Semiconductor processing apparatus

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of semiconductor process equipment, comprising: chamber, pedestal and heating device, the pedestal is located in the chamber to carry substrate, the heating device is located between the pedestal and the chamber chamber bottom plate;Heating support device, through the chamber bottom plate, support in the heating device bottom;Heating lifting device, located outside the chamber, surround the heating support device to drive the heating device lifting movement;Pedestal support device, fixedly located in the middle of the pedestal, movably through the heating lifting device and extend to outside the chamber;Rotary device, rotationally connect the bottom of the pedestal support device to drive the pedestal rotation;Pedestal lifting device, located outside the chamber, surround the rotary device, to drive the pedestal lifting movement.The semiconductor process equipment provided by the utility model can support the rapid temperature field correction of pedestal.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In semiconductor process equipment, a substrate is typically used to support the substrate. A heating device is usually installed below the substrate to heat the substrate and transfer heat to the substrate to ensure it meets the process temperature requirements. To obtain the substrate or wafer temperature in real time, an optical probe is usually placed above the substrate. For example, the spray holes of a gas injection device can be used as optical channels, or an optical window can be placed on the top plate of the chamber above the substrate to perform optical temperature measurement of the area where the substrate or wafer is located using the principle of blackbody radiation.

[0003] In some semiconductor process equipment, such as MOCVD (metal-organic chemical vapor deposition) equipment used for the mass production of GaN (gallium nitride) or GaAs (gallium arsenide) thin film growth, multiple grooves are uniformly arranged circumferentially on a base to load and limit the substrate (such as a wafer). Currently, the requirements for the consistency of the wavelength, thickness, and other properties of the semiconductor material layer grown on the substrate surface in each groove are becoming increasingly stringent, and the uniformity of the temperature field is an important factor affecting performance consistency.

[0004] The distance between the base and the heating device has a significant impact on the uniformity of the temperature field on each substrate surface. Although real-time temperature monitoring and adjustment of the heating power can achieve real-time temperature control of the base, conventional temperature control methods, such as PID control, require considerable time for parameter calibration and are not conducive to the rapid achievement of temperature equilibrium. Existing technologies, to achieve temperature uniformity on the substrate surface, involve structural design or material selection for specific areas of the base, adapting to the distance characteristics between the base and the heating device, resulting in different heat transfer characteristics in different specific areas of the base. However, achieving temperature uniformity in this approach places high demands on the initial installation and positioning of the heating device, increasing the cost of process installation and commissioning, and has low versatility. Utility Model Content

[0005] To address the problem that the hardware structure of existing semiconductor process equipment is not conducive to rapid adjustment of the base temperature field and has low versatility, this utility model provides a semiconductor process equipment.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A semiconductor process apparatus, comprising: The room comprises a chamber, a base, and a heating device, wherein the base is disposed within the chamber to support the substrate, and the heating device is disposed between the base and the bottom plate of the chamber. A heating support device extends through the bottom plate of the chamber and supports the bottom of the heating device; A heating lifting device is located outside the cavity and is surrounded by the heating support device to drive the heating device to move up and down. A base support device is fixedly installed in the middle of the base, movably passes through the heating and lifting device, and extends out of the cavity; A rotating device is rotatably connected to the bottom of the base support device to drive the base to rotate; A base lifting device is located outside the cavity and surrounds the rotating device to drive the base to move up and down.

[0007] Furthermore, the heating lifting device includes: A heated lifting base plate is installed around the heating support device; Several heating lifting mechanisms are provided on the heating lifting base plate and connected to the chamber base plate, so that the heating support device and the heating device can move up and down by driving the heating lifting base plate.

[0008] Furthermore, the base lifting device includes: A base lifting plate is arranged around the rotating device; Several base lifting mechanisms are provided on the base lifting base plate and connected to the chamber base plate, so as to cause the rotating device, the base support device and the base to move up and down by driving the lifting base plate.

[0009] Furthermore, both the base lifting mechanism and the heating lifting mechanism are screw lifting mechanisms. The base lifting mechanism includes a plurality of first screws evenly arranged around the area where the heating lifting mechanism is located, and the heating lifting mechanism includes a plurality of second screws evenly arranged around the area where the heating support device is located.

[0010] Furthermore, the base lifting mechanism also includes a first lifting drive structure corresponding to each of the first lead screws, and the heating lifting mechanism also includes a second lifting drive structure corresponding to each of the second lead screws.

[0011] Furthermore, the radial dimension of the base lifting plate is larger than the radial dimension of the heating lifting plate, and each of the first lead screws is arranged around the area where the heating lifting plate is located.

[0012] Furthermore, each of the first lead screws and each of the second lead screws are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence, and the center of the orthographic projection of the second lead screw on the chamber floor is located on the line connecting the center of the orthographic projection of the corresponding first lead screw on the chamber floor and the center of the chamber floor.

[0013] Furthermore, the rotating device includes: outer shell; A rotating shaft with a dynamic seal penetrating the outer shell and connected to a base support device at the top; the base lifting plate surrounds the outer shell and encircles the top protruding part of the rotating shaft. A rotating drive unit rotates to connect the bottom protruding part of the rotating shaft.

[0014] Furthermore, an elastic sealing element is provided between the base lifting plate and the chamber bottom plate to form a sealed cavity, the top protrusion is received in the sealed cavity, and the base support device extends into the sealed cavity and is connected to the top protrusion.

[0015] Furthermore, an elastic sealing element is provided between the heating lifting base plate and the chamber base plate to form a sealed cavity, and the heating support device and the base support device extend into the sealed cavity.

[0016] By adopting the above technical solution, the semiconductor process equipment of this utility model has the following beneficial effects: By rotating the base support device to its bottom, the base is rotated. A base lifting device outside the cavity surrounds the rotating device, allowing the base to rise or fall to adjust its position for wafer transfer or resetting. Furthermore, a heating lifting device surrounds the heating support device outside the cavity, with the base support device extending through the heating lifting device and out of the cavity, enabling independent control of the base and heating device's movement. When an abnormal substrate temperature is detected during semiconductor processing, adjusting the distance between the heating device and the base via the heating lifting mechanism can quickly adjust the uniformity of the substrate's temperature field. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of the semiconductor process equipment provided by this utility model; Figure 2 A partial structural schematic diagram of the semiconductor process equipment provided by this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this utility model. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this utility model from the content disclosed in this specification. This utility model can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of this utility model.

[0019] It should be noted that the illustrations provided in this embodiment are only schematic representations of the basic concept of this utility model. Although the illustrations only show components related to this utility model and are not drawn according to the actual number, shape and size of the components, the shape, quantity, positional relationship and proportion of each component can be arbitrarily changed under the premise of realizing the technical solution of this utility model, and the layout of the components may also be more complex.

[0020] This invention provides a semiconductor process equipment that supports rapid adjustment of the substrate temperature field uniformity, thereby improving process yield.

[0021] The semiconductor process equipment provided by this invention can be a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) device, or more specifically, a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) device, a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) device, etc. This semiconductor process equipment can be used, for example, to implement epitaxial growth processes. It should be understood that this equipment is merely exemplary.

[0022] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the semiconductor process equipment of this utility model includes a chamber 1, a base 2, a heating device 3, a heating support device 4, a heating lifting device 5, a base support device 6, a rotating device 7, and a base lifting device 8. The corresponding deposition process is performed on the substrate within the chamber 1; the base 2 is disposed within the chamber 1 to support the substrate; the heating device 3 is disposed between the base 1 and the chamber floor 11 of the chamber 1; the heating support device 4 penetrates the chamber floor 11 and is supported at the bottom of the heating device 3; the heating lifting device 5 is located outside the chamber 1 and surrounds the heating support device 4 to drive the heating device 3 to move up and down; the base support device 6 is fixedly disposed in the middle of the base 1 and movably passes through the heating lifting device 4 and extends outside the chamber 1; the rotating device 7 is rotatably connected to the bottom of the base support device 6 to drive the base 2 to rotate; the base lifting device 8 is located outside the chamber 1 and surrounds the rotating device 7 to drive the base 2 to move up and down.

[0023] In some embodiments, the substrate is a wafer.

[0024] In some embodiments, the base 2 is disc-shaped, with its top surface facing the top of the chamber 1 and having a plurality of grooves (not shown) evenly distributed circumferentially. Each groove is used to hold a substrate to accommodate and limit it, so that the substrate can rotate with the base 2.

[0025] In some embodiments, the base 2 is preferably made of graphite material and has a disc-shaped structure.

[0026] In some embodiments, the surface of the graphite base 2 is covered with a silicon carbide layer.

[0027] During the process, the rotating device 7 drives the base 2 carrying the substrate to rotate, which is beneficial to the uniformity of the process. Specifically, as follows... Figure 1 As shown, the base 2 is supported in the chamber 1 by the base support device 6, and the rotating device 7 is connected to the bottom end of the base support device 6 to drive the base support device 6 and the base 2 to rotate, thereby driving the substrate to rotate with the base 2.

[0028] In some embodiments, the base support device 6 passes through the heating support device 4 along the axial direction of the heating support device 4 and has a gap between it and the heating support device 4, so that the base support device 6 can move relative to the heating support device 4 under the drive of the rotating device 7, and the base support device 6 and the heating support device 4 will not interfere with each other.

[0029] In some embodiments, the base support device 6 passes through the heating support device 4 in a dynamic sealing manner, so that there is no movement interference between the two.

[0030] In some embodiments, the base support device 6 is located in the middle of the bottom surface of the base 2, extends toward and connects to the rotating device 7, and drives the base 2 to rotate in a centrally driven manner.

[0031] In order to control the base 2 to rise to the transmission position when transferring the substrate and to fall to the process position when performing the process, this utility model is provided with a base lifting device 8 to drive the base 2 to rise or fall.

[0032] In some embodiments, the base lifting device 8 includes a base lifting base plate 81 and several base lifting mechanisms 82. The base lifting base plate 81 surrounds the rotating device 7; the several base lifting mechanisms 82 are mounted on the base lifting base plate 81 and connected to the chamber floor plate 11, so that the rotating device 7, the base support device 6, and the base 2 can move up and down by driving the lifting movement of the base lifting base plate 81. By employing this base lifting device 8, it ensures that the heavy loads such as the base 2, the base support device 6, and the rotating device 7 can move stably, guaranteeing the reliability and repeatability of the process.

[0033] In this invention, to achieve precise temperature control of the substrate, a heating device 3 is installed below the base 2 to heat the base 2, and the base 2 then transfers heat to the substrate to achieve temperature control. The distance between the base 2 and the heating device 3 has a significant impact on the uniformity of the temperature field on the surface of the base 2.

[0034] However, due to process requirements or automated wafer transfer needs, the base 2 is frequently rotated or raised / lowered. During the raising / lowering process, if problems such as slippage of the base lifting mechanism or damage to parts occur, the levelness of the base 2 will deviate, making it non-parallel to the heating device 3, which will affect the temperature uniformity. Although real-time temperature monitoring and adjustment of the heating power can achieve real-time temperature control of the base temperature field, this method is not conducive to the rapid achievement of a temperature equilibrium state.

[0035] Meanwhile, considering that some processes require the base 2 to rotate at a very high speed, adjusting the base 2 at a high speed in real time carries certain risks, which could easily lead to problems such as substrate flying off or base vibration causing unstable rotation. Therefore, this utility model adds a heating lifting device 5 to adjust the distance between the heating device 3 and the base 2, thereby facilitating the rapid adjustment of the uniformity of the base temperature field.

[0036] In some embodiments, the heating lifting device 5 penetrates the chamber floor plate 11 in a dynamic sealing manner to ensure the airtightness of the chamber 1.

[0037] In some embodiments, the heating lifting device 5 includes a heating lifting base plate 51 and several heating lifting mechanisms 52. The heating lifting base plate 51 surrounds the heating support device 4; the several heating lifting mechanisms 52 are disposed on the heating lifting base plate 51 and connected to the chamber floor plate 11, so that the heating support device 4 and the heating device 3 move up and down accordingly by driving the heating lifting base plate 51. By using this heating lifting device 5, when an abnormal temperature of a substrate is detected, temperature correction can be achieved by adjusting the position of the heating device 3 corresponding to the substrate away from or closer to the base, thereby specifically changing the local heat conduction efficiency. This process can be repeated until all substrates meet the temperature uniformity requirements.

[0038] In some embodiments, the number of heating lifting mechanisms 52 is at least three to enable surface tilt adjustment. The number of base lifting mechanisms 82 is at least three to enable stable lifting.

[0039] In some embodiments, both the heating lifting mechanism 52 and the base lifting mechanism 82 employ screw lifting mechanisms. As a mechanical structure that converts rotary motion into linear motion, the screw lifting mechanism enables high-precision displacement control, thereby facilitating high-precision temperature control. Furthermore, the screw lifting mechanism has a high load-bearing capacity, making it suitable for supporting and lifting heavy components such as the base 2 and heating device 3, ensuring smooth operation and eliminating the risk of falling.

[0040] In some embodiments, the base lifting mechanism 82 includes a plurality of first lead screws 821 evenly arranged around the area where the heating lifting mechanism 52 is located, and the heating lifting mechanism 52 includes a plurality of second lead screws 521 evenly arranged around the area where the heating support device 4 is located. This layout is compact, has high space utilization, facilitates installation, debugging and subsequent maintenance, and reduces equipment complexity and manufacturing costs.

[0041] In some embodiments, the base lifting mechanism 82 further includes a first lifting drive structure 822 corresponding to each of the first lead screws 821, and the heating lifting mechanism 52 further includes a second lifting drive structure 522 corresponding to each of the second lead screws 521. By equipping each lead screw with an independent lifting drive structure, the accuracy and independence of the lifting control are improved, which is beneficial for achieving more precise temperature regulation.

[0042] In some embodiments, the radial dimension of the base lifting plate 81 is larger than that of the heating lifting plate 51, and each first lead screw 821 is arranged around the area where the heating lifting plate 51 is located. This layout further optimizes the spatial arrangement, helps to avoid motion interference with other functional structures set on the bottom surface of the chamber, such as exhaust pipes, and enhances structural stability and motion coordination.

[0043] In some embodiments, each first lead screw 821 is correspondingly arranged with each second lead screw 521, and the center of the orthographic projection of a second lead screw 521 onto the chamber floor 11 is located on the line connecting the center of the orthographic projection of the corresponding first lead screw 821 onto the chamber floor 11 and the center of the chamber floor 11. That is, the first lead screw 821 and the corresponding second lead screw 521 are arranged radially along the chamber floor 11. This layout makes it easier to adjust the base lifting plate 81 and the heating lifting plate 51 to be parallel, which simplifies the temperature regulation control logic and reduces the complexity of the temperature regulation algorithm.

[0044] In some embodiments, the rotating device 7 includes a housing 71, a rotating shaft 72, and a rotating drive 73. The rotating shaft 72 has a dynamic seal penetrating the housing 71, and its top is connected to the base support device 6. The base lifting plate 81 surrounds the housing 71 and encloses the top protruding portion of the rotating shaft 72 (i.e., the portion protruding from the top of the housing 71). The rotating drive 73 is rotatably connected to the bottom protruding portion of the rotating shaft 72 (i.e., the portion protruding from the bottom of the housing 71). This layout achieves spatial separation and structural integration of the rotation and lifting functions. The dynamic seal design ensures a vacuum in chamber 1, while the top protrusion of the rotating shaft 72 facilitates direct connection to the base support device 6, improving transmission efficiency and concentricity.

[0045] In this embodiment, dynamic seal refers to a seal used between two components with relative movement. Its function is to prevent fluid leakage from the gap while allowing relative movement (such as rotation, reciprocating motion, etc.) between the components.

[0046] In some embodiments, an elastic sealing element 8 is provided between the base lifting plate 81 and the chamber bottom plate 11 to form a sealed cavity. The top protrusion of the rotating shaft 72 is housed in this sealed cavity, and the base support device 6 extends into the sealed cavity and connects to the top protrusion of the rotating shaft 72. This further ensures the airtightness of the interior of the chamber 1.

[0047] In some embodiments, an elastic sealing element 8 is provided between the heating lifting base plate 51 and the chamber base plate 11 to form a sealed cavity, and the heating support device 4 and the base support device 6 extend into the sealed cavity. This further ensures the airtightness of the interior of the chamber 1.

[0048] In some embodiments, the resilient seal 9 is a bellows.

[0049] When performing semiconductor processes on substrates using the semiconductor process equipment of this invention, the substrate 1 is first raised by the substrate lifting device 8 to place the substrate in the groove of the substrate 1, and then the substrate 1 is moved to the set working position to perform the corresponding process. During the process, the substrate 1 is rotated by the rotating device 7, while monitoring for any abnormal substrate temperatures (for example, if the temperature difference between a substrate and the set temperature exceeds a preset temperature difference range, the substrate temperature is determined to be abnormal). When an abnormal substrate temperature is detected, the distance between the heating device 3 and the substrate 2 is adjusted by adjusting the corresponding heating lifting mechanism 52, thereby quickly adjusting the uniformity of the substrate temperature field. Specifically, when a substrate temperature is too high, the position of the heating device 3 corresponding to that substrate is moved away from the substrate 2; when a substrate temperature is too low, the position of the heating device 3 corresponding to that substrate is moved closer to the substrate 2, until all substrates meet the temperature uniformity requirements.

[0050] While specific embodiments of this utility model have been described above, those skilled in the art should understand that these are merely illustrative examples, and the scope of protection of this utility model is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to these embodiments without departing from the principles and essence of this utility model, but all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of protection of this utility model.

Claims

1. A semiconductor process apparatus, characterized in that, include: The room comprises a chamber, a base, and a heating device, wherein the base is disposed within the chamber to support the substrate, and the heating device is disposed between the base and the bottom plate of the chamber. A heating support device extends through the bottom plate of the chamber and supports the bottom of the heating device; A heating lifting device is located outside the cavity and is surrounded by the heating support device to drive the heating device to move up and down. A base support device is fixedly installed in the middle of the base, movably passes through the heating and lifting device, and extends out of the cavity; A rotating device is rotatably connected to the bottom of the base support device to drive the base to rotate; A base lifting device is located outside the cavity and surrounds the rotating device to drive the base to move up and down.

2. The semiconductor process equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The heating and lifting device includes: A heated lifting base plate is installed around the heating support device; Several heating lifting mechanisms are provided on the heating lifting base plate and connected to the chamber base plate, so that the heating support device and the heating device can move up and down by driving the heating lifting base plate.

3. The semiconductor process equipment as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The base lifting device includes: A base lifting plate is arranged around the rotating device; Several base lifting mechanisms are provided on the base lifting base plate and connected to the chamber base plate, so as to cause the rotating device, the base support device and the base to move up and down by driving the lifting base plate.

4. The semiconductor process equipment as described in claim 3, characterized in that, Both the base lifting mechanism and the heating lifting mechanism are screw lifting mechanisms. The base lifting mechanism includes a plurality of first screws evenly arranged around the area where the heating lifting mechanism is located, and the heating lifting mechanism includes a plurality of second screws evenly arranged around the area where the heating support device is located.

5. The semiconductor process equipment as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The base lifting mechanism further includes a first lifting drive structure corresponding to each of the first lead screws, and the heating lifting mechanism further includes a second lifting drive structure corresponding to each of the second lead screws.

6. The semiconductor process equipment as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The radial dimension of the base lifting plate is larger than that of the heating lifting plate, and each of the first lead screws is arranged around the area where the heating lifting plate is located.

7. The semiconductor process equipment as described in claim 4, characterized in that, Each of the first lead screws and each of the second lead screws are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence. The center of the orthographic projection of a second lead screw on the chamber floor is located on the line connecting the center of the orthographic projection of the corresponding first lead screw on the chamber floor and the center of the chamber floor.

8. The semiconductor process equipment as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The rotating device includes: outer shell; A rotating shaft with a dynamic seal penetrating the outer shell and connected to a base support device at the top; the base lifting plate surrounds the outer shell and encircles the top protruding part of the rotating shaft. A rotary drive unit rotates to connect the bottom protruding part of the rotary shaft.

9. The semiconductor process equipment as described in claim 8, characterized in that, An elastic sealing element is provided between the base lifting plate and the chamber bottom plate to form a sealed cavity. The top protrusion is housed in the sealed cavity, and the base support device extends into the sealed cavity and is connected to the top protrusion.

10. The semiconductor process equipment as described in claim 3, characterized in that, An elastic sealing element is provided between the heating lifting base plate and the chamber base plate to form a sealed cavity, and the heating support device and the base support device extend into the sealed cavity.

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