Boats and semiconductor processing equipment

Abstract

The present invention discloses a boat and a semiconductor processing apparatus, the disclosed boat including a holder and a wafer mounting device, the wafer mounting device including an edge mounting portion and an extended mounting portion, the edge mounting portion surrounding and forming an escape space having an opening, the extended mounting portion being connected to the edge mounting portion and extending toward the escape space, the edge mounting portion and the extended mounting portion being used to jointly support a wafer, and the edge mounting portion being used to support the edge of the wafer.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor processing equipment, and more particularly to boats and semiconductor processing equipment. [Background technology]

[0002] The boat is a device that comes into direct contact with the wafers during processing by the semiconductor processing equipment, and is an important part of the semiconductor processing equipment, which directly affects the quality of the wafer processing.

[0003] In the related art, a boat used in a semiconductor processing device is a three-poster short-tooth boat, and slots are opened in the uprights of the three-poster short-tooth boat. When the boat loads a wafer, the edge of the wafer is supported by the slots in the uprights. When the boat supports the wafer, the slots are supported at the wafer edge position, and there is a problem that when the boat loads the wafer and processes it, the wafer will be significantly warped. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present invention discloses a boat and a semiconductor processing apparatus that solves the problem in the related art that when wafers are placed on a boat and processed, large warpage occurs in the wafers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention is realized as follows.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application discloses a boat including a holder and a wafer mounting device connected thereto, the wafer mounting device including an edge mounting portion and an extended mounting portion, the edge mounting portion surrounding and forming an escape space having an opening, the extended mounting portion being connected to the edge mounting portion and extending toward the escape space, the edge mounting portion and the extended mounting portion being used to collectively support a wafer, and the edge mounting portion being used to support an edge region of the wafer.

[0007] In a second aspect, the present application further discloses a semiconductor process apparatus including a wafer transport apparatus and the boat described in the first and second aspects, wherein the wafer transport apparatus is used to transfer wafers into and out of the boat. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The technical solutions adopted in the present invention can achieve the following technical effects:

[0009] In an embodiment of the present application, the boat includes a holder and a wafer mounting device. The wafer mounting device has a structure including an edge mounting portion and an extended mounting portion. The edge mounting portion surrounds a relief space having an opening so that a wafer transport device such as a manipulator can load and unload the wafer. The extended mounting portion is connected to the edge mounting portion and extends toward the relief space. When the boat supports a wafer, the edge mounting portion can support the edge region of the wafer, and the extended mounting portion can support a partial region extending from the edge toward the center of the wafer. This allows support of the edge region of the wafer and a partial region extending from the edge toward the center. This solves the problem in related art that when a wafer is loaded on a boat, the wafer is supported only at a few points on the edge, resulting in significant warpage of the wafer. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1]1 is a structural schematic diagram of a first wafer mounting device disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of a boat disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention from a first viewing angle. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic view of a boat disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention from a second viewing angle. [Figure 4] 10 is a schematic diagram showing a case where the pitch of the locking groove of the holder disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention is a first pitch. FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a schematic diagram showing a case where the pitch of the locking groove of the holder disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention is a second pitch. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the wafer mounting device when a wafer is being mounted; [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a group of wafer mounting devices. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a second wafer mounting device. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a partial schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the wafer mounting device and the holder are connected to each other. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] In order to clarify the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to specific embodiments of the present invention and corresponding drawings. It is clear that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and do not represent all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without any creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0012] The technical solutions disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] 1 to 10, an embodiment of the present invention discloses a boat, which may be used to place wafers. The boat is a device that directly contacts wafers when a semiconductor processing device processes the wafers. The disclosed boat includes a holder 100 and a wafer placement device 200 connected thereto. The holder 100 serves as a mounting base for other components of the boat. The wafer placement device 200 is used to place wafers. The wafer placement device 200 may be removably connected to the holder 100, thereby facilitating attachment and detachment of the wafer placement device 200.

[0014] The wafer mounting device 200 includes an edge mounting portion 210 and an extended mounting portion 220. The edge mounting portion 210 surrounds and forms a relief space 211 having an opening, and the extended mounting portion 220 is connected to the edge mounting portion 210 and extends toward the relief space 211. The edge mounting portion 210 and the extended mounting portion 220 are used to jointly support a wafer, and the mounting surface of the edge mounting portion 210 on which a wafer is mounted and the mounting surface of the extended mounting portion 220 on which a wafer is mounted may be coplanar to jointly support a wafer.

[0015] The edge support 210 may be used to support the edge region of the wafer, and the extended support 220 may be used to support a partial region extending from the edge of the wafer toward the center, for example, the extended support 220 may support a partial region between the circumference and the edge of the wafer at half the radius of the wafer.

[0016] The relief space 211 may include a middle region and an edge region surrounding the middle region, and the middle region can be in communication with an opening of the relief space. This allows the wafer transport device 400 to enter the middle region through the opening and easily lift the wafer mounting device 200 and the wafer or place the wafer mounting device 200 and the wafer on the holder 100. The extended mounting portion 220 can enter the edge region of the relief space 211. The edge region of the relief space 211 is, for example, the region between the circumference and the edge of the wafer at a point half the radius of the wafer.

[0017] In the embodiment of the present application, the boat includes a holder 100 and a wafer mounting device 200. The wafer mounting device 200 has a structure including an edge mounting portion 210 and an extended mounting portion 220. The edge mounting portion 210 surrounds an escape space 211 having an opening so that a wafer transport device such as a manipulator can load and unload wafers. The extended mounting portion 220 is connected to the edge mounting portion 210 and extends toward the escape space 211. When the boat supports a wafer, the edge mounting portion 210 can support the edge region of the wafer, and the extended mounting portion 220 can support a partial region extending from the edge toward the center of the wafer. This allows the edge of the wafer and a partial region extending from the edge toward the center to be supported. This solves the problem in related art where, when a wafer is loaded on a boat, the wafer is supported only at a few points on the edge, resulting in significant warpage of the wafer.

[0018] To further reduce wafer warpage when the wafer mounting device 200 mounts a wafer, the wafer mounting device 200 may optionally include multiple extended mounting portions 220, which may be spaced apart in the extending direction of the edge mounting portion 210. Each extended mounting portion 220 protrudes from the inner peripheral edge of the edge mounting portion 210 into the relief space 211 surrounded by the edge mounting portion 210. The extending direction of the edge mounting portion 210 is an arc-shaped extending direction surrounding the relief space 211. By providing multiple extended mounting portions 220, the multiple extended mounting portions 220 can jointly support a partial region extending from the edge of the wafer toward the center. This allows the wafer to receive more support when the wafer mounting device 200 supports the wafer. This further reduces wafer warpage when the wafer mounting device 200 mounts the wafer.

[0019] Optionally, the ends of the multiple extended mounts 220 remote from the edge mount 210 may all be located on the same circumference. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the ends of the multiple extended mounts 220 remote from the edge mount 210 are all located on approximately the circumference A. By having the ends of the multiple extended mounts 220 remote from the edge mount 210 located on the same circumference, when the wafer mount device 200 supports a wafer, the support lengths of the multiple extended mounts 220 in the radial direction of the wafer are the same. This makes it possible to prevent the wafer from being deformed due to uneven support.

[0020] Specifically, the diameter of the circumference of the plurality of extended mounts 220 at one end remote from the edge mount 210 may be between one-half and two-thirds the diameter of the corresponding wafer placed thereon. For example, the diameter of the circumference of the plurality of extended mounts 220 at one end remote from the edge mount 210 may be one-half the diameter of the wafer placed thereon. When the end faces of the edge mounts 210 facing the relief space 211 are located on the same circle, the circle enclosed by the end faces of the edge mounts 210 facing the relief space 211 and the circle enclosed by the ends of the plurality of extended mounts 220 remote from the edge mount 210 may be concentric, and the diameter of the circle enclosed by the end faces of the edge mounts 210 facing the relief space 211 may be two-thirds the diameter of the wafer placed thereon. Of course, the diameter of the circumference at which one end of the multiple extended mounting portions 220 away from the edge mounting portion 210 is located may be two-thirds of the diameter of the mounted wafer, and the diameter of the circle enclosed by the end face of the edge mounting portion 210 facing the escape space 211 may be five-sixths of the diameter of the mounted wafer.

[0021] As one alternative embodiment, the extended mounting portion 220 may be provided on an inner edge of the edge mounting portion 210 to surround and form the relief space 211. The longitudinal direction of the extended mounting portion 220 may coincide with the extension direction of the inner edge, and the width direction of the extended mounting portion 220 may be a direction extending toward the center of the wafer mounting device 200 of the extended mounting portion 220 (for example, the center of a circle enclosed by the end face of the edge mounting portion 210 facing the relief space 211), and the inner edge of the extended mounting portion 220 close to the center of the wafer mounting device 200 may surround and form an entry space 221 of the wafer transport device. The entry space 221 is the central region of the relief space 211.

[0022] To maximize the contact area between the extended placement portion 220 and the wafer while ensuring sufficient recession space 221, it is necessary to prevent the dimension of the extended placement portion 220 from becoming too large in the direction in which the extended placement portion 220 extends toward the center of the wafer placement device 200. This ensures sufficient recession space 221, and also increases the extension direction of the inner edge of the extended placement portion 220 as much as possible, thereby increasing the contact area between the extended placement portion 220 and the wafer. Based on this, in the embodiment of the present application, the longitudinal direction of the extended placement portion 220 coincides with the extension direction of the inner edge, and the width direction of the extended placement portion 220 extends toward the center of the wafer placement device 200. This ensures sufficient recession space 221 and maximizes the contact area between the extended placement portion 220 and the wafer. This can effectively prevent significant warpage of the wafer and can be used to support soft wafers, such as wafers made of pure resin. More preferably, to maximize the contact area between the extended mounting portion 220 and the wafer, the extended mounting portion 220 is formed into a single sheet-like structure. This allows the extended mounting portion 220 to have a continuous structure along its inner edge, which allows the extended mounting portion 220 to have a larger contact area with the wafer when supporting it than a structure in which the extended mounting portion 220 is not continuous. This can better prevent significant warping of the wafer and can be used to support soft wafers such as pure resin wafers.

[0023] To improve the overall strength of the wafer mounting device 200, the extended mounting portion 220 may optionally be integral with the edge mounting portion 210. By making the extended mounting portion 220 and the edge mounting portion 210 integral with each other, the overall strength of the wafer mounting device 200 can be improved.

[0024] In an optional embodiment, the holder 100 may include a top plate 110, a bottom plate 120, and a plurality of auxiliary support pillars 130, the two ends of which may be connected to the top plate 110 and the bottom plate 120, respectively, and the plurality of auxiliary support pillars 130 may all have locking grooves 131 at corresponding heights, and the side walls of the locking grooves 131 at the same heights of the plurality of auxiliary support pillars 130 may be used to jointly support the edge support portion 210.

[0025] The embodiment of the present application discloses a specific structure of the holder 100, in which the auxiliary support columns 130 are provided with locking grooves 131, so that the side walls of the locking grooves 131 at the same height of the multiple auxiliary support columns 130 can jointly support the edge support portions 210, thereby realizing support for the wafer support device 200.

[0026] In order to make the connection between the wafer mounting device 200 and the holder 100 more stable, a positioning recess 131a may optionally be opened in the side wall of the locking groove 131, and a positioning protrusion 212 may be provided on the edge mounting portion 210. When the positioning protrusion 212 is positioned in the positioning recess 131a, the side walls of the locking groove 131 at the same height of the multiple auxiliary support pillars 130 jointly support the edge mounting portion 210.

[0027] The sidewall of the locking groove 131 is provided with a positioning recess 131a, and the edge support 210 is provided with a positioning protrusion 212. When the positioning protrusion 212 is positioned in the positioning recess 131a, the sidewalls of the locking groove 131 at the same height of the multiple auxiliary support columns 130 jointly support the edge support 210, and the positioning protrusion 212 is positioned and engaged with the positioning recess 131a, thereby making the connection between the wafer support device 200 and the holder 100 more stable.

[0028] A boat typically needs to hold multiple wafers, e.g., 100 wafers, and therefore the boat needs to be provided with multiple wafer mounting devices 200. Attaching the multiple wafer mounting devices 200 to the holders 100 one by one takes a relatively long time, which reduces the wafer transport efficiency of the boat. To improve the wafer transport efficiency of the boat, in an alternative embodiment, multiple wafer mounting devices 200 may be provided, and the multiple wafer mounting devices 200 may be stacked and connected in sequence to form a wafer mounting device group 300. A gap for accommodating wafers may be provided between any two adjacent wafer mounting devices 200 in the wafer mounting device group 300, and the wafer mounting device group 300 may be removably connected to the holders 100.

[0029] The plurality of wafer mounting devices 200 are sequentially stacked and connected to form a wafer mounting device group 300, and a gap for accommodating wafers is provided between any two adjacent wafer mounting devices 200 in the wafer mounting device group 300. This allows the wafer mounting device group formed by the plurality of wafer mounting devices 200 to be mounted to the holder 100 in one go, thereby reducing the time required to mount the wafer mounting devices 200 and the holder 100. This improves the wafer transport efficiency of the boat.

[0030] In the related art, because three-poster short-tooth boats are used as boats, each type of boat can only be used in a specific process environment. This is because the pitch between adjacent wafers placed on the three-poster short-tooth boat in the related art is fixed and cannot be changed. This pitch may only be suitable for a specific process environment. If the pitch requirements of the process environment change, the boat becomes inapplicable and a boat with a different pitch must be replaced, resulting in a decrease in the usability of the various boats. To improve the usability of the boats, multiple wafer loading devices 200 can be selectively formed into multiple wafer loading device groups 300, and the spacing between the wafer loading devices 200 in at least one of the multiple wafer loading device groups 300 is different from the spacing between the wafer loading devices 200 in the other groups. Because the thickness of the wafer mount device group 300 and the single wafer mount device 200 are different, the auxiliary support columns 130 may be in multiple groups, and the intervals between the locking grooves 131 in the multiple groups of auxiliary support columns 130 may be different, and the multiple groups of auxiliary support columns 130 may be detachably connected to the top plate 110 and the bottom plate 120, thereby facilitating replacement of the auxiliary support columns 130. The pitches between the locking grooves 131 in different groups of auxiliary support columns 130 may match the thickness of the corresponding wafer mount device group 300.

[0031] By providing multiple wafer placement device groups 300, the spacing between the wafer placement devices 200 in at least one of the multiple wafer placement device groups 300 is different from the spacing between the wafer placement devices 200 in the other wafer placement device groups 300. This allows the same boat to meet the needs for different spacing between wafers required in different process environments, thereby improving the usability of the boat.

[0032] Optionally, there may be a plurality of wafer mounting devices 200, and the plurality of wafer mounting devices 200 may form a plurality of combinations of groups, each combination of groups including at least one wafer mounting device 200. The edge mounting portion 210 may have an outer edge and an inner edge, the inner edge may face the relief space 211, and the outer edge may be away from the relief space 211, and the width between the inner edge and the outer edge of the edge mounting portion 210 in at least one combination of groups among the plurality of combinations of groups may be different from the width between the inner edge and the outer edge of the edge mounting portion 210 in the other combinations of groups. The inner edge may be toward the escape space 211, and the outer edge may be away from the escape space 211, the direction in which the outer edge points toward the inner edge may be the direction in which the edge mounting portion 210 extends toward the inside of the escape space 211, and the width from the inner edge to the outer edge may be the distance dimension of the edge mounting portion 210 in the direction in which it extends toward the inside of the escape space 211, for example, the width from the inner edge to the outer edge may be 5 mm, 10 mm, etc.

[0033] In the embodiment of the present application, by dividing a plurality of wafer mounting devices 200 into a plurality of combinations of groups, the width from the inner edge to the outer edge of the edge mounting portion 210 of the wafer mounting device 200 in at least one combination of the plurality of combinations of groups is different from the width from the inner edge to the outer edge of the edge mounting portion 210 in the other combinations of groups, thereby enabling the boat to mount wafers of different sizes by exchanging a different combination of wafer mounting devices 200, thereby further improving the wafer mounting capacity of the boat.

[0034] In some embodiments, there may be a plurality of wafer mounting devices 200, and the plurality of wafer mounting devices 200 may form a plurality of combinations, each of which includes at least one wafer mounting device 200. The extension depth of the extended mounting portion 220 into the relief space 211 in at least one of the plurality of combinations is different from the extension depth of the extended mounting portion 220 into the relief space 211 in the other combinations.

[0035] In the embodiment of the present application, by dividing a plurality of wafer mount devices 200 into a plurality of combinations, the extension depth of the extended mount portions 220 into the relief space 211 in at least one of the combinations of the plurality of combinations of the groups is different from the extension depth of the extended mount portions 220 into the relief space 211 of the wafer mount devices 200 in the other groups, and the boat can mount wafers of different sizes by replacing a different combination of wafer mount devices 200. This further improves the wafer mounting capacity of the boat.

[0036] Optionally, there may be a plurality of extended mounting portions 220, and the ends of the plurality of extended mounting portions 220 remote from the edge mounting portion 210 may be formed to surround the entrance space 221 of the wafer transport device, and the escape space 211 may include the entrance space 221 of the wafer transport device. The entrance space 221 of the wafer transport device may be in communication with an opening of the escape space 211. By forming the ends of the plurality of extended mounting portions 220 remote from the edge mounting portion 210 to surround the entrance space 221 of the wafer transport device, it becomes easy for the wafer transport device 400 to enter through the entrance space 221 of the wafer transport device to load and unload wafers.

[0037] In some embodiments, the holder 100 further includes a heat insulating plate 140, which is inserted into the auxiliary support column 130 to divide the auxiliary support column 130 into a first section and a second section, the first section being used to mount the wafer support device 200 and the second section being used to attach the heat insulating plate. When the boat enters the process chamber of the semiconductor processing equipment through the transfer port of the process chamber, the first section of the boat enters the process chamber first, and a process door is connected to one end of the second section away from the first section, which closes the transfer port of the process chamber, and the heat insulating plate is used to block heat conduction between the first section and the process door.

[0038] The present application further discloses a semiconductor processing apparatus, which includes a wafer transfer device 400 and the boat of the above embodiment. The wafer transfer device 400 is used to transfer wafers into and out of the boat. The wafer transfer device 400 is used to transfer wafers to or from the wafer mounting device 200. The boat of the above embodiment is used. The boat includes a holder 100 and a wafer mounting device 200. The wafer mounting device 200 has a structure including an edge mounting portion 210 and an extended mounting portion 220. The edge mounting portion 210 surrounds a relief space 211 having an opening, and the extended mounting portion 220 is connected to the edge mounting portion 210 and extends toward the relief space 211. When the boat supports a wafer, the edge mounting portion 210 can support the edge region of the wafer, and the extended mounting portion 220 can support a partial region extending from the edge toward the center of the wafer. This allows the edge of the wafer and a partial area extending from the edge toward the center to be supported, thereby solving the problem in related art where, when a boat loads a wafer, the wafer is supported only at a few points on the edge, resulting in significant warping of the wafer.

[0039] The above embodiments of the present invention have focused on the differences between the various embodiments. The different optimization features of the various embodiments may be combined to form a more preferred embodiment, provided they are not inconsistent. For the sake of brevity, the details are omitted here.

[0040] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific embodiments, and the above-mentioned specific embodiments are merely illustrative and not limiting. A person skilled in the art can devise many more forms based on the teachings of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention and the scope of protection of the claims, and all of them belong to the scope of protection of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 100 holder 110 Top Plate 120 Bottom plate 130 Auxiliary support column 131 Locking groove 131a Positioning recess 140 Insulation board 200 Wafer placement device 210 Edge placement section 211 Escape Space 212 Positioning protrusion 220 Extended loading section 221 Wafer transport device entrance space 300 Wafer placement equipment group 400 Wafer transport device

Claims

1. a holder and a wafer placement device connected thereto; The wafer mounting device includes an edge mounting portion and an extended mounting portion, the edge mounting portion surrounding an escape space having an opening, the extended mounting portion being connected to the edge mounting portion and extending toward the escape space, the edge mounting portion and the extended mounting portion being used to jointly support the wafer, and the edge mounting portion being used to support the edge region of the wafer.

2. 2. The boat according to claim 1, wherein the extending support portion is provided in a plurality of positions, the extending support portions being spaced apart in the extending direction of the edge support portion.

3. 3. The boat according to claim 2, wherein the ends of the plurality of extension resting portions, which are remote from the edge resting portion, are all located on the same circumference.

4. 2. The boat according to claim 1, wherein the extended mounting portion is provided on an inner edge of the edge mounting portion to surround and form the escape space, the longitudinal direction of the extended mounting portion coincides with the extending direction of the inner edge, the width direction of the extended mounting portion is a direction extending toward the center of the wafer mounting device of the extended mounting portion, and the inner edge of the extended mounting portion close to the center of the wafer mounting device surrounds and forms an entry space of a wafer transport device.

5. 5. The boat of claim 4, wherein the extending resting portion is a sheet-like structure.

6. 6. The boat according to claim 1, wherein the extension support portion is integral with the edge support portion.

7. The boat described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the holder includes a top plate, a bottom plate and a plurality of auxiliary support pillars, the two ends of the plurality of auxiliary support pillars being connected to the top plate and the bottom plate, respectively, the plurality of auxiliary support pillars each having a locking groove at a corresponding height, and the side walls of the locking grooves at the same height of the plurality of auxiliary support pillars being used to jointly support the edge mounting portion.

8. The boat of claim 7, characterized in that a positioning recess is formed in the side wall of the locking groove, and a positioning protrusion is provided on the edge mounting portion, and when the positioning protrusion is positioned in the positioning recess, the side walls of the locking groove at the same height of the multiple auxiliary support columns jointly support the edge mounting portion.

9. 6. The boat according to claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of the wafer placement devices, the plurality of wafer placement devices being stacked and connected in order to form a wafer placement device group, a gap for accommodating the wafers is provided between any two adjacent wafer placement devices in the wafer placement device group, and the wafer placement device group is detachably connected to the holder.

10. 10. The boat of claim 9, wherein the plurality of wafer placement devices can form a plurality of wafer placement device groups, and the spacing between the wafer placement devices in at least one of the plurality of wafer placement device groups is different from the spacing between the wafer placement devices in the other wafer placement device groups.

11. the wafer placement device is present in plural, the plural wafer placement devices form a combination of plural groups, the combination of each group includes at least one of the wafer placement devices, the edge placement portion includes an outer edge and an inner edge, the inner edge faces the relief space and the outer edge faces away from the relief space, a width between the inner edge and the outer edge of the edge placement portion in at least one of the combinations of the plural groups is different from a width between the inner edge and the outer edge of the edge placement portion in the combinations of the other groups, And / or, the depth of extension of the extended support portion into the escape space in at least one of the combinations of multiple groups is different from the depth of extension of the extended support portion into the escape space in the combinations of other groups.

12. 3. The boat according to claim 2, wherein the ends of the plurality of extended support portions remote from the edge support portion surround an entry space for a wafer transport device, and the escape space includes the entry space for the wafer transport device.

13. A semiconductor process device comprising: a wafer transport device; and the boat according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the wafer transport device is used to transfer wafers into and out of the boat.

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