Wafer etching equipment and etching system
By setting up observation holes and camera components on the wafer etching equipment, the wafer etching process can be monitored in real time, solving the problem of being unable to obtain the status during the dry etching process, and improving fault detection efficiency and equipment efficiency.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202422269123.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-09-14
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-10
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-09-14
AI Technical Summary
In the semiconductor manufacturing process, the wafer status cannot be obtained in real time during the dry etching process, resulting in the inability to detect process defects or failures in a timely manner, affecting equipment efficiency.
An observation hole is set on the shell of the wafer etching equipment, and is equipped with visual components and camera components. Image data during the wafer etching process is obtained through the observation hole to achieve real-time status monitoring.
It can quickly find the cause of the fault, significantly shorten the recovery time, and improve equipment utilization efficiency.
Smart Images
Figure CN223427456U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and in particular to a wafer etching device and an etching system. Background Art
[0002] During the dry etching process in the semiconductor manufacturing process, a wafer is usually placed in a process chamber with a closed space, and when the etching process is completed, the wafer is taken out of the process chamber.
[0003] During the dry etching process, process defects or other failures (such as abnormal transmission and wafer fragments) may occur in the process chamber. These problems are discovered after the etching process is completed, making it impossible to reproduce the true cause of the above problems.
[0004] In this context, how to provide a technical solution to obtain the status of the wafer during the process in real time has become a technical problem that technical personnel in this field urgently need to solve. Utility Model Content
[0005] In view of this, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a wafer etching device and an etching system, which can obtain the status of the wafer during the process in real time.
[0006] The wafer etching equipment in the embodiment of the present disclosure includes:
[0007] A housing having a chamber, wherein the housing is provided with an observation hole communicating with the chamber;
[0008] A carrier platform disposed in the chamber and carrying the wafer;
[0009] a visual component disposed at a first position of the observation hole and sealingly cooperating with an inner wall of the observation hole;
[0010] A camera component is provided at a second position of the observation hole to obtain image data of the wafer during the etching process; wherein the second position is located on a side of the visual component away from the supporting platform.
[0011] Optionally, the housing further comprises a top wall, a side wall and a bottom wall, wherein the top wall and the bottom wall are arranged opposite to each other and connected by the side wall;
[0012] The observation hole is opened on the top wall of the shell;
[0013] or,
[0014] The observation hole is opened on the side wall of the shell, and along a direction perpendicular to the supporting platform, the height of the observation hole is higher than the height of the supporting platform.
[0015] Optionally, a plurality of grid structures are arranged at intervals on the side wall of the shell.
[0016] Optionally, the inner wall of the observation hole is provided with a limiting portion that interferes with the visual component;
[0017] The visible component is located on a side of the limiting portion away from the supporting platform.
[0018] Optionally, the limiting portion is an annular protrusion, and the annular protrusion and the observation hole form a stepped hole.
[0019] Optionally, the wafer etching equipment further includes:
[0020] A sealing member is provided between the inner wall of the observation hole and the visual member.
[0021] Optionally, the visual element comprises a convex lens.
[0022] Optionally, the visual element includes a sapphire lens.
[0023] Optionally, the camera assembly includes a fixing member passing through the housing, a connecting member connected to the fixing member, and a camera rotatably connected to the connecting member.
[0024] The wafer etching system in the embodiment of the present disclosure includes any of the wafer etching devices described above.
[0025] The wafer etching equipment provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure has an observation hole connected to a chamber provided on the housing, and a carrier platform for carrying the wafer is provided in the chamber. A visual component that seals with the inner wall of the observation hole is provided at a first position of the observation hole, and a camera assembly that obtains image data of the wafer during the etching process is provided at a second position of the observation hole. By positioning the visual component at the second position away from the carrier platform, that is, the visual component is located in the imaging light path from the camera assembly to the wafer, it is possible to obtain image data of the wafer during the etching process while improving the sealing of the chamber, that is, to obtain the status of the wafer during the process in real time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present invention 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.
[0027] Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a wafer etching device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;
[0028] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the enlarged structure corresponding to point A in the middle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] As described in the background art, during the dry etching process, it is difficult to promptly detect process defects or other failures in the process chamber. This is because:
[0030] During the dry etching process, the wafer enters the process chamber and is in a closed space. During the etching process, the etching equipment will emit light with high energy, which is very harmful to the human eye. Therefore, the operation process of the wafer cannot be directly observed by the naked eye, resulting in the inability to observe the status of the wafer during operation in real time.
[0031] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a wafer etching device, wherein an observation hole connected to a chamber is provided on a housing, and a carrier platform for carrying a wafer is provided in the chamber. A visual component that seals with the inner wall of the observation hole is provided at a first position of the observation hole, and a camera assembly that obtains image data of the wafer during the etching process is provided at a second position of the observation hole. By making the second position located on the side of the visual component away from the carrier platform, that is, the visual component is located in the imaging light path from the camera assembly to the wafer, it is possible to obtain image data of the wafer during the etching process on the basis of improving the sealing of the chamber, that is, it is possible to obtain the status of the wafer during the process in real time.
[0032] Furthermore, by adopting the above solution, the cause of the fault can be quickly found, the recovery time can be significantly shortened, and the utilization efficiency of the wafer etching equipment can be improved.
[0033] In order to enable those skilled in the art to have a clearer understanding of the technical concepts, technical principles, advantages, etc. contained in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following is a detailed introduction with reference to the accompanying drawings, through specific embodiments, and in combination with specific application scenarios.
[0034] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of a wafer etching device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the enlarged structure corresponding to point A in the middle.
[0035] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the wafer etching equipment may include:
[0036] A housing 110 having a chamber 111 , wherein the housing 110 is provided with an observation hole 112 communicating with the chamber 111 ;
[0037] A carrier 120 disposed in the chamber 111 and carrying the wafer W;
[0038] A visual component 130 disposed at a first position of the observation hole 112 and sealingly engaged with an inner wall 1121 of the observation hole 112;
[0039] The camera assembly 140 is disposed at a second position of the observation hole 112 to obtain image data of the wafer W during the etching process.
[0040] The second position is located at a side of the visual component 130 away from the carrier 120 , that is, the visual component 130 is located on an imaging optical path from the camera assembly 140 to the wafer W.
[0041] Combine Figure 1 and Figure 2 When the wafer W is placed on the carrier 120, an etching process (e.g., a dry etching process) can be performed on the wafer W. During the etching process, the camera assembly 140 can obtain image data of the wafer W during the etching process through the visual component 130. By watching the image data in real time or reviewing it, the cause of the fault can be quickly identified, facilitating immediate problem detection, improving processing efficiency, and thereby enhancing equipment utilization efficiency.
[0042] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 1 As shown, the housing 110 further has a top wall (not shown), a side wall 113 and a bottom wall (not shown), wherein the top wall and the bottom wall are arranged opposite to each other and connected by the side wall 113 .
[0043] In some optional examples, such as Figure 2 As shown, the observation hole 112 may be opened on the side wall 113 of the housing 110 , and along a direction perpendicular to the supporting platform 120 , the height of the observation hole 112 is higher than the height of the supporting platform 120 .
[0044] By making the height of the observation hole 112 higher than that of the carrier 120 , when the camera assembly 140 is installed in the observation hole 112 , the wafer W can always be located within the sampling field of view of the camera assembly 140 , thereby obtaining complete image data.
[0045] In some optional examples, the observation hole 112 is opened on the top wall of the shell 110, so that the camera component 140 can always be located above the wafer W, that is, the wafer W is always located in the sampling field of view of the camera component 140, and complete image data can be obtained.
[0046] In some examples, when the observation hole 112 is opened on the top wall of the housing 110 , the observation hole 112 can be set at any position on the top wall of the housing 110 .
[0047] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a plurality of grid structures 150 are arranged on the sidewall 113 of the shell 110. By arranging the grid structures 150, the gas can be uniformly flowed during the etching process, so as to maintain the pressure in the chamber during the process.
[0048] In some examples, the grid structure 150 can be composed of a series of micro columns or linear structures.
[0049] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, referring to Figure 2 The inner wall 1121 of the observation hole 112 is provided with a limiting portion 160 abutting against the visual part 130.
[0050] In this case, the visual part 130 can be located on the side of the limiting portion 160 away from the support table 120, that is, the limiting portion 160 is closer to the support table 120. In this way, the limiting portion 160 can prevent the visual part 130 from sliding between the inner wall 1121 of the observation hole 112, so as to better isolate the chamber 111 from the external environment, avoid the inflow of external gas into the chamber 111, and improve the etching quality.
[0051] In some optional examples, the limiting portion 160 can be an annular protrusion, and the annular protrusion and the observation hole 112 form a stepped hole.
[0052] The limiting operation in the form of the stepped hole can provide more stable support, so that the visual part can be more stably limited, and the visual part 130 is not easy to move or deform; and the stepped hole occupies less space, which can reduce the difficulty of modification of the shell 110 itself.
[0053] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the observation hole 112 is in communication with the chamber 111, and there is a risk that external gas enters the chamber 111 through the observation hole 112, while the wafer W needs to be in a sealed space during the etching process.
[0054] Therefore, the wafer etching device can further include a sealing member 170 arranged between the inner wall 1121 of the observation hole 112 and the visual part 130.
[0055] By arranging the sealing member 170, the sealing property of the chamber 111 can be improved, and the probability of inflow of external gas into the chamber 111 can be avoided or reduced, so as to improve the etching quality; and by arranging the sealing member 170, the friction between the inner wall 1121 and the visual part 130 can be increased, and the probability of deviation of the visual part 130 can be reduced.
[0056] In some examples, the sealing member 170 can include at least one of a gasket and an O-ring.
[0057] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the visual component 130 may include a convex lens. By arranging the convex lens in the optical path between the camera assembly 140 and the wafer W, the light emitted by the camera assembly 140 can be focused onto the surface of the wafer W, thereby obtaining clear image data.
[0058] In some examples, convex lenses with different parameters can be provided according to the type of the camera assembly 140 to adapt to the camera assembly 140 .
[0059] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the visual element 130 may include a sapphire lens. The sapphire lens has a high light transmittance, thereby transmitting most of the light from the wafer W to the camera assembly 140, thereby generating clearer and brighter image data.
[0060] In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the visible component may also be other light-transmitting windows, for example, at least one of a quartz window, a glass window, a polycarbonate window, and a germanium window.
[0061] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 2 As shown, the camera assembly 140 may include: a fixing member 141 passing through the shell 110 (for example, passing through the side wall 113 of the shell 110), a connecting member 142 connected to the fixing member 141, and a camera 143 rotatably connected to the connecting member 142.
[0062] By changing the relative position between the camera 143 and the connecting member 142, the light transmission path from the camera 143 to the wafer W (i.e., the viewing angle of the image captured by the camera device) can be changed, so that image data of different areas in the chamber 111 can be obtained as needed.
[0063] In some examples, the camera assembly 140 may include multiple cameras 143, and the optical paths from each camera 143 to the wafer W do not completely overlap, so that image data of multiple different areas of the chamber 111 can be obtained, which can shorten the time to find the cause of the fault.
[0064] In some examples, the camera 143 may be a camera, such as a miniature camera. In addition, when the wafer W is etched, the interior of the chamber is in a dark environment. Accordingly, the camera 143 can acquire image data of the wafer W in the dark environment.
[0065] In some optional examples, the camera 143 may be an infrared camera, or other camera capable of acquiring image data in a dark environment.
[0066] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the carrier 120 may include a platform body and an adsorption portion penetrating the platform body, wherein the platform body is used to support the wafer; the adsorption portion is used to provide adsorption force so that the wafer can be firmly adsorbed on the platform body.
[0067] In some other examples, the supporting platform may further include other components, such as a fixing bracket, a driving component (such as an air pump), etc.
[0068] In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the wafer etching setup may further include an electrostatic chuck for clamping the wafer. The electrostatic chuck may be pushed and pulled into and out of the chamber, and when the electrostatic chuck pushes the wafer into the etching chamber for etching operations, the chamber is completely sealed.
[0069] It is understandable that the above examples are merely illustrative. In actual applications, those skilled in the art can adaptively select and / or modify the wafer etching equipment provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure based on actual needs and application scenarios. For example, the number of some components in the wafer etching equipment can be changed; for example, some components in the wafer etching equipment can be replaced with equivalent components. Based on this, more implementation plans of the wafer etching equipment can be extended, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit these extended solutions.
[0070] This specification also provides a wafer etching system corresponding to the wafer etching equipment described in any of the above embodiments, which is introduced below. It should be noted that the content of the wafer etching system described below can be referenced to the content of the wafer etching equipment described above.
[0071] In a specific implementation, the wafer transfer system provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure may include:
[0072] The circular etching device described in any of the aforementioned embodiments can perform etching processing on a wafer and can obtain the status of the wafer during the process in real time.
[0073] Among them, the specific contents such as the structure, connection relationship, function, and working principle of the wafer etching equipment can be referred to the description and drawings of the relevant parts above, and will not be repeated here.
[0074] It is understood that the terms "first", "second", etc. are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined by the terms "first", "second", etc. may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. Moreover, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or to indicate importance. It is understood that the terms used in this way are interchangeable where appropriate so that the embodiments of the present disclosure described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein.
[0075] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed above, the utility model is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the utility model. Therefore, the scope of protection of the utility model should be based on the scope defined by the claims.
Claims
1. A wafer etching device, characterized in that: include: A housing having a chamber, wherein the housing is provided with an observation hole communicating with the chamber; A carrier platform disposed in the chamber and carrying the wafer; a visual component disposed at a first position of the observation hole and sealingly cooperating with an inner wall of the observation hole; a camera assembly disposed at a second position of the observation hole, for acquiring image data of the wafer during the etching process through the visual component; wherein the second position is located on a side of the visual component away from the carrier platform; The inner wall of the observation hole is provided with a limiting portion that interferes with the visual component, the visual component is located on the side of the limiting portion away from the supporting platform, and the limiting portion is an annular protrusion, and the annular protrusion and the observation hole form a stepped hole.
2. The wafer etching equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The housing further comprises a top wall, a side wall and a bottom wall, wherein the top wall and the bottom wall are arranged opposite to each other and connected by the side wall; The observation hole is opened on the top wall of the shell; or, The observation hole is opened on the side wall of the shell, and along a direction perpendicular to the supporting platform, the height of the observation hole is higher than the height of the supporting platform.
3. The wafer etching equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: A plurality of grid structures are arranged at intervals on the side wall of the shell.
4. The wafer etching equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A sealing member is provided between the inner wall of the observation hole and the visual member.
5. The wafer etching equipment according to claim 1, wherein: The visual element includes a convex lens.
6. The wafer etching equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The visual element includes a sapphire lens.
7. The wafer etching equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The camera assembly includes a fixing member penetrating the housing, a connecting member connected to the fixing member, and a camera rotatably connected to the connecting member.
8. A wafer etching system, characterized in that: The invention comprises the wafer etching equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 7.