaced or maintained, the edge ring 52 is driven to rise by the lifting structure to lift it up, and the second robot arm 2 is used to transfer the edge ring 52 from the vacuum chamber 5 to the second conversion chamber 4. After the edge ring 52 is taken out of the second conversion chamber 4, the second robot arm 2 is used to transfer the edge ring 52 from the second conversion chamber 4 to the vacuum chamber 5 when the replaced edge ring 52 is placed. The lifting structure drives the edge ring 52 to descend onto the base 51. During the replacement process of the edge ring 52, the vacuum chamber 5 can be kept in a vacuum state. Compared with the existing edge ring 52 maintenance, the opening time of the vacuum chamber 5 and the risk of abnormal recovery are reduced, thereby improving production efficiency.

[0052] A second aspect of the embodiments of the present invention provides a wafer processing system, comprising the wafer processing equipment as described in the above embodiments.

[0053] For example: the wafer processing equipment includes a first robotic arm, a second robotic arm, a first conversion chamber, a second conversion chamber and a vacuum chamber; the first robotic arm is used to transfer the wafer from the vacuum chamber to the first conversion chamber or transfer the wafer from the first conversion chamber to the vacuum chamber; a base and an edge ring arranged on the base are provided in the vacuum chamber, and the second robotic arm is used to transfer the edge ring from the vacuum chamber to the second conversion chamber or transfer the edge ring from the second conversion chamber to the vacuum chamber.

[0054] The wafer processing system of this embodiment includes the wafer processing equipment provided by the above embodiment. When the edge ring of the wafer processing equipment reaches the upper limit of its usage time and needs to be replaced or maintained, the second robot arm is used to transfer the edge ring from the vacuum chamber to the second conversion chamber for removal. When the replaced or maintained edge ring is placed in the second conversion chamber, the second robot arm is used to transfer the edge ring from the second conversion chamber to the vacuum chamber. During the edge ring replacement process, the vacuum chamber of the wafer processing equipment can be kept in a vacuum state. Compared with the existing edge ring maintenance, the vacuum chamber opening time and the risk of abnormal re-operation are reduced, thereby improving production efficiency.

[0055] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the above embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer processing device, characterized in that: include: A first robotic arm, a second robotic arm, a first conversion chamber, a second conversion chamber, and a vacuum chamber; The first robotic arm is used to transfer the wafer from the vacuum chamber to the first conversion chamber or to transfer the wafer from the first conversion chamber to the vacuum chamber; A base and an edge ring disposed on the base are disposed in the vacuum chamber, and the second robotic arm is used to transfer the edge ring from the vacuum chamber to the second conversion chamber or to transfer the edge ring from the second conversion chamber to the vacuum chamber.

2. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 1, wherein: The base includes a lifting structure, and the lifting structure is used to drive the edge ring to rise or fall.

3. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lifting structure includes a driving structure and a supporting structure arranged at a driving end of the driving structure, and the supporting structure is used to support the edge ring.

4. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The edge ring is provided with a first positioning portion, and the support structure is provided with a second positioning portion that cooperates with the first positioning portion.

5. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The support structure includes at least three support columns, the second positioning portion is a conical protrusion arranged on the top of the support column, and the first positioning portion is a conical hole.

6. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 1, wherein: The second robotic arm includes a finger portion, and the finger portion is provided with a third positioning portion for positioning the edge ring.

7. The wafer processing equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The second robotic arm is located below the first robotic arm, and the projections of the first robotic arm and the second robotic arm in the vertical direction overlap when they are retracted.

8. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that: The base includes an electrostatic adsorption chuck; The edge ring is made of quartz or ceramic.

9. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that: There are multiple first conversion chambers and multiple vacuum chambers.

10. A wafer processing system, characterized in that: The wafer processing equipment includes any one of claims 1 to 9.

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