Circulating device, loading and unloading chamber and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The utility model discloses a circulating device, a loading and unloading chamber and semiconductor process equipment, and belongs to the technical field of semiconductor processing. The circulating device comprises an air inlet channel, a communicating channel, a heat exchanger, a fan, an air outlet channel and a plurality of circulating fans, the air inlet channel is communicated with the heat exchanger through the communicating channel, the heat exchanger is communicated with an air inlet of the fan, an air outlet of the fan is communicated with the air outlet channel, and the air outlet channel is communicated with the circulating fans. An air outlet is formed in the side, facing the bearing boat, of the air outlet channel, the air outlet extends in the height direction of the loading and unloading cavity, the multiple circulating fans are all installed in the air outlet channel and all face the air outlet, and the air speed of all the circulating fans is adjustable. According to the circulating device, the cooling uniformity of the wafers at different height positions on the bearing boat is relatively good, so that the process efficiency can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of semiconductor processing technology, and specifically relates to a circulation device, a loading and unloading chamber, and semiconductor process equipment. Background Art

[0002] like Figure 1 As shown, during the processing of the wafer, the first robot 3 can place the storage box 2 in the storage bin 1 on the door opening mechanism 8, and use the device on the door opening mechanism 8 to open the storage box 2. After that, the second robot 4 is used to transfer the wafer in the storage box 2 to the carrying boat 7. Under the action of the lifting mechanism 6, the carrying boat 7 carrying the wafer moves upward to the reaction chamber 9 for processing. After the process is completed, the lifting mechanism 6 can drive the carrying boat 7 to move downward to the loading and unloading chamber, and the wafer is cooled by the circulation device 5 in the loading and unloading chamber to prevent the high temperature wafer from damaging the internal sensors and other devices of the robot after the process is completed.

[0003] like Figure 2 As shown, the current circulation device 5 generally includes a first air inlet channel 5.1 and a second air inlet channel 5.2, which are respectively connected to a first connecting pipe 5.3 and a second connecting pipe 5.4 provided at the bottom of the circulation device. The first connecting pipe 5.3 and the second connecting pipe 5.4 are connected to a fan 5.6 through a heat exchanger 5.5. An air outlet channel 5.7 is provided downstream of the fan 5.6. Figure 2 and 3 As shown, although the air outlet is provided on the portion of the air outlet channel 5.7 facing the carrier boat 7, that is, the air outlet basically covers the carrier boat 7 in the height direction, but due to the working principle of the fan, the air outlet flow rate of the air outlet channel 5.7 in the height direction varies greatly. Specifically, the closer to the top of the air outlet channel 5.7, the faster the air outlet flow rate. This causes the wafers located in the upper area of ​​the carrier boat to cool faster, while the wafers located in the lower area cool relatively slower, resulting in relatively poor cooling uniformity of the wafers in the carrier boat, which will have a greater adverse effect on the process efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a circulation device, a loading and unloading chamber and semiconductor process equipment to solve the problem that the current circulation device has relatively poor cooling uniformity for wafers at different heights on the carrier boat, which in turn has a significant adverse impact on process efficiency.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application discloses a circulation device, which is applied to a loading and unloading chamber, wherein the loading and unloading chamber can accommodate a carrier boat, and the circulation device includes an air inlet channel, a connecting channel, a heat exchanger, a blower, an air outlet channel and a plurality of circulation fans, wherein:

[0006] The air inlet channel is connected to the heat exchanger through the connecting channel, the heat exchanger is connected to the air inlet of the fan, the exhaust port of the fan is connected to the air outlet channel, the air outlet channel is provided with an air outlet on the side facing the carrying boat, and the air outlet extends along the height direction of the loading and unloading chamber, multiple circulation fans are installed in the air outlet channel and all face the air outlet, and the wind speed of each circulation fan is adjustable.

[0007] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application discloses a loading and unloading chamber, which includes a shell and the above-mentioned circulation device arranged in the shell, and the loading and unloading chamber can accommodate a carrying boat.

[0008] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application discloses a semiconductor process equipment, which includes a reaction chamber and the above-mentioned loading and unloading chamber, and the reaction chamber is located above the loading and unloading chamber.

[0009] The embodiment of the present application discloses a circulation device, which can be used in a loading and unloading chamber, which can accommodate a carrier boat, and then use the circulation device to provide cooling for multiple wafers carried on the carrier boat after the process is completed. In the circulation device, the air inlet channel is connected to the heat exchanger through a connecting channel, the heat exchanger is connected to the air inlet of the fan, and the exhaust port of the fan is connected to the air outlet channel. The air outlet channel is provided with an air outlet on the side facing the carrier boat. By making the carrier boat and the air outlet face each other, the gas blown out through the outlet can be blown toward the carrier boat and perform heat exchange with the multiple wafers on the carrier boat. In addition, the gas that has completed the heat exchange can re-enter the gas circulation through the air inlet channel, and the gas with a higher temperature can release heat at the heat exchanger, so that the temperature of the gas blown out through the air outlet is still relatively low.

[0010] At the same time, in an embodiment of the present application, the air outlet extends along the height direction of the loading and unloading chamber to ensure that the gas blown out from the air outlet can directly act on the wafers at different heights on the carrier boat. At the same time, multiple circulation fans are installed in the air outlet channel, and multiple circulation fans are all set toward the air outlet, and the wind speeds of the multiple circulation fans are adjustable. Therefore, during the cooling process of the wafers, the wind speeds of the multiple circulation fans can be adjusted to ensure that the gas flow rates at different heights in the air outlet are basically equal, so that the cooling efficiency of the wafers carried at different heights on the carrier boat is equivalent, so as to shorten the overall cooling time of the multiple wafers on the carrier boat and improve the process efficiency. Under the joint action of the multiple circulation fans and blowers, the gas flow rate and gas circulation efficiency in the circulation device are relatively higher, thereby further improving the cooling efficiency of the multiple wafers to a certain extent. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0012] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of semiconductor process equipment;

[0013] Figure 2 It is a structural diagram of a circulation device in the current technology;

[0014] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the distribution of airflow in a circulation device in the current technology;

[0015] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of the loading and unloading chamber disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the distribution of airflow in the loading and unloading chamber disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 6 and Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the adjustment between the adjustment plate and the air inlet in the circulation device disclosed in the embodiment of the present application.

[0018] Reference numerals:

[0019] 1-Storage bin, 2-Storage box, 3-First manipulator, 4-Second manipulator, 5-Circulation device, 5.1-First air inlet channel, 5.2-Second air inlet channel, 5.3-First connecting pipe, 5.4-Second connecting pipe, 5.5-Heat exchanger, 5.6-Blower, 5.7-Air outlet channel, 6-Lifting mechanism, 7-Carrying boat, 8-Door opening mechanism, 9-Reaction chamber,

[0020] 100-shell,

[0021] 201-air inlet, 210-air inlet channel, 230-connecting channel, 250-air outlet channel,

[0022] 300-heat exchanger,

[0023] 400-fan,

[0024] 500-circulation fan,

[0025] 600-adjustment plate,

[0026] 710-Chemical filter, 720-Physical filter,

[0027] 900-wafer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0029] The terms "first," "second," and the like in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a specific order or precedence. It should be understood that the terms used in this manner are interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments of this application can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein, and that the objects distinguished by "first," "second," and the like are generally of the same type, and do not limit the number of objects; for example, the first object can be one or more. In addition, the term "and / or" in the specification and claims refers to at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the objects connected are in an "or" relationship.

[0030] like Figures 4 to 7 As shown, the embodiment of the present application discloses a circulation device, which can be used in a loading and unloading chamber. The loading and unloading chamber can also accommodate a carrying boat for carrying wafers, so that the circulation device can provide cooling for the wafers 900 after the process is completed, thereby preventing the high temperature of the wafers 900 from damaging the sensors and other devices in the robot and other devices used to transport the wafers 900. Figure 4 As shown, the loading and unloading chamber disclosed in the embodiment of the present application includes a shell 100 and a circulation device arranged in the shell 100. The shell 100 is used to provide installation and accommodation for the components in the circulation device. Accordingly, the shell is also used to accommodate the carrying boat.

[0031] In more detail, the circulation device disclosed in the embodiment of the present application includes an air inlet channel 210, a connecting channel 230, a heat exchanger 300, a fan 400, an air outlet channel 250 and multiple circulation fans 500. During the assembly process of the circulation device, the air inlet channel 210, the connecting channel 230, the heat exchanger 300, the fan 400, the air outlet channel 250 and the multiple circulation fans 500 are all arranged in the shell 100 of the loading and unloading chamber.

[0032] As mentioned above, the shell 100 is also used to accommodate the carrier boat. The wafers 900 waiting to be processed can be stacked in the carrier boat, that is, the carrier boat can carry multiple wafers 900 at the same time. Furthermore, before the processing of the wafers 900, the lifting mechanism and other devices can be used to drive the carrier boat to lift so that the multiple wafers 900 can enter the reaction chamber at the same time. Correspondingly, after the multiple wafers 900 complete the process, the lifting mechanism can also move the carrier boat out of the reaction chamber and move it to the loading and unloading chamber, so that the circulation device can be used to cool the multiple wafers 900 on the carrier boat.

[0033] The air inlet channel 210, the connecting channel 230, and the air outlet channel 250 can all be formed of materials such as metal. Parameters such as their cross-sectional shapes and cross-sectional areas are not limited herein. The air inlet channel 210 and the air outlet channel 250 can both extend along the height direction of the loading and unloading chamber, while the connecting channel 230 can extend perpendicular to the height direction. The height direction of the loading and unloading chamber is parallel to the height direction of the carrier boat and the height direction of the housing 100.

[0034] As described above, in the loading and unloading chamber, the circulation device can be disposed in the housing 100. To this end, in a specific embodiment of the present application, optionally, the air inlet channel 210, the communication channel 230, and the air outlet channel 250 are all structures independent of the housing 100, and can be correspondingly installed in the housing 100 through connectors such as clamps. In another embodiment of the present application, the air inlet channel 210, the communication channel 230, and the air outlet channel 250 can also be connected to corresponding portions of the inner wall of the housing 100 to form a space for gas flow, which is not limited herein.

[0035] To improve the cooling efficiency of the wafers 900 on the carrier boat, in the embodiment of the present application, the air inlet channel 210 and the air outlet channel 250 are arranged opposite each other. Accordingly, the air inlet channel 210 has an air inlet 201, and the air outlet channel 250 has an air outlet. In the circulation device disclosed in the embodiment of the present application, the air inlet 201 and the air outlet can be arranged opposite each other. In other words, the air inlet 201 is arranged on the side of the air inlet channel 210 facing the air outlet channel 250, and the air outlet is arranged on the side of the air outlet channel 250 facing the air inlet channel 210. Based on this, during the cooling process of the wafers 900, the carrier boat can be sandwiched between the air inlet 201 and the air outlet, so that the air flow can flow directly through the area where the carrier boat is located and perform heat exchange with the multiple wafers 900 on the carrier boat. In other words, the air inlet 201 is arranged on the side of the air inlet channel 210 facing the carrier boat, and the air outlet is arranged on the side of the air outlet channel 250 facing the carrier boat.

[0036] Correspondingly, the air inlet channel 210 is also connected to the heat exchanger 300 through the connecting channel 230, and the heat exchanger 300 can exchange heat with the gas to reduce the temperature of the gas after passing through the heat exchanger 300; then, by connecting the heat exchanger 300 with the air inlet of the fan 400, and connecting the exhaust port of the fan 400 with the air outlet channel 250, the relatively high temperature gas entering through the air inlet channel 210 can flow through the heat exchanger 300 along the connecting channel 230, and exchange heat with the heat exchanger 300 to release heat. Afterwards, the relatively low temperature gas can flow to the air outlet channel 250 through the fan 400, and be blown toward the carrier boat through the air outlet of the air outlet channel 250, so as to exchange heat with the multiple wafers 900 with relatively high temperatures on the carrier boat, so that the temperature of each wafer 900 is reduced. Accordingly, the gas that completes heat exchange with the wafer 900 flows back into the air inlet channel 210.

[0037] As described above, a carrier boat can typically carry multiple wafers 900, and the multiple wafers 900 are distributed along the height direction of the carrier boat. The carrier boat is entirely accommodated in the housing 100, and therefore, the multiple wafers 900 are also distributed along the height direction of the housing 100. Based on this, in order to ensure that the cooling efficiency of each of the multiple wafers 900 carried by the carrier boat is relatively high, in the embodiment of the present application, the air outlet extends along the height direction of the housing 100. This allows the air blown out through the air outlet to flow directly to different positions of the carrier boat in the height direction of the housing 100, and directly cool the wafers 900 at different height positions. More specifically, in the height direction of the shell 100, the top of the air outlet can be flush with the wafer 900 located at the top in the carrier boat, and the bottom of the air outlet can be flush with the wafer 900 located at the bottom in the carrier boat. Furthermore, the top of the air outlet can be set over the wafer 900 located at the top in the carrier boat, and the bottom of the air outlet can be set over the wafer 900 located at the bottom in the carrier boat, thereby further ensuring that the wafers 900 at different height positions on the carrier boat can directly exchange heat with the gas blown out from the air outlet.

[0038] In the embodiment of the present application, the air outlet can be disposed on a side of the air outlet channel 250 that faces the area of ​​the housing 100 that accommodates the carrier boat. Furthermore, the air outlet channel 250 is connected to the fan 400, which is used to deliver air to the air outlet channel 250. Since the air outlet channel 250 extends along the height direction of the housing 100, the flow direction of the air delivered by the fan 400 is also generally along the height direction of the housing 100. In this case, the flow rate of the air blown out from different height positions of the air outlet in the air outlet channel 250 varies, generally exhibiting a faster air flow rate at positions farther away from the fan 400.

[0039] To this end, in the embodiment of the present application, as described above, the circulation device includes a plurality of circulation fans 500, such as Figure 4 As shown, multiple circulation fans 500 are installed in the air outlet duct 250, and each circulation fan 500 is oriented toward the air outlet, thereby enabling the circulation fans 500 to provide secondary acceleration and secondary distribution for the gas within the air outlet duct 250. Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present application, the wind speed of each circulation fan 500 is adjustable. Thus, during operation of the circulation device, the wind speed of the multiple circulation fans 500 can be adjusted accordingly based on parameters such as the gas flow rate at different heights on the carrier boat, thereby ensuring that the gas flow rate at different locations on the carrier boat is as uniform as possible.

[0040] In a specific embodiment of the present application, without considering other conditions, as described above, the higher the height of the air outlet, the faster the gas flow rate. Based on this, in the embodiment of the present application, the wind speed of the multiple circulation fans 500 can be inversely proportional to their height, thereby providing relatively strong wind speed compensation at relatively low heights of the air outlet, so that the gas flow rate at different heights of the air outlet is as uniform as possible. Of course, the above embodiment is for illustration only. When the structure and other parameters of the air inlet 201 in the air inlet channel 210 are different, the wind speed of each circulation fan 500 may include other implementation schemes, which will not be introduced one by one in this article.

[0041] The embodiment of the present application discloses a circulation device, which can be used in a loading and unloading chamber that can accommodate a carrier boat, and then use the circulation device to provide cooling for multiple wafers 900 that have completed the process and are loaded on the carrier boat. In the circulation device, the air inlet channel 210 is connected to the heat exchanger 300 through the connecting channel 230, the heat exchanger 300 is connected to the air inlet of the fan 400, and the exhaust port of the fan 400 is connected to the air outlet channel 250. The air outlet channel 250 is provided with an air outlet on the side facing the carrier boat. By making the carrier boat face the air outlet, the gas blown out through the outlet can be blown toward the carrier boat and heat exchange with the multiple wafers 900 on the carrier boat. In addition, the gas that has completed the heat exchange can re-enter the gas circulation through the air inlet channel 210, and the higher temperature gas can release heat at the heat exchanger 300, so that the temperature of the gas blown out through the air outlet is still relatively low.

[0042] At the same time, in an embodiment of the present application, the air outlet extends along the height direction of the loading and unloading chamber to ensure that the gas blown out from the air outlet can directly act on the wafers 900 at different height positions on the carrier boat. At the same time, multiple circulation fans 500 are installed in the air outlet channel 250, and multiple circulation fans 500 are all set toward the air outlet, and the wind speed of the multiple circulation fans 500 is adjustable. Therefore, during the cooling process of the wafer 900, the wind speed of the multiple circulation fans 500 can be adjusted to ensure that the gas flow rate at different height positions in the air outlet is basically equal, so that the cooling efficiency of the wafers 900 carried at different height positions on the carrier boat is equivalent, so as to shorten the overall cooling time of the multiple wafers 900 on the carrier boat and improve the process efficiency. Under the joint action of the multiple circulation fans 500 and the blower 400, the gas flow rate and gas circulation efficiency in the circulation device are relatively higher, thereby further improving the cooling efficiency of the multiple wafers 900 to a certain extent.

[0043] As described above, the circulation device includes a plurality of circulation fans 500. Optionally, the number of the circulation fans 500 is two. In a specific embodiment of the present application, the number of the circulation fans 500 is greater than or equal to three. In this case, the air outlet of the air outlet channel 250 can be divided into relatively more adjustment areas in the height direction of the shell 100, thereby further reducing the gas flow rate difference between the areas, so that the uniformity of the gas flow rate at different height positions in the air outlet is relatively higher.

[0044] More specifically, at least three circulation fans 500 can be evenly distributed in the air outlet duct 250, and any two adjacent circulation fans 500 can be arranged adjacent to each other to prevent a significant difference in the gas flow rate between the area of ​​the air outlet corresponding to the adjacent circulation fans 500 and the gas flow rate in the area of ​​the air outlet directly opposite the circulation fans 500. Of course, in the embodiment of the present application, the rated power and size and other parameters of the multiple circulation fans 500 can be the same or different, and this is not limited herein.

[0045] As described above, in the circulation device disclosed in the embodiment of the present application, an air inlet channel 210 is provided. When there is only one air inlet channel 210, the air inlet 201 of the air inlet channel 210 can be positioned directly opposite the air outlet. Of course, since the air outlet is positioned toward the carrier boat, the gas blown out through the air outlet can flow relatively quickly toward the air inlet 201 of the air inlet channel 210 after passing through the area where the carrier boat is located, and circulate.

[0046] Generally, in order to ensure that the working efficiency of the fan 400 is relatively high and the wind speed flowing through the fan 400 is relatively low, the size of the air inlet channel 210 (the air inlet 201) can usually be made smaller than the size of the carrier boat (and the wafer 900) in the direction perpendicular to the height direction of the shell 100. Based on this, in order to improve the cooling uniformity at different positions in any wafer 900, in the embodiment of the present application, the number of the air inlet channels 210 and the connecting channels 230 can be multiple, and the multiple air inlet channels 210 are arranged at intervals, and the air inlet 201 of each air inlet channel 210 is arranged towards the carrier boat, so that the air inlets 201 of different air inlet channels 210 are arranged at intervals. 01 and the air outlet of the air outlet channel 250 have different covering positions on the wafer 900. Furthermore, when each air inlet channel 210 is connected to the heat exchanger 300 through the corresponding connecting channel 230, the gas blown out through the air outlet and flowing to different air inlet channels 210 can flow through different areas on the same wafer 900 respectively, so that the cooling efficiency at different positions on the wafer 900 is relatively high, so as to improve the in-chip cooling uniformity of the wafer 900. On the one hand, it can further improve the overall cooling efficiency of multiple wafers 900 on the carrier boat, and on the other hand, it can also prevent the wafer 900 from being broken due to the large temperature difference within the wafer 900.

[0047] Specifically, because the outlet of the air outlet channel 250 is positioned opposite the carrier boat, the air inlet 201 of each air inlet channel 210 can also be positioned toward the carrier boat, and the multiple air inlet channels 210 can be evenly distributed to further improve the uniformity of cooling within the wafer 900. Accordingly, the structure and size of the air inlet 201 of each air inlet channel 210 can be made identical, and parameters such as the cross-sectional shape and cross-sectional area of ​​each connecting channel 230 can be made identical.

[0048] Of course, in other embodiments of the present application, the number of air inlet channels 210 and communication channels 230 can be two, three, or more, and each air inlet channel is connected to the heat exchanger 300 through a corresponding communication channel. In order to minimize the difficulty of processing and assembling the circulation device, in a specific embodiment of the present application, the number of air inlet channels 210 and communication channels 230 is two.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the circulation device is provided with an air inlet channel 210, and the air inlet 201 of the air inlet channel 210 is arranged toward the carrier boat. In other words, the air inlet 201 of the air inlet channel 210 is located on the side of the air inlet channel 210. Since the air inlet channel 210 also extends along the height direction of the shell 100, for this reason, in a specific embodiment of the present application, the air inlet 201 can be formed at the end of the air inlet channel 210, that is, the air inlet 201 of the air inlet channel 210 is located at the top of the air inlet channel 210 and is arranged toward the carrier boat. In this case, the fan 400 has a relatively strong suction effect on the gas in the air inlet channel 210, thereby improving the circulation efficiency of the gas.

[0050] In order to further improve the cooling efficiency of the wafers 900 at different heights on the carrier boat, in another embodiment of the present application, a plurality of air inlets 201 are provided on the side of the air inlet channel 210 facing the carrier boat, and the plurality of air inlets 201 are distributed along the height direction of the shell 100, so that the gas flowing through at different heights on the carrier boat can directly enter the air inlet channel 210 through the air inlets 201 at the corresponding heights. On the one hand, it reduces the flow path of the gas, and on the other hand, it can also improve the gas flow rate and gas replacement efficiency at different heights on the carrier boat, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the wafers 900 at different heights.

[0051] Of course, in the process of forming the air inlet 201 on the air inlet channel 210, it is necessary to set it accordingly according to the height distribution area of ​​the wafer 900 carried on the carrier boat. Specifically, the air inlet 201 at the top of the air inlet channel 210 can be flush with the highest wafer 900 on the carrier boat, and the air inlet 201 at the bottom of the air inlet channel 210 can be flush with the lowest wafer 900 on the carrier boat; further, the air inlet 201 at the top of the air inlet channel 210 can be set higher than or slightly higher than the highest wafer 900 on the carrier boat, and the air inlet 201 at the bottom of the air inlet channel 210 can be set lower than or slightly lower than the lowest wafer 900 on the carrier boat. This can further ensure that the cooling uniformity of the wafers 900 located at different height positions on the carrier boat is relatively higher. In addition, the air inlet areas of multiple air inlets 201 can be the same, or the air inlet areas of multiple air inlets 201 can be set accordingly according to parameters such as gas flow rate at different height positions on the carrier boat to achieve the purpose of adjusting the gas flow rate at different height positions on the carrier boat.

[0052] Taking into account the working principle of the fan 400, in order to further make the gas flow rates of the air inlets 201 at different height positions on the air inlet channel 210 closer, in the embodiment of the present application, the air inlet area of ​​each air inlet 201 can be adjusted, and then in the process of cooling the wafer 900 using the circulation device, the gas flow rates at different height positions in the carrier boat can be made as equal as possible by adjusting the air inlet area of ​​the air inlet 201 at different height positions according to the specific conditions of the gas flow rate at different height positions on the carrier boat, so as to further improve the cooling uniformity of the wafer 900 located at different height positions on the carrier boat.

[0053] In detail, in the embodiment of the present application, the circulation device can include multiple adjustment plates 600, and the multiple air inlets 201 of the air inlet channel 210 can be evenly and spaced apart along the height direction of the housing 100. In the embodiment of the present application, since the adjustment plates 600 are provided, in order to facilitate the processing and installation of the adjustment plates 600, the air inlet areas of the air inlets 201 can be made equal, and the multiple adjustment plates 600 can be arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the multiple air inlets 201. Each adjustment plate 600 can be provided with multiple mounting holes. In this case, the adjustment plates 600 can be provided with multiple mounting holes. Connectors such as screws form a reliable assembly relationship with the air inlet channel 210, and when the screws are connected to different mounting holes on the adjustment plate 600, the degree of blocking of the air inlet 201 by the adjustment plate 600 is different, thereby achieving the purpose of adjustably connecting each adjustment plate 600 to the corresponding air inlet 201, and then the effective air inlet area of ​​the air inlet 201 at different height positions on the air inlet channel 210 can be adjusted accordingly according to actual conditions, wherein the area of ​​the part of the air inlet 201 that is not blocked by the adjustment plate 600 is the effective air inlet area of ​​the air inlet 201.

[0054] To reduce the difficulty of adjusting each adjustment plate 600, in another embodiment of the present application, each adjustment plate 600 is controllably slidably connected to the air inlet channel 210. Thus, when the effective air inlet area of ​​the air inlet 201 needs to be adjusted, the area of ​​the air inlet 201 blocked by the adjustment plate 600 can be changed by driving the adjustment plate 600 to slide relative to the air inlet channel 210. Optionally, the relative sliding direction between the adjustment plate 600 and the air inlet channel 210 can be perpendicular to the height direction of the housing 100. In a specific embodiment of the present application, the adjustment plate 600 can be slidably engaged with the air inlet channel 210 in the height direction of the housing 100. In this case, regardless of how the adjustment plate 600 is adjusted, the size of the air inlet 201 in the direction perpendicular to the height direction of the housing 100 can be maintained substantially unchanged, thereby ensuring that the gas flowing out of the air outlet and into the air inlet 201 covers a substantially unchanged area on the wafer 900, resulting in relatively high cooling uniformity at different locations on the wafer 900.

[0055] In the above embodiment, the adjustment plate 600 may optionally be a plate-shaped structure without any holes. When the effective air outlet area of ​​the air inlet 201 needs to be adjusted, the area of ​​the air inlet 201 blocked by the adjustment plate 600 can be changed. In another embodiment of the present application, the adjustment plate 600 may be provided with a communication port, and at least a portion of the communication port may be connected to at least a portion of the air inlet 201. In this case, the effective air outlet area of ​​the air inlet 201 can also be adjusted by changing the overlapping area between the communication port and the air inlet 201.

[0056] More specifically, each air inlet 201 and the connecting opening can be a waist-shaped hole, with the top and bottom edges of the waist-shaped hole both being straight lines. Furthermore, the top and bottom edges of the waist-shaped hole are both perpendicular to the height direction of the housing 100. In this case, the dimensions of each air inlet 201 in a direction perpendicular to the height direction of the housing 100 are relatively large, thereby allowing the airflow flowing into each air inlet 201 to cover a relatively larger area on the wafer 900, ensuring relatively higher cooling uniformity at different locations on the wafer 900. Furthermore, when the air inlet 201 employs the above-described structure, it also facilitates adjustment of the adjustment plate 600, which slidably engages with the air inlet channel 210 in the height direction of the housing 100, and the air inlet 201 with the above-described structure is relatively easy to manufacture. Furthermore, the air inlet 201 and the connecting opening can be made identical in shape and size, thereby maximizing the effective air intake area of ​​the air inlet 201 when the two completely overlap.

[0057] To further improve the adjustment accuracy of the adjustment plate 600, in the embodiment of the present application, each adjustment plate 600 can also be provided with an adjustment scale mark. Of course, during the assembly of the adjustment plate 600, it is necessary to ensure that the distribution direction of the adjustment scale marks of the adjustment plate 600 is parallel to the adjustment direction of the adjustment plate 600 so that the adjustment scale marks can properly provide identification. Of course, the graduation value and range of the adjustment scale marks can be flexibly determined according to actual conditions, and this document does not limit this.

[0058] Based on the circulation device disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiment of the present application, a plurality of circulation fans 500 with adjustable wind speed are provided in the air outlet channel 250, and the air inlet channel 210 has a plurality of air inlets 201 distributed along the height direction of the shell 100, and the effective air inlet area of ​​each air inlet 201 can be adjusted by the position of the adjustment plate 600. In the process of cooling the wafer 900 by the circulation device, the effective air inlet areas of the circulation fan 500 and the air inlet 201 can be coordinated with each other to ensure that the cooling efficiency of the wafer 900 located at different height positions on the carrier boat is equivalent.

[0059] As described above, during the process of cooling the wafer 900 using the circulation device, the gas in the housing 100 is basically in a state of reciprocating circulation within the housing 100. Furthermore, in order to prevent byproducts brought out from the reaction chamber from affecting the quality of the wafer 900, in the embodiment of the present application, the circulation device may further include a chemical filter 710, and the chemical filter 710 is disposed at the air outlet. Furthermore, during the operation of the circulation device, the gas blown out through the air outlet can be filtered by the chemical filter 710 to remove byproducts and prevent the byproducts from reacting with the wafer 900 and affecting the yield of the wafer 900. Accordingly, the type of filter material such as the effective ingredient in the chemical filter 710 can be determined accordingly based on the parameters of the actual type of process gas used in the process, and this is not limited herein.

[0060] Furthermore, in order to further prevent impurities such as particulate matter brought out of the reaction chamber from colliding with the wafer 900 and adversely affecting the reliability of the wafer 900, in an embodiment of the present application, the circulation device may further include a physical filter 720, and the physical filter 720 is disposed at the air outlet to utilize the physical filter 720 to filter out impurities such as particulate matter. Of course, both the physical filter 720 and the above-mentioned chemical filter 710 can be disposed to cover the air outlet as a whole to ensure that the gas blown out from any position in the air outlet can be filtered by the physical filter 720 and the chemical filter 710. In addition, in the case where the circulation device includes both the physical filter 720 and the chemical filter 710, the physical filter 720 can be disposed downstream of the chemical filter 710 to prevent particulate matter that may be generated by the chemical filter 710 filtering impurities by chemical reaction from being directly blown toward the wafer 900.

[0061] Based on the circulation device disclosed in any of the above embodiments, as described above, the embodiment of the present application also discloses a loading and unloading chamber, which includes a shell 100 and any of the above circulation devices arranged in the shell. Accordingly, the loading and unloading chamber can also accommodate a carrying boat.

[0062] Furthermore, the embodiments of the present application also disclose a semiconductor process equipment, which includes a loading and unloading chamber. Of course, the semiconductor process equipment may also include a reaction chamber. In order to facilitate the transfer of the carrier boat between the reaction chamber and the loading and unloading chamber, in the embodiments of the present application, the loading and unloading chamber can be arranged below the cavity opening of the reaction chamber, that is, the reaction chamber is located above the loading and unloading chamber, so that the wafer 900 carried on the carrier boat after the process in the reaction chamber is completed can be directly moved into the loading and unloading chamber by using a lifting mechanism, thereby reducing the difficulty of transferring the wafer 900. Of course, the semiconductor process equipment may also generally include the above-mentioned lifting mechanism, as well as a wafer transfer mechanism such as a robot arm. Considering the brevity of the text, they will not be introduced here one by one.

[0063] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "comprise", "include" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the statement "comprises a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device comprising the element. In addition, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and devices in the embodiments of the present application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, and may also include performing functions in a substantially simultaneous manner or in the opposite order according to the functions involved. For example, the described method may be performed in an order different from that described, and various steps may also be added, omitted, or combined. In addition, the features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0064] The embodiments of the present application are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation methods. The above-mentioned specific implementation methods are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the guidance of this application, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms without departing from the purpose of this application and the scope of protection of the claims, all of which are within the protection of this application.

Claims

1. A circulation device, applied to a loading and unloading chamber, wherein the loading and unloading chamber can accommodate a carrying boat, characterized in that: The circulation device includes an air inlet channel, a communication channel, a heat exchanger, a blower, an air outlet channel and a plurality of circulation fans, wherein: The air inlet channel is connected to the heat exchanger through the connecting channel, the heat exchanger is connected to the air inlet of the fan, the exhaust port of the fan is connected to the air outlet channel, the air outlet channel is provided with an air outlet on the side facing the carrying boat, and the air outlet extends along the height direction of the loading and unloading chamber, multiple circulation fans are installed in the air outlet channel and all face the air outlet, and the wind speed of each circulation fan is adjustable.

2. The circulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that The number of the circulation fans is greater than or equal to three.

3. The circulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that There are multiple air inlet channels and multiple connecting channels, each of which is connected to the heat exchanger via the corresponding connecting channel. Multiple air inlet channels are spaced apart, and the air inlet of each air inlet channel is arranged toward the carrying boat.

4. The circulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that A plurality of air inlets are provided on a side of the air inlet channel facing the carrying boat, and the plurality of air inlets are distributed along the height direction.

5. The circulation device according to claim 4, characterized in that The circulation device includes multiple adjustment plates, and the multiple air inlets of the air inlet channel are evenly and spaced apart along the height direction. The air inlet area of ​​each air inlet is equal, and the multiple adjustment plates are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the multiple air inlets, and each adjustment plate is adjustably connected to the corresponding air inlet.

6. The circulation device according to claim 5, characterized in that Each of the adjustment plates can be controllably slidably connected to the air inlet channel in the height direction; The adjustment plate is provided with a connecting port, at least a portion of which is connected to at least a portion of the air inlet; each of the air inlet and the connecting port is a waist-shaped hole, the top and bottom edges of the waist-shaped hole are both straight lines, and are both perpendicular to the height direction of the loading and unloading chamber.

7. The circulation device according to claim 6, characterized in that Each of the adjustment plates is provided with an adjustment scale mark.

8. The circulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that The circulation device further comprises a chemical filter, and the chemical filter is arranged at the air outlet; The circulation device further includes a physical filter, which is arranged at the air outlet and is located downstream of the chemical filter.

9. A loading and unloading chamber, characterized in that: The invention comprises a shell and a circulation device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 arranged in the shell, wherein the loading and unloading chamber can accommodate a carrying boat.

10. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: It comprises a reaction chamber and the loading and unloading chamber according to claim 9, wherein the reaction chamber is located above the loading and unloading chamber.

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