Wafer temperature sensor with silicone grease thermally conductive layer

Abstract

The utility model relates to temperature sensor technical field especially relates to a wafer temperature sensor with silicone grease heat conducting layer. The wafer temperature sensor with silicone grease heat conducting layer, including base, the base upper surface is provided with sensing mechanism, the base both ends are provided with protection institution, the sensing mechanism includes shallow groove and silicone grease heat conducting layer, the shallow groove is set up in the base upper surface, the silicone grease heat conducting layer is coated in shallow groove inner wall bottom and the base upper surface. Through sensing mechanism, shallow groove provides stable installation space for temperature sensing element, and silicone grease heat conducting layer fills the gap between element and base, and the heat transfer efficiency is greatly improved, and the temperature response time is shortened, and multiple temperature sensing elements are annular or matrix distribution, and the wafer temperature distribution can be captured comprehensively in combination with high-precision sensing element selection, and the low heat conduction efficiency, the problem of insufficient detection accuracy is solved effectively.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of temperature sensing technology, and in particular to a wafer temperature sensor with a thermally conductive silicone grease layer. Background Technology

[0002] In semiconductor manufacturing processes, the stability and accurate detection of wafer temperature are crucial for ensuring product yield. Temperature sensors, as core detection components, directly affect the control of process parameters.

[0003] Existing wafer temperature sensors mostly adopt a direct bonding mounting structure. Heat transfer loss can easily occur between the sensor and the wafer substrate due to the mounting gap, resulting in a lag in temperature measurement response and difficulty in timely feedback of the actual temperature changes of the wafer. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a wafer temperature sensor with a thermally conductive silicone grease layer, which solves the problem in the prior art where direct bonding mounting structures are often used, resulting in heat transfer loss between the sensor and the wafer substrate due to mounting gaps, leading to delayed temperature measurement response and difficulty in timely feedback of the actual temperature changes of the wafer.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides a wafer temperature sensor with a thermally conductive silicone grease layer, including a substrate, a sensing mechanism disposed on the upper surface of the substrate, and protective mechanisms disposed at both ends of the substrate. The sensing mechanism includes a shallow groove and a thermally conductive silicone grease layer. The shallow groove is formed on the upper surface of the substrate, and the thermally conductive silicone grease layer is coated on the bottom end of the inner wall of the shallow groove and the upper surface of the substrate.

[0006] A temperature sensing element is fixedly installed at the bottom of the inner wall of the shallow trench, and the upper surface of the temperature sensing element is coated with an aluminum oxide insulating coating.

[0007] The temperature sensing element has a lead wire fixedly installed at one end, and there are multiple temperature sensing elements and multiple lead wires.

[0008] The surface of the thermally conductive silicone grease layer is covered with a protective film, which is made of polyimide.

[0009] The lead wire surface is fitted with a heat-resistant sleeve.

[0010] The heat-resistant sleeve is a glass fiber braided sleeve.

[0011] The base has an anti-slip pad fixedly installed on its lower surface and a positioning hole on its upper surface.

[0012] The inner wall surface of the positioning hole is threaded with a threaded post, and a positioning pin is fixedly installed at one end of the threaded post.

[0013] Beneficial effects This application provides a wafer temperature sensor with a thermally conductive silicone grease layer. It has the following advantages: 1. In this utility model, through the sensing mechanism, the shallow groove provides a stable installation space for the temperature sensing element, and the thermal grease layer fills the gap between the element and the substrate, which greatly improves the heat transfer efficiency and shortens the temperature measurement response time; multiple temperature sensing elements are distributed in a ring or matrix, and combined with the selection of high-precision sensing elements, the temperature distribution of the wafer can be fully captured, effectively solving the problems of low thermal conductivity and insufficient detection accuracy.

[0014] 2. In this utility model, through the protective mechanism, the protective film made of polyimide can protect the thermal conductive layer of silicone from oxidation, the heat-resistant sleeve made of glass fiber braid can protect the lead wire from high temperature damage, and the aluminum oxide insulating coating can prevent short circuit of the temperature sensing element. The multiple protection design extends the service life of the sensor. The anti-slip pad and the positioning pin work together to ensure the sensor is installed stably and avoids detection deviation caused by displacement. At the same time, the substrate is compatible with a variety of wafer sizes, which improves the versatility and installation stability of the sensor. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the bottom of the base in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the lead wire and its connection according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the protective film according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the positioning pin in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] In the diagram: 1. Substrate; 2. Sensing mechanism; 201. Shallow groove; 202. Thermal grease layer; 203. Temperature sensing element; 204. Alumina insulating coating; 205. Lead wire; 3. Protective mechanism; 301. Protective film; 302. Anti-slip pad; 303. Positioning hole; 304. Threaded post; 305. Positioning pin; 306. Heat-resistant sleeve. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the present invention, but should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0024] Please see Figure 1-4As shown, a wafer temperature sensor with a thermally conductive silicone grease layer includes a substrate 1, a sensing mechanism 2 disposed on the upper surface of the substrate 1, and protective mechanisms 3 disposed at both ends of the substrate 1. The sensing mechanism 2 includes a shallow groove 201 and a thermally conductive silicone grease layer 202. The shallow groove 201 is formed on the upper surface of the substrate 1, and the thermally conductive silicone grease layer 202 is coated on the bottom end of the inner wall of the shallow groove 201 and the upper surface of the substrate 1. The substrate 1 is selected with full consideration of semiconductor process characteristics, using a material with a coefficient of thermal expansion close to that of the wafer. The core purpose of this design is to avoid deformation of the overall sensor structure or gaps between the substrate 1 and the wafer due to excessive differences in thermal expansion and contraction in high-temperature process environments, which would affect the accuracy of temperature transmission. Meanwhile, the substrate 1, as the skeleton of the entire sensor, must stably support all components, including the shallow groove 201 of the sensing mechanism 2, the thermal grease layer 202, the temperature sensing element 203, and the anti-slip pad 302 and positioning hole 303 of the protective mechanism 3, ensuring that each component remains stable during assembly and use without loosening or displacement. The shallow groove 201 is precisely positioned, arranged in multiple rings around the center of the substrate 1. This distribution covers different radial areas of the wafer, laying the foundation for the uniform layout of the temperature sensing element 203. The shallow groove 201 is formed using high-precision machining processes, with its depth, width, and edge flatness strictly controlled. Its primary function is to provide dedicated mounting slots for the temperature sensing element 203, preventing positional deviations during assembly or displacement due to equipment vibration or wafer handling during sensor use, ensuring that each sensing element accurately corresponds to the target detection point on the wafer. Furthermore, the shallow groove 201 provides space for the thermal grease layer 202, guiding it to fill evenly between the component and the substrate 1, thus preventing uneven thickness caused by the thermal grease layer 202 flowing randomly on the surface of the substrate 1. The thermal grease layer 202 is a key thermal medium connecting the wafer and the temperature sensing element 203. A professional thermal grease with high thermal conductivity is selected. This type of grease not only has excellent heat transfer capabilities but also maintains stable physicochemical properties at high temperatures, without melting, loss, or curing failure. When the thermal grease layer 202 is evenly covered on the bottom of the inner wall of the shallow groove 201 and the upper surface of the substrate 1 using a scraping process, the grease naturally fills the microscopic gaps between the temperature sensing element 203 and the substrate 1. These gaps may be caused by factors such as component processing accuracy deviations or insufficient surface flatness of the substrate 1. If not filled, the air in the gaps will create significant thermal resistance, hindering heat transfer. The low-resistance thermal conductive path formed by the thermal grease layer 202 can quickly and evenly conduct the heat transferred from the wafer to the substrate 1 to the temperature sensing element 203, significantly shortening the temperature measurement response time and solving the problem of untimely temperature detection caused by thermal lag in traditional sensors. The temperature sensing element 203 is fixedly installed at the bottom of the inner wall of the shallow groove 201, and the upper surface of the temperature sensing element 203 is coated with an aluminum oxide insulating coating 204.The temperature sensing element 203, as the core of temperature signal sensing, is tightly installed at the bottom of the inner wall of the shallow trench 201 using a high-temperature fixing process. Its installation position perfectly matches the preset layout of the shallow trench 201, ensuring that each element corresponds to a specific detection area on the wafer. The temperature sensing element 203 utilizes its own physical properties to achieve temperature detection. An alumina insulating coating 204 is uniformly applied to the upper surface of the temperature sensing element 203 using a professional coating process. The coating thickness is controlled within an appropriate range, ensuring that excessive thickness does not affect heat transfer, and excessive thinness does not lead to insulation failure. Alumina itself possesses excellent high-temperature resistance, maintaining stable structure and insulation properties even in high-temperature semiconductor processing environments. This effectively isolates the temperature sensing element 203 from electrical connections with surrounding components, preventing the formation of conductive paths between the temperature sensing element 203, the silicone thermal grease layer 202, and the substrate 1, thus preventing abnormal detection signals or component damage caused by short-circuit faults. Multiple leads 205 are fixedly installed at one end of the temperature sensing element 203. The number of temperature sensing elements 203 is not fixed, but flexibly set according to the wafer size and detection accuracy requirements. For example, a smaller number of elements can be set for small wafers, while the number of elements can be increased for large wafers or scenarios with high temperature gradient requirements, up to dozens. These temperature sensing elements 203 are arranged according to a preset pattern, covering the key areas of the upper surface of the substrate 1, ensuring that there are no temperature measurement blind spots on the wafer surface, and can accurately reflect temperature differences at different locations, such as temperature deviation between the wafer center and the edge, and temperature fluctuations in local process areas, providing comprehensive temperature data support for semiconductor process parameter adjustments. The lead 205 serves as the transmission channel for electrical signals. One end is connected to the pin of the temperature sensing element 203 through a reliable soldering process. The soldering process strictly controls the temperature and the size of the solder joint to avoid high temperature damage to the temperature sensing element 203, while ensuring a firm connection to prevent detachment due to vibration and thermal expansion and contraction during long-term use. The lead 205 is wrapped with an insulating layer made of high-temperature resistant and anti-aging insulating material, which can resist the high temperature and chemical gas corrosion in the semiconductor process environment and prevent short circuits between leads 205 or between leads 205 and other components. The other end of the lead 205 extends to the outside of the substrate 1 and interfaces with the signal interface of the external detection equipment to stably transmit the electrical signal converted by the temperature sensing element 203 to the detection system, realizing real-time acquisition and analysis of temperature data.

[0025] Please see Figure 3-6As shown, the surface of the thermal grease layer 202 is covered with a protective film 301, which is made of polyimide. Polyimide is a material with outstanding oxidation resistance, high temperature resistance, and scratch resistance, making it perfectly suited to the harsh environment of semiconductor processes. The protective film 301 is tightly bonded to the surface of the thermal grease layer 202 using a high-temperature resistant adhesive. The adhesive is chosen with high-temperature stability in mind to ensure that the protective film 301 does not peel off or curl during long-term high-temperature use. The working principle of the protective film 301 is to create a physical barrier, directly isolating the thermal grease layer 202 from the external process environment. Deposited gases, dust particles, corrosive substances, etc., that may exist in semiconductor processes, if they directly contact the thermal grease layer 202, will cause the thermal grease to oxidize and deteriorate, and impurities to be mixed in, thereby reducing its thermal conductivity and affecting heat transfer efficiency. The protective film 301 effectively blocks these harmful substances, protecting the structure and performance stability of the thermal grease layer 202. Meanwhile, during wafer handling and sensor maintenance, the protective film 301 also prevents the thermal grease layer 202 from being scratched by hard objects or damaged by direct contact, ensuring the integrity of the thermal layer and ensuring uninterrupted heat conduction. Furthermore, the insulating properties of the protective film 301 further enhance the electrical safety of the sensor, preventing leakage risks caused by accidental contamination of the thermal grease layer 202 with conductive impurities. A heat-resistant sleeve 306 is fitted onto the surface of the lead 205. Preferably, the heat-resistant sleeve 306 is a glass fiber braided sleeve, made of glass fiber braided material. The heat-resistant sleeve 306 uses a glass fiber braided structure, and some products also undergo siloxane coating treatment to further improve high-temperature resistance and corrosion resistance, with its temperature range fully covering the temperature range of common high-temperature semiconductor processes. The heat-resistant sleeve 306 is tightly fitted onto the surface of the lead 205 using a heat-shrink or nesting process, especially in the transition section where the lead 205 extends from the substrate 1. This area is where the stress and temperature changes of the lead 205 are most concentrated and requires enhanced protection. In high-temperature semiconductor processes, the ambient temperature can reach hundreds or even thousands of degrees Celsius. The basic insulation layer outside the lead 205 may age and melt due to high temperatures, leading to exposure of the lead 205 and causing a short circuit. The heat-resistant sleeve 306 effectively insulates against high temperatures, providing additional thermal protection for the lead 205 and preventing damage to the basic insulation layer. At the same time, the glass fiber braided structure has a certain degree of flexibility. When the equipment door opens and closes or the sensor moves slightly, the heat-resistant sleeve 306 can deform slightly with the lead 205, preventing the lead 205 from breaking due to rigid tension and ensuring the continuity of signal transmission. An anti-slip pad 302 is fixedly installed on the lower surface of the substrate 1, and positioning holes 303 are opened on the upper surface of the substrate 1. The anti-slip pad 302 ensures the stability of the sensor's position during use and prevents displacement caused by vibration; the positioning hole 303 ensures accurate positioning during installation and ensures the correspondence between the temperature sensing element 203 and the wafer detection area, thus improving the reliability of sensor installation and use.A threaded post 304 is threaded onto the inner wall surface of the positioning hole 303, and a positioning pin 305 is fixedly installed at one end of the threaded post 304. The threaded connection structure of the threaded post 304 enables the height adjustment of the positioning pin 305, improving the versatility of the sensor; the positioning pin 305, through its cooperation with the positioning slot of the equipment, precisely fixes the sensor in the preset position, avoiding installation deviation; at the same time, the high temperature resistance and wear resistance of the positioning pin 305 ensure that it can maintain positioning accuracy even after long-term use, avoiding positional shift due to wear, and further ensuring the accuracy of temperature detection.

[0026] Working principle: During assembly, the temperature sensing element 203 is first fixedly installed at the bottom of the inner wall of the shallow groove 201, and an aluminum oxide insulating coating 204 is applied to the surface of the element. Then, the lead wire 205 is welded and fixed to the temperature sensing element 203, and a heat-resistant sleeve 306 is fitted onto the surface of the lead wire 205. Next, a thermally conductive silicone grease layer 202 is applied to the inner wall of the shallow groove 201 and the upper surface of the substrate 1, covering the connection between the temperature sensing element 203 and the lead wire 205. After the thermally conductive silicone grease layer 202 has cured, a protective film 301 is applied to its surface. Finally, the anti-slip pad 302 is pasted onto the lower surface of the substrate 1, and the positioning pin 305 is installed in the positioning hole 303 through the threaded post 304, thus completing the sensor assembly. In use, the sensor is precisely installed at the target position by cooperating with the positioning pin 305 and the positioning slot of the equipment. The anti-slip pad 302 increases the installation friction and prevents displacement. The heat of the wafer is quickly transferred to the temperature sensing element 203 through the thermal grease layer 202. The element converts the temperature signal into an electrical signal and transmits it to the external detection equipment through the lead wire 205 to realize real-time temperature detection. The protective film 301, the heat-resistant sleeve 306 and the alumina insulating coating 204 work together to resist the risks of high temperature, oxidation and short circuit, ensuring the stable operation of the sensor.

[0027] The above-disclosed embodiments are merely one or more preferred embodiments of this application and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this application. Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the processes for implementing the above embodiments and equivalent changes made in accordance with the claims of this application still fall within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A wafer temperature sensor with a thermally conductive silicone grease layer, comprising a substrate (1), characterized in that: A sensing mechanism (2) is provided on the upper surface of the substrate (1), and a protective mechanism (3) is provided at both ends of the substrate (1). The sensing mechanism (2) includes a shallow groove (201) and a thermally conductive silicone grease layer (202). The shallow groove (201) is opened on the upper surface of the substrate (1), and the thermally conductive silicone grease layer (202) is coated on the bottom end of the inner wall of the shallow groove (201) and the upper surface of the substrate (1).

2. A wafer temperature sensor with a thermally conductive silicone grease layer according to claim 1, characterized in that: A temperature sensing element (203) is fixedly installed at the bottom of the inner wall of the shallow groove (201), and the upper surface of the temperature sensing element (203) is coated with an aluminum oxide insulating coating (204).

3. A wafer temperature sensor with a thermally conductive silicone grease layer according to claim 2, characterized in that: One end of the temperature sensing element (203) is fixedly mounted with a lead wire (205), and there are multiple temperature sensing elements (203) and multiple lead wires (205).

4. A wafer temperature sensor with a thermally conductive silicone grease layer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The surface of the thermal grease layer (202) is covered with a protective film (301), which is made of polyimide.

5. A wafer temperature sensor with a thermally conductive silicone grease layer according to claim 3, characterized in that: The lead wire (205) is fitted with a heat-resistant sleeve (306).

6. A wafer temperature sensor with a thermally conductive silicone grease layer according to claim 5, characterized in that: The heat-resistant sleeve (306) is a glass fiber braided sleeve.

7. A wafer temperature sensor with a thermally conductive silicone grease layer according to claim 1, characterized in that: An anti-slip pad (302) is fixedly installed on the lower surface of the base (1), and a positioning hole (303) is provided on the upper surface of the base (1).

8. A wafer temperature sensor with a thermally conductive silicone grease layer according to claim 7, characterized in that: The inner wall surface of the positioning hole (303) is threaded with a threaded post (304), and a positioning pin (305) is fixedly installed at one end of the threaded post (304).

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