Gluing developing machine and cold and hot plate assembly thereof

Abstract

The utility model provides a gluing developer and a cold and hot plate assembly thereof, the gluing developer and the cold and hot plate assembly are used for heating and cooling a wafer, the cold and hot plate assembly comprises: a base, which is provided with a first exhaust port, the first exhaust port is connected with an external first exhaust pipe, and is used for exhausting gas in the cold and hot plate assembly; the hot plate is arranged in the base and is used for heating the wafer; the ejector pin is arranged in the base, penetrates through the thickness direction of the hot plate and is used for supporting a wafer; the upper cover is located above the base, a first air inlet is formed in the upper cover, and the first air inlet is connected with an external first air inlet pipe and used for conveying moisture into the cold and hot plate assembly. According to the invention, the wafer (photoresist on the wafer) placed in the cold and hot plate assembly of the gluing developer rapidly absorbs moisture, the photoresist on the wafer rapidly and fully completes a photochemical reaction, the waiting time is reduced, and the production efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor equipment technology, and more specifically to a coating and developing machine, particularly a hot and cold plate assembly disposed therein. Background Technology

[0002] Due to considerations such as production efficiency and product quality, there is currently a very high market demand for chips (e.g., power chips and logic chips) fabricated using I-line lithography (using I-line photoresist). However, researchers have discovered that I-line photoresist differs from DUV photoresist. After the wafer is coated with I-line photoresist and exposed in the lithography machine, it needs to absorb some moisture to fully complete the photochemical reaction. The current industry practice is to place the exposed wafer (coated with photoresist) in the developing chamber for a period of time, allowing the photoresist on the wafer to naturally absorb moisture from the air. This increases the fabrication process time and reduces production efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide a photoresist coating and developing machine and its hot and cold plate assembly, which allows the photoresist on the wafer to quickly absorb moisture, enabling the photoresist on the wafer to quickly and fully complete the photochemical reaction, reducing waiting time and improving production efficiency.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solution:

[0005] This application provides a hot and cold plate assembly for a coating and developing machine, used for heating and cooling wafers, the hot and cold plate assembly comprising:

[0006] The base has a first exhaust port, which is connected to an external first exhaust pipe for discharging gas from the hot and cold plate assembly.

[0007] A hot plate, located inside the base, is used to heat the wafer to raise its temperature;

[0008] A push pin, located inside the base and extending through the thickness direction of the hot plate, is used to support the wafer;

[0009] The upper cover, located above the base, has a first air inlet connected to an external first air inlet pipe for supplying moisture into the hot and cold plate assembly.

[0010] In one embodiment, the hot and cold plate assembly further includes:

[0011] A cold plate is located on the base, and the cold plate and the hot plate are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction. The cold plate is used to cool the wafer.

[0012] In one embodiment, the hot and cold plate assembly further includes:

[0013] A transfer mechanism located between the cold plate and the hot plate, the transfer mechanism being used to transfer the wafer from the cold plate to the hot plate, or from the hot plate to the cold plate.

[0014] In one embodiment, the hot plate is provided with a pin hole, and the pin is disposed through the pin hole, and the pin moves up and down relative to the hot plate through the pin hole.

[0015] In one embodiment, the number of ejector pins and ejector pin holes are equal, and the ejector pins and ejector pin holes correspond one-to-one.

[0016] In one embodiment, the upper cover is further provided with a second air inlet and a second exhaust outlet. The second air inlet is connected to an external second air inlet pipe for supplying cleaning gas into the hot and cold plate assembly, and the second exhaust outlet is connected to an external second exhaust pipe for discharging gas from the hot and cold plate assembly.

[0017] In one embodiment, there are multiple first air inlets, which are evenly distributed on the upper cover in a scattering pattern.

[0018] In one embodiment, the hot and cold plate assembly further includes a humidity sensor disposed within the upper cover, the humidity sensor being used to detect the humidity within the hot and cold plate assembly.

[0019] In one embodiment, the hot and cold plate assembly further includes a temperature sensor disposed within the upper cover, the temperature sensor being used to detect the temperature within the hot and cold plate assembly.

[0020] This application also provides a coating and developing machine, including the hot and cold plate assembly of the coating and developing machine as described above.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0022] This application describes a photoresist coating and developing machine and its hot and cold plate assembly. The machine is equipped with a first air inlet and a first exhaust outlet, which are respectively connected to an externally mounted first air inlet pipe and first exhaust pipe. This allows for the active delivery of moisture into the hot and cold plate assembly and the expulsion of gas, enabling the photoresist on the wafer placed within the assembly to quickly absorb moisture. Compared to the traditional method of passively waiting for the wafer to slowly absorb moisture from the air, this solution allows the photoresist on the wafer to quickly and fully absorb the moisture and complete the photochemical reaction, thereby reducing waiting time and improving production efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the hot and cold plate assembly of a coating and developing machine provided in the first embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application. It should be noted that the order of description of the following embodiments is not intended to limit the preferred order of the embodiments of this application. Moreover, in the following embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis, and for parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0026] Please see Figure 1 As shown, the first embodiment of this application provides a hot and cold plate assembly for a coating and developing machine, used for heating and cooling wafers. The hot and cold plate assembly may include:

[0027] The base 1 has a first exhaust port 11, which is connected to an external first exhaust pipe (not shown) for discharging gas from the hot and cold plate assembly.

[0028] The hot plate 2 is located inside the base 1 and is used to heat the wafer 9.

[0029] In this embodiment, the hot plate 2 is fixedly connected to the base 1.

[0030] The ejector pin 3 is disposed inside the base 1 and extends through the thickness direction of the hot plate 2, and is used to support the wafer 9.

[0031] The upper cover 4 is located above the base 1 and has a first air inlet 41. The first air inlet 41 is connected to an external first air inlet pipe (not shown) for supplying moisture into the hot and cold plate assembly.

[0032] In this embodiment, the upper cover 4 may include a top and a sidewall connected to the top. The upper cover 4 may cooperate with the base 1 to form a closed chamber for placing wafers in the hot and cold plate assembly.

[0033] In this embodiment, the upper cover 4 can move up and down relative to the base 1 to open or close the enclosed chamber.

[0034] In this process, before being placed into the photoresist coating and developing machine, wafer 9 is generally coated with photoresist (not shown) and then exposed by a photolithography machine. In one embodiment, the photoresist is an I-line photoresist.

[0035] As those skilled in the art know, the chamber of a coating and developing machine is equipped with a hot and cold plate assembly for placing the wafer 9 and for heating and cooling the wafer 9. This application adds a first air inlet 41 and a first exhaust outlet 11 to the existing hot and cold plate assembly, which cooperate with externally provided first air inlet pipes and first exhaust pipes to actively supply moisture and exhaust gas into the hot and cold plate assembly within the coating and developing machine. This allows the photoresist on the wafer 9 placed within the hot and cold plate assembly to quickly absorb moisture. Compared to the traditional method of passively waiting for the photoresist on the wafer 9 to slowly absorb moisture from the air, this solution allows the photoresist on the wafer 9 to quickly and fully absorb the moisture and complete the photochemical reaction, thereby reducing waiting time and improving production efficiency.

[0036] In this embodiment, the number and specific distribution of the first air inlet 41 and the first exhaust outlet 11 can be adapted to the actual situation. Figure 1 In the specific embodiment shown, there are two first air inlets 41, which are evenly distributed in a scattering pattern on the upper cover 4; there are three first exhaust outlets 11, which are evenly distributed in a scattering pattern on the base 1. In addition, there are three ejector pins 3, which are evenly distributed relative to the hot plate 2.

[0037] The following describes the other structures within the hot and cold plate assembly of this application.

[0038] In one embodiment, the hot and cold plate assembly may further include a cold plate 5 located on the base 1, the cold plate 5 and the hot plate 2 being arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, the cold plate 5 being used to cool the wafer 9.

[0039] In this embodiment, the cold plate 5 can be fixedly connected to the base 1 by fasteners, or the cold plate 5 and the base 1 can be an integral structure, and this application does not limit this.

[0040] In one embodiment, the hot and cold plate assembly may further include a transfer mechanism (not shown) located between the cold plate 5 and the hot plate 2, the transfer mechanism being used to transfer the wafer 9 from the cold plate 5 to the hot plate 2, or to transfer the wafer 9 from the hot plate 2 to the cold plate 5.

[0041] Specifically, the transfer mechanism can be a device such as a gripper that can transfer wafers between the cold plate 5 and the hot plate 2. The transfer mechanism can be mounted on the base 1 and fixedly connected to the base 1.

[0042] In other embodiments, the conveying mechanism may also be a device such as a conveyor belt or transport belt that can transport wafers.

[0043] In one embodiment, the hot plate 2 is provided with a pin hole (not shown), and the pin 3 is disposed through the pin hole. The pin 3 moves up and down relative to the hot plate 2 through the pin hole to cooperate and make way when the aforementioned transfer mechanism transfers the wafer.

[0044] In this embodiment, the number of ejector pins 3 is equal to the number of ejector pin holes, and there is a one-to-one correspondence between the ejector pins and the ejector pin holes. As mentioned above, in this embodiment, there are three ejector pins 3 and three ejector pin holes.

[0045] Based on the above structure, the hot and cold plate assembly realizes its basic function of heating and cooling.

[0046] In another embodiment, the upper cover 4 is also provided with a second air inlet (not shown) and a second exhaust outlet (not shown).

[0047] In this embodiment, the second air inlet is connected to an external second air inlet pipe for supplying cleaning gas into the hot and cold plate assembly. This cleaning gas can be a gas used for cleaning wafers.

[0048] In this embodiment, the second exhaust port is connected to an external second exhaust pipe for discharging gas from the hot and cold plate assembly.

[0049] In the above embodiments, by providing a first air inlet 41 and a second air inlet, the first air inlet 41 is used to deliver humid air into the hot and cold plate assembly, and the second air inlet is used to deliver cleaning gas into the hot and cold plate assembly. Thus, different air intakes achieve different gas usage functions without affecting their respective process requirements. Furthermore, by providing a first exhaust port 11 on the base and a second exhaust port on the upper cover, the gas that needs to be discharged from the hot and cold plate assembly can be discharged through the exhaust ports located above and below the hot and cold plate assembly. This is suitable for discharging gases of different densities, improving gas discharge efficiency and consequently increasing production efficiency.

[0050] In one embodiment, the hot and cold plate assembly may further include a humidity sensor (not shown) disposed within the upper cover 4, the humidity sensor being used to detect the humidity within the hot and cold plate assembly.

[0051] In this embodiment, the humidity sensor can be set at any suitable position inside the upper cover 4 according to the actual situation, so as to be able to grasp the humidity inside the hot and cold plate assembly. Because if the humidity is too low, it may not meet the requirements, and if the humidity is too high, it may affect the product quality.

[0052] In one embodiment, there may be multiple humidity sensors, which are evenly arranged inside the top of the upper cover 4.

[0053] In one embodiment, the hot and cold plate assembly may further include a temperature sensor (not shown) disposed within the upper cover 4, the temperature sensor being used to detect the temperature within the hot and cold plate assembly. Similarly, the temperature sensor may also be disposed at any suitable location within the upper cover 4, depending on actual conditions, to be able to monitor the temperature within the hot and cold plate assembly.

[0054] In one specific embodiment, there can be multiple temperature sensors, which are evenly arranged inside the upper cover 4.

[0055] The second embodiment of this application provides a coating and developing machine, including the hot and cold plate assembly of the coating and developing machine as described above.

[0056] In one embodiment, the coating and developing machine is further provided with a control module (not shown), which is used to control the operation of the coating and developing machine. The aforementioned humidity sensor and temperature sensor can be electrically connected to the control module.

[0057] In this embodiment, the control module can control and adjust the humidity and temperature inside the hot and cold plate assembly based on the humidity and temperature data collected by the humidity sensor and temperature sensor.

[0058] The humidity sensor and temperature sensor in this application are electrically connected to the control module to transmit the humidity and temperature data within the hot and cold plate assembly back to the control module in real time. This allows the user (operator) to promptly monitor the real-time humidity and temperature within the hot and cold plate assembly for better operation. Furthermore, those skilled in the art can easily conceive of making slight adjustments to the control module to achieve automatic humidity and temperature regulation. Since the control method tends to fall within the scope of invention patent protection, this application will not elaborate further, but the protection of this application should extend to the control module.

[0059] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0060] This application describes a photoresist coating and developing machine and its hot and cold plate assembly. The machine is equipped with a first air inlet and a first exhaust outlet, which are respectively connected to an externally mounted first air inlet pipe and first exhaust pipe. This allows for the active delivery of moisture into the hot and cold plate assembly and the expulsion of gas, enabling the photoresist on the wafer placed within the assembly to quickly absorb moisture. Compared to the traditional method of passively waiting for the wafer to slowly absorb moisture from the air, this solution allows the photoresist on the wafer to quickly and fully absorb the moisture and complete the photochemical reaction, thereby reducing waiting time and improving production efficiency.

[0061] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of protection of the claims. Furthermore, specific examples have been used in the specification to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The description of the above embodiments is only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this application, and the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

Claims

1. A cold-heat plate assembly of a spin coater and developer for temperature rising and falling of a wafer, characterized in that, The cold-hot plate assembly comprises: a base, a first exhaust port is arranged on the base, the first exhaust port is connected with a first external exhaust pipe, and the first exhaust port is used for exhausting gas in the cold-hot plate assembly; a hot plate arranged in the base and used for heating and warming a wafer; a pin arranged in the base and penetrating through the thickness direction of the hot plate, and used for supporting the wafer; an upper cover arranged above the base, a first air inlet is arranged on the upper cover, the first air inlet is connected with a first external air inlet pipe, and the first air inlet is used for conveying moisture into the cold-hot plate assembly.

2. The cold / hot plate assembly of a gluing and developing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cold-hot plate assembly further comprises: a cold plate arranged on the base, the cold plate and the hot plate are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, and the cold plate is used for cooling and cooling the wafer.

3. The cold / hot plate assembly of a gluing and developing machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cold-hot plate assembly further comprises: a conveying mechanism arranged between the cold plate and the hot plate, the conveying mechanism is used for conveying the wafer from the cold plate to the hot plate or conveying the wafer from the hot plate to the cold plate.

4. The cold / hot plate assembly of the glue applicator developer machine of claim 1, wherein, The hot plate is provided with a pin hole, the pin penetrates through the pin hole, and the pin is lifted up and down relative to the hot plate through the pin hole.

5. The cold / hot plate assembly of a gluing and developing machine according to claim 4, characterized in that, The number of the pin is equal to the number of the pin hole, and the pin corresponds to the pin hole one by one.

6. The cold / hot plate assembly of a gluing and developing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper cover is further provided with a second air inlet and a second exhaust port, the second air inlet is connected with a second external air inlet pipe, the second air inlet is used for conveying cleaning gas into the cold-hot plate assembly, and the second exhaust port is connected with a second external exhaust pipe, and the second exhaust port is used for exhausting gas in the cold-hot plate assembly.

7. The cold / hot plate assembly of a gluing and developing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of the first air inlets is multiple, and the multiple first air inlets are uniformly distributed on the upper cover in a scattered manner.

8. The cold / hot plate assembly of a gluing and developing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cold-hot plate assembly further comprises a humidity sensor arranged in the upper cover, and the humidity sensor is used for detecting the humidity in the cold-hot plate assembly.

9. The cold / hot plate assembly of a gluing and developing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cold-hot plate assembly further comprises a temperature sensor arranged in the upper cover, and the temperature sensor is used for detecting the temperature in the cold-hot plate assembly.

10. A gumming and developing machine characterized by comprising: The cold-hot plate assembly comprises a glue coating and developing machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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