Wafer quality inspection equipment and vacuum laminator

Abstract

This application provides a wafer quality inspection device and a vacuum laminating machine. The wafer quality inspection device includes: a vacuum chamber comprising a first main body and a second main body, with a vacuum cavity formed between the first main body and the second main body; a wafer carrier platform disposed between the first main body and the second main body for carrying the wafer to be inspected; a light source device disposed in the second main body, with the light-emitting surface of the light source device facing the first main body; and a plurality of photosensitive sensors disposed in the first main body, with the detection surface of the photosensitive sensors opposite to the light-emitting surface of the light source device. This application enables rapid and automated quality inspection of wafers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor technology, specifically to a wafer quality inspection device and a vacuum laminator. Background Technology

[0002] To improve semiconductor manufacturing yield, wafer quality inspection is necessary. Early intervention with defective wafers can reduce the likelihood of wafer scrap due to incoming material issues. Currently, wafer quality is typically inspected manually to determine if there are microcracks or other problems on the wafer surface. However, manual inspection is inefficient and inaccurate, and may miss small microcracks. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of the problems in the prior art, the purpose of this application is to provide a wafer quality inspection device and a vacuum laminator, which can realize rapid and automatic quality inspection of wafers.

[0004] The first aspect of this application provides a wafer quality inspection device, comprising:

[0005] A vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber comprising a first main body and a second main body, wherein a vacuum cavity is formed between the first main body and the second main body;

[0006] A wafer carrier platform is disposed between the first main body and the second main body for carrying the wafer to be inspected;

[0007] A light source device is disposed on the second main body, with the light-emitting surface of the light source device facing the first main body.

[0008] Multiple photosensitive sensors are disposed on the first main body, and the detection surface of the photosensitive sensors is disposed opposite to the light-emitting surface of the light source device.

[0009] In some embodiments, the projections of the plurality of photosensitive sensors on the surface of the wafer are uniformly distributed.

[0010] In some embodiments, the light source device is disposed at the center of the second main body.

[0011] In some embodiments, the surface of the light source device facing the first main body is flush with the surface of the second main body facing the first main body; or...

[0012] The surface of the light source device facing the first main body is lower than the highest point of the surface of the second main body facing the first main body, and the side of the second main body facing the first main body has an inclined transition surface around the second main body.

[0013] In some embodiments, the vacuum chamber is disposed in a wafer laminating machine, and a laminating fixture is disposed on the side surface of the first main body facing the second main body.

[0014] In some embodiments, the film-applying fixture is a ring fixture, and the plurality of photosensitive sensors are disposed on the inner side of the ring fixture. The ring fixture is configured to fix the film to the side of the photosensitive sensor facing the second main body.

[0015] In some embodiments, the light-emitting surface of the light source device is parallel to the plane on which the wafer is located.

[0016] In some embodiments, the detection surfaces of the plurality of photosensitive sensors are at the same distance from the wafer.

[0017] A second aspect of this application provides a vacuum laminating machine, including a laminating assembly and a wafer quality inspection device as described in the first aspect. The laminating assembly includes a laminating fixture located on the side of the first main body facing the second main body for fixing the film.

[0018] In some embodiments, the vacuum laminator is a wafer back laminator.

[0019] The wafer quality inspection device provided in this application has the following advantages:

[0020] By employing this application, when the wafer is placed in a vacuum chamber, the light source is turned on, allowing the light emitted by the light source to pass through the wafer and reach the photosensitive sensors. Multiple photosensitive sensors collect light intensity information from different locations, thereby determining whether there are cracks at corresponding locations on the wafer based on the light intensity at different locations. This allows for overall wafer quality inspection without moving the wafer, thus achieving rapid and automatic wafer quality inspection. Since multiple photosensitive sensors are distributed on one side of the wafer, various locations on the wafer can be detected simultaneously, achieving overall wafer inspection without moving the wafer. This results in high inspection efficiency. Furthermore, the inspection accuracy is higher because it can determine whether there are quality problems on the wafer not only by using the light intensity information from a single photosensitive sensor but also by combining the light intensity information from multiple photosensitive sensors. Wafer quality inspection equipment can be combined with wafer processing equipment, using the vacuum chamber of the wafer quality inspection equipment as the vacuum chamber of the wafer processing equipment. Before wafer processing operations are performed, the quality of the wafer is first inspected. After the quality inspection is qualified, the wafer processing operation is then carried out. When defects are found in the wafer quality, timely human intervention is carried out to repair the defects, which helps to improve product yield and reduce wafer scrap losses. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Other features, objects, and advantages of this application will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer quality inspection device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer quality inspection device according to another embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 3 It is a flowchart of a wafer fabrication process;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a process for applying a film to the back of a wafer;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of placing a wafer quality inspection device on the back of the wafer after the wafer laminator is installed;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer quality inspection device and a film application assembly in another embodiment of this application.

[0028] Figure label:

[0029] 1-First main body; 2-Photosensitive sensor; 3-Second main body; 4-Wafer; 5-Wafer carrier platform; 6-Light source equipment; 7-Film application fixture; 8-Film. Detailed Implementation

[0030] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this application will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar structures, and therefore repeated descriptions of them will be omitted. The words “or” and “or” in the specification may mean “and” or “or”. Although the terms “upper,” “lower,” “between,” etc., may be used in this specification to describe different exemplary features and elements of this application, these terms are used herein only for convenience, such as the orientation according to the examples described in the accompanying drawings. Nothing in this specification should be construed as requiring a specific three-dimensional orientation of the structure to fall within the scope of this application. Although “first” or “second,” etc., are used in this specification to denote certain features, they are merely indicative of function and not as a limitation on the number or importance of specific features.

[0031] To achieve rapid and automated inspection of wafer quality, this application provides a wafer quality inspection device. This device illuminates a wafer placed within a vacuum chamber using a light source, and multiple photosensitive sensors collect light intensity information from different locations on the wafer to detect quality issues such as cracks at various points on the wafer. Figure 1As shown, in one embodiment of this application, the wafer quality inspection device includes: a vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber including a first main body 1 and a second main body 3, with a vacuum cavity formed between the first main body 1 and the second main body 3; a wafer carrier platform 5, disposed between the first main body 1 and the second main body 3, for carrying the wafer 4 to be inspected; a light source device 6, disposed in the second main body 3, with the light-emitting surface of the light source device 6 facing the first main body 1, and the arrow in the figure exemplarily indicating the direction of light emission; and a plurality of photosensitive sensors 2, disposed in the first main body 1, with the detection surface of the photosensitive sensors 2 facing the light-emitting surface of the light source device 6. In this embodiment, the first main body 1 is the upper cavity of the vacuum chamber, and the second main body 3 is the lower cavity of the vacuum chamber.

[0032] By employing this application, when wafer 4 is placed in a vacuum chamber, the light source device 6 is turned on, allowing the light emitted by the light source device 6 to pass through wafer 4 and reach the photosensitive sensor 2. Multiple photosensitive sensors 2 collect light intensity information at different locations, thereby determining whether there are cracks at corresponding locations on wafer 4 based on the light intensity at different locations. This allows for overall quality inspection of wafer 4 without moving wafer 4, thus achieving rapid and automatic quality inspection. Based on the light transmittance of wafer 4, when wafer 4 has no quality abnormalities such as cracks, the light intensity detected by each photosensitive sensor 2 should be a fixed value, which can be set as the light intensity threshold. When wafer 4 is placed in a sealed vacuum chamber, if a quality abnormality such as a crack or breakage occurs at a certain location on wafer 4, the light intensity detected by the photosensitive sensor 2 at that location will increase. If the detected light intensity is greater than the light intensity threshold and the difference between the two is greater than a preset difference threshold (e.g., 5% of the light intensity threshold), then wafer 4 is determined to have a quality abnormality, and the location of the abnormality on wafer 4 can be determined based on the location of the photosensitive sensor 2 that detected the abnormal light intensity.

[0033] In this embodiment, since multiple photosensitive sensors 2 are distributed on one side of the wafer 4, various positions of the wafer 4 can be detected simultaneously without moving the wafer 4, achieving overall detection of the wafer 4. This results in high detection efficiency. Furthermore, the detection accuracy is higher because it can determine whether there are quality problems with the wafer 4 not only by comparing the light intensity information of a single photosensitive sensor 2 but also by combining the light intensity information of multiple photosensitive sensors. For example, it can be determined whether the pairwise difference between the values ​​detected by each photosensitive sensor 2 exceeds a preset threshold (such as 2% of the light intensity threshold). If the value detected by one photosensitive sensor 2 differs significantly from the values ​​detected by other photosensitive sensors 2, it indicates that there is a quality abnormality at the light source position corresponding to that photosensitive sensor 2.

[0034] This wafer quality inspection device can be combined with wafer processing equipment, using the vacuum chamber of the wafer quality inspection device as the vacuum chamber of the wafer processing equipment. Before wafer processing operations are performed, the quality of the wafer is first inspected. After the quality inspection is qualified, the wafer processing operation is then carried out. When there are defects in the wafer quality, timely human intervention is carried out to repair the defects, which helps to improve product yield and reduce the loss of wafer scrap.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, the projections of the multiple photosensitive sensors on the surface of the wafer 4 are evenly distributed, thereby enabling quality inspection of multiple points evenly distributed on the wafer 4. This allows for the completion of the overall inspection of the wafer 4 surface in a single inspection. The entire surface of the wafer 4 can be inspected without moving the wafer 4 during the inspection process, resulting in higher inspection efficiency and a more comprehensive distribution of inspection points on the wafer 4 surface.

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, the light source device 6 is disposed at the center of the second main body 3 so that the light emitted by the light source device 6 can be projected onto various positions of the wafer 4. The surface of the light source device 6 facing the first main body 1 is flush with the surface of the second main body 3 facing the first main body 1. The light-emitting surface of the light source device 6 is parallel to the plane on which the wafer 4 is located. The detection surfaces of the plurality of photosensitive sensors 2 are equidistant from the wafer 4. When determining whether there is a quality abnormality based on the difference between the light intensity values ​​detected by the plurality of photosensitive sensors 2, the distance between the light source device 6 and different positions of the wafer 4 can be considered to convert the light intensity values. For example, for the photosensitive sensor 2 near the edge, its detected value can be multiplied by a coefficient to compensate for the light intensity error caused by its distance from the light source device 6.

[0037] In this embodiment, the wafer quality inspection device may further include an alarm device that issues an alarm when a wafer quality abnormality is detected. When the wafer quality inspection device is installed on the wafer process equipment, it can promptly control the wafer process equipment to stop when a wafer quality abnormality is detected, halting subsequent process operations and allowing for manual intervention and repair.

[0038] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a wafer quality inspection device according to another embodiment of this application. This embodiment is similar to... Figure 1The difference in the embodiment is that the surface of the light source device 6 facing the first main body 1 is lower than the highest point of the surface of the second main body 3 facing the first main body 1, and the second main body 3 has an inclined transition surface around its perimeter facing the first main body 1. Through the transition surface around the light source device 6, the light emitted by the light source device 6 can be reflected and refracted, allowing the light to propagate better in all directions and increasing the light intensity received at the edge of the wafer 4.

[0039] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a wafer fabrication process. The wafer fabrication process generally includes: front-side film mounting, back-side thinning, front-side film removal, back-side silicon etching, back-side high-energy implantation, back-side annealing, back-side silicon oxide etching, back-side metal evaporation, back-side film mounting, wafer edge circumferential cutting, and wafer dicing. The process includes: front-side wafer coating to prevent scratches on the front side of the wafer during back-side thinning; back-side wafer thinning, which involves physical and mechanical grinding of the back side of the wafer to the target thickness required for the product; after the back-side thinning process, the protective film on the front side of the wafer is removed by front-side peeling; back-side silicon etching to remove roughness caused by back-side grinding, thereby effectively reducing contact resistance; back-side high-energy implantation to sputter Al (aluminum), Ti (titanium), Ni (nickel), and Ag (silver) onto the back side of the wafer using a PVD (physical vapor deposition) machine; back-side wafer coating to attach a special thin film to the back side of the wafer, which has good adhesion and can tightly adhere the wafer to the frame, thus providing wafer support; edge dicing to remove the support ring around the edge of the wafer to ensure wafer flatness; and wafer dicing to cut the wafer into chips in preparation for subsequent packaging.

[0040] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a process for back-side lamination on wafer 4. First, an arm grips wafer 4, positions it, and places it into a process chamber. A vacuum is then created in the process chamber to begin the lamination process. After completion, the arm removes wafer 4. If quality abnormalities are present on wafer 4 during back-side lamination and cannot be detected in time, it may affect the normal operation of subsequent processes and ultimately lead to the scrapping of wafer 4. In this embodiment, a wafer quality inspection device is installed in the wafer laminator, and the vacuum chamber of the wafer quality inspection device serves as the process chamber of the wafer laminator. This allows for wafer quality inspection before back-side lamination on wafer 4, enabling timely detection of quality problems and manual intervention. Abnormal wafers are manually handled, reducing the loss from scrap.

[0041] Figure 5This is a flowchart illustrating a process where a wafer quality inspection device is installed on the back of wafer 4 after a wafer laminator is applied. After wafer 4 is placed in the vacuum chamber (process chamber) and a vacuum is drawn, wafer quality is first inspected using a light source device 6 and a photosensitive sensor 2. If the quality inspection is satisfactory, the lamination process is performed. If the quality inspection is abnormal, the subsequent lamination process is stopped, and an alarm is triggered to notify human intervention.

[0042] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the wafer quality inspection device and the film-coating assembly in cooperation with another embodiment of this application. In this embodiment, the vacuum chamber is disposed in a wafer film-coating machine. Further, the wafer film-coating machine is, for example, a wafer back-side film-coating machine. A film-coating fixture 7 is disposed on the surface of the first main body 1 facing the second main body 3. In this embodiment, the film-coating fixture 7 is an annular fixture, and the plurality of photosensitive sensors 2 are disposed inside the annular fixture to avoid interference with the annular fixture. The annular fixture is configured to fix the film 8 to the side of the photosensitive sensor 2 facing the second main body 3. Since the film 8 is very thin, after the light source device 6 emits light, the light can penetrate the film and reach the photosensitive sensor 2.

[0043] This application also provides a vacuum laminating machine, including a laminating assembly and the aforementioned wafer quality inspection device. For example... Figure 6 As shown, the film-applying assembly includes a film-applying fixture 7 located on the side of the first main body 1 facing the second main body 3, which is used to fix the film 8. In this embodiment, the film-applying fixture 7 is an annular fixture, and the plurality of photosensitive sensors 2 are disposed on the inner side of the annular fixture. The vacuum chamber of the wafer quality inspection device is used as the process chamber of the vacuum film-applying machine. Optionally, the vacuum film-applying machine is a wafer backside film-applying machine. When performing the back-side lamination process on wafer 4, wafer 4 is first placed in a vacuum chamber with its back side facing the first main body 1 and its front side facing the second main body 3. The vacuum chamber is then evacuated, and the light source device 6 is turned on to emit light. Multiple photosensitive sensors 2 detect the light intensity at various locations. Based on the detected light intensity information, it is determined whether there is a quality abnormality in wafer 4. If the quality inspection is qualified, the subsequent lamination process is continued (such as using a motor to drive the first main body 1 to move further towards the second main body 3 to attach the film to the back side of the wafer). If the quality inspection is abnormal, the subsequent lamination process is stopped. This allows for timely detection of quality abnormalities in wafer 4 before back-side lamination, and timely shutdown and manual intervention when quality abnormalities are found, reducing the loss of subsequent wafer 4 scrap.

[0044] The above description, in conjunction with specific preferred embodiments, provides a further detailed explanation of this application and should not be construed as limiting the specific implementation of this application to these descriptions. For those skilled in the art, various simple deductions or substitutions can be made without departing from the concept of this application, and all such modifications or substitutions should be considered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A wafer quality inspection device, characterized in that, include: A vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber comprising a first main body and a second main body, wherein a vacuum cavity is formed between the first main body and the second main body; A wafer carrier platform is disposed between the first main body and the second main body for carrying the wafer to be inspected; A light source device is disposed on the second main body, with the light-emitting surface of the light source device facing the first main body. Multiple photosensitive sensors are disposed on the first main body, and the detection surface of the photosensitive sensors is disposed opposite to the light-emitting surface of the light source device.

2. The wafer quality inspection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The projections of the multiple photosensitive sensors on the surface of the wafer are evenly distributed.

3. The wafer quality inspection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The light source device is located at the center of the second main body.

4. The wafer quality inspection device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The surface of the light source device facing the first main body is flush with the surface of the second main body facing the first main body; or, The surface of the light source device facing the first main body is lower than the highest point of the surface of the second main body facing the first main body, and the side of the second main body facing the first main body has an inclined transition surface around the second main body.

5. The wafer quality inspection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vacuum chamber is located in the wafer laminating machine, and a laminating fixture is provided on the surface of the first main body facing the second main body.

6. The wafer quality inspection device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The film-applying fixture is a ring fixture, and the plurality of photosensitive sensors are disposed on the inner side of the ring fixture. The ring fixture is configured to fix the film to the side of the photosensitive sensors facing the second main body.

7. The wafer quality inspection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The light-emitting surface of the light source device is parallel to the plane on which the wafer is located.

8. The wafer quality inspection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The detection surfaces of the plurality of photosensitive sensors are at the same distance from the wafer.

9. A vacuum laminating machine, characterized in that, The device includes a film application assembly and a wafer quality inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the film application assembly includes a film application fixture located on the side of the first main body portion facing the second main body portion for fixing the film.

10. The vacuum laminating machine according to claim 9, characterized in that, The vacuum laminating machine is a wafer back laminating machine.

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