Semiconductor wafer film thickness detector

Abstract

The utility model discloses a semiconductor wafer film thickness detector which comprises a detector shell, a fan is arranged at the top of the detector shell, a cooling water pipe is fixedly arranged in the detector shell, two ends of the cooling water pipe are respectively fixed on two opposite side surfaces of the detector shell, one end of the cooling water pipe is a water inlet, and the other end of the cooling water pipe is a water outlet. The water outlet pipe is connected with the water return tank through a water outlet pipeline; a temperature sensor is arranged in the detector shell. The cooling water pipe is additionally arranged in the shell of the film thickness detector, cooling water is introduced through the cooling water pipe to be combined with the top fan for cooling, and the temperature sensor is used for monitoring the temperature to control the flow of the cooling water, so that the temperature in the shell of the detector is efficiently and accurately controlled, the recovery time during equipment maintenance and troubleshooting is shortened, and the detection efficiency is improved. The stability and the accuracy of machine measurement are enhanced, the operation efficiency and the production benefit of equipment are improved, and the requirements of the semiconductor measurement industry on high-precision measurement equipment are met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a technology for rapidly cooling the internal components of a semiconductor wafer film thickness measuring instrument after maintenance or repair in order to prepare it for operation. Specifically, it relates to a cooling system for a semiconductor wafer film thickness measuring instrument. Background Technology

[0002] When performing maintenance or troubleshooting on a wafer film thickness gauge, the maintenance door must be opened. However, opening the door exposes the equipment's interior to the external environment (the door is relatively large), causing significant and rapid temperature changes. This large temperature fluctuation severely impacts the originally stable internal temperature environment, interfering with the accuracy and stability of measurement operations and making it difficult to meet the high temperature precision requirements of semiconductor measurements.

[0003] Existing control limitations: The FFU (Fan Filter Unit) currently equipped in this equipment only controls the particle count, i.e., cleanliness, within the machine. However, due to the fixed fan speed, its efficiency in temperature control is also low, failing to quickly and accurately adjust the temperature within the equipment to the required stable state. This results in a slow response to temperature changes, hindering its ability to adapt to the temperature demands of the production process and restricting the improvement of the overall equipment performance.

[0004] Long downtime: After maintenance, equipment often requires more than 4 hours to return to the correct internal temperature before calibration and debugging can be performed. Similarly, after opening the maintenance door for troubleshooting, it takes at least half an hour until the temperature meets requirements before the equipment can be put back into normal operation. Such long downtime significantly reduces equipment efficiency, increases production cycles, wastes production resources, and negatively impacts the company's production profitability.

[0005] During equipment use, significant changes in external ambient temperature cause noticeable fluctuations in the internal temperature of the instrument. These internal temperature variations directly lead to deviations in measurement results, compromising the accuracy and reliability of the data. This is a critical issue that urgently needs to be addressed in the semiconductor measurement industry, which demands extremely high measurement precision, and it severely impacts product quality and production stability. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This utility model proposes a semiconductor wafer film thickness measuring instrument. By installing a cooling water pipe inside the instrument's housing, cooling water is introduced through the pipe and combined with a top fan for cooling. A temperature sensor monitors the temperature to control the cooling water flow rate, enabling efficient and precise temperature control within the instrument's housing. This reduces downtime during equipment maintenance and troubleshooting, enhances the stability and accuracy of the instrument's measurements, improves operating efficiency and production benefits, and meets the semiconductor measurement industry's demand for high-precision measurement equipment.

[0007] The technical solution disclosed in this utility model is as follows: A semiconductor wafer film thickness measuring instrument includes a measuring instrument housing, a fan on the top of the measuring instrument housing, a maintenance door on the side of the measuring instrument housing, a cooling water pipe fixedly installed inside the measuring instrument housing, the two ends of the cooling water pipe being fixed to opposite sides of the measuring instrument housing respectively, one end of the cooling water pipe being an inlet and the other end being an outlet, the inlet being connected to a cooling water source through an inlet pipe, and the outlet being connected to a return water tank through an outlet pipe, and a temperature sensor being provided inside the measuring instrument housing.

[0008] Based on the above scheme, as a preferred option, the cooling water pipe is fixed inside the detector housing by a clamp and extends meanderingly inside the detector housing.

[0009] Based on the above scheme, as a preferred option, the clamp is made of plastic material and includes a left clamp and a right clamp arranged symmetrically, with the left clamp and the right clamp in an S-shape.

[0010] Based on the above scheme, as a preferred option, the water inlet pipe is equipped with a flow meter and a control valve.

[0011] Based on the above scheme, as a preferred option, the cooling water source is a cooling water tank, which is connected to the inlet pipe via a pump.

[0012] Based on the above scheme, as a preferred option, the return water tank is connected to the inlet of the condenser, and the outlet of the condenser is connected to the cooling water tank.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0014] By installing a cooling water pipe inside the housing of the film thickness detector, cooling water is introduced through the cooling water pipe and combined with a top fan for cooling. The temperature is monitored by a temperature sensor to control the flow rate of the cooling water, thus enabling efficient and precise control of the internal components of the detector housing.

[0015] Reduce downtime during equipment maintenance and troubleshooting, enhance the stability and accuracy of machine measurements, improve equipment operating efficiency and production benefits, and meet the semiconductor measurement industry's demand for high-precision measurement equipment.

[0016] Cooling water enters the detector housing through the cooling water pipe and then flows out to the return water tank. The return water tank is cooled by the condenser and then flows back to the cooling water tank, thus achieving recycling. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of the clamp of this utility model;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the specific implementation methods of this utility model will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings and other implementation methods can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0021] like Figure 1-2 As shown, a semiconductor wafer film thickness measuring instrument includes a measuring instrument housing 1, a fan 2 on the top of the measuring instrument housing, a maintenance door on the side of the measuring instrument housing, a cooling water pipe 3 fixedly installed inside the measuring instrument housing, the two ends of the cooling water pipe being fixed to opposite sides of the measuring instrument housing respectively, one end of the cooling water pipe being an inlet 4, and the other end being an outlet 5, the inlet being connected to a cooling water source through an inlet pipe 11, and the outlet being connected to a return water tank 7 through an outlet pipe 6, and a temperature sensor being installed inside the measuring instrument housing.

[0022] The cooling water pipe is fixed inside the detector housing by clamp 8, or it can be installed inside the detector housing by other installation methods (such as adhesive). It extends meanderingly inside the detector housing. The cooling water pipe can be laid out in any position inside the detector housing without interfering with the normal operation of other components. A combination of one main pipe and multiple branch pipes can be used.

[0023] The clamps are made of plastic and include symmetrically arranged left clamp 9 and right clamp 10. The left and right clamps are S-shaped. See details. Figure 2 With this type of clamp, when installing cooling water pipes, the pipes can be directly inserted between the left and right clamps, making installation convenient and facilitating future replacement or route adjustment of the cooling water pipes.

[0024] The bottom and top plates of the detector are both non-sealed structures (honeycomb top structure). When the top fan is working to draw air, the airflow direction includes the bottom to the top. The cooling water pipes inside the detector housing extend downwards from the middle of one side to the bottom, then to the bottom of the other side, and finally upwards to the middle of the other side, forming a U-shaped layout (with the two opposite sides as the main viewpoint, without considering the bending shape). With this layout, the cold air generated by the cooling water pipes is preferentially concentrated at the bottom. During the process of being drawn out of the detector housing by the fan, its long stroke allows it to carry away more heat, resulting in a better cooling effect.

[0025] To improve the efficiency and accuracy of temperature control, a flow meter 12 and a control valve 13 are installed on the water inlet pipe 11. The opening degree of the control valve and the speed of the fan are adjusted according to the temperature value monitored by the temperature sensor and the flow value monitored by the flow meter.

[0026] Water resources need to be used sparingly. In application, to achieve water recycling, the cooling water source is a cooling water tank 15, which is connected to the inlet pipe via a pump 14. The return water tank 7 is connected to the inlet of the condenser 17 via a pump 16, and the outlet of the condenser is connected to the cooling water tank 15. During use, cooling water enters the detector housing through the cooling water pipe and flows out to the return water tank. The return water tank is cooled by the condenser and then flows back to the cooling water tank, achieving recycling.

[0027] Typically, to simplify the structure, such as Figure 3 As shown, the return water tank, cooling water tank, condenser, pump, flow meter, and control valve (automatic control valve) are usually integrated into a housing 18 to form an assembly. The housing has an upper support plate 19 and a lower support plate 20. The cooling water tank, control valve, flow meter, and pump are installed on the upper support plate, and the condenser, return water tank, and water pump are installed on the lower support plate.

[0028] The bottom of the housing can be fitted with rollers, and quick-connect fittings are provided on both ends of the cooling water pipe, the inlet pipe, and the outlet pipe. Since there are multiple testing instruments, and maintenance / repair is usually not carried out at the same time, the housing can be moved by adding rollers. Only one cooling water pipe and one assembly are needed for each testing instrument, which can effectively reduce costs.

[0029] It should be noted that the above embodiments can be freely combined as needed. The above description is only a preferred embodiment of this utility model. It should be pointed out that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of this utility model, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A semiconductor wafer film thickness detector comprising a detector housing, a top of the detector housing having a fan, a side of the detector housing having a maintenance door, characterized in that, A cooling water pipe is fixedly installed inside the detector housing. The two ends of the cooling water pipe are fixed to opposite sides of the detector housing. One end of the cooling water pipe is the inlet, and the other end is the outlet. The inlet is connected to the cooling water source through an inlet pipe, and the outlet is connected to the return water tank through an outlet pipe. A temperature sensor is installed inside the detector housing. The cooling water pipe is fixed inside the detector housing by a clamp and extends meandering inside the detector housing. A flow meter and a control valve are installed on the inlet pipe.

2. The semiconductor wafer film thickness detector according to claim 1, wherein The clamps are made of plastic and include a symmetrically arranged left clamp and a right clamp, which are S-shaped.

3. The semiconductor wafer film thickness detector as claimed in claim 1, wherein The cooling water source is a cooling water tank, which is connected to the inlet pipe via a pump.

4. The semiconductor wafer film thickness detector as claimed in claim 1, wherein The return water tank is connected to the condenser's inlet, and the condenser's outlet is connected to the cooling water tank.

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