An annealing homogenization apparatus based on adjustable flow field

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of based on adjustable flow field's annealing homogenization equipment, belong to semiconductor field.The based on adjustable flow field's annealing homogenization equipment includes reaction cavity, support platform, gas pipe.Automatic air door mechanism, including air door, the end of the air door at least extends to the import end, when wafer carries out high-temperature thermal annealing process, the air door with the direction of gas flow in the gas pipe has included angle, and included angle is acute angle.The utility model sets up the acute angle between air door and the direction of gas flow in the gas pipe, when wafer is carried out high-temperature thermal annealing treatment, so that air door and the direction of air flow form included angle, and for acute angle, so that air flow can be changed from horizontal direction to blow up, can avoid forming obvious temperature gradient in the edge area and central area of wafer, and then can avoid that lattice repair effect is not good or ion activation rate reduces in wafer edge area, improve device yield.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to an annealing homogenization device based on an adjustable flow field. Background Technology

[0002] In semiconductor manufacturing processes, the annealing step following ion implantation is crucial for activating implanted ions and repairing damaged lattices. Typically, during annealing, a specific gas (such as nitrogen) needs to be continuously supplied at high temperatures to reduce the oxygen content within the reaction chamber and prevent excessive oxide layer formation on the silicon wafer surface. As device linewidths continue to shrink, the requirements for temperature uniformity become increasingly stringent, especially temperature control in the wafer edge region, which significantly impacts process yield and device consistency. Therefore, improving the heating uniformity at the wafer edges while maintaining a low-oxygen environment within the chamber has become a key challenge in the annealing process. However, existing annealing equipment results in lower wafer edge temperatures compared to the wafer center, leading to poor lattice repair at the wafer edges, reduced ion activation, and ultimately, lower device yield.

[0003] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background section of this utility model is intended only to enhance the understanding of the general background of this utility model, and should not be regarded as an admission or in any way implying that the information constitutes prior art known to those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an annealing homogenization device based on an adjustable flow field, in order to solve the problem that existing annealing homogenization devices based on adjustable flow fields still have the problem of low temperature at the wafer edge when annealing wafers, resulting in poor wafer edge repair effect, low ion activation rate, and affecting device yield.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this utility model provides an annealing homogenization device based on an adjustable flow field, comprising:

[0006] A reaction chamber for accommodating a wafer, the reaction chamber having an inlet end and an outlet end;

[0007] A support platform, located within the reaction chamber, is used to support the wafer;

[0008] A gas supply pipe is connected to the inlet end of the reaction chamber;

[0009] An automatic damper mechanism includes a damper, the end of which extends at least to the inlet end. When the wafer undergoes a high-temperature thermal annealing process, the damper forms an angle with the direction of gas flow in the gas delivery pipe, and the angle is an acute angle.

[0010] Preferably, the damper includes a first end and a second end, the first end being installed inside the gas supply pipe, and the second end extending at least to the inlet end.

[0011] Preferably, the damper is installed at the inlet end.

[0012] Preferably, the angle between the damper and the direction of gas flow in the gas delivery pipe is 30° to 80°.

[0013] Preferably, when the wafer is subjected to low-temperature purging, the angle between the damper and the direction of gas flow in the gas delivery pipe is 0°.

[0014] Preferably, the first end of the damper is rotatably connected to the air supply pipe, and the automatic damper mechanism further includes:

[0015] A driving device, wherein the driving end of the driving device is connected to the second end;

[0016] A control device is connected to the drive device.

[0017] Preferably, the automatic damper mechanism further includes a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the gas delivered from the gas pipe to the reaction chamber and outputting a signal; the temperature sensor is connected to the control device.

[0018] Preferably, the temperature sensor is electrically or communicatively connected to the control device, and the drive device is electrically or communicatively connected to the control device.

[0019] Preferably, the extension lines of the center line at the inlet end and the center line at the outlet end coincide with the plane on which the wafer is located.

[0020] Preferably, the damper has a plate-like structure.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the annealing homogenization equipment based on adjustable flow field of this utility model has the following advantages:

[0022] This invention features a reaction chamber for accommodating a wafer. The reaction chamber includes inlet and outlet support platforms located within it to support the wafer. A gas supply pipe connects to the inlet of the reaction chamber. An automatic damper mechanism includes a damper, the end of which extends at least to the inlet. During high-temperature thermal annealing of the wafer, the damper forms an acute angle with the direction of gas flow within the gas supply pipe. This acute angle between the damper and the airflow direction during high-temperature thermal annealing allows the airflow to change from horizontal to upward blowing. This maintains a low oxygen concentration within the reaction chamber while ensuring the gas remains at the wafer edge, preventing the formation of excessively cold zones and improving temperature uniformity at the wafer edge. This design avoids a significant temperature gradient between the wafer's edge and center regions, preventing poor lattice repair or reduced ion activation at the wafer edge, thus improving device yield. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a wafer structure with cooling and hot zones during high-temperature annealing in one embodiment;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an annealing homogenization device based on an adjustable flow field according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the damper in the open state in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] In the picture,

[0027] 100 - Reaction chamber; 110 - Support platform;

[0028] 120 - Ejector pin; 130 - Outlet end;

[0029] 200 - Wafer; 300 - Gas pipe;

[0030] 400-Air damper. Detailed Implementation

[0031] To make the objectives, advantages and features of the present utility model clearer, the annealing homogenization equipment based on adjustable flow field proposed by the present utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that the accompanying drawings are all in a very simplified form and use inaccurate scales, which are only used to conveniently and clearly assist in explaining the objectives of the embodiments of the present utility model. It should be understood that the accompanying drawings of the specification do not necessarily show the specific structure of the present utility model to scale, and the schematic features used in the accompanying drawings of the specification to illustrate certain principles of the present utility model may also be drawn in a slightly simplified manner. The specific design features of the present utility model disclosed herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, positions and shapes, will be determined in part by the specific application and environment of use. Furthermore, in the embodiments described below, the same reference numerals are sometimes used jointly among different drawings to denote the same parts or parts having the same functions, and repeated descriptions thereof are omitted. In this specification, similar reference numerals and letters are used to denote similar items, therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, no further discussion is required in subsequent drawings.

[0032] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with "first" and "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present utility model, "a plurality" means at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined clearly.

[0033] In the description of this specification, descriptions with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" etc. mean that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in combination with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present utility model. In this specification, the schematic expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the described specific features, structures, materials or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate different embodiments or examples and the features of different embodiments or examples described in this specification without conflicting with each other.

[0034] Refer Figure 1As shown, during the high-temperature thermal annealing process, only a low flow rate of nitrogen gas is introduced at high temperature to maintain a low oxygen concentration in the reaction chamber. Since the gas flow direction is parallel to the wafer surface and the gas flow is blown horizontally towards the wafer edge area, a cold zone is easily formed at the wafer edge and a hot zone is formed in the wafer center area. This results in uneven heating at the wafer edge, creating a significant temperature gradient between the wafer edge and center areas. This temperature gradient leads to poor lattice repair or reduced ion activation rate in the wafer edge area, thereby affecting the device yield.

[0035] The core idea of ​​this invention is to provide an annealing homogenization device based on an adjustable flow field, which can prevent the formation of temperature gradients between the edge and center regions of the wafer during high-temperature thermal annealing, thereby avoiding poor lattice repair or reduced ion activation rate in the wafer edge region and improving device yield.

[0036] To achieve the above-mentioned goals, this utility model provides an annealing homogenization device based on an adjustable flow field, with reference to... Figures 1 to 3 This invention discloses a specific embodiment of an annealing homogenization device based on an adjustable flow field. The device includes a reaction chamber 100 for accommodating a wafer 200, the reaction chamber 100 having an inlet end and an outlet end 130. A support platform 110 is disposed within the reaction chamber 100 for supporting the wafer 200. A gas supply pipe 300 is connected to the inlet end of the reaction chamber 100. An automatic damper mechanism includes a damper 400, the end of which extends at least to the inlet end. When the wafer undergoes a high-temperature annealing process, the damper 400 forms an acute angle with the direction of gas flow within the gas supply pipe 300.

[0037] The reaction chamber 100 is provided with an inlet (not shown in the figure) and an outlet 130. The inlet is used to supply gas into the reaction chamber 100. The gas is discharged from the outlet 130. The extension lines of the center lines of the inlet and the outlet 130 coincide with the plane on which the wafer 200 is located. This is to facilitate the discharge of purging gas from the outlet during subsequent nitrogen purging.

[0038] The support platform 110 is used to support the wafer 200. The support platform 110 has an opening. A ejector pin 120 is disposed below the support platform 110, passing through the opening and abutting against the wafer 200. The ejector pin 120 is also connected to a telescopic device (not shown in the figure), the drive end of which is connected to the ejector pin 120. The telescopic device can drive the ejector pin 120 along the longitudinal direction (i.e., Figure 1move in the direction of arrow a, so that the wafer 200 can be ejected from the support table 110 or placed on the support table 110. The telescopic device can be a common telescopic device such as an electric telescopic rod, a pneumatic telescopic rod, etc. Those skilled in the art are already familiar with the specific structure and working principle of the telescopic device, so detailed description thereof is omitted herein.

[0039] The gas pipe 300 therein is configured to deliver gas into the reaction chamber 100. For example, when the wafer 200 is subjected to low-temperature purging, a large flow of nitrogen (N2) is delivered into the reaction chamber 100 through the gas pipe 300 to purge the reaction chamber 100, so as to remove oxygen. When the wafer 200 is subjected to high-temperature thermal annealing treatment, low-flow nitrogen is delivered into the reaction chamber 100 through the gas pipe 300, thereby maintaining a low oxygen concentration in the reaction chamber 100 (the oxygen concentration is 30 ppm). It should be noted that the temperature for low-temperature thermal annealing treatment is 350°C-500°C. The temperature range for high-temperature thermal annealing treatment is 1000±100°C.

[0040] Wherein, the automatic damper mechanism comprises a damper 400, an end portion of the damper 400 extends at least to the inlet end. When the wafer 200 is subjected to a high-temperature annealing process, the damper 400 forms an included angle with the flow direction of gas in the gas pipe. The damper 400 has a plate-shaped structure. When the wafer 200 is subjected to a high-temperature thermal annealing process, by changing the angle of the damper 400, the damper 400 is changed from a horizontal state to a state forming an included angle with the gas flow direction, so that the gas is changed from blowing horizontally to blowing upward. Therefore, while maintaining the low oxygen concentration in the reaction chamber 100, the gas is prevented from forming an excessively strong cold region at the edge of the wafer 200, and the temperature uniformity at the edge of the wafer 200 can be improved. Thereby, an obvious temperature gradient can be avoided from being formed in the edge region and the central region of the wafer 200, and further, the problem that the lattice repair effect of the edge region of the wafer 200 is poor or the ion activation rate is reduced can be avoided, and the device yield is improved.

[0041] Exemplarily, the damper 400 comprises a first end and a second end, the first end is installed in the gas pipe 300, and the second end extends at least to the inlet end. This ensures that when the angle between the damper 400 and the gas flow direction is changed, the gas can be changed from blowing horizontally to blowing upward, so that the wafer 200 can be heated uniformly during the high-temperature thermal annealing treatment.

[0042] Exemplarily, the damper 400 is installed at the inlet end. When the damper 400 is installed at the inlet end of the reaction chamber 100, when changing the included angle between the damper 400 and the gas flow direction, it can be ensured that the gas is changed from blowing horizontally to blowing upward, so that the wafer 200 can be heated uniformly during the high-temperature thermal annealing treatment.

[0043] Reference Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the included angle between the damper 400 and the direction of gas flow in the gas pipe 300 is 30° to 80°. That is, when the wafer 200 is subjected to high-temperature thermal annealing, the adjustable angle of the damper 400 can be 30°, 40°, 50°, 60°, 70°, 80°, or any value within the range of 30° to 80°.

[0044] Refer to Figure 2 As shown in the figure, when the wafer 200 is subjected to a low-temperature thermal annealing process, the included angle between the damper 400 and the direction of gas flow in the gas pipe 300 is 0°. Since the temperature is relatively low during the low-temperature thermal annealing process of the wafer 200, and the silicon wafer has not entered the high-temperature annealing state, the airflow direction can be maintained in the horizontal direction to improve the exhaust efficiency of the reaction chamber 100, which only requires setting the included angle between the damper 400 and the direction of gas flow in the gas pipe 300 to 0°.

[0045] Illustratively, the automatic damper mechanism further comprises: a driving device, wherein the driving end of the driving device is connected to the second end; and a control device connected to the driving device.

[0046] Specifically, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the driving device may be an automatic telescopic device such as an electric telescopic rod or a pneumatic telescopic rod, which is configured to drive one end of the damper 400 to move. The first end of the damper 400 can be installed inside the gas pipe 300 or at the inlet end of the reaction chamber 100, and the first end of the damper 400 is rotatably connected to the gas pipe or the reaction chamber 100 through a bearing. The control device herein may be a PLC controller, a single-chip microcomputer or the like, and the control device can be electrically connected or communicatively connected to the driving device.

[0047] Further, the automatic damper mechanism further comprises a temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of gas delivered into the reaction chamber 100 through the gas pipe 300 and output a signal, wherein the temperature sensor is connected to the control device. Here, the temperature sensor can be electrically connected or communicatively connected to the control device. By providing the temperature sensor, the temperature of the gas can be monitored in real time, and the angle of the damper 400 can be adjusted when the temperature falls within a set range. This enables uniform heating on the surface of the wafer 200, further avoids forming an obvious temperature gradient between the edge region and the central region of the wafer 200, thereby preventing poor lattice repair effect or reduced ion activation rate in the edge region of the wafer 200 and improving the device yield.

[0048] As one example, when the temperature sensor detects the temperature of the gas, the temperature sensor transmits an electrical signal to the control device. The control device converts the received electrical signal into a wireless signal through the first wireless communication module, and converts the wireless signal back into an electrical signal through the second wireless communication module and transmits it to the drive device, so that the drive device moves the second end of the damper 400 so that the damper 400 forms an acute angle with the airflow direction.

[0049] It should be noted that the first wireless communication module can be a Bluetooth module, Wi-Fi module, Zigbee module, etc., and the second wireless communication module can be a Bluetooth module, Wi-Fi module, Zigbee module, etc. However, the first wireless communication module and the second wireless communication module should belong to the same type of module.

[0050] In practical use, when wafer 200 undergoes low-temperature purging, the temperature sensor detects the gas temperature and transmits the signal to the drive device via the control device. Upon receiving the control signal, the drive device maintains the angle between the damper 400 and the airflow, purging the reaction chamber 100 with a high flow rate of N2 at a lower temperature to remove oxygen. Because the temperature is low at this stage, wafer 200 has not yet entered the high-temperature annealing state, and the airflow direction can remain horizontal to improve the exhaust efficiency of the chamber. When the temperature sensor detects that the airflow temperature reaches a high temperature, high-temperature thermal annealing is performed on wafer 200, and the signal is transmitted to the drive device via the control device. Upon receiving the control signal, the drive device opens the damper 400, creating an angle between the damper 400 and the airflow direction, thus changing the airflow from horizontal to upward. By adjusting the angle of the damper 400, a low oxygen concentration can be maintained within the reaction chamber 100 while ensuring the gas is at the edge of wafer 200, preventing the formation of excessively cold zones and improving the temperature uniformity at the edge of wafer 200. This can prevent the formation of significant temperature gradients between the edge and center regions of wafer 200. Consequently, it can avoid poor lattice repair or reduced ion activation in the edge regions of wafer 200, thus improving device yield.

[0051] In summary, the above embodiments have provided detailed descriptions of different configurations of the annealing homogenization equipment based on the adjustable flow field. Of course, the above descriptions are only descriptions of preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way. The present invention includes, but is not limited to, the configurations listed in the above embodiments. Those skilled in the art can draw inferences from the above embodiments. Any changes or modifications made by those skilled in the art based on the above disclosure are within the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An annealing homogenization device based on an adjustable flow field, characterized in that, include: A reaction chamber for accommodating a wafer, the reaction chamber having an inlet end and an outlet end; A support platform, located within the reaction chamber, is used to support the wafer; A gas supply pipe is connected to the inlet end of the reaction chamber; An automatic damper mechanism includes a damper, the end of which extends at least to the inlet end. When the wafer undergoes a high-temperature thermal annealing process, the damper forms an angle with the direction of gas flow in the gas delivery pipe, and the angle is an acute angle. The damper includes a first end and a second end, the first end being installed inside the gas supply pipe, and the second end extending at least to the inlet end; The first end of the damper is rotatably connected to the gas supply pipe, and the automatic damper mechanism further includes: A driving device, wherein the driving end of the driving device is connected to the second end; A control device is connected to the drive device.

2. The annealing homogenization equipment based on an adjustable flow field according to claim 1, characterized in that, The damper is installed at the inlet end.

3. The annealing homogenization device based on an adjustable flow field according to claim 1, characterized in that, The angle between the damper and the direction of gas flow in the gas pipeline is 30°~80°.

4. The annealing homogenization equipment based on an adjustable flow field according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the wafer is subjected to low-temperature purging, the angle between the damper and the direction of gas flow in the gas delivery pipe is 0°.

5. The annealing homogenization equipment based on an adjustable flow field according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic damper mechanism also includes a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the gas delivered from the gas pipe to the reaction chamber and outputting a signal. The temperature sensor is connected to the control device.

6. The annealing homogenization device based on an adjustable flow field according to claim 5, characterized in that, The temperature sensor is electrically or communicatively connected to the control device, and the drive device is electrically or communicatively connected to the control device.

7. The annealing homogenization device based on an adjustable flow field according to claim 1, characterized in that, The extension lines of the center line at the inlet end and the center line at the outlet end coincide with the plane on which the wafer is located.

8. The annealing homogenization device based on an adjustable flow field according to claim 1, characterized in that, The damper has a plate-like structure.

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