Wafer rotating mechanism and process equipment of semiconductor device

By introducing a wafer rotation mechanism and a purge gas system into semiconductor device process equipment, the problems of contamination risk and film thickness uniformity in the wafer coating process are solved, and precise control of film thickness and improved concentricity are achieved.

CN223548092UActive Publication Date: 2025-11-14PIOTECH CO LTD
View PDF 0 Cites 0 Cited by

Patent Information

Application Number
CN202422698141.7
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Utility models(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-11-05
Publication Date
2025-11-14
Estimated Expiration
2034-11-05

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In existing technologies, wafers face risks of process contamination and insufficient film thickness uniformity during the coating process due to the use of external transfer units to remove them from the reaction chamber. This is especially true in stacking processes where precise control of film thickness is difficult to achieve.

Method used

A wafer rotation mechanism is employed, including a sub-cavity and a rotation support assembly. The wafer's self-rotation operation is completed within the main reaction cavity, and combined with purge gas to prevent contaminants from entering the sub-cavity, ensuring film thickness uniformity and concentricity.

Benefits of technology

It effectively avoids process contamination caused by removing the wafer from the reaction chamber, improves the uniformity of film thickness in the stacked deposition process, and achieves precise control of film thickness.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

  • Figure CN223548092U_ABST
    Figure CN223548092U_ABST
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

The utility model discloses a wafer rotating mechanism and process equipment of a semiconductor device. The wafer rotating mechanism comprises an auxiliary cavity which is located at one side of the main reaction cavity and is communicated with the main reaction cavity; the rotary bearing assembly is located in the auxiliary cavity; and a controller configured to: in response to completion of deposition of a first layer of thin film on the surface of the wafer in the main reaction chamber, jack up the wafer from the heating disc; feeding the rotary bearing assembly to the lower part of the wafer in the main reaction cavity; enabling the wafer to fall onto a rotary bearing assembly, and carrying out the rotation of the wafer; in response to completion of rotation of the wafer, the wafer is jacked up from the rotary bearing assembly; the rotary bearing assembly is moved out of the main reaction cavity; and enabling the rotated wafer to fall back to the heating disc, and carrying out the deposition of a second layer of thin film. According to the utility model, the risk of process pollution caused by the fact that the wafer is moved out of the reaction cavity by means of an external transmission unit can be avoided, and meanwhile, the uniformity of film thickness in the laminated deposition process can be improved, so that the film thickness is accurately controlled.
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductor processing, specifically to a wafer rotation mechanism and a semiconductor device process equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In semiconductor device manufacturing processes, due to the relatively thick thickness of the laminated films, the thickness range of each thin film deposited on the wafer surface needs to be strictly controlled. However, within the same reaction chamber, the positions of the spray plates for the reactive gases and the heating plates for supporting the wafer are relatively fixed. Therefore, during the deposition process, the thickest areas will remain thicker, and the thinnest areas will remain thinner.

[0003] Current common solutions typically require the use of external transfer units to remove the wafer from the reaction chamber for rotation. For example, the wafer can be removed from the reaction chamber by an external transfer unit and fed into an external rotating device for rotation, and then returned to the original reaction chamber. However, this operation of removing the wafer from the reaction chamber halfway through film deposition can easily cause particles to adhere to the wafer surface, leading to contamination of subsequent films. Another approach involves using an external rotating indexer to move and rotate the wafer between multiple reaction chambers. However, this operation requires interconnecting the multiple chambers, which can lead to contamination between them. While rotatable heating pads have been developed in the prior art, the relative position between the wafer and the heating pad remains unchanged. Therefore, the improvement in the overall film thickness uniformity of the wafer surface remains limited, failing to meet the target film thickness uniformity requirements of the stacking process.

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems in the existing technology, there is an urgent need in the field for a wafer rotation technology that can avoid the risk of process contamination caused by the wafer being moved out of the reaction chamber by the aid of an external transport unit, while also ensuring the concentricity of the thin film deposition morphology on the wafer surface, improving the uniformity of film thickness in the stacked deposition process, and thus precisely controlling the film thickness. Utility Model Content

[0005] The following provides a brief overview of one or more aspects to offer a basic understanding of them. This overview is not an exhaustive summary of all conceived aspects, nor is it intended to identify key or decisive elements of all aspects, nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed descriptions that follow.

[0006] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects in the prior art, the present invention provides a wafer rotation mechanism and a semiconductor device process equipment, which can avoid the risk of process contamination caused by the wafer being moved out of the reaction chamber by means of an external transfer unit, and at the same time can ensure the concentricity of the thin film deposition morphology on the wafer surface, improve the uniformity of film thickness in the stacked deposition process, and thus accurately control the film thickness.

[0007] Specifically, the wafer rotation mechanism provided according to the first aspect of this utility model includes: a secondary cavity located on one side of the main reaction cavity and connected to the main reaction cavity; a rotation support assembly located inside the secondary cavity; and a controller configured to: in response to the completion of a first thin film deposition on the wafer surface in the main reaction cavity, lift the wafer from the heating plate; send the rotation support assembly below the wafer in the main reaction cavity; drop the wafer onto the rotation support assembly to rotate the wafer; in response to the completion of the wafer rotation, lift the wafer from the rotation support assembly; remove the rotation support assembly from the main reaction cavity; and drop the rotated wafer back onto the heating plate for a second thin film deposition.

[0008] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this utility model, the cavity wall of the secondary cavity is provided with an air inlet. When the thin film deposition process is performed in the main reaction cavity, the air inlet continuously introduces purge gas into the secondary cavity, so that the purge gas forms an air curtain at the connection between the secondary cavity and the main reaction cavity.

[0009] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this utility model, the bottom plate of the secondary cavity is a slider structure, and the rotating support assembly is located on the slider structure. The slider structure is driven by a sliding motor on the slide table to send the rotating support assembly in the secondary cavity into or out of the main reaction cavity.

[0010] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this utility model, a bellows is provided at the connection between the secondary cavity and the main reaction cavity for dynamic sealing when the secondary cavity is close to or far from the main reaction cavity.

[0011] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this utility model, the secondary cavity includes a first sealing ring, which is located between the side wall of the secondary cavity and the slider structure, and is used to seal the end face of the side wall of the secondary cavity.

[0012] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this utility model, the rotating support assembly includes a rotary motor and a movable tray. The rotary motor is connected to the movable tray via a transmission rod and drives the movable tray to rotate via the transmission rod.

[0013] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this utility model, the rotary motor is a disc motor, which includes a stator and a rotor. The rotor is connected to the transmission rod, wherein the rotor rotates under the drive of the torque generated in the magnetic field after the stator is energized, and drives the movable tray to rotate synchronously via the transmission rod.

[0014] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this utility model, the secondary cavity includes a second sealing ring, which is located between the secondary cavity and the rotary motor, and is used to axially seal the secondary cavity.

[0015] Furthermore, the semiconductor device process equipment provided according to the second aspect of this utility model includes: a main reaction chamber with a heating plate inside, on which a wafer is supported for performing a thin film deposition process; a push pin, which is vertically mounted on the heating plate for lifting or lowering the wafer; and the wafer rotation mechanism provided in the first aspect of this utility model, which is located on one side of the main reaction chamber for performing a self-rotation operation of the wafer in the main reaction chamber after the first thin film deposition is completed on the wafer surface, in conjunction with the push pin, and lowering the rotated wafer back onto the heating plate for a second thin film deposition.

[0016] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this utility model, the process equipment for the above-mentioned semiconductor device further includes: a plurality of main reaction chambers, and a corresponding wafer rotation mechanism is provided on one side of each of the main reaction chambers for independently rotating multiple wafers in the plurality of main reaction chambers. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The above-described features and advantages of this invention can be better understood after reading the following detailed description of the embodiments of this disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components having similar related characteristics or features may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0018] Figure 1 A top view of a process apparatus for a semiconductor device according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0020] Figure 3 A side sectional view of a wafer rotation mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0021] Figure 4 It shows Figure 3 A front view of the wafer rotation mechanism shown; and

[0022] Figure 5 A flowchart of a process method for a semiconductor device according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0023] Figure label:

[0024] 100. Semiconductor device manufacturing equipment;

[0025] 110 Main reaction chamber;

[0026] 120 heating plate;

[0027] 121. Threshold pin;

[0028] 200 Wafer Rotation Mechanism;

[0029] 210 Secondary cavity;

[0030] 211 Air intake;

[0031] 220 Rotary support assembly;

[0032] 230 Corrugated Pipe;

[0033] 240 slide;

[0034] 241 Slider structure;

[0035] 242 Sliding motor;

[0036] 250 Fixed base;

[0037] 260 cable routing channel;

[0038] 310 Rotary motor;

[0039] 311 Stator;

[0040] 312 Rotor;

[0041] 320 transmission rod;

[0042] 331 First sealing ring;

[0043] 332 Second sealing ring;

[0044] 340. Movable tray. Detailed Implementation

[0045] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of this utility model. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this utility model from the content disclosed in this specification. Although the description of this utility model will be presented in conjunction with preferred embodiments, this does not mean that the features of this utility model are limited to this embodiment. On the contrary, the purpose of describing the utility model in conjunction with the embodiments is to cover other options or modifications that may be derived based on the claims of this utility model. To provide a deep understanding of this utility model, many specific details will be included in the following description. This utility model may also be implemented without using these details. Furthermore, to avoid confusion or obscuring the focus of this utility model, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0046] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0047] Furthermore, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "horizontal," and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood as the orientations shown in the relevant paragraphs and accompanying drawings. These relative terms are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply that the described device must be manufactured or operated in a specific orientation; therefore, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of this invention.

[0048] It is understood that although terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers, and / or parts, these components, regions, layers, and / or parts should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish different components, regions, layers, and / or parts. Therefore, the first component, region, layer, and / or part discussed below may be referred to as the second component, region, layer, and / or part without departing from some embodiments of this utility model.

[0049] As mentioned above, current common solutions typically require the use of external transfer units to remove the wafer from the reaction chamber for rotation. For example, the wafer can be removed from the reaction chamber by an external transfer unit and fed into an external rotating device for rotation, and then returned to the original reaction chamber. However, this operation of removing the wafer from the reaction chamber halfway through film deposition can easily cause particles to adhere to the wafer surface, leading to contamination of subsequent films. Another approach involves using an external rotating indexer to move and rotate the wafer between multiple reaction chambers. However, this operation requires interconnecting the multiple chambers, which can lead to contamination between them. While rotatable heating pads have been developed in the prior art, the relative position between the wafer and the heating pad remains unchanged. Therefore, the improvement in the overall film thickness uniformity of the wafer surface remains limited, failing to meet the target film thickness uniformity requirements of the stacking process.

[0050] To address the aforementioned problems in the prior art, this invention provides a wafer rotation mechanism and a semiconductor device process equipment, which can avoid the risk of process contamination caused by the wafer being moved out of the reaction chamber by the aid of an external transfer unit, and at the same time improve the uniformity of film thickness in the stacked deposition process, thereby enabling precise control of film thickness.

[0051] In some non-limiting embodiments, the wafer rotation mechanism provided in the first aspect of the present invention can be configured in the process equipment of the semiconductor device provided in the second aspect of the present invention.

[0052] The working principle of the wafer rotation mechanism described above will be described below with reference to embodiments of semiconductor device process equipment. Those skilled in the art will understand that these embodiments of semiconductor device process equipment are merely non-limiting implementations provided by this invention, intended to clearly demonstrate the main concept of this invention and provide specific solutions convenient for public implementation, rather than limiting all operating methods or functions of such wafer rotation mechanisms. Similarly, this wafer rotation mechanism is also only one non-limiting implementation provided by this invention and does not constitute a limitation on the configuration objects in these semiconductor device process equipment.

[0053] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 A top view of a process apparatus for a semiconductor device according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0054] like Figure 1As shown, in some embodiments of this utility model, the semiconductor device process equipment 100 may include a main reaction chamber 110 and a wafer rotation mechanism 200. The main reaction chamber 110 may have a heating plate 120 inside, on which a wafer is supported for thin film deposition. Further, multiple ejector pins 121 are movably mounted on the heating plate 120 to assist in wafer transfer operations by a robotic arm, including lifting or lowering the wafer. The wafer rotation mechanism 200 may be located on one side of the main reaction chamber 110. After the first thin film deposition is completed on the wafer surface within the main reaction chamber 110, it works with the ejector pins 121 to rotate the wafer within the main reaction chamber 110 and lower the rotated wafer back onto the heating plate 120 for the second thin film deposition.

[0055] like Figure 1 As shown, in some preferred embodiments, the semiconductor device process equipment 100 may further include multiple main reaction chambers 110. Each main reaction chamber 110 may have a corresponding wafer rotation mechanism 200 on its sidewall, which can be used to independently rotate multiple wafers within the multiple main reaction chambers 110. That is, in the embodiments provided by this utility model, independent wafer rotation functions for single-chamber, two-chamber, or even multi-chamber equipment can be realized, which not only reduces the particle size of the deposited thin film on the wafer surface and improves the wafer particle size (PA) performance, but also increases the wafer per hour (WPH) output of the semiconductor device process equipment 100.

[0056] Specifically, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a process apparatus for a semiconductor device according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0057] like Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments of this invention, the wafer rotation mechanism 200 can be fixed to the side wall of the corresponding main reaction chamber 110 via a fixing base 250. The wafer rotation mechanism 200 mainly includes a sub-cavity 210, a rotation support assembly 220, and a controller. The sub-cavity 210 can be located on one side of the main reaction chamber 110 and communicate with the main reaction chamber 110. The rotation support assembly 220 can be located inside the sub-cavity 210.

[0058] The controller can be configured to: First, in response to the completion of the first thin film deposition on the wafer surface within the main reaction chamber 110, the wafer can be lifted from the heating plate 120 using the ejector pin 121. Then, the controller can insert the rotating support assembly 220 below the wafer within the main reaction chamber 110. Next, the controller can control the wafer to fall onto the rotating support assembly 220 for wafer rotation. Then, in response to the wafer completing its rotation, the controller can control the ejector pin 121 to rise, lifting the wafer from the rotating support assembly 220. Then, the controller can remove the rotating support assembly 220 from the main reaction chamber 110. Finally, the controller can control the ejector pin 121 to fall again, dropping the rotated wafer back onto the heating plate 120 for the second thin film deposition.

[0059] like Figure 2 As shown, preferably, the cavity wall of the secondary cavity 210 can be provided with an air inlet 211 to realize the bellows purge function. Specifically, the air inlet 211 can continuously introduce purge gas into the secondary cavity 210 during the thin film deposition process in the main reaction cavity 110. Optionally, the purge gas can be an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon, which forms a gas curtain in the vacuum area at the connection between the secondary cavity 210 and the main reaction cavity 110, thereby preventing the reaction gas and deposited reactants in the main reaction cavity 110 from entering the secondary cavity 210, causing the accumulation of particles inside the secondary cavity 210 during the deposition process.

[0060] Furthermore, the gas switch connected to the inlet 211 for implementing the down-purge function is typically in a normally open state. The flow rate of the purge gas can be adjusted based on actual test results, for example, it can range from 100 to 1000 sccm, as long as the flow rate does not affect the uniformity of the flow field of the reaction gas within the main reaction chamber 110. When wafer spin-off is required within the main reaction chamber 110, i.e., when the secondary chamber 210 is close to the main reaction chamber 110, the gas switch connected to the inlet 211 is closed, stopping the purge gas supply to avoid affecting the flow field of the reaction gas used in the thin film deposition process within the main reaction chamber 110.

[0061] Please continue as follows Figure 2As shown, in some optional embodiments, in order to move the rotary support assembly 220 in the sub-cavity 210 into or out of the main reaction chamber 110, the base plate of the sub-cavity 210 can optionally be a slider structure 241, and the rotary support assembly 220 can be located on the slider structure 241. The slider structure 241 can be driven by a sliding motor 242 on a slide table 240 to move the rotary support assembly 220 in the sub-cavity 210 into or out of the main reaction chamber 110. In other embodiments, other movable mechanisms can also be used to move the rotary support assembly 220 in the sub-cavity 210 to move it into or out of the main reaction chamber 110.

[0062] In some alternative embodiments, the secondary cavity 210 as a whole can be considered as a movable body. For example... Figure 2 As shown, in order to achieve the translational movement of the sub-cavity 210 relative to the main reaction cavity 110, a bellows 230 can be provided at the vacuum connection between the sub-cavity 210 and the main reaction cavity 110 for dynamic sealing when the sub-cavity 210 approaches or moves away from the main reaction cavity 110.

[0063] Further, please see Figure 3 , Figure 3 A side sectional view of a wafer rotation mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0064] like Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments, the interior of the secondary cavity 210 may include a first sealing ring 331. The first sealing ring 331 may be located between the side wall of the secondary cavity 210 and the slider structure 241, for end face sealing of the side wall of the secondary cavity 210, so that the sealing surfaces can still fit tightly even when there is slight relative sliding between the side wall and the bottom of the secondary cavity 210.

[0065] Combination Figure 2 and Figure 3 Referring to the sub-cavity 210, the rotating support assembly 220 may include a rotary motor 310 and a movable tray 340, wherein the rotary motor 310 can serve as the rotational power source for the movable tray 340. The rotary motor 310 can be connected to the movable tray 340 via a transmission rod 320, and drives the movable tray 340 to rotate via the transmission rod 320. Optionally, the transmission rod 320 may be a four-bar linkage or a gear and rack transmission structure.

[0066] Furthermore, a wiring channel 260 can be reserved below the side wall of the secondary cavity 210 to facilitate wiring and routing of the internal rotary motor 310, etc.

[0067] Further, optionally, please see Figure 4 , Figure 4 It shows Figure 3 A front view of the wafer rotation mechanism shown.

[0068] like Figure 4 As shown, the rotary motor 310 can be a disc motor, which has advantages such as simple structure, small size, and high power density. The disc motor can include a stator 311 and a rotor 312, and is connected to the aforementioned transmission rod 320 via the rotor 312. The working principle of the disc motor is mainly based on the rotor 312, the stator 311, the magnetic field, and the current.

[0069] Combination Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, specifically, the rotor 312 of the disc motor typically consists of a circular magnet with two electrodes on either side. A magnetic field is generated on these electrodes by a current, causing the magnet on the rotor 312 to experience a torque. The stator 311 consists of a coil and a magnet. The coil is fixed to the bottom of the secondary cavity 210, while the magnet of the stator 311 can be fixed inside the rotor 312. When current flows through the coil, the generated magnetic field interacts with the magnet on the rotor 312, generating a torque that drives the rotor 312 to rotate. As the rotor 312 rotates, the transmission rod 320 connected to the rotor 312 can drive the movable tray 340 to rotate synchronously. Furthermore, the disc motor 310, acting as a rotary motor, can also control the speed and direction of the rotor 312 by changing the magnitude and direction of the current, thereby adjusting the speed and direction of the movable tray 340 and indirectly achieving precise rotation of the wafer supported by the movable tray 340.

[0070] Furthermore, such as Figure 3 As shown, in an embodiment of this utility model, the diameter of the movable tray 340 is preferably smaller than the distance between adjacent ejector pins 121 on the heating plate 120, so that the movable tray 340 can smoothly extend into the underside of the wafer through the distance between two adjacent ejector pins 121 and move out from the underside of the wafer.

[0071] Continue as Figure 3 As shown, to further ensure the airtightness of the chamber within the secondary cavity 210 under rotating application environments, a second sealing ring 332 can be installed inside the secondary cavity 210. The second sealing ring 332 can be located between the secondary cavity 210 and the rotary motor 310, and is used to provide axial sealing for the secondary cavity 210.

[0072] Next, please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a semiconductor device manufacturing process according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. The wafer rotation mechanism 200 and the semiconductor device manufacturing equipment 100 will be further described below in conjunction with some semiconductor device manufacturing processes.

[0073] like Figure 5 As shown, in some embodiments of this utility model, the process method for a semiconductor device may include the following steps. First, step S510 may be performed: in response to the completion of the first thin film deposition on the wafer surface in the main reaction chamber of the semiconductor device process equipment, the wafer is lifted off the heating plate.

[0074] Specifically, combined Figure 2 In some embodiments of this invention, wafers are placed on a heating plate 120 within the main reaction chamber 110 of the semiconductor device process 100 for thin film deposition. During the thin film deposition process in the main reaction chamber 110, the switch for the purge gas connected to the inlet 211 is normally open, allowing purge gas to be continuously introduced into the secondary chamber 210 through the inlet 211. Optionally, the purge gas can be an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon, which forms a gas curtain in the vacuum area at the connection between the secondary chamber 210 and the main reaction chamber 110, thereby preventing reactant gases and deposited reactants from entering the secondary chamber 210 and causing the accumulation of particles inside the secondary chamber 210 during the deposition process.

[0075] After the first thin film deposition is completed on the wafer surface, the purge gas switch connected to the air inlet 211 can be closed to stop the purge gas from entering, in order to avoid affecting the gas flow field of the reaction gas in the main reaction chamber 110 for the thin film deposition process. At this time, the controller can control the multiple ejector pins 121 on the heating plate 120 to rise, so as to lift the wafer off the heating plate 120.

[0076] Then, step S520 can be performed: the rotating support assembly is placed below the wafer in the main reaction chamber.

[0077] Specifically, combined Figure 2 It is understood that the controller can control the sliding motor 242 to drive the slider structure 241 at the bottom of the sub-cavity 210 to slide on the slide table 240 toward the main reaction cavity 110, so that the movable tray 340 in the rotating support assembly 220 above the slider structure 241 can be sent into the lower part of the wafer in the main reaction cavity 110 through the gap between two adjacent ejector pins 121.

[0078] Then, step S530 can be performed: the wafer is dropped onto the rotating support assembly and the wafer is rotated.

[0079] Specifically, combined Figure 2 and Figure 3It is understood that the controller can control the descent of each ejector pin 121 to allow the wafer to fall onto the movable tray 340 of the rotating support assembly 220 within the main reaction chamber 110. Subsequently, the controller can control the rotation of the rotary motor 310, thereby driving the movable tray 340 to rotate via the transmission rod 320 connected to it. In some alternative embodiments, the rotary motor 310 can be a disc motor, which may include a stator 311 and a rotor 312, with the rotor 312 connected to the transmission rod 320. The rotor 312 can rotate under the torque generated in the magnetic field after the stator 311 is energized, and synchronously rotate the movable tray 340 via the transmission rod 320. At this time, the wafer falling onto the movable tray 340 can rotate within the main reaction chamber 110 via the movable tray 340.

[0080] Furthermore, the disc motor 310, which is a rotary motor, can also control the speed and direction of the rotor 312 by changing the magnitude and direction of the current, so as to adjust the speed and direction of the movable tray 340, thereby indirectly realizing the precise rotation of the wafer supported by the movable tray 340.

[0081] Then, step S540 can be performed: in response to the wafer completing its rotation, the wafer is lifted off the rotating support assembly.

[0082] Specifically, combined Figure 2 and Figure 3 It is understood that after the wafer in the main reaction chamber 110 has completed its rotation on the movable tray 340, the controller can again control the multiple ejector pins 121 on the heating plate 120 to lift the wafer off the movable tray 340.

[0083] Then, step S550 can be performed: remove the rotating support assembly from the main reaction chamber.

[0084] Specifically, combined Figure 2 and Figure 3 It is understood that the controller can again control the sliding motor 242 to drive the slider structure 241 at the bottom of the secondary cavity 210 to slide out of the slide table 240 in a direction away from the main reaction cavity 110, while the movable tray 340 in the rotating support assembly 220 above the slider structure 241 can be moved out of the main reaction cavity 110 through the gap between two adjacent ejector pins 121.

[0085] Finally, step S560 can be performed: the rotated wafer is dropped back onto the heating plate for the second thin film deposition.

[0086] Specifically, please continue to combine Figure 2 and Figure 3It is understood that the controller can control the descent of each ejector pin 121 so that the wafer falls back onto the heating plate 120 in the main reaction chamber 110 for the deposition of the second thin film. At this time, the switch for the purge gas connected to the inlet 211 can remain in the normally open state, so as to continuously introduce purge gas into the sub-chamber 210 through the inlet 211, thereby forming a gas curtain in the vacuum area at the connection between the sub-chamber 210 and the main reaction chamber 110. This prevents the reaction gas and deposited reactants in the main reaction chamber 110 from entering the sub-chamber 210, which would cause the accumulation of particles inside the sub-chamber 210 during the deposition process.

[0087] For example, in a main reaction chamber 110 of a semiconductor device process equipment 100, a stacking deposition process of 125 thin films needs to be performed. The single rotation angle of the movable tray 340 can be preset in the controller, for example, the single rotation angle can be 120°. Then, through the semiconductor device process method including steps S510 to S560 described above, the stacking process is performed in the semiconductor device process equipment 100, so that the wafer can be self-rotated in the main reaction chamber 110. This solves the problem of high wafer surface film thickness parameters and difficulty in precise control in the current stacking process, and at the same time, it does not generate additional particulate contamination due to the wafer being moved out of the main reaction chamber 110 and rotating.

[0088] Although the methods described above are illustrated and depicted as a series of actions for the sake of simplicity, it should be understood and appreciated that these methods are not limited by the order of the actions, as some actions may occur in a different order and / or concurrently with other actions from the illustrations and descriptions herein or not illustrated and described herein but which may be understood by those skilled in the art, according to one or more embodiments.

[0089] In summary, this utility model provides a wafer rotation mechanism and a semiconductor device process equipment, which can avoid the risk of process contamination caused by the wafer being moved out of the reaction chamber by the aid of an external transfer unit. At the same time, it can also ensure the concentricity of the thin film deposition morphology on the wafer surface, improve the uniformity of film thickness in the stacked deposition process, and thus accurately control the film thickness.

[0090] The prior description of this disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Various modifications to this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A wafer rotation mechanism, characterized in that, include: The secondary cavity is located on one side of the main reaction cavity and is connected to the main reaction cavity; A rotating support assembly is located inside the secondary cavity; as well as The controller is configured to lift the wafer off the heating plate in response to the completion of the first thin film deposition on the wafer surface within the main reaction chamber; The rotating support assembly is placed below the wafer within the main reaction chamber; the wafer is then lowered onto the rotating support assembly for wafer rotation. In response to the completion of the wafer rotation, the wafer is lifted from the rotating support assembly; the rotating support assembly is removed from the main reaction chamber; and the rotated wafer is dropped back onto the heating plate for the deposition of the second thin film.

2. The wafer rotation mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The wall of the secondary cavity is provided with an air inlet. When the thin film deposition process is carried out in the main reaction cavity, the air inlet continuously introduces purge gas into the secondary cavity, so that the purge gas forms an air curtain at the connection between the secondary cavity and the main reaction cavity.

3. The wafer rotation mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The base plate of the sub-cavity is a slider structure, and the rotating support assembly is located on the slider structure. The slider structure is driven by a sliding motor on the slide table, which drives the rotating support assembly in the sub-cavity to be sent into or moved out of the main reaction cavity.

4. The wafer rotation mechanism as described in claim 3, characterized in that, A bellows is provided at the connection between the secondary cavity and the main reaction cavity to provide dynamic sealing when the secondary cavity is close to or far from the main reaction cavity.

5. The wafer rotation mechanism as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The secondary cavity includes a first sealing ring, which is located between the side wall of the secondary cavity and the slider structure, and is used to seal the end face of the side wall of the secondary cavity.

6. The wafer rotation mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating support assembly includes a rotary motor and a movable tray. The rotary motor is connected to the movable tray via a transmission rod and drives the movable tray to rotate via the transmission rod.

7. The wafer rotation mechanism as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The rotary motor is a disc motor, which includes a stator and a rotor. The rotor is connected to the transmission rod. The rotor rotates under the drive of the torque generated in the magnetic field after the stator is energized, and drives the movable tray to rotate synchronously via the transmission rod.

8. The wafer rotation mechanism as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The secondary cavity includes a second sealing ring, which is located between the secondary cavity and the rotary motor, and is used to axially seal the secondary cavity.

9. A semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that, include: The main reaction chamber contains a heating plate that holds the wafer for thin film deposition. A push pin is vertically mounted on the heating plate to lift or lower the wafer. as well as The wafer rotation mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 8 is disposed on one side of the main reaction chamber and is used to complete the self-rotation operation of the wafer in the main reaction chamber after the first thin film deposition is completed on the wafer surface, in conjunction with the ejector pin, and to drop the rotated wafer back onto the heating plate for the second thin film deposition.

10. The process equipment as described in claim 9, characterized in that, Also includes: Multiple main reaction chambers are provided, and a corresponding wafer rotation mechanism is provided on one side of each main reaction chamber for independently rotating multiple wafers in the multiple main reaction chambers.