Semiconductor processing apparatus

Abstract

The utility model provides a semiconductor processing device. The semiconductor processing device comprises a processing cavity, a circulating processing pipeline, a monitoring device and a purging and suction pipeline, the circulating treatment pipeline comprises a circulating driving device and a circulating loop, two ends of the circulating loop are respectively communicated with the treatment cavity, and the circulating driving device is arranged in the circulating loop and is used for driving an in-cavity medium in the treatment cavity to circulate in the circulating loop; the monitoring device is arranged in the circulation loop and is used for detecting the content of a monitored substance in the medium in the cavity; the purging and suction pipeline comprises a purging pipeline and a suction pipeline which are respectively used for providing purging gas into the treatment cavity and discharging a cavity medium in the treatment cavity from the treatment cavity. According to the utility model, the circulation loop provided with the monitoring device is used for effectively monitoring impurities such as moisture and / or oxygen content in the treatment cavity, so that the problem of substandard removal treatment caused by inaccurate monitoring of moisture and / or oxygen and the like is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor equipment technology, and in particular to a semiconductor processing device. Background Technology

[0002] In the process of forming a semiconductor material layer on a substrate surface using vapor deposition, it is necessary to strictly control the content of background impurities (such as moisture and oxygen) in the atmosphere that could affect the normal progress of the reaction, in order to ensure the proper functioning of the process and the quality of the semiconductor material layer. Therefore, during the transfer of the semiconductor device to be processed, such as a substrate-supported pedestal, to the reaction chamber, it is crucial to strictly control the entry of background impurities into the reaction chamber.

[0003] In existing technologies, for example, before transferring a semiconductor device from a transfer chamber to a reaction chamber, it is necessary to ensure that the moisture and / or oxygen content in the transfer chamber is below a certain threshold before connecting the transfer chamber; otherwise, it will adversely affect the subsequent processes in the reaction chamber. Typically, nitrogen gas is introduced into the transfer chamber to purge it to a certain set amount, then the inlet valve on that side is closed, and a vacuum pump is used to evacuate the transfer chamber. This evacuation is repeated to remove moisture and oxygen. After the moisture and oxygen removal is completed, the pressure in the transfer chamber and the reaction chamber is controlled to be consistent. Then, the valve between the transfer chamber and the reaction chamber is opened, and the substrate-loaded pedestal is transferred into or out of the reaction chamber.

[0004] However, the gas in the dead corners of the transfer chamber is not easy to be replaced. This is usually solved by increasing the amount of nitrogen used and the number of filling and pumping cycles, which results in high nitrogen consumption and low water and oxygen removal efficiency.

[0005] In addition, because the gas in the dead corners of the transmission chamber is not easily replaced, the monitoring data of moisture or oxygen is also inaccurate, which can easily lead to the problem that the water and oxygen concentrations are judged to be up to standard based on the data, but are actually not up to standard. Utility Model Content

[0006] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a semiconductor processing device for removing moisture or oxygen from a semiconductor device to be processed, thereby improving the removal efficiency and avoiding the problem of substandard removal processing caused by inaccurate monitoring of moisture or oxygen.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides a semiconductor processing apparatus, comprising:

[0008] A processing cavity for placing or transporting a semiconductor device to be processed;

[0009] The circulation treatment pipeline comprises a circulation driving device and a circulation loop, the circulation loop is communicated with the treatment cavity at both ends, and the circulation driving device is arranged in the circulation loop and used for driving the intracavity medium in the treatment cavity to circulate in the circulation loop.

[0010] The monitoring device is arranged in the circulation loop and used for detecting the content of the monitored substance in the intracavity medium to obtain corresponding content data, the monitored substance comprises at least one of moisture and oxygen.

[0011] The purge suction pipeline comprises a purge pipeline and a suction pipeline, the purge pipeline is communicated with the treatment cavity to provide purge gas into the treatment cavity, the suction pipeline is communicated with the circulation loop to discharge the intracavity medium in the treatment cavity from the treatment cavity, and the suction pipeline is arranged between the monitoring device and the circulation driving device.

[0012] Through the above technical scheme, the semiconductor treatment device provided by the utility model realizes the following technical effects:

[0013] The purge pipeline is arranged to be communicated with the treatment cavity to provide purge gas into the treatment cavity, the suction pipeline is arranged to be communicated with the circulation loop to discharge the intracavity medium in the treatment cavity from the treatment cavity, the circulation treatment pipeline comprising a circulation driving device and a circulation loop is arranged, the monitoring device is arranged in the circulation loop to detect the content of the monitored substance in the intracavity medium, the monitored substance comprises at least one of moisture and oxygen, the circulation loop is communicated with the treatment cavity at both ends, the circulation driving device is arranged in the circulation loop, the intracavity medium in the treatment cavity can be driven to flow in the circulation loop through the circulation driving device, the gas in the dead angle of the treatment cavity can also flow, the removal efficiency is improved, and the data monitored by the monitoring device can accurately reflect the moisture or oxygen concentration in the intracavity medium in the treatment cavity, thereby avoiding the problem that the removal treatment is not up to standard due to inaccurate monitoring of moisture or oxygen.

[0014] Preferably, the circulation loop is provided with a first switch device and a second switch device, the first switch device is located between the treatment cavity and the monitoring device, the second switch device is located between the treatment cavity and the circulation driving device, and the first switch device and the second switch device are used for conducting or blocking the circulation loop.

[0015] Preferably, the purge pipeline is provided with a purge source to fill the purge gas into the treatment cavity through the purge pipeline; the purge pipeline is also provided with a third switch device, the third switch device is located between the purge source and the treatment cavity, and is used for blocking or conducting the purge pipeline.

[0016] Preferably, the suction pipeline is provided with a suction device to suck the intracavity medium from the processing cavity through the suction pipeline.

[0017] The fourth switch device is further provided on the suction pipeline to block or conduct the suction pipeline.

[0018] Preferably, the circulation processing pipeline is further provided with a fifth switch device, which is arranged between the monitoring device and the circulation driving device.

[0019] The suction pipeline is arranged between the monitoring device and the circulation driving device and communicates with the circulation loop.

[0020] The suction pipeline is provided with a suction device and a fourth switch device, which is arranged between the suction device and the circulation loop to block or conduct the suction pipeline.

[0021] Preferably, the semiconductor processing device further comprises a dedoping device, which is arranged in the circulation loop between the circulation driving device and the second switch device, and the dedoping device comprises a regeneration barrel.

[0022] Preferably, the semiconductor processing device further comprises a sixth switch device arranged in the circulation loop, which is arranged between the circulation driving device and the dedoping device to conduct or block the intracavity medium into the dedoping device.

[0023] Preferably, the semiconductor processing device further comprises a branch, one end of which is arranged between the circulation driving device and the sixth switch device to communicate with the circulation loop, and the other end of which is arranged between the dedoping device and the second switch device to communicate with the circulation loop.

[0024] The seventh switch device is arranged on the branch to conduct or block the branch.

[0025] Preferably, the monitoring device comprises at least one of a water concentration detector, an oxygen concentration detector and a toxic gas detector.

[0026] Preferably, the circulation driving device comprises a circulation fan, and the processing cavity comprises a transmission bin or a glove box. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 A structural block diagram of the semiconductor processing device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 2 Another structural block diagram of the semiconductor processing device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 3The structural block diagram of the monitoring device of the embodiment of the utility model.

[0030] Reference signs:

[0031] 1 - processing cavity; 2 - circulation loop;

[0032] 3 - circulation driving device; 4 - first switch device; 5 - second switch device;

[0033] 6 - monitoring device; 61 - water concentration detector; 62 - oxygen concentration detector; 63 - toxic gas concentration detector;

[0034] 7 - purging pipeline; 71 - purging source; 72 - third switch device;

[0035] 8 - suction pipeline; 81 - suction device; 82 - fourth switch device; 83 - fifth switch device;

[0036] 9 - impurity removal device; 91 - sixth switch device;

[0037] 10 - branch; 101 - seventh switch device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the utility model more clear, the technical scheme in the embodiment of the utility model will be described clearly and completely below by combining with the drawings in the utility model. Based on the embodiment in the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by the person skilled in the art without making creative labor belong to the protection scope of the utility model. Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used herein should be the usual meaning understood by the person skilled in the art in the field to which the utility model belongs. The similar words such as "include" used in this paper mean that the elements or objects before the word cover the elements or objects listed after the word and its equivalent, and other elements or objects are not excluded. The "connection" described in this paper can be direct connection or indirect connection, that is, connection through intermediate objects, unless otherwise specified.

[0039] Please refer to Figure 1 In order to achieve the above purpose, the utility model provides a kind of semiconductor processing device, including processing cavity 1, circulation processing pipeline, monitoring device 6 and purging suction pipeline 8.

[0040] Among them, the processing cavity 1 is used to place or transport semiconductor device to be processed, for example, the base loaded with substrate.

[0041] Circulation processing pipeline includes circulation driving device 3 and circulation loop 2. Refer to Figure 1 And Figure 2The circulation loop 2 is communicated with the processing cavity 1 at both ends, and the circulation driving device 3 is arranged in the circulation loop 2 and used to drive the in-cavity medium in the processing cavity 1 to circulate in the circulation loop 2.

[0042] The monitoring device 6 is arranged in the circulation loop 2 and used to detect the content of the monitored substance in the in-cavity medium, so as to obtain corresponding content data, wherein the monitored substance includes at least one of moisture and oxygen.

[0043] In some embodiments, the circulation driving device 3 is a circulation fan, and the processing cavity 1 is a transfer chamber or a glove box.

[0044] With reference to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the purge suction pipeline 8 includes a purge pipeline 7 and a suction pipeline 8, the purge pipeline 7 is communicated with the processing cavity 1 and used to provide purge gas (for example, nitrogen) into the processing cavity 1, and the suction pipeline 8 is communicated with the processing cavity 1 and used to discharge the in-cavity medium in the processing cavity 1 from the processing cavity 1.

[0045] In the above embodiments, the purge pipeline 7 is arranged to be communicated with the processing cavity 1 and used to provide purge gas into the processing cavity 1, the suction pipeline 8 is arranged to be communicated with the processing cavity 1 or the circulation loop 2 and used to discharge the in-cavity medium in the processing cavity 1 from the processing cavity 1, and the circulation processing pipeline including the circulation driving device 3 and the circulation loop 2 is arranged, and the monitoring device 6 is arranged in the circulation loop 2 and used to detect the content of the monitored substance in the in-cavity medium, wherein the monitored substance includes at least one of moisture and oxygen. The circulation loop 2 is communicated with the processing cavity 1 at both ends, the circulation driving device 3 is arranged in the circulation loop 2, the in-cavity medium in the processing cavity 1 can be driven to flow in the circulation loop 2 by the circulation driving device 3, so that the gas in the dead angle in the processing cavity 1 can also flow, the removal efficiency is improved, and the data monitored by the monitoring device 6 can accurately reflect the moisture or oxygen concentration in the in-cavity medium in the processing cavity 1, so that the problem of substandard removal treatment caused by inaccurate monitoring of moisture or oxygen is avoided.

[0046] In some embodiments, the circulation loop 2 is provided with a first switch device 4 and a second switch device 5, the first switch device 4 is located between the processing cavity 1 and the monitoring device 6, the second switch device 5 is located between the processing cavity 1 and the circulation driving device 3, and the first switch device 4 and the second switch device 5 are used to turn on or block the circulation loop 2.

[0047] After the first switch device 4 and the second switch device 5 are opened, the circulation driving device 3 is started, the circulation of the in-cavity medium, such as the in-cavity gas, in the processing cavity 1 in the circulation loop 2 can be realized, and in particular, the circulation of the gas in the dead angle of the processing cavity 1 can be realized, so that the gas passes through the monitoring device 6, and the content of the monitored substance, such as the moisture content and the oxygen content, measured by the monitoring device 6 can truly reflect the situation in the processing cavity 1. When the moisture content and / or the oxygen content in the processing cavity 1 is found to be high through the monitoring device 6, the circulation driving device 3 is closed, the first switch device 4 and the second switch device 5 are closed, and the processing cavity 1 is subjected to the water removal and / or oxygen removal treatment through the purge pipeline 7 and the suction pipeline 8.

[0048] In some embodiments, the purge pipeline 7 is provided with a purge source 71 to fill the purge gas into the processing cavity 1 through the purge pipeline 7 to mix with the in-cavity medium in the processing cavity 1.

[0049] With reference to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the purge pipeline 7 is further provided with a third switch device 72, which is located between the purge source 71 and the processing cavity 1 and is used to block or conduct the purge pipeline 7. Specifically, the purge source is communicated with one end of the purge pipeline 7, the other end of the purge pipeline 7 is communicated with the inside of the processing cavity 1, after the third switch device 72 is opened to make the purge pipeline 7 communicated with the inside of the processing cavity 1, the purge gas is filled into the processing cavity 1 through the purge source 71 until a certain pressure is reached in the processing cavity 1, and then the third switch device 72 is closed.

[0050] In some embodiments, with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 2, the suction pipeline 8 is provided with a suction device 81 to extract the in-cavity medium from the processing cavity 1 through the suction pipeline 8; the fourth switch device 82 is further provided on the suction pipeline 8, and is located between the processing cavity 1 and the suction device 81 to block or conduct the suction pipeline 8. By providing the suction device 81 and the suction pipeline 8, the in-cavity medium containing impurity gas in the processing cavity can be conveniently extracted to be replaced by pure purge gas. Specifically, the suction pipeline 8 is connected to the circulation loop 2 to discharge the in-cavity medium in the processing cavity 1 from the processing cavity 1. The suction pipeline 8 is provided between the monitoring device 6 and the circulation driving device 3 and is connected to the circulation loop 2; the suction pipeline 8 is provided with the suction device 81 and the fourth switch device 82, and the fourth switch device 82 is located between the suction device 81 and the circulation loop 2 to block or conduct the suction pipeline 8. By providing the suction pipeline 8 between the monitoring device 6 and the circulation driving device 3, the suction pipeline 8 and the circulation loop 2 can share the monitoring device 6, and thus the monitoring device 6 can detect the content of impurity gas in the in-cavity medium extracted from the processing cavity when the suction device 81 works. More specifically, one end of the suction pipeline 8 is connected to the suction device 81, and the other end is connected to the pipeline between the monitoring device 6 and the circulation driving device 3. After the first switch device 4 and the second switch device 5 are closed, a certain amount of purge gas is provided to the processing cavity 1 through the purge pipeline 7, the third switch device 72 is closed, then the first switch device 4 and the fourth switch device 82 are opened, and the in-cavity medium in the processing cavity 1 is extracted through the first switch device 4, the monitoring device 6 and the fourth switch device 82 by the suction device 81, and the purge gas entrains the gas containing water or oxygen in the processing cavity 1 to be discharged.

[0051] In some specific embodiments, the suction device 81 is a vacuum pump.

[0052] In some embodiments, the circulation processing pipeline is further provided with a fifth switch device 83. Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the fifth switch device 83 is arranged between the monitoring device 6 and the circulation driving device 3 to block the gas transmission between the monitoring device 6 and the circulation driving device 3, and thus the in-cavity medium in the processing cavity 1 can be conveniently extracted by the suction device 81 through the suction pipeline 8, and the effect of extracting the in-cavity medium in the processing cavity 1 by the suction device 81 can be avoided due to the start or operation of the circulation driving device 3.

[0053] Please refer to Figure 3In another embodiment of this application, the semiconductor processing apparatus further includes a cleanup device 9; the cleanup device 9 is disposed in the circulation loop 2, located between the circulation drive device 3 and the second switching device 5. By utilizing the cleanup device 9 disposed in the circulation loop 2, at least some impurities can be removed while the medium inside the processing chamber 1 circulates through the circulation loop 2 to pass through the monitoring device 6. This reduces the burden on subsequent dehydration and / or deoxygenation treatment of the processing chamber 1 via the purge line 7 and the suction line 8, thereby improving processing efficiency.

[0054] In some specific embodiments, the impurity removal device 9 includes a regeneration tank to remove at least a portion of the moisture and / or oxygen from the cavity medium. In some embodiments, the impurity removal device 9 may also be a device for filtering particulate matter from the cavity medium. In some embodiments, the impurity removal device 9 may be used to remove or adsorb toxic or harmful substances from the cavity medium.

[0055] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 2 The circulation loop 2 is provided with a sixth switching device 91, which is located between the circulation drive device 3 and the impurity removal device 9, and is used to conduct or block the medium in the cavity from entering the impurity removal device 9. Further, the circulation loop 2 also includes a branch 10, one end of which is located between the circulation drive device 3 and the sixth switching device 91 to connect the circulation loop 2, and the other end is located between the impurity removal device 9 and the second switching device 5 to connect the circulation loop 2; a seventh switching device 101 is provided on the branch 10, which is used to conduct or block the branch 10. The branch 10, the sixth switch device 91, and the seventh switch device 101 are configured to facilitate control of the circulation path of the medium within the cavity. When the impurity removal device 9 needs to be used in the circulation loop 2, the sixth switch device 91, the first switch device 4, and the second switch device 5 are turned on, while the seventh switch device 101 is turned off. The medium within the cavity is filtered by the impurity removal device 9 to remove at least some impurities (e.g., particles, water, oxygen) before returning to the processing cavity 1. When the impurity removal device 9 is not needed in the circulation loop 2, the sixth switch device 91 is turned off, while the seventh switch device 101 is turned on. The medium within the cavity returns directly to the processing cavity 1 via the branch 10.

[0056] In some embodiments, the first switching device 4, the second switching device 5, the third switching device 72, the fourth switching device 82, the fifth switching device 83, the sixth switching device 91, and the seventh switching device 101 are all pneumatic valves.

[0057] In some embodiments, the first switching device 4, the second switching device 5, the third switching device 72, the fourth switching device 82, the fifth switching device 83, the sixth switching device 91, and the seventh switching device 101 are all solenoid valves.

[0058] Please see Figure 3 In some embodiments, the monitoring device 6 includes a water concentration detector 61, an oxygen concentration detector 62, and a toxic gas detector 63 connected in series. The water concentration detector, oxygen concentration detector, and toxic gas detector can respectively monitor water vapor, oxygen, and toxic gases; the inclusion of multiple detectors in the monitoring device 6 improves its ability to detect different impurities.

[0059] In one embodiment of this application, the semiconductor processing apparatus further includes a control device. The monitoring device 6, the circulation drive device 3, the suction device 81, the purge source 71, the first switch device 4, the second switch device 5, the third switch device 72, the fourth switch device 82, the fifth switch device 83, the sixth switch device 91, and the seventh switch device 101 are all electrically connected to the control device. The control device is used to receive the content data of the impurity gas and control the operation of the circulation drive device 3, the suction device 81, the purge source 71, the first switch device 4, the second switch device 5, the third switch device 72, the fourth switch device 82, the fifth switch device 83, the sixth switch device 91, and the seventh switch device 101 according to the content data.

[0060] The control device is a host computer, such as a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). The host computer has a pre-stored database of corresponding relationships, which contains multiple sets of corresponding relationship data, including the content data of impurity gases and the corresponding content threshold of impurity gases.

[0061] The aforementioned control device facilitates automated control of the semiconductor processing apparatus. This effectively reduces the workload of operators while simultaneously improving the accuracy of controlling the composition of the medium within the processing chamber.

[0062] In summary, this invention features a purge pipeline connected to the processing chamber to supply purge gas, a suction pipeline connected to the processing chamber or a circulation loop to discharge the medium from the processing chamber, and a circulation processing pipeline including a circulation drive device and a circulation loop. A monitoring device is placed in the circulation loop to detect the content of a monitored substance in the medium within the chamber. The monitored substance includes at least one of moisture and oxygen. Both ends of the circulation loop are connected to the processing chamber. The circulation drive device, located in the circulation loop, drives the medium within the processing chamber to flow within the circulation loop, ensuring gas flow even in dead zones within the processing chamber, thus improving removal efficiency. Furthermore, the data monitored by the device accurately reflects the moisture or oxygen concentration in the medium within the processing chamber, avoiding substandard removal due to inaccurate monitoring of moisture or oxygen levels.

[0063] The above description is merely a specific implementation of the embodiments of this application, but the protection scope of the embodiments of this application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the embodiments of this application should be covered within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of the embodiments of this application should be determined by the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A semiconductor processing apparatus, characterized in that, include: A processing cavity for placing or transporting a semiconductor device to be processed; A circulation processing pipeline includes a circulation drive device and a circulation loop. The two ends of the circulation loop are respectively connected to the processing cavity. The circulation drive device is located in the circulation loop and is used to drive the cavity medium in the processing cavity to circulate in the circulation loop. A monitoring device is installed in the circulation loop to detect the content of the monitored substance in the cavity medium to obtain corresponding content data. The monitored substance includes at least one of water and oxygen. The purge and suction pipeline includes a purge pipeline and a suction pipeline. The purge pipeline is connected to the processing chamber to provide purge gas into the processing chamber, and the suction pipeline is connected to the circulation loop to discharge the intracavitary medium from the processing chamber. The suction pipeline is located between the monitoring device and the circulation drive device.

2. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The circulation loop is provided with a first switching device and a second switching device. The first switching device is located between the processing cavity and the monitoring device, and the second switching device is located between the processing cavity and the circulation drive device. The first switching device and the second switching device are used to connect or disconnect the circulation loop.

3. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The purge line is equipped with a purge source to introduce the purge gas into the processing chamber through the purge line; The purging pipeline is also equipped with a third switching device, which is located between the purging source and the processing chamber, and is used to block or open the purging pipeline.

4. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The suction pipeline is equipped with a suction device to extract the medium inside the processing chamber through the suction pipeline; The suction line is also equipped with a fourth switch device, which is used to block or open the suction line.

5. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The circulating processing pipeline is also equipped with a fifth switching device, which is located between the monitoring device and the circulating drive device. The suction line is located between the monitoring device and the circulation drive device, and is connected to the circulation loop; The suction pipeline is equipped with a suction device and a fourth switch device. The fourth switch device is located between the suction device and the circulation loop and is used to block or open the suction pipeline.

6. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes a purification device; the purification device is disposed in the circulation loop, located between the circulation drive device and the second switching device, and the purification device includes a regeneration tank.

7. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that: It also includes a sixth switching device disposed in the circulation loop, the sixth switching device being located between the circulation drive device and the impurity removal device, for conducting or blocking the entry of the cavity medium into the impurity removal device.

8. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that, It also includes a branch, one end of which is located between the cycle drive device and the sixth switch device to connect the cycle loop, and the other end is located between the impurity removal device and the second switch device to connect the cycle loop; A seventh switch device is provided on the branch, which is used to connect or disconnect the branch.

9. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The monitoring device includes at least one of a water concentration detector, an oxygen concentration detector, and a toxic gas detector.

10. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The circulating drive device includes a circulating fan, and the processing chamber includes a transfer chamber or a glove box.

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