Etching device and etching apparatus

Abstract

The application discloses an etching device and an etching equipment, and relates to the technical field of semiconductor equipment. The etching device comprises a wafer placing platform and an edge protection ring. The wafer placing platform is provided with a placing area and an annular mounting groove. The placing area is used for carrying a wafer to be etched. The wafer placing platform is provided with a collecting groove. The top and bottom of the edge protection ring are respectively provided with an inlet hole and an outlet hole. The inner wall of the edge protection ring is provided with a cleaning groove. The inlet hole, the cleaning groove, the outlet hole, the annular mounting groove and the collecting groove are sequentially communicated. The edge protection ring is mounted in the annular mounting groove. Etching medium is introduced into the cleaning groove through the inlet hole to etch the wafer to be etched, and then is discharged into the collecting groove through the outlet hole and the annular mounting groove. The etching device precisely controls the circulation and collection of the etching medium through the cooperation of the edge protection ring and the wafer placing platform, effectively inhibits the excessive etching of the wafer edge, ensures the regular profile of the wafer edge, and is beneficial to improving the edge bonding force in the subsequent process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor equipment technology, and more specifically, to an etching apparatus and etching equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Etching technology is mainly divided into two categories: wet etching and dry etching. Wet etching involves a chemical reaction between chemical reagents and the material being etched, generating soluble or volatile substances to remove the material. The etched wafer surface is then cleaned with a cleaning agent. Commonly used etching agents include ferric chloride, nitric acid, sodium hydroxide, and phosphoric acid; commonly used cleaning agents include ammonia cleaning solution, hydrofluoric acid cleaning solution, and isopropanol. In traditional wet etching, because the process relies on the immersion or spraying action of the etching agent, the wafer edge area is prone to over-etching due to prolonged agent residence time, higher local reaction concentrations, or differences in the stress state of the edge material compared to the wafer center. This over-etching directly results in irregular wafer edge contours, even material defects and excessively large chamfers, leading to poor edge adhesion in subsequent processes (such as coating dielectric layers and electroplating wiring layers), severely impacting the overall performance and reliability of the device. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide an etching apparatus and etching equipment that precisely controls the flow and collection of etching medium through the cooperation of an edge protection ring and a wafer placement platform, effectively suppressing excessive etching of the wafer edge, ensuring a regular wafer edge profile, which is conducive to improving the edge bonding force of subsequent processes, thereby enhancing the overall performance and reliability of the device.

[0004] The embodiments of this application are implemented as follows: A first aspect of this application provides an etching apparatus, including a wafer placement platform and an edge protection ring. The wafer placement platform has a placement area and an annular mounting groove arranged around the outer edge of the placement area. The placement area is used to hold a wafer to be etched. A collection groove is provided inside the wafer placement platform. An inlet hole and an outlet hole are respectively provided at the top and bottom of the edge protection ring. A cleaning groove is provided on the inner wall of the edge protection ring. The inlet hole, the cleaning groove, the outlet hole, the annular mounting groove, and the collection groove are sequentially connected. The edge protection ring is installed in the annular mounting groove. Etching medium is introduced into the cleaning groove through the inlet hole to etch the wafer to be etched. After etching, it is discharged into the collection groove through the outlet hole and the annular mounting groove. This etching apparatus precisely controls the flow and collection of etching medium through the cooperation of the edge protection ring and the wafer placement platform, effectively suppressing excessive etching of the wafer edge, ensuring a regular wafer edge contour, which is beneficial to improving the edge bonding force of subsequent processes, thereby enhancing the overall performance and reliability of the device.

[0005] As one possible implementation, the bottom of the annular mounting groove is provided with a through groove, and the annular mounting groove is connected to the collection groove through the through groove.

[0006] In one possible implementation, the through groove is located at the center of the annular mounting groove, and the edge protection rings are mounted on both sides of the bottom of the annular mounting groove.

[0007] As one possible implementation, the bottom of the annular mounting groove is also provided with a connecting groove, and the discharge hole is connected to the through groove through the connecting groove.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the connecting groove is located on one side of the bottom of the annular mounting groove, or the connecting groove is located on both sides of the bottom of the annular mounting groove.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the number of discharge holes is multiple, and the multiple discharge holes are evenly distributed along the circumference of the edge protection ring.

[0010] In one possible implementation, there are multiple connecting slots, and each of the multiple connecting slots corresponds one-to-one with a multiple discharge hole along the axial direction of the edge protection ring.

[0011] In one possible implementation, there are multiple inlet holes and multiple cleaning grooves, and the multiple inlet holes and multiple cleaning grooves correspond one-to-one with the multiple outlet holes along the axial direction of the edge protection ring.

[0012] As one possible implementation, along the axial direction of the edge protection ring, the orthographic projection of the edge protection ring coincides with the orthographic projection of the annular mounting groove.

[0013] A second aspect of this application provides an etching apparatus, including the etching device described above. This etching apparatus precisely controls the flow and collection of the etching medium through the cooperation of an edge protection ring and a wafer placement platform, effectively suppressing excessive etching of the wafer edges, ensuring regular wafer edge contours, and improving the edge bonding strength of subsequent processes, thereby enhancing the overall performance and reliability of the device.

[0014] The beneficial effects of the embodiments of this application include: The etching apparatus includes a wafer placement platform and an edge protection ring. The wafer placement platform has a placement area and annular mounting grooves arranged around the outer edge of the placement area. The placement area holds the wafer to be etched. A collection groove is provided within the wafer placement platform. An inlet hole and an outlet hole are respectively provided at the top and bottom of the edge protection ring. A cleaning groove is provided on the inner wall of the edge protection ring. The inlet hole, cleaning groove, outlet hole, annular mounting groove, and collection groove are sequentially connected. The edge protection ring is installed within the annular mounting groove. The etching medium is introduced into the cleaning groove through the inlet hole to etch the wafer. After etching, it is discharged into the collection groove through the outlet hole and the annular mounting groove. The etching apparatus provided in this application, by adding an edge protection ring to the edge of the wafer to be etched, acts as an annular protective barrier for the wafer, ensuring a uniform distribution of the etching medium in the edge region. This achieves etching consistency between the edge and center of the wafer, thereby preventing over-etching due to excessively fast etching rates at the edges of the wafer. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the etching apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 2 This is a second schematic diagram of the etching apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 3 This is the third schematic diagram of the etching apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the wafer placement platform provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0017] Icons: 100-Etching apparatus; 10-Wafer placement platform; 11-Placement area; 12-Annular mounting groove; 121-Through groove; 122-Connecting groove; 13-Collection groove; 20-Edge protection ring; 21-Entry hole; 22-Exit hole; 23-Cleaning groove; 200-Wafer to be etched. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Similar reference numerals and letters in the following drawings indicate similar items. Once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined in other drawings.

[0019] The terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the product is in use. They are used only for the convenience of describing this application and should not be construed as limiting this application. The terms "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0020] Unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "set up," "install," "connect," and "link" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to connections within two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0021] Please refer to the reference. Figures 1 to 4This application provides an etching apparatus 100, including a wafer placement platform 10 and an edge protection ring 20. The wafer placement platform 10 is provided with a placement area 11 and an annular mounting groove 12 arranged around the outer edge of the placement area 11. The placement area 11 is used to hold the wafer 200 to be etched. A collection groove 13 is provided inside the wafer placement platform 10. An inlet hole 21 and an outlet hole 22 are respectively provided at the top and bottom of the edge protection ring 20. A cleaning groove 23 is provided on the inner wall of the edge protection ring 20. The inlet hole 21, the cleaning groove 23, the outlet hole 22, the annular mounting groove 12 and the collection groove 13 are connected in sequence. The edge protection ring 20 is installed in the annular mounting groove 12. The etching medium is introduced into the cleaning groove 23 through the inlet hole 21 to etch the wafer 200 to be etched. After etching, it is discharged into the collection groove 13 through the outlet hole 22 and the annular mounting groove 12. The etching apparatus 100 precisely controls the flow and collection of the etching medium through the cooperation of the edge protection ring 20 and the wafer placement platform 10, effectively suppressing excessive etching of the wafer edge, ensuring a regular wafer edge profile, which is conducive to improving the edge bonding force of subsequent processes, thereby enhancing the overall performance and reliability of the device.

[0022] It should be noted that the etching apparatus 100 includes a wafer placement platform 10 and an edge protection ring 20. The wafer placement platform 10 is provided with a placement area 11, for example, a smooth plane located in the central area of ​​the wafer placement platform 10, so as to support the wafer 200 to be etched through the smooth plane, thereby ensuring that the wafer 200 to be etched does not warp during the etching process. The wafer placement platform 10 is also provided with an annular mounting groove 12, and the annular mounting groove 12 is arranged around the outer edge of the placement area 11, so as to fix the edge protection ring 20 through the annular mounting groove 12. The bottom of the annular mounting groove 12 can be provided with a connecting channel, so that the annular mounting groove 12 can be connected to the collection tank 13 inside the wafer placement platform 10 through the connecting channel, so as to use the annular mounting groove 12 as a transition channel for etching waste liquid. The collection tank 13 can also be connected to the waste liquid treatment system through the bottom wall or side wall of the wafer placement platform 10, so as to quickly collect and discharge the etching waste liquid, thereby avoiding contamination of the surface of the wafer 200 to be etched.

[0023] The edge protection ring 20 has an overall annular structure. Its height is adapted to the thickness of the wafer 200 to be etched, and its inner diameter is adapted to the outer diameter of the wafer 200 to be etched. The top of the edge protection ring 20 is provided with an inlet hole 21 to connect with the supply equipment of the etching medium (such as etching agent or etching gas). The bottom of the edge protection ring 20 is provided with an outlet hole 22 to discharge the etching waste liquid (containing etching medium and the wafer 200 to be etched) formed after etching. The edge protection ring 20 (the part that was etched away in 00) has a cleaning groove 23 on its inner wall. The cleaning groove 23 connects the inlet hole 21 and the outlet hole 22, so that the etching medium is introduced into the edge protection ring 20 through the inlet hole 21 and then into the interior of the edge protection ring 20 through the cleaning groove 23 to react with the wafer 200 to be etched. After the etching is completed, it is discharged into the collection groove 13 through the cleaning groove 23, the outlet hole 22, and the annular mounting groove 12 (the connecting channel at the bottom).

[0024] In actual use, the edge protection ring 20 is first installed in the annular mounting groove 12, and then the wafer 200 to be etched is placed in the placement area 11 through the through hole in the center of the edge protection ring 20 (the installation order can also be reversed, that is, the wafer 200 to be etched is placed first, and then the edge protection ring 20 is installed). In this way, the edge protection ring 20 can protect the edge of the wafer 200 to be etched. When the etching medium enters the edge protection ring 20 through the inlet hole 21 and the cleaning groove 23, it can diffuse to the center and edge of the wafer 200 to be etched at the same time, thereby achieving all-round and uniform etching of the surface of the wafer 200 to be etched, thus avoiding the problem of excessive edge etching in traditional wet etching. After etching is completed, the etching waste liquid formed by the etching medium and etching waste is discharged into the collection tank 13 through the outlet hole 22 and the annular mounting groove 12 (the connecting channel at the bottom), thereby completing the collection of etching waste liquid and preventing etching waste liquid from remaining on the surface of the wafer 200 to be etched.

[0025] In traditional wet etching processes, due to the reliance on the immersion or spraying of etching agents, the wafer edge area is prone to over-etching problems because the etching agent stays for a long time, the local reaction concentration is too high, or the stress state of the edge material differs from that of the wafer center. This results in an etching rate much higher than expected. In contrast, the etching apparatus 100 provided in this application adds an edge protection ring 20 to the edge of the wafer 200 to act as a ring-shaped protective barrier for the wafer 200 to be etched. This allows the dielectric to be evenly distributed in the edge area, thereby achieving etching consistency between the edge and the center of the wafer 200 to be etched. This can prevent over-etching caused by the excessively fast etching rate at the edge of the wafer 200.

[0026] As one possible implementation method, such as Figures 2 to 4As shown, the bottom of the annular mounting groove 12 is provided with a through groove 121, and the annular mounting groove 12 is connected to the collection groove 13 through the through groove 121.

[0027] It should be noted that the bottom of the annular mounting groove 12 is provided with a through groove 121. For example, the through groove 121 is a continuous groove opened circumferentially at the bottom of the annular mounting groove 12. The cross-sectional shape of the through groove 121 can be U-shaped or V-shaped. Compared with U-shape, V-shape is more conducive to the collection of etching waste liquid. The through groove 121 should be coaxially arranged with the annular mounting groove 12 to ensure that the guiding effect of the through groove 121 on the etching waste liquid is uniform throughout. By setting the through groove 121, it can be ensured that the etching waste liquid discharged through the discharge hole 22 can smoothly flow into the collection tank 13 through the through groove 121, completing the collection of etching waste liquid, while avoiding the risk of leakage.

[0028] As one possible implementation method, such as Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the through groove 121 is located at the center of the annular mounting groove 12, and the edge protection ring 20 is erected on both sides of the bottom of the annular mounting groove 12.

[0029] It should be noted that when designing the through groove 121, the through groove 121 can be set in the central area of ​​the bottom of the annular mounting groove 12, so that the annular mounting groove 12 and the through groove 121 together form a stepped groove structure. In this way, the edge protection ring 20 can be placed on both sides of the bottom of the annular mounting groove 12 (i.e., on the platform of the stepped groove structure), and the inner and outer walls of the edge protection ring 20 can be firmly embraced by the two side walls of the annular mounting groove 12. Thus, it will not shake or shift relative to the wafer 200 to be etched, thereby ensuring that the edge protection ring 20 can play a stable and reliable edge protection role throughout the etching process.

[0030] As one possible implementation method, such as Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the bottom of the annular mounting groove 12 is also provided with a connecting groove 122, through which the discharge hole 22 is connected to the through groove 121. In other words, the connecting groove 122 and the through groove 121 together form the connecting channel provided at the bottom of the annular mounting groove 12, to ensure that the discharge hole 22, the annular mounting groove 12 and the collection groove 13 are connected in sequence.

[0031] It should be noted that the bottom of the annular mounting groove 12 is also provided with a connecting groove 122. The connecting groove 122 is a non-annular groove (such as a rectangular groove or a strip groove) opened at the bottom of the annular mounting groove 12, so that the connecting groove 122 is correspondingly set with the discharge hole 22. Along the axial direction of the edge protection ring 20, the length of the connecting groove 122 is equal to the distance between the discharge hole 22 and the through groove 121. Along the radial direction of the edge protection ring 20, the width of the connecting groove 122 is adapted to the diameter of the discharge hole 22. At the same time, the width of the connecting groove 122 also needs to be adapted to the width of the annular bottom of the annular mounting groove 12 to ensure that the etching waste liquid can be smoothly discharged into the collection tank 13 through the discharge hole 22, the connecting groove 122, and the through groove 121.

[0032] As one possible implementation method, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the connecting groove 122 is located on one side of the bottom of the annular mounting groove 12 to form a single-sided discharge, or the connecting groove 122 is located on both sides of the bottom of the annular mounting groove 12 to form a double-sided discharge, thereby improving the discharge rate of etching waste liquid and avoiding prolonged contact with the wafer.

[0033] As one possible implementation method, such as Figures 1 to 3 As shown, there are multiple discharge holes 22, which are evenly distributed around the edge protection ring 20 so that the etching waste liquid can be discharged from the multiple discharge holes 22 to the collection tank 13, thereby ensuring the consistency of the etching waste liquid discharge rate at various points along the edge of the wafer 200 to be etched.

[0034] Based on this, as one possible implementation method, such as Figures 1 to 3 As shown, there are multiple connecting grooves 122, and multiple connecting grooves 122 correspond one-to-one with multiple discharge holes 22 along the axial direction of the edge protection ring 20, so that each discharge hole 22 can discharge the etching waste liquid to the collection tank 13 through the corresponding connecting groove 122, thereby avoiding the etching waste liquid discharged through the discharge hole 22 from accumulating in the annular mounting groove 12 or even leaking out of the groove.

[0035] As one possible implementation method, such as Figures 1 to 3 As shown, there are multiple inlet holes 21 and cleaning grooves 23. The multiple inlet holes 21 and multiple cleaning grooves 23 correspond one-to-one with the multiple outlet holes 22 along the axial direction of the edge protection ring 20, so that each inlet hole 21 can pass the etching medium into the interior of the edge protection ring 20 through the corresponding cleaning groove 23. This allows the etching medium to make uniform contact with the edge of the wafer 200 to be etched along the circumference of the edge protection ring 20, thereby avoiding the problem of local over-etching of the wafer 200 to be etched.

[0036] As one possible implementation method, such as Figures 1 to 3As shown, along the axial direction of the edge protection ring 20, the orthographic projection of the edge protection ring 20 coincides with the orthographic projection of the annular mounting groove 12, so that the edge protection ring 20 can be embedded in the annular mounting groove 12, thereby serving as an annular protective barrier for the wafer 200 to be etched, and protecting the wafer 200 to be etched. For example, a sealing ring is also provided between the outer wall of the edge protection ring 20 and the outer wall of the annular mounting groove 12 to prevent etching waste liquid from leaking to other areas outside the groove through the connection between the two.

[0037] This application also provides an etching apparatus, including the etching device 100 described above. Since the structure and beneficial effects of the etching device 100 have been described in detail in the foregoing embodiments, they will not be repeated here.

[0038] The above description is merely an optional embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

[0039] It should also be noted that the various specific technical features described in the above embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, this application will not describe the various possible combinations separately.

Claims

1. An etching apparatus, characterized in that, The device includes a wafer placement platform and an edge protection ring. The wafer placement platform has a placement area and an annular mounting groove arranged around the outer edge of the placement area. The placement area is used to hold the wafer to be etched. A collection groove is provided inside the wafer placement platform. An inlet hole and an outlet hole are respectively provided at the top and bottom of the edge protection ring. A cleaning groove is provided on the inner wall of the edge protection ring. The inlet hole, the cleaning groove, the outlet hole, the annular mounting groove, and the collection groove are connected in sequence. The edge protection ring is installed in the annular mounting groove. The etching medium is introduced into the cleaning groove through the inlet hole to etch the wafer to be etched. After etching, it is discharged into the collection groove through the outlet hole and the annular mounting groove.

2. The etching apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the annular mounting groove is provided with a through groove, and the annular mounting groove is connected to the collection groove through the through groove.

3. The etching apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The through groove is located at the center of the annular mounting groove, and the edge protection rings are placed on both sides of the bottom of the annular mounting groove.

4. The etching apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The bottom of the annular mounting groove is also provided with a connecting groove, and the discharge hole is connected to the through groove through the connecting groove.

5. The etching apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The connecting groove is located on one side of the bottom of the annular mounting groove, or the connecting groove is located on both sides of the bottom of the annular mounting groove.

6. The etching apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The number of discharge holes is multiple, and the multiple discharge holes are evenly distributed along the circumference of the edge protection ring.

7. The etching apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The number of the connecting grooves is multiple, and the multiple connecting grooves correspond one-to-one with the multiple discharge holes along the axial direction of the edge protection ring.

8. The etching apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The number of inlet holes and cleaning grooves is multiple, and the multiple inlet holes and multiple cleaning grooves correspond one-to-one with the multiple outlet holes along the axial direction of the edge protection ring.

9. The etching apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, Along the axial direction of the edge protection ring, the orthographic projection of the edge protection ring coincides with the orthographic projection of the annular mounting groove.

10. An etching apparatus, characterized in that, Includes the etching apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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