Edge bearing ring of annealing furnace
By designing a truncated cone-shaped through hole and a ball structure on the edge support ring of the annealing furnace, the problem of wafer position deviation during the annealing process was solved, and the normal removal of the wafer by the robot was achieved, and the machine utilization rate was improved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202422766715.X
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-13
- Publication Date
- 2025-09-26
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-11-13
AI Technical Summary
During the annealing process, the wafer warps and deforms, causing positional displacement and wafer shifting, which affects the robot's removal and leads to a decrease in the machine's utilization rate.
An edge supporting ring of an annealing furnace is designed, which includes a truncated cone-shaped through hole, a cylindrical through hole and a bottom through hole. Multiple balls are arranged on the side of the through hole. The balls are used to guide and support the wafer to ensure that it maintains a stable position during the annealing process.
The guiding effect of the ball prevents the wafer from shifting, ensuring that the robot can remove the wafer normally, improving the machine utilization rate and avoiding manual intervention.
Smart Images
Figure CN223390528U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of annealing furnaces, in particular to an edge bearing ring of an annealing furnace. Background Art
[0002] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, during the semiconductor manufacturing process, an annealing furnace is required to anneal the wafer 21 to improve the stress and performance of the product. The annealing furnace includes a chamber, an edge support ring 20 (edge ring), a drive mechanism, and a heating mechanism. The edge support ring 20, the drive mechanism, and the heating mechanism are arranged in the chamber. The drive mechanism is connected to the edge support ring 20. The drive mechanism is used to drive the edge support ring 20 to rotate. The edge support ring 20 is used to support the wafer 21 and rotate with the wafer 21. The heating mechanism is used to heat the wafer 21. When the wafer 21 needs to be annealed, the chamber is opened and the robot places the wafer 21 on the edge support ring 20. Then, the chamber is closed, the heating mechanism heats the wafer 21, and the edge support ring 20 rotates with the wafer 21 so that the wafer 21 is heated evenly. After heating for a period of time, the heating is stopped. After the wafer 21 cools to room temperature, the chamber is opened and the robot removes the wafer 21 from the chamber.
[0003] However, the wafer 21 will warp during the heating process and return to its original shape during the cooling process. The shape change of the wafer 21 will cause the position of the wafer on the edge carrier ring 20 to shift, that is, the wafer shift phenomenon occurs. Figure 2 As shown, if the position of the wafer 21 on the edge support ring 20 is offset too much, one side of the wafer 21 will move to the step on the edge of the edge support ring 20, and the wafer 21 will be tilted relative to the horizontal plane. This will cause the robot arm to be unable to remove the wafer 21 from the cavity normally, and the robot arm may break the wafer 21. At this time, it is necessary to stop the machine and manually remove the wafer 21, affecting the utilization rate of the machine. Utility Model Content
[0004] The utility model provides an edge supporting ring of an annealing furnace, which solves the technical problem that the position of a wafer on the edge supporting ring is offset during the annealing process of the wafer.
[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the utility model provides an edge supporting ring of an annealing furnace, comprising a main body, wherein the main body is provided with a truncated cone through hole, a cylindrical through hole and a bottom through hole that are interconnected from top to bottom; a plurality of balls are provided on the side of the truncated cone through hole, and the diameter of the upper surface of the truncated cone through hole is greater than the diameter of the lower surface; the diameter of the lower surface of the truncated cone through hole is equal to the diameter of the cylindrical through hole; the area of the lower surface of the cylindrical through hole is greater than the area of the upper surface of the bottom through hole.
[0006] Preferably, a plurality of rows of balls are provided on the side surface of the truncated cone-shaped through hole along its own generatrix direction, and each row of balls includes two or more balls.
[0007] Preferably, the number of balls in each row of balls, the diameter of the balls and the spacing between adjacent balls are respectively equal.
[0008] Preferably, multiple rows of balls are distributed on the side surface of the truncated cone-shaped through hole in an alternating manner of high and low.
[0009] Preferably, the diameter of the balls is 1.5 mm to 2.5 mm, and the distance between two adjacent balls in each row of balls is 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm.
[0010] Preferably, the angle a between the lower surface and the side surface of the truncated cone-shaped through hole satisfies 105°<a<145°.
[0011] Preferably, the contour line of the upper surface of the truncated cone-shaped through hole is the outer contour line of the upper surface of the body.
[0012] Preferably, the bottom through hole is cylindrical in shape.
[0013] Preferably, the bottom through hole and the cylindrical through hole are coaxially arranged.
[0014] Preferably, the cross-section of the outer contour of the body is circular.
[0015] The utility model provides an edge supporting ring of an annealing furnace, comprising a truncated cone-shaped through hole, a cylindrical through hole and a bottom through hole, and a plurality of balls are provided on the side of the truncated cone-shaped through hole. When a wafer needs to be annealed, the wafer can be placed on the platform where the lower surface of the cylindrical through hole is located. When the wafer shifts during the annealing process, if one side of the wafer moves onto the balls, the wafer will slide to the platform where the lower surface of the cylindrical through hole is located due to the weight of the wafer and the rolling action of the balls. The unexpected effect of the edge supporting ring is that it can allow the wafer to return to the platform where the lower surface of the cylindrical through hole is located after annealing, so that the robot can normally remove the wafer from the cavity of the annealing furnace, the robot will not pinch the wafer, and there is no need to stop the machine to manually remove the wafer, thereby improving the utilization rate of the machine. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] Figure 1 It is a longitudinal cross-sectional diagram of a wafer placed on an edge carrier ring in the prior art.
[0017] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram showing the position of the wafer on the edge carrier ring being offset.
[0018] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Corresponding top view diagram.
[0019] Figure 4 It is a longitudinal cross-sectional schematic diagram of an edge bearing ring provided by one embodiment of the present utility model.
[0020] Figure 5 The wafer is placed Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure after the edge bearing ring.
[0021] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Schematic diagram showing the position of the wafer on the edge carrier ring being offset.
[0022] Figure 7 yes Figure 5 Corresponding top view diagram.
[0023] Figure 8 A schematic structural diagram of a truncated cone-shaped through hole of an edge bearing ring provided by an embodiment of the present invention after side expansion.
[0024] [The following are the descriptions of the reference numerals]:
[0025] Figures 1 to 3 : Edge carrier ring-20, wafer-21;
[0026] Figures 4 to 8 : Body-1, Wafer-21;
[0027] Frustum-shaped through hole-11, cylindrical through hole-12, bottom through hole-13, ball-14. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] To further clarify the objectives, advantages, and features of the present invention, the following describes in further detail an edge support ring for an annealing furnace according to the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the drawings are highly simplified and not to exact scale, and are intended solely to facilitate and clearly illustrate the objectives of the present invention.
[0029] In the description of this utility model, the terms "first," "second," and other qualifiers are added for convenience of description and reference and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, features qualified with qualifiers such as "first," "second," and the like may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features.
[0030] like Figures 4 to 7As shown, this embodiment provides an edge supporting ring for an annealing furnace, comprising a main body 1, wherein the main body 1 is provided with a truncated cone-shaped through hole 11, a cylindrical through hole 12 and a bottom through hole 13 which are interconnected from top to bottom; a plurality of balls 14 are provided on the side surface of the truncated cone-shaped through hole 11, and the diameter of the upper surface of the truncated cone-shaped through hole 11 is greater than the diameter of the lower surface; the diameter of the lower surface of the truncated cone-shaped through hole 11 is equal to the diameter of the cylindrical through hole 12; the area of the lower surface of the cylindrical through hole 12 is greater than the area of the upper surface of the bottom through hole 13.
[0031] The present embodiment provides an edge support ring for an annealing furnace, comprising a truncated cone-shaped through hole 11, a cylindrical through hole 12, and a bottom through hole 13. A plurality of balls 14 are provided on the side of the truncated cone-shaped through hole 11. When a wafer 21 needs to be annealed, the wafer 21 can be placed on a platform where the lower surface of the cylindrical through hole 12 is located. When the wafer 21 shifts during the annealing process, if one side of the wafer 21 moves onto the balls 14, the wafer 21 will slide down to the platform where the lower surface of the cylindrical through hole 12 is located due to the weight of the wafer 21 and the rolling action of the balls 14. The edge support ring has the unexpected effect of allowing the wafer 21 to return to the platform where the lower surface of the cylindrical through hole 12 is located after annealing. This allows the robot to normally remove the wafer 21 from the cavity of the annealing furnace without the robot pinching the wafer 21. There is no need to stop the machine to manually remove the wafer 21, thereby improving the machine's utilization rate.
[0032] Preferably, Figure 5 and Figure 8 As shown, a plurality of rows of balls 14 are provided on the side of the truncated cone through hole 11 along its own busbar direction, and each row of balls includes two or more balls 14. The number of rows and the total number of balls 14 can be determined according to the actual size of the cone, and the balls 14 need to be spaced as much as possible on the side of the truncated cone through hole 11 to prevent the wafer 21 from being stuck between the balls 14. The balls 14 can be designed and manufactured with reference to the balls of a ballpoint pen. In other embodiments, the balls 14 may not be distributed in regular rows, and the balls 14 may be irregularly distributed on the side of the truncated cone through hole 11.
[0033] Preferably, Figure 5 and Figure 8 As shown, the number of balls 14 in each row, the diameter of the balls 14, and the spacing between adjacent balls 14 are equal, which facilitates the design and manufacture of the edge bearing ring. In other embodiments, the number of balls 14 in each row, the diameter of the balls 14, and the spacing between adjacent balls 14 may be unequal.
[0034] Preferably, Figure 5 and Figure 8As shown, multiple rows of balls are distributed on the side of the truncated cone-shaped through hole 11 in an alternating manner of high and low, so that the wafer 21 can slide more smoothly onto the platform where the lower surface of the cylindrical through hole 12 is located, preventing the wafer 21 from being stuck between the balls 14.
[0035] Preferably, Figure 5 and Figure 8 As shown, the diameter of the ball 14 is 1.5mm to 2.5mm, and the spacing between two adjacent balls 14 in each row of balls is 0.8mm to 1.2mm. This allows the wafer 21 to slide more smoothly onto the platform where the lower surface of the cylindrical through hole 12 is located, preventing the wafer 21 from being stuck between the balls 14.
[0036] Preferably, Figure 5 As shown, the angle a between the lower surface and the side surface of the truncated cone-shaped through hole 11 satisfies 105°<a<145°, which allows the wafer 21 to slide more smoothly onto the platform where the lower surface of the cylindrical through hole 12 is located.
[0037] Preferably, Figure 5 As shown, the contour line of the upper surface of the truncated cone-shaped through hole 11 is the outer contour line of the upper surface of the body 1, which allows the wafer 21 to slide more smoothly onto the platform where the lower surface of the cylindrical through hole 12 is located. In other embodiments, the contour line of the upper surface of the truncated cone-shaped through hole 11 can be the inner contour line of the upper surface of the body 1.
[0038] Preferably, Figure 4 As shown, the bottom through hole 13 is cylindrical, which facilitates the design and processing of the bottom through hole 13. In other embodiments, the bottom through hole 13 may be a prismatic through hole or a columnar through hole of other shapes.
[0039] Preferably, Figure 4 As shown, the bottom through hole 13 and the cylindrical through hole 12 are coaxially arranged, which facilitates the design and processing of the bottom through hole 13 and the cylindrical through hole 12.
[0040] Preferably, Figure 4 As shown, the cross section of the outer contour of the main body 1 is circular, which facilitates the design and processing of the main body 1.
[0041] Preferably, Figure 4 As shown, the body 1 is integrally formed, which can improve the firmness of the body 1. In other embodiments, the body 1 can be formed in the prior art as Figure 1 The upper side of the edge support ring 20 is connected to a ring structure for fixing the balls 14 .
[0042] In summary, the utility model provides an edge supporting ring for an annealing furnace, comprising a truncated cone-shaped through hole 11, a cylindrical through hole 12 and a bottom through hole 13, and a plurality of balls 14 are provided on the side of the truncated cone-shaped through hole 11. When a wafer 21 needs to be annealed, the wafer 21 can be placed on a platform where the lower surface of the cylindrical through hole 12 is located. When the wafer 21 shifts during the annealing process, if one side of the wafer 21 moves onto the ball 14, the wafer 21 will slide down to the platform where the lower surface of the cylindrical through hole 12 is located due to the weight of the wafer 21 and the rolling action of the ball 14. The unexpected effect of the edge supporting ring is that it allows the wafer 21 to return to the platform where the lower surface of the cylindrical through hole 12 is located after annealing, so that the robot can normally remove the wafer 21 from the cavity of the annealing furnace, the robot will not pinch the wafer 21, and there is no need to stop the machine to manually remove the wafer 21, thereby improving the utilization rate of the machine.
[0043] The above description is only a description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Any changes or modifications made by a person skilled in the art based on the above disclosure shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.
Claims
1. An edge support ring for an annealing furnace, characterized in that: The invention comprises a main body, which is provided with a truncated cone through hole, a cylindrical through hole and a bottom through hole which are interconnected from top to bottom; a plurality of balls are provided on the side of the truncated cone through hole, the diameter of the upper surface of the truncated cone through hole is larger than the diameter of the lower surface; the diameter of the lower surface of the truncated cone through hole is equal to the diameter of the cylindrical through hole; the area of the lower surface of the cylindrical through hole is larger than the area of the upper surface of the bottom through hole.
2. The edge support ring of an annealing furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of rows of balls are arranged on the side surface of the truncated cone-shaped through hole along its own generatrix direction, and each row of balls includes two or more balls.
3. The edge support ring of an annealing furnace according to claim 2, characterized in that: The number of balls in each row, the diameter of the balls and the spacing between adjacent balls are equal.
4. The edge support ring of an annealing furnace according to claim 3, characterized in that: The plurality of rows of balls are distributed on the side surface of the truncated cone-shaped through hole in an alternating manner of high and low.
5. The edge support ring of an annealing furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The diameter of the balls is 1.5 mm to 2.5 mm, and the distance between two adjacent balls in each row of balls is 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm.
6. The edge support ring of an annealing furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that: An included angle a between the lower surface and the side surface of the truncated cone-shaped through hole satisfies 105°<a<145°.
7. The edge support ring of an annealing furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The contour line of the upper surface of the truncated cone-shaped through hole is the outer contour line of the upper surface of the body.
8. The edge support ring of an annealing furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom through hole is cylindrical in shape.
9. The edge support ring of an annealing furnace according to claim 8, characterized in that: The bottom through hole and the cylindrical through hole are coaxially arranged.
10. The edge support ring of an annealing furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross section of the outer contour of the body is circular.