cooling device

Abstract

A cooling device for cooling a structure to be cooled, comprising: a cold plate; a support structure arranged on the cold plate, the support structure being used for supporting the structure to be cooled, the support structure being capable of being raised or lowered in a direction perpendicular to the cold plate, the support structure being in a raised state, the structure to be cooled being separated from the cold plate, the support structure being in a lowered state, the structure to be cooled being in contact with the cold plate; a time-delay control module, the time-delay control module being used for controlling the support structure to maintain the raised state for a first preset time, and after maintaining the first preset time, controlling the support structure to switch to the lowered state and maintain a second preset time. The cooling device improves product yield.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Photolithography uses exposure and development to form a patterned structure in a photoresist layer, and then uses etching to transfer the pattern from the photoresist layer onto the substrate. The photolithography process includes steps such as substrate pretreatment, photoresist coating, exposure, development, and baking. Among these, the substrate pretreatment and photoresist coating steps involve high-temperature baking and cooling processes.

[0003] However, using existing cooling devices to cool wafers results in drastic temperature changes that cause wafers to crack, severely impacting wafer yield and requiring further improvement. Utility Model Content

[0004] The technical problem solved by this invention is to provide a cooling device to improve product yield.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this utility model provides a cooling device for cooling a structure to be cooled, comprising: a cold plate; a support structure disposed on the cold plate, the support structure supporting the structure to be cooled, the support structure being able to rise or fall in a direction perpendicular to the cold plate, wherein in the rising state, the structure to be cooled is separated from the cold plate, and in the falling state, the structure to be cooled is in contact with the cold plate; and a delay control module, the delay control module being used to control the support structure to maintain in the rising state for a first preset time, and after maintaining in the first preset time, to control the support structure to switch to the falling state and maintain in the falling state for a second preset time.

[0006] Optionally, the first preset time ranges from 60s to 90s, and the second preset time ranges from 45s to 60s.

[0007] Optionally, it may also include: a control system board, which integrates a control system for controlling the operation of the cooling device; the delay control module is communicatively connected to the control system board.

[0008] Optionally, it also includes: a solenoid valve assembly, which is communicatively connected to the delay control module; and a cylinder, which is connected to the support structure and is communicatively connected to the solenoid valve assembly. The solenoid valve assembly is used to drive the cylinder to move after receiving a signal from the delay control module, and the movement of the cylinder causes the support structure to rise or fall.

[0009] Optionally, it also includes: a housing, wherein the control system board is disposed within the housing, and the delay control module is disposed within the housing.

[0010] Optionally, it also includes: a housing, wherein the control system board is disposed inside the housing, and the delay control module is externally connected to the housing.

[0011] Optionally, it also includes: a time-delay disconnect device, which is used to control the support structure to maintain in the rising state for a third preset time after the cooling of the structure to be cooled is completed; the time-delay disconnect device is communicatively connected to the control system board.

[0012] Optionally, the third preset time ranges from 2s to 6s.

[0013] Optionally, the time-delay disconnect device includes a time-delay disconnect relay.

[0014] Optionally, the delay control module includes a microcontroller.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of this utility model embodiment has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] The cooling device provided by this utility model uses a delay control module to control the delay time of the support structure in the rising state, allowing the structure to be cooled to naturally cool in the environment for a first preset time. Then, the delay time of the support structure in the falling state is controlled to allow the naturally cooled structure to come into contact with the cold plate for a second preset time. This achieves cooling of the structure in the natural environment followed by cooling on the cold plate, reducing product breakage rate and improving yield. In addition, by controlling the cooling process of the structure through the delay control module, there is no need to set up a stepped hot plate for cooling, thereby reducing the process flow and increasing equipment capacity. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figures 1 to 4 This is a schematic diagram of the cooling device in this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0018] As described in the background section, there is a need to improve cooling devices in order to improve product yield.

[0019] Specifically, when performing photolithography on the patterning equipment in the factory, the wafer is first transferred by the arm to the high-temperature chamber (ADH) for baking to remove surface impurities, then transferred to the cold plate (CPL) for cooling, then transferred to the coating chamber (COT) for applying photoresist, then transferred to the hot plate chamber (LHP) for photoresist curing, and finally transferred to the cold plate (CPL) for further cooling.

[0020] In the photolithography process, there are two cooling processes: from the high-temperature chamber (ADH) to the cold plate (CPL), and from the hot plate chamber (LHP) to the cold plate (CPL). The robotic arm of the patterning equipment removes the wafer from the hot plate and transfers it to the cold plate for cooling.

[0021] However, during the cooling process, after the wafer with a temperature (including 125°C and below) is removed by the arm and immediately placed into the cold plate (CPL) for cooling, the drastic temperature change can easily cause the product to break due to the characteristics of the product substrate.

[0022] Currently, to address the issue of product breakage caused by drastic temperature changes during cooling, a stepped hot plate (with a temperature slightly lower than the wafer temperature) is used in the cooling process. This stepped hot plate consists of multiple hot plates with progressively decreasing temperatures. The wafer is initially cooled by sequentially contacting these hot plates, and then transferred to a cold plate for further cooling. This process is complex and has low equipment throughput.

[0023] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention provides a cooling device. A delay control module controls the delay time during the rising state of the support structure, allowing the structure to be cooled to naturally cool in the environment for a first preset time. Then, the delay time during the descending state of the support structure is controlled, allowing the naturally cooled structure to contact the cold plate for a second preset time. This achieves cooling of the structure in the natural environment followed by cooling on the cold plate, reducing product breakage and improving yield. Furthermore, by controlling the cooling process of the structure through the delay control module, there is no need to use stepped hot plates for cooling, thereby reducing process steps and increasing equipment capacity.

[0024] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and beneficial effects of this utility model more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] Figures 1 to 4 This is a schematic diagram of the cooling device in this utility model.

[0026] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4 , Figures 2 to 4 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the intermediate cooling plate area A, wherein the cooling device is used to cool the structure to be cooled, and includes:

[0027] Cold plate 10;

[0028] A support structure is provided on the cold plate 10. The support structure is used to support the structure 12 to be cooled. The support structure can rise or fall in a direction perpendicular to the cold plate 10. When the support structure is in the rising state, the structure 12 to be cooled is separated from the cold plate 10. When the support structure is in the falling state, the structure 12 to be cooled is in contact with the cold plate 10.

[0029] The delay control module 13 is used to control the support structure to maintain a first preset time in the rising state, and after maintaining the first preset time, control the support structure to switch to the falling state and maintain it for a second preset time.

[0030] The cooling device includes a delay control module 13 that controls the delay time of the support structure in the rising state, allowing the structure to be cooled 12 to cool naturally in the environment for a first preset time. Then, it controls the delay time of the support structure in the falling state, allowing the naturally cooled structure to come into contact with the cold plate 10 for a second preset time. This achieves cooling of the structure to be cooled in the natural environment before cooling on the cold plate 10, reducing product breakage rate and improving yield. In addition, by controlling the cooling process of the structure to be cooled 12 through the delay control module 13, there is no need to set up a stepped hot plate for cooling, thereby reducing the process flow and increasing equipment capacity.

[0031] Figures 2 to 4 middle, Figure 2 yes Figure 3 and Figure 4 Top view, Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the supporting structure in the rising state. At this time, the structure to be cooled 12 is separated from the cold plate 10. The structure to be cooled 12 is naturally cooled in the environment. Since the thermal conductivity of the atmosphere is relatively low, the cooling rate of the structure to be cooled 12 in the environment is relatively slow.

[0032] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the supporting structure in its lowered state. At this point, the structure to be cooled 12, after natural cooling in the environment, comes into contact with the cold plate 10, which cools the structure 12. Because the temperature of the structure 12 has decreased in the natural environment, when it comes into contact with the cold plate 10 for further cooling, it is less likely to experience fragmentation problems caused by drastic temperature changes.

[0033] In this embodiment, the temperature range of the cold plate 10 is 22.8 degrees Celsius to 23.2 degrees Celsius. Cooling water flows through the bottom of the cold plate 10 to provide cooling.

[0034] In this embodiment, the material of the cold plate 10 includes metal or metal alloy. The cold plate 10 has a large thermal conductivity, so that when the structure to be cooled 12 comes into contact with the cold plate 10, the heat of the structure to be cooled 12 can be quickly conducted away, so as to achieve the purpose of rapid cooling.

[0035] In this embodiment, the cold plate 10 is made of stainless steel.

[0036] In this embodiment, the structure to be cooled 12 is a wafer, and the material of the wafer includes lithium tantalate (LT) or lithium niobate (LN).

[0037] In other embodiments, the structure to be cooled is another product structure that requires cooling by a cold plate.

[0038] Please continue to refer to this. Figures 2 to 4 The support structure includes at least three support members 11, which are separately disposed on the cold plate 10. Under the control of a cylinder, the support members 11 drive the structure to be cooled 12 to rise or fall.

[0039] In this embodiment, the support member 11 includes a first portion that contacts the cold plate 10 and a second portion that contacts the structure 12 to be cooled. The first portion is made of metal or metal alloy, and its material has high hardness, which can provide strength support for the support member 11. The second portion is made of organic material, and its material hardness is lower than that of the first portion, so that it can provide structural support without damaging the structure 12 to be cooled.

[0040] In this embodiment, the material of the first part is stainless steel; the material of the second part includes polyimide (PI).

[0041] In this embodiment, the first preset time ranges from 60s to 90s, and the second preset time ranges from 45s to 60s.

[0042] In this embodiment, the structure to be cooled 12 is cooled in the natural environment for a first preset time and then cooled on the cold plate for a second preset time. This two-step cooling process ensures a good cooling effect without extending the total cooling time or affecting production efficiency.

[0043] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 1 In this embodiment, the cooling device further includes: a control system board 14, which integrates a control system for controlling the operation of the cooling device; the delay control module 13 is communicatively connected to the control system board 14.

[0044] In this embodiment, the cooling device further includes: a housing 21, the control system board 14 is disposed inside the housing 21, and the delay control module 13 is disposed inside the housing 21.

[0045] In another embodiment, the delay control module is externally connected to the enclosure.

[0046] The delay control module can be flexibly set inside and outside the housing 21. Without changing the overall structure of the cooling device, the operation mode of the cooling device can be changed by connecting the internal and external delay control modules, which improves the product yield while incurring low costs.

[0047] In this embodiment, the delay control module 13 includes a microcontroller.

[0048] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 1 The cooling device further includes: a solenoid valve group 15, which is communicatively connected to the delay control module 13; and a cylinder 16, which is connected to the support structure and is communicatively connected to the solenoid valve group 15. The solenoid valve group 15 is used to drive the cylinder 16 to move after receiving a signal from the delay control module 13. The movement of the cylinder 16 causes the support structure to rise or fall.

[0049] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 1 The cooling device further includes a reaction chamber 20, a cold plate 10 disposed within the reaction chamber 20, and a solenoid valve assembly 15 and a cylinder 16 disposed on the inner surface sidewall of the reaction chamber 20. A robotic arm inserts the structure to be cooled into the reaction chamber 20 and removes the product from the reaction chamber 20 after cooling is complete.

[0050] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 1 The cooling device further includes a time-delay disconnection device 18, which is used to control the support structure to maintain in the rising state for a third preset time after the cooling of the structure to be cooled is completed.

[0051] In this embodiment, the time-delay disconnection device 18 is disposed on the inner surface sidewall of the reaction chamber 20.

[0052] The time-delay disconnect device 18 delays the signal transmission time of the cooling structure 12 to end cooling, that is, controls the support structure to maintain in the rising state for a third preset time. After maintaining for the third preset time, the robotic arm enters the reaction chamber 20 to pick up the wafer, so as to prevent the robotic arm from hitting the wafer.

[0053] The time-delay disconnect device is communicatively connected to the control system board 14.

[0054] In this embodiment, the third preset time ranges from 2s to 6s.

[0055] In this embodiment, the time-delay disconnect device 18 includes a time-delay disconnect relay.

[0056] In the cooling device, since a delay control module is provided, the cooling device does not need to be equipped with a sensor for sensing the rising and falling state of the support structure. The process of the robotic arm picking up and placing the wafer is carried out according to a preset program. Without a sensor, when the robotic arm enters the reaction chamber 20 to pick up the wafer, it may collide with the structure 12 to be cooled that is in the process of rising. The setting of a delay disconnect device can avoid this situation.

[0057] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 1 The cooling device further includes: an adapter plate 17, which is connected to the control system board 14. The adapter plate 17 is used to connect various modules that are communicatively connected to the control system board 14. The delay control module 13 is connected to the control system board 14, and the delay disconnect device 18 is connected to the adapter plate 17.

[0058] In other embodiments, the time-delay disconnect device is directly connected to the control system board.

[0059] In this embodiment, the control system board 14 integrates a control system, which controls the delay control module 13, the delay disconnect device 18, the solenoid valve group 15, and the cylinder 16.

[0060] While the present invention has been disclosed above, it is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can make various modifications and alterations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention; therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A cooling device for cooling a structure to be cooled, characterized in that, include: Cold plate; A support structure is provided on the cold plate. The support structure is used to support the structure to be cooled. The support structure can rise or fall in a direction perpendicular to the cold plate. When the support structure is rising, the structure to be cooled is separated from the cold plate. When the support structure is falling, the structure to be cooled is in contact with the cold plate. The delay control module is used to control the support structure to maintain a first preset time in the rising state, and after maintaining the first preset time, control the support structure to switch to the falling state and maintain it for a second preset time.

2. The cooling device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first preset time ranges from 60s to 90s, and the second preset time ranges from 45s to 60s.

3. The cooling device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The control system board integrates a control system for controlling the operation of the cooling device; the delay control module is communicatively connected to the control system board.

4. The cooling device as described in claim 3, characterized in that, Also includes: The system includes a solenoid valve assembly, which is communicatively connected to the delay control module; and a cylinder, which is connected to the support structure and also communicatively connected to the solenoid valve assembly. The solenoid valve assembly is used to drive the cylinder to move after receiving a signal from the delay control module, and the movement of the cylinder causes the support structure to rise or fall.

5. The cooling device as described in claim 3, characterized in that, Also includes: The control system board and the delay control module are both housed within the enclosure.

6. The cooling device as described in claim 3, characterized in that, Also includes: The control system board is housed inside the enclosure, and the delay control module is externally connected to the enclosure.

7. The cooling device as described in claim 3, characterized in that, Also includes: A time-delay disconnect device is used to control the support structure to maintain its raised state for a third preset time after the cooling of the structure to be cooled is completed; the time-delay disconnect device is communicatively connected to the control system board.

8. The cooling device as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that, The third preset time ranges from 2s to 6s.

9. The cooling device as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that, The time-delay disconnect device includes a time-delay disconnect relay.

10. The cooling device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The delay control module includes a microcontroller.

Images