A process chamber and semiconductor processing apparatus

Abstract

A process chamber and a semiconductor process equipment are disclosed. The disclosed process chamber includes a chamber body, a separation component, and a heating component. The separation component includes a light-transmitting portion and a first sealing portion. The light-transmitting portion covers an open end of the chamber body. The first sealing portion is supported between an end surface of the open end and the light-transmitting portion. The heating component is located outside the chamber body and is arranged opposite to the light-transmitting portion. The heating component is configured to emit a heating light beam into the chamber body through the light-transmitting portion. An edge of the light-transmitting portion has a light-shielding area arranged opposite to the first sealing portion. The light-shielding area is used to shield the heating light beam from being directed to the first sealing portion, so as to avoid the heating light beam directly irradiating the first sealing portion. In this way, the temperature of the first sealing portion can be reduced to a certain extent, and the probability of the first sealing portion being aged by heat can be reduced. Therefore, the sealing performance of the process chamber is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor processing technology, and in particular to a process chamber and semiconductor process equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In semiconductor manufacturing, heat treatment processes such as epitaxial growth, annealing, and oxidation of semiconductor devices must be performed within a process chamber. In related technologies, the semiconductor device is heated within the process chamber to reach the appropriate process temperature. The process chamber typically uses a heating lamp as a heat source, which shines light into the chamber through a quartz window. To ensure the chamber's airtightness, a sealing ring is placed between the quartz window and the chamber. However, under prolonged exposure to the heating lamp, the sealing ring is prone to thermal aging, leading to a deterioration in the chamber's sealing performance. Utility Model Content

[0003] This application discloses a process chamber and semiconductor process equipment to solve the problem of poor sealing performance of the process chamber caused by the thermal aging of the sealing ring in the related technology.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this application is implemented as follows: In a first aspect, embodiments of this application disclose a process chamber, which includes a chamber body, a partition component, and a heating component; The partition includes a light-transmitting part and a first sealing part. The light-transmitting part covers the opening end of the chamber body, and the first sealing part is supported between the end face of the opening end and the light-transmitting part. The heating element is located outside the chamber body and is disposed opposite to the light-transmitting part. The heating element is configured to emit a heating beam into the chamber body through the light-transmitting part. The edge of the light-transmitting part has a light-shielding area, which is disposed opposite to the first sealing part and is used to block the heating beam directed toward the first sealing part.

[0005] Secondly, embodiments of this application disclose a semiconductor process apparatus, which includes a robotic arm and the process chamber described in the first aspect. The robotic arm is used to pick up and place workpieces to be processed in the process chamber.

[0006] The technical solution adopted in this application can achieve the following technical effects: The process chamber disclosed in this application improves upon related technologies by providing a light-shielding area at the edge of the light-transmitting part. This can block the heating beam from the heating component towards the first sealing part, preventing the heating beam from directly hitting the first sealing part. This reduces the temperature of the first sealing part to a certain extent, thereby reducing the probability of the first sealing part undergoing thermal aging and improving the sealing performance of the process chamber. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the chamber body disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 4 This is an exploded view of the chamber body, the light-transmitting part, and the limiting ring disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 5 This is one of the enlarged cross-sectional views of the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 6 This is the second enlarged cross-sectional view of the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 7 This is the third enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 8 This is the fourth enlarged cross-sectional view of the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 9 This is the fifth enlarged cross-sectional view of the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 10 This is the sixth enlarged cross-sectional view of the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 11 This is the seventh enlarged cross-sectional view of the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 12 This is an exploded view of the heating component disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 13 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the heating component disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 14 This is a second schematic diagram of the structure of the heating component disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 15 This is the third schematic diagram of the structure of the heating component disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 16 This is one of the cross-sectional views of the heating component disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 17 for Figure 16 A magnified view of a portion of the image; Figure 18 This is a second cross-sectional view of the heating component disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 19 This is a schematic diagram of the cooling seat structure disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 20 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electrical connection assembly disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 21 This is an exploded view of the heating source disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 22 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the heating source disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 23 for Figure 22 A cross-sectional view along the AA direction; Figure 24 This is a schematic diagram showing the relative positions of the through-beam sensor and the workpiece disclosed in an embodiment of this application; Figure 25 This is a schematic diagram of the hand claw structure disclosed in an embodiment of this application; Figure 26 This is an exploded view of the hand claw disclosed in an embodiment of this application; Figure 27 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the clamping part disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 28 This is one of the schematic diagrams showing the docking of the robotic arm and gripper disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 29 This is a second schematic diagram of the docking of the robotic arm and gripper disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 30 This is a second schematic diagram of the clamping part disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 31 This is the third schematic diagram of the docking of the robotic arm and gripper disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 32 This is the fourth schematic diagram of the docking of the robotic arm and gripper disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 33 This is a schematic diagram of the cover plate disclosed in an embodiment of this application; Figure 34 This is a cross-sectional view of the cover plate disclosed in an embodiment of this application; Figure 35 This is one of the schematic diagrams of the cooperation process between the robot arm and the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 36 This is the second schematic diagram of the cooperation process between the robot arm and the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 37 This is the third schematic diagram of the cooperation process between the robot and the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 38This is the fourth schematic diagram of the cooperation process between the robotic arm and the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 39 This is the fifth schematic diagram of the cooperation process between the robot and the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 40 This is the sixth schematic diagram of the cooperation process between the robot arm and the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 41 This is the seventh schematic diagram of the cooperation process between the robot arm and the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 42 This is the eighth schematic diagram of the cooperation process between the robot and the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 43 This is the ninth schematic diagram of the cooperation process between the robotic arm and the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 44 This is the tenth schematic diagram of the cooperation process between the robot arm and the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figure 45 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the semiconductor process equipment disclosed in the embodiments of this application.

[0008] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 100-Process chamber, 101-Flow gap, 110-Cavity body, 111-Limiting ring, 112-Mounting groove, 113-First limiting groove, 114-Second limiting groove, 115-First cooling channel, 116-Cover plate, 120-Separating component, 121-Light-transmitting part, 1211-Light-shielding area, 1212-Light-transmitting main body, 1213-Fogging part, 1213a-First part, 1213b-Second part, 122-First sealing part, 123-Second sealing part, 130-Heating component, 131-Mounting cavity, 1311-First reflector, 1312-First reflective surface, 1312a- 1312b - Second sub-reflector, 1313 - Second reflector, 1314 - Bottom surface, 1315 - Second reflector, 132 - Heating source, 1321 - Lamp body, 1322 - Lamp holder, 1323 - Electrical connection assembly, 1323a - Carrier plate, 1323b - Terminal block, 133 - Cooling seat, 134 - Cooling ring, 135 - Second cooling channel, 136 - Diverter, 140 - Lifting mechanism, 150 - Gripper, 151 - Gripper body, 152 - Adapter, 153 - Clamping part, 160 - Bearing part, 170 - Through-beam sensor, 171 - Transmitter, 172 - Receiver 200 - Parts to be processed 300-ion implantation chamber, 400-Transmission Chamber 500-robotic arm. Detailed Implementation

[0009] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0010] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first," "second," etc., are generally of the same class and are not limited in number; for example, a first object can be one or more.

[0011] The technical solutions disclosed in the various embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] Please refer to Figures 1 to 45 This application discloses a process chamber 100, which can be used to perform thermal processing processes for semiconductor devices such as wafers and solar cells, such as wafer epitaxial growth processes, annealing processes, and oxidation processes. In some embodiments, the process chamber 100 can be a preheating chamber, for example, it can be used in an ion implantation device to preheat the wafer before performing an ion implantation process on the wafer.

[0013] The aforementioned process chamber 100 may include a chamber body 110, a partition component 120, and a heating component 130. The chamber body 110 provides the space required for the process and has an open end connecting its internal space to the external space. The partition component 120 includes a light-transmitting portion 121 and a first sealing portion 122. The light-transmitting portion 121 may be made of materials with good light transmission and high-temperature resistance, such as quartz or alumina. The light-transmitting portion 121 is located at the open end of the chamber body 110, and its assembly with the chamber body 110 can be achieved through snap-fit, interference fit, or other methods. The open end of the chamber body 110 may be located at the top or bottom of the chamber body 110; correspondingly, the light-transmitting portion 121 may be located at either the top or bottom of the chamber body 110.

[0014] To improve the sealing of the connection area between the light-transmitting part 121 and the chamber body 110, thereby ensuring the vacuum level inside the chamber body 110 and preventing gas leakage, a first sealing part 122 can be disposed between the end face of the opening end of the chamber body 110 and the light-transmitting part 121. The first sealing part 122 can be an elastic sealing ring, such as a silicone sealing ring or a rubber sealing ring.

[0015] The heating element 130 is located outside the chamber body 110 and is disposed opposite to the light-transmitting part 121. The heating element 130 can be an infrared heating lamp, which can emit a heating beam into the chamber body 110 through the light-transmitting part 121. During the heating process of the heating element 130 heating the chamber body 110, the heating beam will inevitably hit the first sealing part 122, which will easily cause the first sealing part 122 to age due to heat, thus leading to a deterioration in the sealing performance of the chamber body 110.

[0016] Based on the above problems, in this embodiment, a light-shielding area 1211 can be provided at the edge of the light-transmitting part 121. This light-shielding area 1211 is disposed opposite to the first sealing part 122. The light-shielding area 1211 can block the heating beam emitted by the heating component 130 towards the first sealing part 122, preventing the heating beam from directly hitting the first sealing part 122. This can reduce the temperature of the first sealing part 122 to a certain extent, thereby reducing the probability of the first sealing part 122 experiencing heat aging and improving the sealing performance of the chamber body 110. A reflective layer can be provided at the edge of the light-transmitting part 121 to form the aforementioned light-shielding area 1211. The reflective layer can reflect the heating beam, preventing the heating beam from directly hitting the first sealing part 122. Alternatively, the aforementioned light-shielding area 1211 can also be formed at the edge of the light-transmitting part 121 through a foaming process. Since the foaming structure formed by the foaming process can dissipate heat and reflect the heating beam, it can also prevent the heating beam from directly hitting the first sealing part 122.

[0017] In addition, the process chamber 100 may also include a cover plate 116, which covers the end of the chamber body 110 opposite to the light-transmitting portion 121. The cover plate 116, the chamber body 110, and the light-transmitting portion 121 together form a process space. A temperature sensor may be provided on the cover plate 116 to detect the surface temperature of the cover plate 116 and to issue an alarm in case of excessive temperature, thereby improving the safety of the process chamber 100. A thermocouple may also be provided on the cover plate 116. The detection point of the thermocouple can extend into the process space, enabling real-time measurement of the temperature inside the process space. The temperature of the workpiece 200 can be fed back through the thermocouple temperature and temperature changes, allowing the workpiece 200 to be heated to the required process temperature. In some embodiments, the workpiece 200 may be a wafer, and a preheating process is performed within the process chamber 100.

[0018] As can be seen from the above, the process chamber 100 disclosed in this application improves the related technology. By setting a light-shielding area 1211 at the edge of the light-transmitting part 121, the heating beam emitted by the heating component 130 towards the first sealing part 122 can be blocked, preventing the heating beam from directly hitting the first sealing part 122. This can reduce the temperature of the first sealing part 122 to a certain extent, thereby reducing the probability of the first sealing part 122 undergoing thermal aging and improving the sealing performance of the process chamber 100.

[0019] In an optional embodiment of this application, in the vertical direction of the end face of the opening end of the chamber body 110, the projections of the light-shielding area 1211 and the first sealing part 122 are both located within the end face of the opening end. With this design, on the one hand, the light-shielding area 1211 can fully block the first sealing part 122 to achieve a better light-shielding effect; on the other hand, since neither the light-shielding area 1211 nor the first sealing part 122 extends beyond the end face of the opening end, it can avoid blocking the heating beam directed towards the interior of the chamber body 110, thereby ensuring heating efficiency.

[0020] To improve the stability of the light-transmitting part 121 during installation, in this embodiment, as follows: Figures 1 to 11 As shown, the process chamber 100 may further include a limiting ring 111. The limiting ring 111 can be connected to the open end of the chamber body 110 by means of bolts, snap-fit, etc., and the limiting ring 111 and the end face of the open end of the chamber body 110 can form a mounting groove 112. The mounting groove 112 forms an edge receiving space for accommodating the edge of the light-transmitting part 121. The edge of the light-transmitting part 121 can extend into the mounting groove 112. Under the clamping action of the limiting ring 111 and the end face of the open end, the light-transmitting part 121 can be stably installed. To prevent the light-shielding area 1211 and the first sealing part 122 from blocking the heating beam directed into the chamber body 110, the light-shielding area 1211 and the first sealing part 122 can both be located within the mounting groove 112. Figure 1 In the example shown, the limiting ring 111 is disposed below the process space to support the light-transmitting portion 121, and the heating component 130 is disposed below the light-transmitting portion 121 to heat the workpiece 200 from the back side. However, this application is not limited to this. In some other embodiments, the limiting ring may also be disposed above the process space to limit the light-transmitting portion 121, and the heating component 130 may be disposed above the light-transmitting portion 121 to heat the workpiece 200 from the front side.

[0021] It should be noted that a stepped groove can be formed on the end face of the opening or on the end face of the limiting ring 111 near the chamber body 110 to form the aforementioned mounting groove 112; or, the mounting groove 112 can also be formed by splicing two parts, namely a first stepped groove formed on the end face of the opening and a second stepped groove formed on the end face of the limiting ring 111 near the chamber body 110, with the first stepped groove and the second stepped groove being aligned to form the aforementioned mounting groove 112.

[0022] In this embodiment, the light-transmitting portion 121 has a first surface and a second surface facing away from each other, wherein the first surface faces the end face of the opening end, and the second surface faces the limiting ring 111. The first sealing portion 122 is supported between the first surface and the end face of the opening end. Considering that there is also a sealing problem between the light-transmitting portion 121 and the limiting ring 111, the separating component 120 may further include a second sealing portion 123. Similar to the first sealing portion 122, the second sealing portion 123 may also be an elastic sealing ring, such as a silicone sealing ring or a rubber sealing ring. The second sealing portion 123 is supported between the second surface and the limiting ring 111, which can improve the sealing of the connection area between the second sealing portion 123 and the limiting ring 111. At the same time, the second sealing portion 123 can also prevent rigid contact between the limiting ring 111 and the light-transmitting portion 121. The first sealing portion 122 and the second sealing portion 123 are both located in the mounting groove 112, which can avoid blocking the heating beam directed into the cavity body 110. By adopting the above-mentioned double sealing part design, the sealing performance of the chamber body 110 can be further improved.

[0023] In an optional embodiment of this application, at least one of the first sealing portion 122 and the second sealing portion 123 may include at least two sealing rings with different inner diameters, and the at least two sealing rings are nested together, thereby further improving the sealing effect of the first sealing portion 122 and the second sealing portion 123. Exemplarily, the first sealing portion 122 may employ a double sealing ring design, and the second sealing portion 123 may employ a single sealing ring design; alternatively, the first sealing portion 122 may employ a single sealing ring design, and the second sealing portion 123 may employ a double sealing ring design; furthermore, both the first sealing portion 122 and the second sealing portion 123 may employ a double sealing ring design.

[0024] The chamber body 110, the first sealing part 122, the light-transmitting part 121, the second sealing part 123, and the limiting ring 111 can be stacked. Considering that the first sealing part 122 and the second sealing part 123 will occupy some space, the stacking height of the chamber body 110, the first sealing part 122, the light-transmitting part 121, the second sealing part 123, and the limiting ring 111 is relatively high.

[0025] To reduce the stacking height of the aforementioned components, in this embodiment, a first limiting groove 113 can be formed on the end face of the opening end of the chamber body 110, with a portion of the first sealing part 122 located within the first limiting groove 113. The first sealing part 122 is elastically supported between the end face of the opening end and the first surface of the light-transmitting part 121; and / or, a second limiting groove 114 is formed on the surface of the limiting ring 111 facing the light-transmitting part 121, with a portion of the second sealing part 123 located within the second limiting groove 114. The second sealing part 123 is elastically supported between the limiting ring 111 and the second surface. Using the above solution, in addition to reducing the stacking height, the first limiting groove 113 can also provide a certain limiting effect on the first sealing part 122, preventing the sealing function from failing due to positional displacement of the first sealing part 122; similarly, the second limiting groove 114 can also provide a certain limiting effect on the second sealing part 123.

[0026] In conjunction with the above, a reflective layer can be provided at the edge of the light-transmitting portion 121 to form a light-shielding area 1211, or the light-shielding area 1211 can be formed at the edge of the light-transmitting portion 121 by a foaming process. Taking the formation of the light-shielding area 1211 by a foaming process as an example, the light-transmitting portion 121 can include a light-transmitting body 1212 and a foamed portion 1213. The foamed portion 1213 is formed at the edge of the light-transmitting portion 121 and surrounds the light-transmitting body 1212. The foamed portion 1213 can form the aforementioned light-shielding area 1211. The light-transmitting body 1212 and the foamed portion 1213 can be an integral structure. When manufacturing the light-transmitting portion 121, the light-transmitting body 1212 and the foamed portion 1213 can be formed separately by a partitioned manufacturing method. For example, when manufacturing the foamed portion 1213, a foaming agent can be added to the substrate to form the aforementioned foamed portion 1213. It should be noted that the specific formation process of the foamed part 1213 is existing technology, and will not be described in detail in this application embodiment.

[0027] like Figures 7 to 10 As shown in the figure, the dark gray portion is the foamed portion 1213. The foamed portion 1213 effectively prevents the heating light from being blocked, thus preventing the heating light from directly irradiating the first sealing portion 122 and the second sealing portion 123. The specific form of the foamed portion 1213 can be varied. In one optional embodiment of this application, the foamed portion 1213 has a first end face and a second end face facing away from each other. The first end face is flush with the first surface of the light-transmitting portion 121, and the second end face is flush with the second surface of the light-transmitting portion 121. This allows the two ends of the foamed portion 1213 to be sufficiently close to the first sealing portion 122 and the second sealing portion 123, minimizing the gap between the foamed portion 1213 and the first and second sealing portions 122, thereby reducing the probability of heating light passing through the gap and improving the light-shielding effect of the foamed portion 1213.

[0028] like Figure 8 As shown, the foamed portion 1213 can be a ring-shaped structure, and the foamed portion 1213 adopts a sandwich design. That is, the aforementioned light-transmitting main body 1212 is provided on the inner and outer sides of the foamed portion 1213, respectively. This design can prevent the proportion of the foamed portion 1213 from being too large and affecting the light transmission performance of the light-transmitting main body 1212. In order to ensure that the first sealing portion 122 is fully located within the shielding area of ​​the foamed portion 1213, there is a first distance between the outer ring surface of the foamed portion 1213 and the peripheral side surface of the light-transmitting portion 121, wherein the first distance is greater than the distance between the inner side surface of the first sealing portion 122 and the peripheral side surface of the light-transmitting portion 121. Similarly, the second sealing portion 123 is disposed opposite to the first sealing portion 122, so that the second sealing portion 123 can also be fully located within the shielding area of ​​the foamed portion 1213.

[0029] In one optional embodiment of this application, such as Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the foamed portion 1213 may include a first portion 1213a and a second portion 1213b. Both the first portion 1213a and the second portion 1213b are formed at the edge of the light-transmitting portion 121 and surround the light-transmitting body 1212. The first portion 1213a is close to the first surface of the light-transmitting portion 121 and can block the first sealing portion 122. The second portion 1213b is close to the second surface of the light-transmitting portion 121 and can block the second sealing portion 123. The foamed portion 1213 adopts a segmented design, which can prevent the proportion of the foamed portion 1213 from being too large and potentially affecting the light transmission performance of the light-transmitting body 1212.

[0030] Of course, the first part 1213a and the second part 1213b can also be connected to each other, such as Figure 10 As shown, the first part 1213a and the second part 1213b extend towards each other to form a transition portion. The transition portion has a flared structure from the peripheral side of the light-transmitting part 121 to the center of the light-transmitting part 121, so that the heating beam can be fully reflected.

[0031] It should be noted that the specific form of the foaming part 1213 includes, but is not limited to, the forms described in the above embodiments. As long as it can block the first sealing part 122 and the second sealing part 123 and prevent the heating beam from directly hitting the first sealing part 122 and the second sealing part 123, the specific form of the foaming part 1213 is not limited in this application embodiment.

[0032] like Figure 11As shown, one end of the heating element 130 extends into the space enclosed by the limiting ring 111. Considering that the heating element 130 will transfer heat to the limiting ring 111 through contact heat transfer, this heat will also cause the temperature of the first sealing part 122 and the second sealing part 123 to rise. In this embodiment, a flow gap 101 can be reserved between the heating element 130 and the limiting ring 111, which can be connected to a cooling gas source. By introducing cooling gas into the flow gap 101, the heat conduction efficiency between the heating element 130 and the limiting ring 111 can be effectively reduced, thereby protecting the first sealing part 122 and the second sealing part 123.

[0033] To prevent the structural components of the chamber body 110 from overheating, a first cooling channel 115 is provided in the chamber wall of the chamber body 110. The first cooling channel 115 can be a water-cooled channel or an air-cooled channel. Furthermore, the first cooling channel 115 can be located close to the first sealing part 122, so that heat near the first sealing part 122 can be removed through heat exchange, thereby achieving cooling and protection for the first sealing part 122; at the same time, the first cooling channel 115 will also have a certain cooling effect on the second sealing part 123.

[0034] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figures 11 to 23 As shown, the heating component 130 described above may include a mounting cavity 131, a heating source 132, and a cooling base 133. The mounting cavity 131 serves as the foundation for the heating component 130's mounting structure and is connected to the open end of the chamber body 110 via bolts, snap-fit ​​connections, or other methods. A portion of the heating source 132 may be housed within the mounting cavity 131. The cooling base 133 is connected to the end of the mounting cavity 131 facing away from the chamber body 110 via bolts, snap-fit ​​connections, or other methods. The cooling base 133 provides cooling for both the mounting cavity 131 and the heating source 132, preventing the heating component 130 from malfunctioning due to high temperatures. The cooling base 133 may contain water-cooling channels and / or air-cooling channels to dissipate heat from the mounting cavity 131 and the heating source 132 through heat exchange.

[0035] To further improve the heat dissipation efficiency of the mounting cavity 131 and the heating source 132, in this embodiment, the heating component 130 may further include a cooling ring 134. The cooling ring 134 is sleeved outside the mounting cavity 131 and close to the opening end of the cavity body 110. The cooling ring 134 may have a water-cooling channel and / or an air-cooling channel inside to dissipate heat from the mounting cavity 131 and the heating source 132 through heat exchange. Furthermore, the cooling ring 134 can also dissipate heat from the limiting ring 111, the first sealing part 122, and the second sealing part 123, thereby further reducing the operating temperature of the first sealing part 122 and the second sealing part 123. The cooling ring 134 can be fixedly connected to the limiting ring 111 by bolt connection, snap-fit, or other means. This application does not limit the specific connection method between the cooling ring 134 and the limiting ring 111.

[0036] The aforementioned heating source 132 can be an infrared heating lamp, which specifically includes a lamp body 1321, a lamp holder 1322, and an electrical connection assembly 1323. Both the lamp body 1321 and the lamp holder 1322 are located within the mounting cavity 131, with the lamp body 1321 mounted on the lamp holder 1322. The lamp holder 1322 supports the lamp body 1321 and can be mounted on a cooling base 133. The electrical connection assembly 1323 is connected to the side of the cooling base 133 facing away from the mounting cavity 131 and is used to connect a power supply cable. The electrical connection assembly 1323 is electrically connected to the lamp holder 1322 to supply power to both the lamp holder 1322 and the lamp body 1321.

[0037] In one optional embodiment of this application, the heating source 132 may include multiple lamp bodies 1321, which are arranged in a ring to form a first coil and a second coil, with the first coil surrounding the second coil. Furthermore, depending on specific heating requirements, a third coil, a fourth coil, etc., may be provided outside the first coil. This embodiment does not limit the specific number of coils. Taking the first and second coils as examples, the mounting cavity 131 is provided with a first reflector 1311 and a second reflector 1315, wherein the first coil is located inside the first reflector 1311, and the second coil is located inside the second reflector 1315. The inner walls of the first reflector 1311 and the second reflector 1315 may be polished to form a mirror reflection, which can fully reflect the light emitted from the first and second coils into the cavity body 110 to improve heating efficiency; alternatively, reflective layers may be provided on the inner walls of the first reflector 1311 and the second reflector 1315 to achieve the aforementioned reflection effect.

[0038] Considering that most of the light emitted by the heating source 132 is concentrated in the central area of ​​the light-transmitting part 121, in order to ensure that the edge area of ​​the light-transmitting part 121 is also adequately illuminated, the aforementioned problem is compensated for by increasing the power of the first coil in related technologies. However, since the first coil is closer to the first sealing part 122 and the second sealing part 123, increasing the power of the first coil can easily lead to different degrees of temperature rise in the first sealing part 122 and the second sealing part 123, which can easily lead to accelerated aging of the first sealing part 122 and the second sealing part 123.

[0039] Based on the above problems, in this embodiment, the first reflector 1311 can be designed as follows: Specifically, the first reflector 1311 can have a first reflective surface 1312, a second reflective surface 1313 and a bottom surface 1314. The first reflective surface 1312 and the second reflective surface 1313 extend from two opposite sides of the bottom surface 1314, and the first reflective surface 1312 is away from the second reflector 1315, while the second reflective surface 1313 is close to the second reflector 1315. The first reflective surface 1312 has a first sub-reflective surface 1312a and a second sub-reflective surface 1312b connected sequentially in the direction from near the bottom surface 1314 to away from the bottom surface 1314. The tilt angle of the first sub-reflective surface 1312a is smaller than the tilt angle of the second sub-reflective surface 1312b. The tilt angle is with reference to the vertical direction. The angle between the first sub-reflective surface 1312a and the vertical direction is smaller, so the tilt angle is correspondingly smaller. The angle between the second sub-reflective surface 1312b and the vertical direction is larger, so the tilt angle is correspondingly larger.

[0040] The first reflector 1311 adopts the above design. Since the light emitted by the first beam is directly reflected or secondarily reflected by the first sub-reflective surface 1312a and the second sub-reflective surface 1312b, the light emitted by the first beam is mainly concentrated in the edge area of ​​the light-transmitting part 121 and can avoid the location of the first sealing part 122 and the second sealing part 123. While reducing the risk of damage to the first sealing part 122 and the second sealing part 123, it can also ensure that the temperature of the edge of the light-transmitting part 121 is relatively high under relatively low power conditions. This can ensure that the workpiece 200 is in a relatively uniform temperature environment, avoid a large temperature difference between the center and the outer periphery of the workpiece 200, and effectively reduce the risk of the workpiece 200 breaking.

[0041] To facilitate separate control of the lamps 1321 in the first and second coils, in this embodiment, the multiple lamps 1321 in the first coil can be divided into at least two first sub-control sections, and the multiple lamps 1321 in the second coil can be divided into at least two second sub-control sections. The electrical connection assembly 1323 may include a carrier plate 1323a and multiple terminals 1323b. The carrier plate 1323a is connected to the side of the cooling base 133 facing away from the mounting cavity 131. The multiple terminals 1323b are spaced apart on the carrier plate 1323a and are electrically connected to the corresponding first or second sub-control section, thereby enabling independent control of the lamps 1321 in the first and second sub-control sections, which is beneficial for improving the uniformity of heating.

[0042] In one optional embodiment of this application, a second cooling channel 135 is provided in the cavity wall of the mounting cavity 131. The first opening of the second cooling channel 135 can be used to connect to a cooling gas source, and the second opening of the second cooling channel 135 can communicate with the interior of the mounting cavity 131. The cooling gas source can introduce cooling gas into the interior of the mounting cavity 131 through the second cooling channel 135 to improve the heat dissipation efficiency of the mounting cavity 131.

[0043] Furthermore, a flow divider 136 is provided at the second opening of the second cooling channel 135. The flow divider 136 has multiple dispersed vents. The multiple vents can evenly distribute the cooling gas supplied by the cooling gas source to each area of ​​the mounting cavity 131, which can reduce the risk of failure in the mounting cavity 131 due to uneven cooling.

[0044] In the specific process, a robotic arm 500 is needed to pick up and place the workpiece 200 to be processed within the chamber body 110. To facilitate cooperation with the robotic arm 500 and improve the efficiency of picking up and placing the workpiece 200, in this embodiment, the process chamber 100 may also include a lifting mechanism 140, a gripper 150, and a support portion 160. The gripper 150 and the support portion 160 are both disposed within the chamber body 110. The support portion 160 is connected to the cavity wall of the chamber body 110 and can be used to support the workpiece 200. The output end of the lifting mechanism 140 extends into the chamber body 110 and is connected to the gripper 150, and can drive the gripper 150 to move up and down.

[0045] like Figures 35 to 44As shown, in the specific process, the robot arm 500 first supports the workpiece 200 and moves it above the chamber body 110. At this time, the gripper 150 can be raised by the lifting mechanism 140 and made higher than the bearing part 160. During the lifting process, the gripper 150 will gradually support the workpiece 200. When the gripper 150 is higher than the robot arm 500, the workpiece 200 is separated from the robot arm 500. Then, the robot arm 500 can move to the left and leave the top of the chamber body 110. Then, the gripper 150 and the workpiece 200 can be controlled to descend until the bearing part 160 contacts the workpiece 200. When the gripper 150 is lower than the bearing part 160, the bearing part 160 can support the workpiece 200.

[0046] After the process is completed, the gripper 150 can be used to lift and support the workpiece 200 (the workpiece 200 here refers to the wafer or solar cell that has completed the process; for ease of description, it is still referred to as workpiece 200) and raise it. After the workpiece 200 rises to a preset height, the robot arm 500 can be controlled to move above the chamber body 110. At this time, the gripper 150 and the workpiece 200 it supports are both above the robot arm 500. Then the gripper 150 lowers to a certain height so that the workpiece 200 contacts the robot arm 500 and is supported by the robot arm 500. Then, the robot arm 500 moves to the left and moves away from above the chamber body 110, and the workpiece 200 can be taken away.

[0047] In this embodiment, the gripper 150 may specifically include a gripper body 151, an adapter 152, and a clamping part 153. The adapter 152 can be connected to the output end of the lifting mechanism 140. The gripper body 151 is used to lift the workpiece 200 to be processed. The clamping part 153 has a clamping space, in which the gripper body 151 is installed. The clamping part 153 is connected to the adapter 152 via an adjustable bolt. By adjusting the engagement length of the adjustable bolt and the adapter 152, the levelness of the clamping part 153 can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the levelness of the gripper body 151, enabling the gripper body 151 to stably lift the workpiece 200 to be processed.

[0048] For example, the clamping part 153 is bolted to the adapter part 152. The area of ​​the clamping part 153 for mating with the adapter part 152 has four threaded holes, and the adapter part 152 also has four corresponding threaded holes. A set screw is installed in the threaded hole of the adapter part 152, and the bottom of the set screw is fixed to the adapter part 152. When the bolt passes through the threaded holes of the clamping part 153 and the adapter part 152 respectively to connect the two, the levelness of the clamping part 153 can be adjusted by adjusting the screwing depth of different set screws and then adjusting the engagement length of the bolt and the threaded hole of the adapter part 152 accordingly.

[0049] It should be noted that during the docking process between the gripper 150 and the robotic arm 500, if they are at the same height, the probability of collision interference may increase. Therefore, multiple support protrusions can be provided on the surface of the gripper 150 used to lift the workpiece 200. These support protrusions support the workpiece 200. By providing support protrusions, the gripper 150 and the robotic arm 500 can be staggered in height, thereby reducing the probability of collision interference between them.

[0050] To detect whether the workpiece 200 is in the chamber body 110, in this embodiment, the process chamber 100 may further include a through-beam sensor 170. The through-beam sensor 170 may include a transmitter 171 and a receiver 172. The transmitter 171 and the receiver 172 are respectively disposed on two opposite chamber walls of the chamber body 110, and the line connecting the transmitter 171 and the receiver 172 forms a preset angle with the horizontal direction, so that the optical path between the transmitter 171 and the receiver 172 passes through the workpiece 200.

[0051] In the specific testing process, the transmitting end 171 and the receiving end 172 are located on both sides of the workpiece 200 to be processed, and are not in the same plane. For example, the transmitting end 171 and the receiving end 172 can be located above and below the workpiece 200 to be processed, respectively. This design can effectively avoid the problem of false alarms of the through-beam sensor 170 caused by the workpiece 200 being too thin. In this embodiment, the through-beam sensor 170 can be a fiber optic sensor. Since the transmitting end 171 of the fiber optic sensor has a certain diffusion angle, the receiving end 172 can receive the corresponding light intensity for detection as long as it is within the diffusion angle. Therefore, a certain angle is allowed between the transmitting end 171 and the receiving end 172 during installation and use. When there is no workpiece 200 inside the chamber body 110, the light intensity received by the receiving end 172 is stronger; when there is a workpiece 200 inside the chamber body 110, the light intensity received by the receiving end 172 is weaker because the workpiece 200 blocks the light, thus determining whether the workpiece 200 is present inside the chamber body 110. Alternatively, the through-beam sensor 170 can also be a laser sensor. The principle of a laser sensor can be referred to the fiber optic sensor described above, and will not be elaborated further in this embodiment.

[0052] Please refer to Figures 1 to 45 This application also discloses a semiconductor process apparatus, which may include a robot arm 500 and the process chamber 100 described above. The robot arm 500 can be used to pick up and place the workpiece 200 to be processed in the process chamber 100.

[0053] As can be seen from the above, the semiconductor process equipment disclosed in this application improves the related technology. By setting a light-shielding area 1211 at the edge of the light-transmitting part 121, the heating beam emitted by the heating component 130 towards the first sealing part 122 can be blocked, preventing the heating beam from directly hitting the first sealing part 122. This can reduce the temperature of the first sealing part 122 to a certain extent, thereby reducing the probability of the first sealing part 122 undergoing thermal aging and improving the sealing performance of the process chamber 100.

[0054] In an optional embodiment of this application, the semiconductor process apparatus may further include an ion implantation chamber 300 and a transfer chamber 400, and the process chamber 100 may include a preheating chamber. The ion implantation chamber 300 can be used to perform doping processes on semiconductor devices. Correspondingly, the process chamber 100 can be used to perform preheating treatment on the semiconductor devices to reduce the heating time of the semiconductor devices within the ion implantation chamber 300, thereby increasing throughput. Simultaneously, the preheating treatment can also reduce the risk of fragmentation of the semiconductor devices due to uneven heating or excessively rapid temperature rise, and reduce thermal stress during the ion implantation process.

[0055] The aforementioned transfer chamber 400 can be connected to the ion implantation chamber 300 and the process chamber 100 respectively. The robot arm 500 can be disposed in the transfer chamber 400. The robot arm 500 is used to transfer the workpiece 200 to be processed between the process chamber 100 and the ion implantation chamber 300.

[0056] The above embodiments of this application focus on describing the differences between the various embodiments. As long as the different technical features between the various embodiments are not contradictory, they can be combined to form more specific embodiments. For the sake of brevity, they will not be described in detail here.

[0057] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A process chamber, characterized in that, It includes a chamber body (110), a partition component (120), and a heating component (130). The partition component (120) includes a light-transmitting part (121) and a first sealing part (122). The light-transmitting part (121) covers the opening end of the chamber body (110), and the first sealing part (122) is disposed between the end face of the opening end and the light-transmitting part (121). The heating element (130) is located outside the chamber body (110) and is disposed opposite to the light-transmitting part (121). The heating element (130) is configured to emit a heating beam into the chamber body (110) through the light-transmitting part (121). The edge of the light-transmitting part (121) has a light-shielding area (1211), which is disposed opposite to the first sealing part (122) and is used to block the heating beam directed toward the first sealing part (122).

2. The process chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the vertical direction along the end face of the opening end, the projection of the light-shielding area (1211) and the projection of the first sealing part (122) are both located within the end face of the opening end.

3. The process chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process chamber also includes a limiting ring (111), which is connected to the opening end of the chamber body (110) and forms a mounting groove (112) with the end face of the opening end. The edge of the light-transmitting part (121) extends into the mounting groove (112), and the light-shielding area (1211) and the first sealing part (122) are both located in the mounting groove (112).

4. The process chamber according to claim 3, characterized in that, The light-transmitting portion (121) has a first surface and a second surface facing away from each other, the first surface facing the end face of the opening end and the second surface facing the limiting ring (111). The first sealing part (122) is supported between the first surface and the end face of the opening end. The separating component (120) also includes a second sealing part (123), which is supported between the second surface and the limiting ring (111). Both the first sealing part (122) and the second sealing part (123) are located in the mounting groove (112).

5. The process chamber according to claim 4, characterized in that, At least one of the first sealing part (122) and the second sealing part (123) includes at least two sealing rings with different inner diameters, and the at least two sealing rings are nested together.

6. The process chamber according to claim 4, characterized in that, The end face of the opening end is provided with a first limiting groove (113), and part of the first sealing part (122) is located in the first limiting groove (113). The first sealing part (122) is elastically supported between the end face of the opening end and the first surface. And / or, the surface of the limiting ring (111) facing the light-transmitting part (121) is provided with a second limiting groove (114), a portion of the second sealing part (123) is located in the second limiting groove (114), and the second sealing part (123) is elastically supported between the limiting ring (111) and the second surface.

7. The process chamber according to claim 4, characterized in that, The light-transmitting portion (121) includes a light-transmitting body (1212) and a foamed portion (1213). The foamed portion (1213) is formed at the edge of the light-transmitting portion (121) and surrounds the light-transmitting body (1212) to form the light-shielding area (1211).

8. The process chamber according to claim 7, characterized in that, The foamed portion (1213) has a first end face and a second end face facing away from each other. The first end face is flush with the first surface of the light-transmitting portion (121), and the second end face is flush with the second surface of the light-transmitting portion (121).

9. The process chamber according to claim 8, characterized in that, The foamed portion (1213) has an annular structure, and there is a first distance between the outer annular surface of the foamed portion (1213) and the peripheral surface of the light-transmitting portion (121), wherein the first distance is greater than the distance between the inner surface of the first sealing portion (122) and the peripheral surface of the light-transmitting portion (121).

10. The process chamber according to claim 7, characterized in that, The foamed portion (1213) includes a first portion (1213a) and a second portion (1213b), both of which are formed at the edge of the light-transmitting portion (121) and surround the light-transmitting body (1212). The first portion (1213a) is close to the first surface of the light-transmitting portion (121), and the second portion (1213b) is close to the second surface of the light-transmitting portion (121).

11. The process chamber according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first part (1213a) and the second part (1213b) extend toward each other to form a transition portion, and the transition portion has a flared structure from the peripheral side of the light-transmitting part (121) to the center of the light-transmitting part (121).

12. The process chamber according to claim 3, characterized in that, One end of the heating component (130) extends into the space enclosed by the limiting ring (111), and there is a flow gap (101) between the heating component (130) and the limiting ring (111), which is used to communicate with the cooling air source.

13. The process chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cavity body (110) has a first cooling channel (115) in its cavity wall, and the first cooling channel (115) is close to the first sealing part (122).

14. The process chamber according to any one of claims 1-13, characterized in that, The heating component (130) includes a mounting cavity (131), a heating source (132), and a cooling base (133). The mounting cavity (131) is located at the open end of the chamber body (110), part of the heating source (132) is located in the mounting cavity (131), and the cooling seat (133) is connected to the end of the mounting cavity (131) facing away from the chamber body (110).

15. The process chamber according to claim 14, characterized in that, The heating component (130) also includes a cooling ring (134), which is sleeved outside the mounting cavity (131) and close to the opening end of the cavity body (110).

16. The process chamber according to claim 15, characterized in that, The heating source (132) includes a lamp body (1321), a lamp holder (1322), and an electrical connection assembly (1323). The lamp body (1321) and the lamp holder (1322) are both located in the mounting cavity (131), and the lamp body (1321) is mounted on the lamp holder (1322). The electrical connection assembly (1323) is connected to the side of the cooling base (133) facing away from the mounting cavity (131). The electrical connection assembly (1323) is used to connect the power supply cable and is electrically connected to the lamp holder (1322) to supply power to the lamp holder (1322).

17. The process chamber according to claim 16, characterized in that, The heating source (132) includes a plurality of lamp bodies (1321), which are arranged in a ring to form a first ring bundle and a second ring bundle respectively, with the first ring bundle being sleeved outside the second ring bundle; The mounting cavity (131) is provided with a first reflector (1311) and a second reflector (1315), with the first coil located inside the first reflector (1311) and the second coil located inside the second reflector (1315).

18. The process chamber according to claim 17, characterized in that, The first reflector (1311) has a first reflective surface (1312), a second reflective surface (1313) and a bottom surface (1314). The first reflective surface (1312) and the second reflective surface (1313) extend from two opposite sides of the bottom surface (1314), and the first reflective surface (1312) is away from the second reflector (1315), while the second reflective surface (1313) is close to the second reflector (1315). The first reflective surface (1312) has a first sub-reflective surface (1312a) and a second sub-reflective surface (1312b) connected sequentially in a direction from near the bottom surface (1314) to away from the bottom surface (1314), and the tilt angle of the first sub-reflective surface (1312a) is smaller than the tilt angle of the second sub-reflective surface (1312b).

19. The process chamber according to claim 17, characterized in that, The plurality of lamp bodies (1321) in the first coil are divided into at least two first sub-control sections, and the plurality of lamp bodies (1321) in the second coil are divided into at least two second sub-control sections; The electrical connection assembly (1323) includes a carrier plate (1323a) and a plurality of terminals (1323b). The carrier plate (1323a) is connected to the side of the cooling base (133) facing away from the mounting cavity (131). The plurality of terminals (1323b) are spaced apart on the carrier plate (1323a) and are electrically connected to the corresponding first sub-control unit or second sub-control unit respectively.

20. The process chamber according to claim 14, characterized in that, The cavity wall of the mounting cavity (131) is provided with a second cooling channel (135). The first opening of the second cooling channel (135) is used to connect to a cooling air source, and the second opening of the second cooling channel (135) is in communication with the interior of the mounting cavity (131).

21. The process chamber according to claim 20, characterized in that, The second opening of the second cooling channel (135) is provided with a flow divider (136), which has a plurality of dispersed ventilation holes.

22. The process chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process chamber (100) also includes a lifting mechanism (140), a gripper (150), and a support part (160). The gripper (150) and the bearing part (160) are both located inside the chamber body (110). The bearing part (160) is connected to the cavity wall of the chamber body (110) and is used to carry the workpiece (200) to be processed. The output end of the lifting mechanism (140) extends into the chamber body (110) and is connected to the gripper (150), and drives the gripper (150) to move up and down, so as to lift the workpiece (200) to be processed by the gripper (150).

23. The process chamber according to claim 22, characterized in that, The gripper (150) includes a gripper body (151), a connecting part (152), and a clamping part (153). The adapter (152) is used to connect to the output end of the lifting mechanism (140). The clamping part (153) is connected to the adapter (152) by an adjustable bolt. The clamping part (153) is configured to adjust the level of the clamping part (153) by adjusting the engagement length of the adjustable bolt and the adapter (152). The clamping part (153) has a clamping space. The gripper body (151) is installed in the clamping space.

24. The process chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process chamber (100) also includes a through-beam sensor (170), which includes a transmitter (171) and a receiver (172). The transmitter (171) and the receiver (172) are respectively disposed on two opposite chamber walls of the chamber body (110), and the line connecting the transmitter (171) and the receiver (172) forms a preset angle with the horizontal direction, so that the optical path between the transmitter (171) and the receiver (172) passes through the workpiece (200).

25. A semiconductor process apparatus, characterized in that, Includes a robotic arm (500) and a process chamber (100) as described in any one of claims 1-24, wherein the robotic arm (500) is used to pick up and place a workpiece (200) to be processed in the process chamber (100).

26. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 25, characterized in that, The semiconductor process equipment further includes an ion implantation chamber (300) and a transport chamber (400), wherein the process chamber (100) includes a preheating chamber; The transfer chamber (400) is connected to the ion implantation chamber (300) and the process chamber (100) respectively. The robot (500) is located in the transfer chamber (400) and is used to transfer the workpiece (200) between the process chamber (100) and the ion implantation chamber (300).

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