Vacuum platform
By designing a dual-stage CVD process chamber and buffer chamber on a vacuum platform to regulate pressure, efficient transfer of wafers between different process chambers was achieved, solving the problems of low efficiency and exhaust gas pollution in existing technologies, and improving production efficiency and safety.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202422993652.1
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-04
- Publication Date
- 2025-11-11
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-12-04
AI Technical Summary
Existing vacuum platforms are inefficient during wafer transfer, and the cycle mismatch between CVD and PVD process chambers leads to frequent vacuuming and chamber switching operations, reducing production efficiency and increasing the risk of exhaust gas pollution.
Design a vacuum platform comprising a first transfer chamber, a second transfer chamber, and a buffer chamber. Employ a dual-stage CVD process chamber. Achieve efficient transfer of wafers between different process chambers by adjusting the pressure in the buffer chamber. Improve transfer efficiency and reduce exhaust gas pollution by using dual robotic arms.
It improves wafer transfer efficiency, matches the cycle times of CVD and PVD processes, reduces the risk of exhaust gas pollution, and enhances production efficiency and safety.
Smart Images
Figure CN223535207U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor equipment, specifically to a vacuum platform. Background Technology
[0002] In semiconductor manufacturing processes, some processes require performing physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) sequentially without breaking the vacuum. To facilitate these two vapor deposition processes, existing vacuum platforms are configured with multiple process chambers with different functions, each used to perform PVD and CVD processes.
[0003] Because PVD and CVD processes have different requirements for vacuum levels and ambient atmospheres, each process chamber is connected to a separate transfer chamber to isolate the different types of process chambers. Furthermore, considering that the cycle time of PVD processes is typically shorter than that of CVD processes, each PVD process chamber needs to be configured with multiple CVD process chambers to ensure cycle time matching. However, this configuration also leads to frequent wafer transfers between the various process chambers, and each transfer requires vacuuming and opening corresponding valves, which undoubtedly reduces production efficiency. Utility Model Content
[0004] To overcome this problem, this invention provides a new vacuum platform to improve wafer transfer efficiency and match the process cycle of each process cavity.
[0005] The vacuum platform, used for processing wafers, includes:
[0006] The first transfer cavity is connected to several CVD process cavities with dual processing stages.
[0007] The second transfer cavity is connected to several non-CVD process cavities;
[0008] A buffer chamber is connected between the first transmission chamber and the second transmission chamber. The buffer chamber is connected to a gas supply system and a vacuum system for regulating the pressure inside the chamber.
[0009] Furthermore, the dual processing stations are interconnected and share a single vacuum environment, allowing them to perform chemical vapor deposition simultaneously.
[0010] Furthermore, the gas supply system is connected to an inert gas source.
[0011] Furthermore, the vacuum system includes a dry mechanical vacuum pump or a molecular pump.
[0012] Furthermore, the buffer chamber is connected to the first transmission chamber via a first sealing valve, and the buffer chamber is connected to the second transmission chamber via a second sealing valve.
[0013] Furthermore, the non-CVD process chamber includes a PVD process chamber and a pretreatment chamber.
[0014] Furthermore, the number of processing stages in the CVD process chamber is 2 to 3 times the number of processing stages in the PVD process chamber.
[0015] Furthermore, the first transmission cavity is provided with a first transport device, and the second transmission cavity is provided with a second transport device.
[0016] Furthermore, the first handling device includes a robot with two robotic arms, and the second handling device includes a robot with a single robotic arm.
[0017] Furthermore, before the buffer chamber is connected to the first transmission chamber, the air supply system needs to be turned on to maintain the pressure in the buffer chamber higher than the pressure in the first transmission chamber.
[0018] Before the buffer chamber is connected to the second transmission chamber, the vacuum system needs to be turned on to keep the pressure in the buffer chamber lower than the pressure in the second transmission chamber.
[0019] Furthermore, both the first transmission cavity and the second transmission cavity are polygonal cavities, each polygonal cavity including a bottom, a top, and a sidewall connecting the bottom and the top, the sidewall being used to connect the CVD process cavity or the non-CVD process cavity.
[0020] Furthermore, the first transmission cavity and the second transmission cavity are each individually connected to a vacuum pumping device. The vacuum pumping device connected to the first transmission cavity includes a dry mechanical vacuum pump and a molecular pump, and the vacuum pumping device connected to the second transmission cavity includes a cold pump.
[0021] Furthermore, it also includes a loading locking chamber, which is connected to the second transmission chamber via a third sealing valve, and the loading locking chamber is connected to the atmosphere via a fourth sealing valve.
[0022] This utility model has the following beneficial effects:
[0023] The dual-stage CVD process chamber design improves production efficiency and allows for the configuration of multiple CVD process chambers to match the process cycle of the PVD process chambers.
[0024] The air pressure regulation in the buffer chamber reduces exhaust gas pollution and ensures the safety of the PVD process.
[0025] Equipping the CVD process chamber with dual processing stations with a robot featuring dual robotic arms improves wafer transfer efficiency. Attached Figure Description
[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a vacuum platform in the prior art;
[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the vacuum platform according to Embodiment 1 of this utility model;
[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the vacuum platform according to Embodiment 2 of this utility model. Detailed Implementation
[0029] The following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, provides a further detailed explanation of the vacuum platform proposed in this utility model. The advantages and features of this utility model will become clearer from the following description. It should be noted that the drawings are in a very simplified form and use non-precise proportions, intended only to facilitate and clearly illustrate the embodiments of this utility model. Please refer to the drawings to make the objectives, features, and advantages of this utility model more apparent and understandable. It should be understood that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc., depicted in the accompanying drawings are only for illustrative purposes and to aid those skilled in the art, and are not intended to limit the implementation conditions of this utility model. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in proportions, or adjustments to the size, without affecting the effects and objectives achieved by this utility model, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in this utility model.
[0030] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.
[0031] In wafer epitaxy, a specific vacuum environment is typically required. Both chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and physical vapor deposition (PVD) are common techniques that require the provision of the corresponding deposition material within a vacuum-sealed process chamber. The CVD process involves introducing and dissociating a process gas, which then reacts on the wafer surface to form an epitaxial layer. Exhaust gas is generated after the process. The PVD process, on the other hand, transforms the target material into a gaseous state and deposits it onto the wafer surface under high vacuum. Typically, pretreatment steps such as wafer cleaning are required before the PVD process.
[0032] To maintain a pure atmosphere in the process chambers, exhaust gases need to be removed, and the PVD process chamber needs to be isolated from the CVD process chamber. In vacuum platform design, the two process chambers are typically separated by a transfer chamber. This invention is an improvement on this type of vacuum platform, aiming to overcome the problems of low wafer processing efficiency and mismatched processing cycles between CVD and PVD processes in existing vacuum platforms. As described in the background section, the processing cycle of CVD processes is often longer than that of PVD processes. Based on existing vacuum platforms, during the sequential pretreatment, PVD processing, and CVD processing of wafers, the processing efficiency of the CVD process chamber cannot keep up with that of the PVD process chamber. This results in the PVD process chamber not being able to operate at full power and having to wait for the CVD process chamber to complete before it can start, which reduces production efficiency. Furthermore, existing CVD process chambers are single-processing platform designs, requiring frequent opening and closing operations, further slowing down production efficiency.
[0033] Please see Figure 1 This is a vacuum platform in the prior art, mainly composed of a first transfer cavity 101, a second transfer cavity 102, a buffer cavity 103, a loading and locking cavity 104, and a process cavity. The process cavity is further subdivided into a single-stage CVD process cavity 105 and a single-stage non-CVD process cavity. The non-CVD process cavity includes a PVD process cavity 106 and a pre-processing cavity 107. During wafer processing, the processing rate of the pre-processing cavity 107 and the PVD process cavity 106 is 2-3 times that of the CVD process cavity 105. To match the processing efficiency, six CVD process cavities 105 need to be matched. Since each CVD process cavity 105 requires frequent opening and closing operations, this increases the risk of exhaust gas contamination. In addition, when transferring wafers between process cavities, frequent vacuuming and purging steps are required, further reducing production efficiency.
[0034] Therefore, this invention provides a vacuum platform for performing processes such as epitaxial deposition on wafers. Please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 2The figure illustrates the structure of a vacuum platform according to Embodiment 1 of this utility model. The vacuum platform includes a first transfer chamber 201, a second transfer chamber 202, and a buffer chamber 203. The first transfer chamber 201 is connected to multiple CVD process chambers 205 with dual processing stages, and the second transfer chamber 202 is connected to multiple non-CVD process chambers. The buffer chamber 203 is connected between the first transfer chamber 201 and the second transfer chamber 202, and is connected to a gas supply system (not shown) and a vacuum system (not shown) for regulating the pressure within the chamber; these systems can operate independently. The first transfer chamber 201 is used to transfer wafers between the various CVD process chambers 205 connected to it, while the second transfer chamber 202 is used to transfer wafers between the various non-CVD process chambers connected to it. Furthermore, both the first transfer chamber 201 and the second transfer chamber 202 can transfer wafers from the buffer chamber 203. This design allows for efficient and flexible wafer transfer between different process chambers while maintaining the required vacuum environment.
[0035] Because the CVD process chamber 205 has a long processing cycle, in this embodiment, the CVD process chamber 205 is equipped with a dual processing stage to improve processing efficiency. The dual processing stages are interconnected, share a single vacuum environment, and utilize a set of process gas pipelines. They can simultaneously perform chemical vapor deposition processes and are connected to the first transfer chamber 201 via a single valve. This dual-processing stage design improves the wafer processing efficiency per unit time, reduces the frequency of valve switching, and thus lowers the risk of exhaust gas pollution.
[0036] As described above, the CVD process chamber 205 generates exhaust gas. To prevent this exhaust gas from contaminating non-CVD chambers, when the buffer chamber 203 is connected to the first transfer chamber 201, the pressure in the buffer chamber 203 must be controlled to be higher than the pressure in the first transfer chamber 201, creating a positive pressure effect relative to the first transfer chamber 201 to prevent exhaust gas from entering the buffer chamber 203. Furthermore, when the buffer chamber 203 is connected to the second transfer chamber 202, the pressure in the buffer chamber 203 must be controlled to be lower than the pressure in the second transfer chamber 202, creating a negative pressure effect relative to the second transfer chamber 202 to ensure that gas in the buffer chamber 203 does not enter the second transfer chamber 202. This design enables the safe transfer of wafers between the first transfer chamber 201 and the second transfer chamber 202.
[0037] The pressure of the buffer chamber 203 is regulated by a gas supply system and a vacuum system connected to it. The gas supply system is connected to an inert gas source and can provide an inert gas, such as argon, when the buffer chamber 203 is connected to the first transmission chamber 201 to increase the pressure of the buffer chamber 203. The vacuum system includes a dry mechanical vacuum pump or a molecular pump and can evacuate the buffer chamber 203 when it is connected to the second transmission chamber 202 to reduce the pressure of the buffer chamber 203. It should be noted that the gas supply system and the vacuum system generally do not operate simultaneously, and the buffer chamber 203 is not simultaneously connected to the first transmission chamber 201 and the second transmission chamber 202.
[0038] In certain special circumstances, the gas supply system and the vacuum system can operate simultaneously to clean the buffer chamber 203. For example, when the buffer chamber 203 is contaminated by exhaust gas, it needs to be cleaned using both the gas supply system and the vacuum system. The gas supply system and the vacuum system can be turned on simultaneously or alternately to clean the buffer chamber 203 multiple times. During cleaning, the buffer chamber 203 does not need to be connected to any of the transmission chambers.
[0039] Furthermore, the buffer chamber 203 is connected to the first transmission chamber 201 through the first sealing valve 211, and the buffer chamber 203 is connected to the second transmission chamber 202 through the second sealing valve 212.
[0040] In this first embodiment, the non-CVD process chamber includes: PVD process chamber 206 and pretreatment chamber 207.
[0041] Furthermore, both the first transmission cavity 201 and the second transmission cavity 202 are polygonal cavities, each including a bottom, a top, and a sidewall connecting the bottom and the top. The sidewall is used to connect to the CVD process cavity 205 or a non-CVD process cavity. Figure 2 As shown, the polygon is quadrilateral. Two opposite sidewalls of the second transfer cavity 202 are each connected to a PVD process cavity 206 and a pretreatment cavity 207. The bottom and top are respectively connected to a loading and locking cavity 204 and the buffer cavity 203. The bottom of the first transfer cavity 201 is connected to the buffer cavity 203, and the top and two other sidewalls are each connected to a CVD process cavity 205 with a dual processing stage. The loading and locking cavity 204 is connected to the second transfer cavity 202 via a third sealing valve 213, and the loading and locking cavity 204 is connected to the atmosphere via a fourth sealing valve 214.
[0042] Considering that the PVD process chamber contains electromagnetically controlled components, operating two processing stations simultaneously within a single PVD process chamber would cause electromagnetic interference. In this embodiment, each PVD process chamber 206 is designed as a single processing station to avoid electromagnetic interference. For example... Figure 2As shown, the CVD process chamber 205 has 6 processing stages, the PVD process chamber 206 has 2 processing stages, and the pretreatment chamber 207 also has 2 processing stages.
[0043] Furthermore, the first transmission cavity 201 is provided with a first transport device, and the second transmission cavity 202 is provided with a second transport device.
[0044] Furthermore, the first handling device includes a robot with two robotic arms, capable of simultaneously handling two wafers and placing them on two processing stages of the CVD process chamber 205 in a single handling operation to improve processing efficiency. The second handling device includes a robot with a single robotic arm, capable of handling one wafer at a time. Furthermore, the first transfer chamber 201 and the second transfer chamber 202 are each individually connected to vacuum pumping equipment. The vacuum pumping equipment connected to the first transfer chamber 201 includes a dry mechanical vacuum pump and a molecular pump, while the vacuum pumping equipment connected to the second transfer chamber 202 includes a cold pump.
[0045] It should be noted that the vacuum platform provided by this utility model does not limit the number of CVD process chambers and non-CVD process chambers connected to it, allowing users to configure different numbers of CVD and non-CVD process chambers as needed; and there are no restrictions on the specific shapes of the first and second transfer chambers. The number of CVD process chambers can be greater than 3 or any other number, and the number of PVD process chambers can also be greater than 2 or any other number.
[0046] Please see Figure 3 The figure illustrates the structure of the vacuum platform in Embodiment 2. Figure 3 As shown, the first transfer cavity 301 is a pentagonal cavity, with one side connected to the buffer cavity 303 and the other four sides connected to four dual-stage CVD process cavities 305. The second transfer cavity 302 is an octagonal cavity, with two opposite long sides used to connect the buffer cavity 303 and the loading locking cavity 304, and the other six sides used to connect to single-stage non-CVD process cavities. Optionally, three pretreatment cavities 307 and three PVD process cavities 306 can be configured.
[0047] In summary, the vacuum platform provided by this invention can match the process cycles between CVD and PVD processes, and can improve the safety of wafer transfer and avoid exhaust gas pollution. The number of processing stages in the CVD process chamber should preferably be 2 to 3 times the number of processing stages in the PVD process chamber.
[0048] Although the present invention has been described in detail through the above preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the above description should not be considered as a limitation of the present invention. Various modifications and substitutions to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the above content. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A vacuum platform for processing wafers, characterized in that, include: The first transfer cavity is connected to several CVD process cavities with dual processing stages. The second transfer cavity is connected to several non-CVD process cavities; A buffer chamber is connected between the first transmission chamber and the second transmission chamber. The buffer chamber is connected to a gas supply system and a vacuum system for regulating the pressure inside the chamber.
2. The vacuum platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The two processing stations are interconnected and share a single vacuum environment, allowing them to perform chemical vapor deposition simultaneously.
3. The vacuum platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The gas supply system is connected to an inert gas source.
4. The vacuum platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The vacuum system includes a dry mechanical vacuum pump or a molecular pump.
5. The vacuum platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The buffer chamber is connected to the first transmission chamber via a first sealing valve, and the buffer chamber is connected to the second transmission chamber via a second sealing valve.
6. The vacuum platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The non-CVD process chamber includes: PVD process chamber and pretreatment chamber.
7. The vacuum platform as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The number of processing stages in the CVD process chamber is 2 to 3 times the number of processing stages in the PVD process chamber.
8. The vacuum platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first transmission cavity is equipped with a first transport device, and the second transmission cavity is equipped with a second transport device.
9. The vacuum platform as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The first handling device includes a robot with two robotic arms, and the second handling device includes a robot with a single robotic arm.
10. The vacuum platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Before the buffer chamber is connected to the first transmission chamber, the air supply system needs to be turned on to keep the pressure in the buffer chamber higher than the pressure in the first transmission chamber. Before the buffer chamber is connected to the second transmission chamber, the vacuum system needs to be turned on to keep the pressure in the buffer chamber lower than the pressure in the second transmission chamber.
11. The vacuum platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Both the first transmission cavity and the second transmission cavity are polygonal cavities. The polygonal cavity includes a bottom, a top, and a sidewall connecting the bottom and the top. The sidewall is used to connect the CVD process cavity or the non-CVD process cavity.
12. The vacuum platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first transmission cavity and the second transmission cavity are each connected to a separate vacuum pump. The vacuum pump connected to the first transmission cavity includes a dry mechanical vacuum pump and a molecular pump, and the vacuum pump connected to the second transmission cavity includes a cold pump.
13. The vacuum platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a loading locking chamber, which is connected to the second transmission chamber via a third sealing valve, and the loading locking chamber is connected to the atmosphere via a fourth sealing valve.