SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESS CHAMBER, SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING METHOD
The annular seal structure in the semiconductor process chamber addresses airflow interference and pressure instability in multi-reaction zone chambers, enhancing film formation quality and production efficiency by ensuring airtightness and stability.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2024510695
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2021-08-31
- Filing Date
- 2022-08-29
- Publication Date
- 2024-12-24
- Estimated Expiration
- 2042-08-29
AI Technical Summary
Conventional semiconductor process chambers with multi-reaction zones face issues with airflow interference and pressure instability due to large internal spaces and irregular airflow, affecting film formation quality and efficiency.
The semiconductor process chamber incorporates an annular seal structure with elasticity that separates the transfer chamber into sections, ensuring airtightness by expanding to seal the reaction chamber opening and preventing airflow interference between reaction regions.
This design improves pressure control, enhances film formation quality, reduces wafer transfer time, and increases production capacity by maintaining airtightness and stability during the semiconductor process.
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Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor processing equipment, and more particularly to a semiconductor processing chamber, a semiconductor processing equipment including the semiconductor processing chamber, and a semiconductor processing method applied to the semiconductor processing equipment. [Background technology]
[0002] With the popularity of electronic products, the change of generations, and the promotion of international trends, the semiconductor industry is developing rapidly, especially the development of ultra-large scale integrated circuits. Each generation of factories urgently needs the optimal means of increasing production, that is, maximizing the ratio of production capacity to occupancy area. At present, there are two main solutions to improve production capacity: 1) increasing the deposition rate, that is, increasing the number of substrates deposited per unit time; 2) increasing the number of substrates deposited simultaneously.
[0003] However, the conventional single wafer processing chamber can increase the production capacity and improve the deposition rate, but there is a limit to increasing the production volume by increasing the deposition rate. Compared with that, the advantage of the multi-reaction region chamber apparatus with high production capacity is obvious, and its key technology is the independence of each reaction region, that is, the independence of each reaction region is realized by isolating it with a separation seal structure. Take the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD) process equipment as an example, the separation seal structure can ensure the stability and uniformity of the flow field of each reaction region, and further ensure the stability and uniformity of the film formation. However, due to the limitation of the wafer transfer structure of the multi-reaction region chamber apparatus with high production capacity, each reaction region is connected to each other, the internal space of the transfer chamber is relatively large and the airflow is irregular, which cannot guarantee the stability and uniformity of the airflow, and further the pressure control becomes unstable during the process, which ultimately affects the film formation quality. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor process chamber, a semiconductor process apparatus, and a semiconductor process method, which can improve the pressure control effect of a reaction chamber, enhance the process effect of a semiconductor process, shorten the wafer transport time, and improve the film formation efficiency of the semiconductor process. [Means for solving the problem]
[0005] In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a semiconductor process chamber including a reaction chamber and a transfer chamber located below the reaction chamber, the reaction chamber communicating with the transfer chamber via a bottom opening, a base provided with a lift shaft connected to a bottom of the base, and capable of being raised and lowered between the reaction chamber and the transfer chamber via the bottom opening, The semiconductor process chamber is further provided with an elastic annular sealing structure, which is provided below the base and surrounds the lifting axis of the base. When the base is descending into the transport chamber, the base can press down and compress the annular sealing structure. When the base is ascending into the reaction chamber and the pressure applied to the annular sealing structure is released, the annular sealing structure expands under the action of its own elastic force until it abuts against the bottom wall of the reaction chamber, thereby providing a semiconductor process chamber that closes the bottom opening.
[0006] Optionally, the annular sealing structure includes a sealing ring and a first elastic sealing tube, a top end of the first elastic sealing tube is sealingly connected to a bottom wall of the sealing ring, and a bottom end of the first elastic sealing tube is sealingly connected to a bottom wall of the transfer chamber, and when the first elastic sealing tube is extended, a top wall of the sealing ring can abut against a bottom wall of the reaction chamber, thereby closing the bottom opening; The bottom end of the lifting shaft passes through a through hole provided in the bottom of the transport chamber and extends outside the transport chamber, and the bottom end of the first elastic sealing cylinder surrounds the periphery of the through hole and is used to seal the through hole.
[0007] Optionally, the first elastic sealing tube is a bellows tube.
[0008] Optionally, the first elastic sealing tube has a connection flange at its bottom end, a first annular accommodating groove is formed on the bottom wall of the transfer chamber surrounding the through hole, the connection flange is provided within the first annular accommodating groove, and a first seal member is provided between the connection flange and two opposing surfaces of the first annular accommodating groove.
[0009] Optionally, the sealing ring includes a concave plate and a concave plate flange, the concave plate flange is arranged around the concave plate and fixedly connected to the outer edge of the concave plate, the concave plate flange is used to contact the bottom wall of the reaction chamber, and the side of the concave plate toward the reaction chamber has an accommodating groove for accommodating the base when the base descends.
[0010] Optionally, the bottom wall of the reaction chamber has a second annular accommodating groove surrounding the bottom opening, the second annular accommodating groove is used to accommodate the concave flange, and a second seal member is provided between the concave flange and two opposing surfaces of the second annular accommodating groove.
[0011] Optionally, the base has a plurality of base holes spaced apart from one another along a circumferential direction of the base, a plurality of support pillars are provided in a one-to-one correspondence within the plurality of base holes, and a stopper structure is formed between each of the base holes and the corresponding support pillar, the stopper structure being used to lift the support pillar together with the base when the base is lifted to a position not higher than the top end of the support pillar, i.e., a mounting surface of the base; the base is descending and the support columns stop descending after their bottom ends contact a bottom wall of the transfer chamber, thus allowing the top ends of the support columns to be higher than the support surface of the base; The annular seal structure surrounds the exterior of the plurality of support posts.
[0012] Optionally, there are multiple reaction chambers, each of which has the bottom opening, the bases and the reaction chambers are the same in number and are provided in one-to-one correspondence, and the transfer chamber is provided with a transfer manipulator for transferring a wafer between the bases corresponding to the different reaction chambers.
[0013] Optionally, a plurality of the reaction chambers are provided surrounding the transfer manipulator; The conveying manipulator includes a drive module, an upper flange, and a conveying finger fixed on the upper flange, and the drive module is used to drive the upper flange and the conveying finger fixed thereto to perform lifting and rotating movements, and in this way the conveying finger removes wafers on some of the bases and places the wafers on other of the bases.
[0014] Optionally, the semiconductor process chamber further includes a purge means, which is used to introduce a purge gas into the first elastic seal cylinder through a through-hole at the bottom of the transfer chamber.
[0015] As a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor processing apparatus including any one of the semiconductor processing chambers described above.
[0016] As a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor processing method, the semiconductor processing method being applied to the semiconductor processing apparatus described above, the method comprising: placing a pre-processed wafer on the base located within the transfer chamber; controlling the base to be raised into the reaction chamber, during which the annular sealing structure closes the bottom opening; performing a semiconductor process; controlling the base to be lowered into the transfer chamber; and removing the processed wafer from the base.
[0017] Optionally, the reaction chambers are multiple, each of the reaction chambers has the bottom opening, the bases and the reaction chambers are the same in number and are provided in one-to-one correspondence, and the transfer chamber is provided with a transfer manipulator for transferring a wafer between the bases corresponding to different reaction chambers; The step of placing a pre-processed wafer on the base includes: placing a pre-processed wafer on a portion of the base; controlling the transfer manipulator to transfer the unprocessed wafers on some of the bases onto other of the bases; and placing the unprocessed wafer on a portion of the base again; The step of removing the processed wafer from the base includes: removing a portion of the processed wafer from the base; controlling the transport manipulator to transfer the processed wafer on the other base onto a part of the base; and removing the processed wafer from the base again.
[0018] Optionally, the reaction chambers are arranged around the transfer manipulator, the transfer manipulator including a drive module, an upper flange, and a transfer finger fixed on the upper flange, the drive module is used to drive the upper flange and the transfer finger fixed thereto to perform lifting and rotating movements, so that the transfer finger removes the wafers on some of the bases and places the wafers on other of the bases; The step of controlling the transport manipulator to transfer unprocessed wafers on some of the bases onto other bases includes: controlling the drive module to drive the upper end flange upward or downward to raise or lower the height of the conveying finger between the unprocessed wafer and a mounting surface of the base; controlling the drive module to rotate the upper flange and rotate at least a portion of the conveying fingers below the unprocessed wafer on the portion of the base; and controlling the drive module to lift the upper flange and drive the conveying fingers to remove the unprocessed wafer on the portion of the base; controlling the drive module to rotate the upper flange, so as to rotate the unprocessed wafer placed on the conveying finger until it is positioned above the other base, and controlling the drive module to lower the upper flange, so that the conveying finger places the unprocessed wafer on the other base; and controlling the drive module to rotate the upper flange so that the carrier finger moves away from the base. The step of controlling the transport manipulator to transfer the processed wafer on the other base onto the part of the base includes: The driving module is controlled to drive the upper end flange upward or downward, and the height of the conveying finger is adjusted to the process height. rear a step of raising or lowering the wafer between the wafer mounting surface of the base and the wafer mounting surface of the base; The drive module is controlled to rotate the upper end flange and move at least a part of the conveying fingers to another process on the base. rear The conveying finger rotates the upper flange upwardly to the lower side of the wafer, and the conveying finger rotates the upper flange upwardly to the lower side of the wafer. rear a step for removing the wafer; The drive module is controlled to rotate the upper end flange, and the process placed on the conveying finger is rear The wafer is rotated until it is positioned above a portion of the base, and the drive module is controlled to drive the upper flange downward, and the transfer finger is moved to the process rear a step of placing the wafer on the base; and controlling the drive module to rotate the top flange so that the carrier finger moves away from the base. Effect of the Invention
[0019] In the present invention, an elastic annular sealing structure is provided in a semiconductor process chamber, which is provided below a base and surrounds the lifting axis of the base, and is used to partition and isolate the transport chamber, separating the external space and external environment located outside the annular sealing structure from the space inside the annular sealing structure, thereby ensuring the sealing of the space below the base in the transport chamber. and when the base is lowered into the transfer chamber, the base can press down and compress the annular sealing structure, thereby ensuring that the annular sealing structure does not affect the lowering movement of the base. When the base is raised into the reaction chamber and the pressure applied to the annular sealing structure is released, the annular sealing structure expands under the action of its own elastic force until it abuts against the bottom wall of the reaction chamber, thereby closing the bottom opening of the reaction chamber. At this time, the annular sealing structure can separate the reaction chamber from the external space located outside the annular sealing structure in the transfer chamber, thereby improving the sealing effect of the reaction chamber, improving the pressure control effect of the reaction chamber, and further improving the process effect of the semiconductor process. In addition, a strict separation and sealing relationship may be established between the reaction chamber and a device such as a manipulator located in the external space outside the annular sealing structure of the transfer chamber, so that the semiconductor process can be performed in the reaction chamber and the external space can be subjected to a vacuum suction process. There is no need to perform background vacuum suction on the transfer chamber again in the wafer transfer step during the semiconductor process, which shortens the wafer transfer time, further improving the film formation efficiency of the semiconductor process, and improving the production capacity of the machine. In addition, the semiconductor process chamber of the present invention is particularly applicable to a multi-reaction region chamber, i.e., there are multiple reaction chambers, and each reaction chamber can be tightly sealed by an annular seal structure, which can solve the problem of airflow interference between each reaction region in the multi-reaction region chamber in the prior art, and thereby improve the film formation quality of the multi-reaction region chamber. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0020] The drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of the specification, and are used to explain the present invention in conjunction with the following specific embodiments, but are not intended to limit the present invention. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a single process chamber in a conventional multi-reaction region chamber apparatus. [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic diagram of the process chamber in FIG. 1 in another state. [Diagram 3] 3 is an enlarged schematic view of a portion of the process chamber in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a semiconductor process chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 5] 2 is another structural schematic diagram of a semiconductor process chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged schematic view of a portion of the semiconductor process chamber in FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the relative positional relationship between a transport manipulator and the base of multiple process chambers in a semiconductor processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a seal ring and a first elastic sealing cylinder in a semiconductor process chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is a flow chart of a semiconductor processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 2 is a flow chart of some steps in a semiconductor processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 2 is a flow chart of some steps in a semiconductor processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0021] The following is a detailed description of specific embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are used to explain and interpret the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention.
[0022] 1 to 3 are schematic structural diagrams of a single process chamber in a conventional high-capacity multi-reaction region chamber apparatus, where FIG. 1 shows a state diagram when the base 4 descends to the wafer loading / unloading position, and FIG. 2 shows a reaction state in which the base 4 rises to the opening of the closing partition plate 7 and seals the reaction region (not actually completely sealing it, see below).
[0023] 1 and 2, after the wafer 13 is placed on the substrate lift pins 9, the base 4 rises, and the substrate lift pins 9 remain in their original positions (there is a gap between the substrate lift pins 9 and the holes in the base 4 that accommodate the substrate lift pins 9) due to the action of gravity. When the tapered surfaces at the upper ends of the substrate lift pins 9 come into contact with the base 4, the tapered surfaces of the substrate lift pins 9 are already in contact with the tapered surfaces at the upper ends of the holes in the base 4. The base 4 continues to rise, and the flat surface 14 of the base 4 comes into contact with the lower end surface of the bellows tube 8, compressing the bellows tube 8, thereby providing a sealing effect and separating the upper reaction area from the lower transfer area.
[0024] However, in reality, the upper reaction area and the lower transfer area can communicate through the gap between the substrate lift pins 9 and the holes, which not only affects the pressure control effect of the reaction area, but also causes the gas in the reaction area to flow under the wafer 13 into the gap between the substrate lift pins 9 and the holes, and then into the lower transfer area, where it reacts and forms particles in the transfer area. When the base 4 is lowered or the wafer is transferred, the particles fall onto the upper surface of the wafer 13, causing contamination. During the process, the process gas There is no gap between 25 From the wafer 13, the wafer enters the space indicated by 22, where it forms a thin film and particles, and while the base 4 is descending, these particles also fall onto the upper surface of the wafer 13, causing contamination. The base 4 must then pass through the bellows tube 8, which has a bellows width, and therefore the bellows width of the bellows tube must also occupy a space in the lateral direction, thereby increasing the occupied area of the chamber.
[0025] In order to solve the above technical problems, one embodiment of the present invention provides a semiconductor process chamber, as shown in FIG. 4, the semiconductor process chamber includes a reaction chamber 100 and a transfer chamber 200 located below the reaction chamber 100, the reaction chamber 100 communicates with the transfer chamber 200 through a bottom opening, a base 300 is provided in the semiconductor process chamber, and a lift shaft 520 is connected to the bottom of the base 300, so that the reaction chamber 100 can be lifted and lowered between the reaction chamber 100 and the transfer chamber 200 through the bottom opening of the reaction chamber 100. In addition, the semiconductor process chamber is further provided with an elastic annular seal structure 400, which is provided below the base 300 and surrounds the lift shaft 520 of the base 300, and is used to partition and separate the transfer chamber 200, and separates the external space and the external environment located outside the annular seal structure 400 from the space inside the annular seal structure, thereby ensuring the sealing of the space below the base in the transfer chamber 200.
[0026] During the process of the base 300 descending into the transfer chamber 200, the base 300 can press down and compress the annular sealing structure 400, thereby ensuring that the annular sealing structure does not affect the downward movement of the base; when the base 300 ascends to the reaction chamber 100 and the pressure applied to the annular sealing structure 400 is released, the annular sealing structure 400 will expand under the action of its own elastic force until it abuts against the bottom wall of the reaction chamber 100, thereby closing the bottom opening of the reaction chamber 100. At this time, the annular seal structure 400 can separate the reaction chamber 100 from the external space located outside the annular seal structure 400 in the transfer chamber 200, thereby improving the sealing effect of the reaction chamber, improving the pressure control effect of the reaction chamber, and further improving the process effect of the semiconductor process. In addition, a strict separation and seal relationship may be established between the reaction chamber and devices such as a manipulator in the external space located outside the annular seal structure of the transfer chamber, so that the semiconductor process can be performed in the reaction chamber 100 while vacuum suction processing is performed on the external space. There is no need to perform background vacuum suction on the transfer chamber again in the wafer transfer step during the semiconductor process, which shortens the wafer transfer time, further improving the film formation efficiency of the semiconductor process, and improving the production capacity of the machine.
[0027] In addition, the semiconductor process chamber of the present invention is particularly applicable to a multi-reaction region chamber, i.e., there are multiple reaction chambers, and each reaction chamber can be tightly sealed by an annular seal structure, which can solve the problem of airflow interference between each reaction region in the multi-reaction region chamber in the prior art, and thereby improve the film formation quality of the multi-reaction region chamber.
[0028] The annular seal structure 400 may have various structures. For example, the annular seal structure 400 includes a seal ring 410 and a first elastic seal tube 420. However, the seal ring 410 and the first elastic seal tube 420 are both provided below the base 300 and fitted into the lift shaft 520 of the base 300, and the top end of the first elastic seal tube 420 is seal-connected to the bottom wall of the seal ring 410, for example, at the inner periphery of the seal ring 410. The bottom end of the first elastic seal tube 420 is seal-connected to the bottom wall of the transfer chamber 200. The bottom end of the lift shaft 520 passes through a through hole 250 provided at the bottom of the transfer chamber 200 and extends to the outside of the transfer chamber 200, and the bottom end of the first elastic seal tube 420 surrounds the periphery of the through hole 250 and is used to seal the through hole 250.
[0029] Since the first elastic sealing cylinder 420 has elasticity, it is in a compressed state when the base 300 is located in the transfer chamber 200, and when the base 300 rises to the reaction chamber 100 and the pressure applied to the first elastic sealing cylinder 420 is released, the first elastic sealing cylinder 420 can drive the sealing ring 410 to rise (i.e., expand) by the action of its own elastic force. When the first elastic sealing cylinder 420 rises, the top wall of the sealing ring 410 can abut against the bottom wall of the reaction chamber 100, thereby closing the bottom opening of the reaction chamber 100. The first elastic sealing cylinder 420 can press the sealing ring 410 against the bottom wall of the reaction chamber 100 by the action of its elastic force, thereby ensuring the sealing effect.
[0030] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, the first elastic sealing cylinder 420 may be a bellows tube. In the present invention, the first elastic sealing cylinder 420 can drive the sealing ring 410 upward through elasticity. When the height of the base 300 is lowered, the base 300 presses down the sealing ring 410 and compresses the first elastic sealing cylinder 420. After the unprocessed wafer is placed on the base 300, the base 300 rises in height and enters the reaction chamber 100, and the first elastic sealing cylinder 420 pushes up the sealing ring 410, thereby closing the bottom opening of the reaction chamber 100. At this time, the first elastic sealing cylinder 420 divides the transfer chamber 200 into the sealing cylinder inner space 210 and the sealing cylinder outer space 220, and the sealing ring 410 and the first elastic sealing cylinder 420 have no airtightness defects (for example, substrate There is no gap between the lifting pin 9 and the hole in the base 4, so the sealed cylinder internal space 210, the sealed cylinder external space 220, and devices such as a manipulator in the sealed cylinder external space 220 can be separated. Furthermore, when process gas is introduced into the reaction chamber 100 to perform a semiconductor process, the process gas in the reaction chamber 100 does not leak into the sealed cylinder external space 220 due to the air pressure difference between the reaction chamber 100 and the sealed cylinder external space 220, improving the pressure control effect of the reaction chamber 100.
[0031] In the present invention, the sealing ring 410 and the first elastic sealing cylinder 420 can separate the reaction chamber 100 from the sealing cylinder internal space 210 and the sealing cylinder external space 220, thereby improving the sealing effect of the reaction chamber 100, improving the pressure control effect of the reaction chamber 100, and further improving the process effect of the semiconductor process.
[0032] In order to ensure the cleanliness of the wafer surface, the transfer chamber 200 needs to be vacuum suctioned before each wafer transfer. In the present invention, however, there is a strict separation and sealing relationship between the manipulator and other devices in the sealed cylinder external space 220 and the reaction chamber 100, so that the semiconductor process can be performed in the reaction chamber 100 while vacuum suction processing can be performed on the sealed cylinder external space 220. This eliminates the need to perform background vacuum suction again on the transfer chamber 200 during the wafer transfer step of the semiconductor process, shortens the wafer transfer time, improves the film formation efficiency of the semiconductor process, and increases the production capacity of the machine.
[0033] In addition, the semiconductor process chamber structure of the present invention is particularly applicable to a multi-reaction region chamber (i.e., multiple reaction chambers 100 exist in the same semiconductor process chamber, and the multiple reaction chambers 100 communicate with the same transfer chamber 200 below), and as shown in FIG. 5, the sealing ring 410 and the first elastic sealing cylinder 420 can tightly seal the reaction chamber 100, thereby solving the problem of mutual interference of airflow between each reaction region (reaction chamber) in the multi-reaction region chamber, and improving the film formation quality of the multi-reaction region chamber.
[0034] The embodiments of the present invention are not particularly limited with respect to the type of semiconductor process reaction performed in the semiconductor process chamber, and for example, the semiconductor process chamber may be a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) process chamber or an ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) process chamber.
[0035] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, the outer diameter of the first elastic sealing tube 420 is smaller than the outer diameter of the base 300, thereby not increasing the size of the chambers, reducing the occupied area of each process chamber, and improving the utilization rate of the machine space.
[0036] In order to improve the connection strength and ease of installation and removal between the two ends of the first elastic sealing cylinder 420, the sealing ring 410, and the bottom wall of the transfer chamber 200, one preferred embodiment of the present invention is as shown in FIG. 4 , in which the bottom end of the first elastic sealing cylinder 420 has a connection flange 421, and a first annular accommodating groove 251 is formed on the bottom wall of the transfer chamber 200 surrounding the through hole 250, the connection flange 421 is disposed in the first annular accommodating groove 251, and a first seal member 252 is disposed between the connection flange 421 and two opposing surfaces of the first annular accommodating groove 251 to seal the gap between them, thereby preventing the through hole 250 from being broken. 0 The annular seal structure 400 provides a seal against the outside air and separates the interior space of the annular seal structure 400 from the external space and environment located outside the annular seal structure 400 of the transfer chamber 200 .
[0037] In order to improve the airtightness, both the bottom end and the top end of the first elastic sealing tube 420 have the above-mentioned connection flange 421, and the first elastic sealing tube 420 is preferably connected to the bottom end and the top end connection flange 421 by welding, respectively, in the embodiment of the present invention, the bottom end and the top end of the first elastic sealing tube 420 are fastened and connected to other members through the connection flange 421, respectively, thereby improving the connection strength of both ends of the first elastic sealing tube 420 and improving the installation and removal efficiency when maintaining the first elastic sealing tube 420 and its internal members. And, the bottom wall of the transfer chamber 200 is formed with a first annular receiving groove 251 that receives the connection flange 421 at the bottom end of the first elastic sealing tube 420, thereby improving the positioning accuracy of the horizontal position of the first elastic sealing tube 420.
[0038] The embodiment of the present invention is not specifically limited to other structures of the base 300, and for example, the base 300 may include a support pillar for lifting up the wafer. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4 , the base 300 has a plurality of base holes (three or more) spaced apart along the circumferential direction of the base 300, a plurality of support pillars 310 are provided in a one-to-one correspondence within the plurality of base holes, and a stopper structure is formed between each base hole and the corresponding support pillar 310, the stopper structure is used to raise the support pillar 310 together with the base 300 when the base 300 rises to a position that is not higher than the top end of the support pillar 310, i.e., the mounting surface of the base 300; while the base 300 is descending, the support pillar 310 stops descending after its bottom end contacts the bottom wall of the transfer chamber 200, in this way the top end of the support pillar 310 can be higher than the mounting surface of the base 300; and the annular seal structure 400 surrounds the outside of the plurality of support pillars 310, i.e., the plurality of support pillars 310 are located in a space surrounded by the annular seal structure 400.
[0039] In the embodiment of the present invention, the stopper structure may be various structures, for example, the stopper structure is a reverse taper segment (the diameter of which is gradually reduced from the top to the bottom) at the top of the support column 310, and a reverse taper surface that engages with the reverse taper segment at the top of the base hole. When the base 300 is in the lower position, the bottom end of the support column 310 abuts against the bottom surface of the transfer chamber 200, and the upper end surface of the support column 310 is higher than the upper end surface of the base, thereby leaving enough space for transferring the wafer. When the base 300 rises, before the reverse taper segment at the upper end of the support column 310 contacts the reverse taper surface of the base hole, the support column 310 does not rise due to the action of gravity. After the reverse taper segment at the upper end of the support column 310 contacts the reverse taper surface of the base hole, the supporting force of the reverse taper surface offsets the gravity force received by the support column 310, and the support column 310 rises to the process position together with the base 300.
[0040] In order to avoid the problem of gas leakage caused by the gap between the support pillars 310 and the base hole and to achieve a strict seal, as shown in FIG. 4, the first elastic seal tube 420 surrounds the outside of the multiple support pillars 310, i.e., the first elastic seal tube 420 The inner diameter of the base is larger than the reference circle to which the base holes, which are uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction of the base, belong.
[0041] In order to improve the stability of the relative position between the base 300 and the sealing ring 410 when the base 300 presses down, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 8, the sealing ring 410 includes a concave platen 411 and a concave platen flange 412, the concave platen flange 412 is arranged around the concave platen 411 and fixedly connected to the outer edge of the concave platen 411, and is used to contact the bottom wall of the reaction chamber 100, and the concave platen 411 has a receiving groove 414 on the side facing the reaction chamber 100 to receive the base 300 when the base 300 descends to the bottom of the reaction chamber 100. An inner hole 415 of the sealing ring 410 is formed in the center of the receiving groove 414 of the sealing ring 410.
[0042] In an embodiment of the present invention, the surface of the sealing ring 410 has an accommodating groove 414 corresponding to the position and size of the base 300 (projected on a horizontal plane). When the base 300 descends, it first falls into the accommodating groove 414, and then presses down the bottom surface of the accommodating groove 414, so that the sealing ring 410 and the first elastic sealing cylinder 420 are both pressed down. Similarly, before the base 300 rises and enters the reaction chamber 100, the sealing ring 410 contacts the base 300 under the action of the lifting force of the first elastic sealing cylinder 420 and holds the base 300 in the accommodating groove 414, so that the side walls of the accommodating groove 414 maintain the stability of the relative position between the sealing ring 410 and the base 300, and further improve the stability of the wafer transport. In addition, when the sealing ring 410 rises to contact the bottom of the reaction chamber 100, the relative position between the sealing ring 410 and the bottom opening of the reaction chamber 100 can be guaranteed, and the sealing effect of the sealing ring 410 and the first elastic sealing cylinder 420 to the reaction chamber 100 can be further guaranteed.
[0043] In order to avoid the connection flange 421 affecting the structure of the functional layer on top of the base 300, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the depth of the accommodating groove 414 in the sealing ring 410 is smaller than the thickness of the heating plate at the bottom of the base 300.
[0044] In order to further ensure the sealing effect of the reaction chamber 100, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the bottom of the reaction chamber 100 (the top wall of the transfer chamber 200) has a second annular receiving groove 130 surrounding the bottom opening of the reaction chamber 100, and the second annular receiving groove 130 is used to receive the concave flange 412. A second seal 131 is provided between the two opposing surfaces of the concave flange 412 and the second annular receiving groove 130 to seal the gap between them, so that when the top wall of the seal ring 410 can abut against the bottom wall of the reaction chamber 100, the bottom opening of the reaction chamber 100 can be closed.
[0045] In an embodiment of the present invention, the bottom wall of the reaction chamber 100 has the above-mentioned second annular accommodating groove 130. After the sealing ring 410 rises, the concave flange 412 enters the second annular accommodating groove 130 vertically, so that the fitting relationship between the concave flange 412 and the second annular accommodating groove 130 further restricts the horizontal freedom of the sealing ring 410, and the sealing ring 410 can only move relative to the reaction chamber 100 along the up and down direction, which further ensures the sealing effect of the sealing ring 410 and the first elastic sealing cylinder 420 to the reaction chamber 100.
[0046] The distance between the bottom surface of the transfer chamber 200 and the bottom surface of the second annular receiving groove 130 is 420 The free length of the first elastic seal tube is smaller than that of the first elastic seal tube, i.e., to ensure the sealing effect. 420 must always be in compression.
[0047] In order to further improve the sealing effect of the sealing ring 410 and the first elastic sealing tube 420 to the reaction chamber 100, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figures 4, 6 and 8, a protrusion structure 413 extending along the circumferential direction of the concave plate 411 is formed on the top surface of the concave plate flange 412, and a concave groove structure corresponding to the position and shape (projected on a horizontal plane) is formed on the bottom surface of the second annular accommodating groove 130, thereby extending the width of the gap between the concave plate flange 412 and the second annular accommodating groove 130, and further improving the airtightness of the concave plate flange 412 sealing the bottom opening of the reaction chamber 100.
[0048] The embodiment of the present invention is not particularly limited to the outer shape of the concave flange 412, the second annular receiving groove 130, and the pattern shape of the protrusion structure 413, for example, the concave flange 412, the outer shape of the second annular receiving groove 130, and the pattern shape of the protrusion structure 413 may be a triangle (or an approximate triangle), a rectangle (or an approximate rectangle), or a regular polygon (or an approximate regular polygon) with more sides, etc. Preferably, the outer shape of the concave flange 412, the second annular receiving groove 130, and the pattern shape of the protrusion structure 413 are all circular, thereby improving the uniformity of the force bearing between the concave flange 412 and the second annular receiving groove 130, and eliminating the need for angular alignment between the concave flange 412 and the second annular receiving groove 130, simplifying the structure of the device and improving the assembly efficiency of the device.
[0049] The embodiment of the present invention is not specifically limited on how to drive the base 300 up and down. For example, as one optional embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 4, a lifting drive module 510 is provided at the bottom of a semiconductor process chamber, and the lifting drive module 510 drives the base 300 up and down via a lifting shaft 520. Optionally, as shown in Fig. 4, the lifting drive module 510 may include a guide rail-slider device, in which the guide rail extends vertically and is fixed to the bottom of the process chamber, the slider is movably provided on the guide rail and fixedly connected to the bottom end of the lifting shaft 520, and the slider reciprocates vertically on the guide rail to pull the lifting shaft 520 and the base 300 connected to the top end of the lifting shaft 520 to move up and down.
[0050] In order to further improve the process effect of the semiconductor process in the reaction chamber 100 and maintain the cleanliness of the structure below the base 300, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the semiconductor process chamber further includes a purge means (not shown), which is used to introduce purge gas a into the first elastic sealing cylinder 420 through the through hole 250 at the bottom of the transfer chamber 200, as shown in FIG. 4.
[0051] In the embodiment of the present invention, the purge means can introduce the purge gas a into the first elastic seal cylinder 420 through the through hole 250 at the bottom of the transfer chamber 200 in the semiconductor process, thereby ensuring that the pressure of the gas in the lower space of the base 300 is greater than the pressure of the process gas in the reaction region, and further avoiding the process gas from entering the lower space of the base 300 to form thin film and particles (there is no dead space in the space between the first elastic seal cylinder 420, the seal ring 410 and the base 300, and the airflow flows smoothly from bottom to top), and ensuring the cleanliness of the surface of the structure below the base 300. And the process gas does not enter the lower space of the base 300 filled with the purge gas a, thereby reducing the area that needs to be filled by the process gas, i.e., reducing the volume of the reaction region, improving the concentration of the process gas after the same amount of process gas enters the reaction region, and further improving the film formation rate of the semiconductor process.
[0052] In order to further improve the airtightness of the space below the base 300, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, the semiconductor process chamber further includes a second elastic sealing cylinder 530, the top end of the second elastic sealing cylinder 530 is sealingly connected to the through hole 250 at the bottom of the transfer chamber 200, and the bottom end of the second elastic sealing cylinder 530 is sealingly connected to the bottom end of the lifting shaft 520, and the purge means is connected to the bottom end of the second elastic sealing cylinder 530, and introduces purge gas a into the through hole 250 at the bottom of the transfer chamber 200 through the second elastic sealing cylinder 530.
[0053] In another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figures 4 and 6, an exhaust passage 110 is provided outside the reaction chamber 100, an exhaust hole is formed in the side wall of the reaction chamber 100, the reaction chamber 100 is connected to the exhaust passage 110 through the exhaust hole, and the height of the exhaust hole is higher than the process position of the base 300.
[0054] In an embodiment of the present invention, an exhaust passage 110 is provided outside the reaction chamber 100, the exhaust passage 110 communicates with the reaction chamber 100 via an exhaust hole, and is connected to an external vacuum pump via a first vacuum port 120, thereby extracting exhaust gases generated by the reaction from the reaction chamber 100 and purge gas a entering the reaction region (the gas flow direction is shown by the arrow direction in FIG. 4).
[0055] In order to improve the uniformity of exhaust from the reaction chamber 100 to the exhaust passage 110 through the exhaust holes and further improve the uniformity of the semiconductor process, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the exhaust passage 110 is arranged horizontally surrounding the reaction chamber 100, a plurality of exhaust holes are formed in the side wall of the reaction chamber 100, and the plurality of exhaust holes are uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction.
[0056] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figures 4 and 6, a second vacuum port 230 is further formed on the bottom wall of the transfer chamber 200, and the transfer chamber 200 is connected to an external vacuum pump via the second vacuum port 230, so that vacuum suction can be performed on the seal cylinder external space 220 when performing semiconductor processing in the reaction chamber 100.
[0057] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figures 5 and 7, the semiconductor process chamber includes multiple reaction chambers 100, each of which is connected to a transfer chamber 200 through a bottom opening, and the transfer chamber 200 is provided with a transfer manipulator 600 for transferring a wafer between bases 300 corresponding to different reaction chambers 100.
[0058] In an embodiment of the present invention, each reaction chamber 100 can achieve strict sealing by the sealing ring 410 and the first elastic sealing cylinder 420, thereby solving the problem of airflow interference between different reaction chambers 100 and improving the film formation quality in each reaction chamber 100 (from the inventor's experimental verification, by performing vacuum suction on the transfer chamber 200 to detect the pressure in the transfer chamber 200, the pressure rise rate of the gas pressure in the transfer chamber 200 is very small (less than 5 mtorr / min), that is, effectively improving the sealing effect between the transfer chamber 200 and the reaction chamber 100).
[0059] In an embodiment of the present invention, the transfer manipulator 600 can transfer wafers between the bases 300 of different process chambers, so that the external manipulator can place a wafer on or remove a wafer from a portion of the bases 300 in the transfer chamber 200 (perform wafer insertion and removal operations) only from the transfer port 240 of the transfer chamber 200, simplifying the positioning and transfer operations when the external manipulator selects a base 300 at a different position after extending into the transfer chamber 200, and improving the stability of the wafer position.
[0060] Specifically, a manipulator through-hole is formed in the bottom wall of the transfer chamber 200 (multiple reaction chambers 100 share one transfer chamber 200), and the transfer manipulator 600 includes a drive module and an upper end flange 62, and the top end of the output shaft of the drive module passes through the manipulator through-hole and is fixedly connected to the upper end flange 62. A plurality of bases 300 corresponding to the multiple reaction chambers 100 are provided surrounding the transfer manipulator 600, and transfer fingers 61 (including a first transfer finger 611, a second transfer finger 612, a third transfer finger 613, and a fourth transfer finger 614) are fixedly provided on the upper end flange 62, and the drive module drives the upper end flange 62 and the transfer fingers 61 fixed thereon to perform lifting and lowering operations and rotation operations (around the axis of the output shaft), and in this way the transfer fingers 61 are used to remove wafers on some of the bases 300 and place the wafers on other bases 300. As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7, the semiconductor process chamber includes four bases 300 (including a first base 71, a second base 72, a third base 73, and a fourth base 74) corresponding to the four reaction chambers 100, and the bases 300 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction around the transport manipulator 600.
[0061] In one optional embodiment of the present invention, the external manipulator performs wafer insertion and removal operations for only two bases 300 (e.g., the first base 71 and the fourth base 74), and the transfer manipulator 600 transfers the wafer to the other two bases 300 (e.g., the second base 71 and the fourth base 74). 2 and transported onto the third base 73).
[0062] To facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art, specific examples of performing semiconductor processing using a semiconductor processing chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention are provided below.
[0063] Before the semiconductor process begins, all four bases 300 are in the lowered position.
[0064] The wafer 700 is transferred from the outside of the process chamber through the transfer port 240 to the first base 71 and4 The first base 71 and the second base 72 are respectively transported above the base 74. 4 The drive module of the transfer manipulator 600 is a first drive module. Delivery Finger 611 and 2 Delivery The upper flange 62 is raised to a predetermined height and rotated clockwise until the fingers 612 rotate below the wafer 700 placed on the fourth base 74 and the first base 71, respectively.
[0065] The drive module of the transfer manipulator 600 again drives the upper end flange 62 upward, Delivery Finger 611 and 2 Delivery The fingers 612 are respectively connected to the first base 71 and 4 The wafer 700 on the base 74 is raised.
[0066] Next, the first Delivery Finger 611 and 2 Delivery The upper end flange 62 is rotated clockwise by 180 degrees until the finger 612 is positioned above the second base 72 and the third base 73. The upper end flange 62 is driven downward to rotate the first Delivery Finger 611 and 2 Delivery The fingers 612 place the wafer 700 on the upper end surfaces of the support posts 310 of the second base 72 and the third base 73, respectively.
[0067] The transfer manipulator 600 rotates at a fixed angle counterclockwise and is housed in the space between the bases 300 .
[0068] Again, the two wafers 700 are placed on the first base 71 and 4 The first base 71, the second base 72, the third base 73, and the fourth base 74 are lifted by the drive of the lift drive module 510. 420The sealing ring 410 is expanded by its own elastic force to raise the sealing ring 410 until the concave flange 412 of the sealing ring 410 enters the second annular receiving groove 130 of the reaction chamber 100 .
[0069] The base 300 is then raised to a further process position, away from the seal ring 410, and the base 300 continues to rise to the desired process position. means injects purge gas a through the through hole 250 at the bottom of the transfer chamber 200, while the transfer chamber 200 is evacuated through the second vacuum port 230, and the vacuum pump extracts the reaction region gas through the first vacuum port 120, ensuring that the pressure below the base 300 is greater than the pressure above the base 300, and the process gas does not enter the transfer chamber during the process, thereby eliminating the particle source.
[0070] After the process is completed, the lift drive module 510 drives the base 300 down to a low position, and the wafer 700 is pushed up by the support columns 310 and lifted off the top surface of the base 300, preparing the wafer for removal.
[0071] First, the wafer 700 on the first base 71 and the fourth base 74 is removed, and is carried out from the process chamber through the transfer port 240.
[0072] The drive module then Delivery The upper flange 62 is rotated clockwise until the finger 61 rotates under the wafer 700 located above the second base 72 and the third base 73, and the drive module drives the upper flange 62 to rotate the two DeliveryThe fingers 61 are pulled and raised to lift up the wafers 700 above the second base 72 and the third base 73. Then, the upper end flange 62 is rotated 180° clockwise and then lowered to place the two wafers 700 on the first base 71 and the fourth base 74, respectively. The wafers 700 are then removed from the first base 71 and the fourth base 74 and carried out of the process chamber via the transfer port 240.
[0073] The above steps are performed cyclically, whereby wafers are grouped (in the case where the semiconductor process chamber includes four reaction chambers 100, four wafers are grouped into one group) and processed, thereby achieving efficient production.
[0074] As a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor processing apparatus including the above-mentioned semiconductor processing chamber. By adopting the above-mentioned semiconductor processing chamber, the semiconductor processing apparatus according to this embodiment can obtain various advantages of the above-mentioned semiconductor processing chamber, which will not be described again here.
[0075] As a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor processing method, which is applied in a semiconductor processing chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in FIG. 9, the method includes steps S1 to S5. In step S 1 , a pre-process wafer 700 is placed on the base 300 located in the transfer chamber 200 . Step S2: The base 300 is controlled to be raised into the reaction chamber 100. During this process, the annular seal structure 400 reaction The bottom opening of the chamber 100 is closed. Step S3: A semiconductor process is performed. In step S 4 , the base 300 is controlled to descend into the transfer chamber 200 . In step S5, the processed wafer 700 on the base 300 is removed.
[0076] In the present invention, the annular seal structure 400 (including, for example, the seal ring 410 and the first elastic seal cylinder 420) can separate the reaction chamber 100 from the seal cylinder inner space 210 and the seal cylinder outer space 220, thereby improving the sealing effect of the reaction chamber 100, improving the pressure control effect of the reaction chamber 100, and further improving the process effect of the semiconductor process. In addition, in order to ensure the cleanliness of the surface of the wafer 700, the transfer chamber 200 needs to perform vacuum suction every time before transferring the wafer, and in the present invention, there is a strict separation and sealing relationship between the device such as the manipulator in the seal cylinder outer space 220 and the reaction chamber 100, so that the semiconductor process can be performed in the reaction chamber 100 and the seal cylinder outer space 220 can be subjected to vacuum suction processing, and there is no need to suction the transfer chamber 200 to background vacuum again in the wafer transfer step of the semiconductor process, shortening the wafer transfer time, further improving the film formation efficiency of the semiconductor process, and improving the production capacity of the machine. In addition, the semiconductor process chamber structure of the present invention is particularly applicable to a multi-reaction region chamber (i.e., multiple reaction chambers 100 exist in the same semiconductor process chamber, and the multiple reaction chambers 100 communicate with the same transfer chamber 200 below), and as shown in FIG. 5, an annular seal structure 400 (e.g., including a seal ring 410 and a first elastic seal cylinder 420) can tightly seal the reaction chamber 100, thereby solving the problem of mutual interference of airflow between each reaction region (reaction chamber 100) in the multi-reaction region chamber, and improving the film formation quality of the multi-reaction region chamber.
[0077] In order to further improve the process effect of the semiconductor process in the reaction chamber 100 and maintain the cleanliness of the structure below the base 300, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the semiconductor process chamber further includes a purge means (not shown), which is used to introduce purge gas a into the first elastic sealing cylinder 420 through the through hole 250 at the bottom of the transfer chamber 200, as shown in FIG. 4.
[0078] Step S3 further includes controlling the purge means to introduce the purge gas a into the first elastic seal cylinder 420 when performing a semiconductor process.
[0079] In the embodiment of the present invention, the purge means can introduce the purge gas a into the first elastic seal cylinder 420 through the through hole 250 at the bottom of the transfer chamber 200 in the semiconductor process, thereby ensuring that the pressure of the gas in the lower space of the base 300 is greater than the pressure of the process gas in the reaction region, and further avoiding the process gas from entering the lower space of the base 300 to form thin film and particles (there is no dead space in the space between the first elastic seal cylinder 420, the seal ring 410 and the base 300, and the airflow flows smoothly from bottom to top), and ensuring the cleanliness of the surface of the structure below the base 300. And the process gas does not enter the lower space of the base 300 filled with the purge gas a, thereby reducing the area that needs to be filled by the process gas, i.e., reducing the volume of the reaction region, improving the concentration of the process gas after the same amount of process gas enters the reaction region, and further improving the film formation rate of the semiconductor process.
[0080] In order to simplify the positioning and transport operations after the external manipulator is extended into the transport chamber 200 and improve the positional stability of the wafer 700, as one preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figures 5 and 7, the semiconductor process chamber includes multiple reaction chambers 100, and the transport chamber 200 is provided with a transport manipulator 600 for transferring the wafer 700 between the bases 300 corresponding to the different reaction chambers 100.
[0081] As shown in FIG. 10, step S1 of placing an unprocessed wafer 700 on a base 300 includes steps S11 to S13. In step S11, a pre-process wafer 700 is placed on a part of the base 300. In step S12, the transfer manipulator 600 is controlled to move the unprocessed wafers 700 on some of the bases 300 onto other bases 300. In step S13, the unprocessed wafer 700 is placed on a portion of the base 300 again.
[0082] Correspondingly, as shown in FIG. 11, step S5 of removing the processed wafer 700 from the base 300 includes steps S51 to S53. In step S51, a part of the processed wafer 700 on the base 300 is removed. In step S52, the transfer manipulator 600 is controlled to transfer the processed wafer 700 on the other base 300 onto one of the bases 300. In step S53, the processed wafer 700 on the part of the base 300 is removed again.
[0083] Specifically, a manipulator through-hole is formed in the bottom wall of the transfer chamber 200, and the transfer manipulator 600 includes a driving module and an upper end flange 62, and the top end of the output shaft of the driving module passes through the manipulator through-hole and is fixedly connected to the upper end flange 62. A plurality of bases 300 corresponding to a plurality of reaction chambers 100 are provided surrounding the transfer manipulator 600, and transfer fingers 61 (including a first transfer finger 611, a second transfer finger 612, a third transfer finger 613, and a fourth transfer finger 614) are fixedly provided on the upper end flange 62, and the driving module drives the upper end flange 62 and the transfer fingers 61 fixed thereon to perform lifting and lowering operations and rotation operations (around the axis of the output shaft), and thus the transfer fingers 61 are used to remove the wafers 700 on some of the bases 300 and place the wafers 700 on other bases 300.
[0084] Correspondingly, step S12 of controlling the transfer manipulator 600 to transfer the unprocessed wafers 700 on some of the bases 300 onto other bases 300 includes steps S121 to S124. In step S 121 , the drive module is controlled to raise or lower the upper flange 62 , thereby raising or lowering the height of the transfer finger 61 to between the unprocessed wafer 700 and the placement surface of the base 300 . In step S122, the drive module is controlled to rotate the upper flange 62, and rotate at least some of the transport fingers 61 below the unprocessed wafer 700 on some of the bases 300 (for example, when the semiconductor process chamber shown in FIG. 7 includes four reaction chambers 100, the some of the bases 300 may be the first base 71 and the fourth base 74), and the drive module is controlled to drive the upper flange 62 upward so that the transport fingers 61 remove the unprocessed wafer 700 on the some of the bases 300 (the first base 71 and the fourth base 74). In step S123, the drive module is controlled to rotate the upper flange 62, so that the unprocessed wafer 700 placed on the transport finger 61 is rotated until it is positioned above the other base 300 (the second base 74 and the third base 73), and the drive module is controlled to drive the upper flange 62 downward so that the transport finger 61 places the unprocessed wafer 700 on the other base 300. In step S 124 , the drive module is controlled to rotate the upper end flange 62 so that the conveying finger 61 moves away from the base 300 .
[0085] Correspondingly, step S52 of controlling the transfer manipulator 600 to transfer the processed wafers 700 on the other bases 300 onto some of the bases 300 includes steps S521 to S524. In step S521, the driving module is controlled to drive the upper end flange 62 upward or downward, and the height of the conveying finger 61 is adjusted to the process height. rear The wafer 700 is raised or lowered between the wafer 700 and the mounting surface of the base 300 . In step S522, the driving module is controlled to rotate the upper end flange 62, and at least a part of the conveying fingers 61 is conveyed to the process on the other base 300 (the second base 74 and the third base 73). rear The drive module is controlled to rotate the upper flange 62 upward, and the conveying finger 61 is rotated downward to the wafer 700 on the other base 300. rear The wafer 700 is then removed. Step S523: Control the driving module to rotate the upper end flange 62 and the process placed on the conveying finger 61. rear The wafer 700 is rotated until it is positioned above a portion of the bases 300 (the first base 71 and the fourth base 74), and the drive module is controlled to drive the upper end flange 62 downward, so that the transfer finger 61 moves to the process rear The wafer 700 is placed on a portion of the base 300 . In step S524, the drive module is controlled to rotate the upper end flange 62 so that the conveying finger 61 moves away from the base 300.
[0086] It should be noted that the above embodiment is merely an exemplary embodiment adopted to explain the principles of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the patentable scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A semiconductor process chamber comprising a reaction chamber and a transfer chamber located below the reaction chamber, the reaction chamber communicating with the transfer chamber through a bottom opening, a base provided thereon, and a lift shaft connected to a bottom of the base, whereby the reaction chamber can be lifted and lowered between the reaction chamber and the transfer chamber through the bottom opening, The semiconductor process chamber is further provided with an elastic annular sealing structure, the annular sealing structure being provided below the base and surrounding the lifting axis of the base, and when the base is descending into the transport chamber, the base can press down and compress the annular sealing structure, and when the base is ascending into the reaction chamber and the pressure applied to the annular sealing structure is released, the annular sealing structure expands under the action of its own elastic force until it abuts against a bottom wall of the reaction chamber, thereby closing the bottom opening.
2. the annular seal structure includes a seal ring and a first elastic seal tube, a top end of the first elastic seal tube is sealingly connected to a bottom wall of the seal ring, and a bottom end of the first elastic seal tube is sealingly connected to a bottom wall of the transfer chamber, and when the first elastic seal tube is extended, the top wall of the seal ring can abut against the bottom wall of the reaction chamber, thereby closing the bottom opening; 2. The semiconductor process chamber of claim 1, wherein the bottom end of the lifting shaft passes through a through hole provided in the bottom of the transfer chamber and extends outside the transfer chamber, and the bottom end of the first elastic sealing cylinder surrounds the periphery of the through hole and is used to seal the through hole.
3. 3. The semiconductor process chamber of claim 2, wherein said first elastic seal cylinder is a bellows tube.
4. 3. The semiconductor process chamber according to claim 2, further comprising: a connecting flange at a bottom end of the first elastic sealing cylinder; a first annular accommodating groove formed on the bottom wall of the transport chamber surrounding the through hole; the connecting flange being disposed within the first annular accommodating groove; and a first seal member being disposed between the connecting flange and two opposing surfaces of the first annular accommodating groove.
5. 3. The semiconductor process chamber of claim 2, wherein the sealing ring comprises a concave plate and a concave plate flange, the concave plate flange is arranged around the concave plate and fixedly connected to the outer edge of the concave plate, the concave plate flange is used to contact the bottom wall of the reaction chamber, and the side of the concave plate facing the reaction chamber has an accommodating groove for accommodating the base when the base descends.
6. 6. The semiconductor process chamber according to claim 5, wherein the bottom wall of the reaction chamber has a second annular accommodating groove surrounding the bottom opening, the second annular accommodating groove is used to accommodate the concave flange, and a second seal member is provided between the concave flange and two opposing surfaces of the second annular accommodating groove.
7. the base has a plurality of base holes spaced apart along a circumferential direction of the base, a plurality of support pillars are provided in a one-to-one correspondence within the plurality of base holes, and a stopper structure is formed between each of the base holes and the corresponding support pillar, the stopper structure being used to lift the support pillar together with the base when the base is lifted to a position not higher than the top end of the support pillar and the mounting surface of the base; the base is descending and the support columns stop descending after their bottom ends contact a bottom wall of the transfer chamber, thus allowing the top ends of the support columns to be higher than the support surface of the base; 2. The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 1, wherein said annular seal structure surrounds an exterior of said plurality of support posts.
8. 2. The semiconductor process chamber of claim 1, wherein the reaction chambers are multiple, each of the reaction chambers having the bottom opening, the bases and the reaction chambers are the same in number and are arranged in one-to-one correspondence, and the transfer chamber is provided with a transfer manipulator for transferring a wafer between the bases corresponding to the different reaction chambers.
9. The reaction chambers are provided around the transport manipulator, 9. The semiconductor process chamber of claim 8, wherein the transport manipulator includes a drive module, an upper flange, and a transport finger fixed on the upper flange, the drive module being used to drive the upper flange and the transport finger fixed thereto to perform lifting and rotating movements, and thus the transport finger removes a wafer on one of the bases and places the wafer on the other of the bases.
10. 3. The semiconductor process chamber as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a purge means, the purge means being used for introducing a purge gas into the first elastic seal cylinder through a through hole at the bottom of the transfer chamber.
11. A semiconductor processing device comprising the semiconductor processing chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 10.
12. A semiconductor processing method, which is applied to the semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 11, placing a pre-processed wafer on the base located within the transfer chamber; controlling the base to be raised into the reaction chamber, during which the annular sealing structure closes the bottom opening; performing a semiconductor process; controlling the base to be lowered into the transfer chamber; and removing the processed wafer from the base.
13. The reaction chambers are multiple, each of the reaction chambers has the bottom opening, the bases and the reaction chambers are the same in number and are provided in one-to-one correspondence, and the transfer chamber is provided with a transfer manipulator for transferring a wafer between the bases corresponding to different reaction chambers; The step of placing a pre-processed wafer on the base includes: placing a pre-processed wafer on a portion of the base; controlling the transfer manipulator to transfer the unprocessed wafers on some of the bases onto other of the bases; and placing the unprocessed wafer on a portion of the base again; The step of removing the processed wafer from the base includes: removing a portion of the processed wafer from the base; controlling the transport manipulator to transfer the processed wafer on the other base onto a part of the base; 13. The semiconductor processing method of claim 12, further comprising the step of: removing the processed wafer from the base again.
14. The reaction chambers are arranged around the transport manipulator, and the transport manipulator includes a driving module, an upper flange, and a transport finger fixed on the upper flange, and the driving module is used to drive the upper flange and the transport finger fixed thereto to perform lifting and rotating movements, so that the transport finger removes the wafers on some of the bases and places the wafers on the other bases; The step of controlling the transport manipulator to transfer unprocessed wafers on some of the bases onto other bases includes: controlling the drive module to drive the upper end flange upward or downward to raise or lower the height of the conveying finger between the unprocessed wafer and a mounting surface of the base; controlling the drive module to rotate the upper flange and rotate at least a portion of the conveying fingers below the unprocessed wafer on the portion of the base; and controlling the drive module to lift the upper flange and drive the conveying fingers to remove the unprocessed wafer on the portion of the base; controlling the drive module to rotate the upper flange, so as to rotate the unprocessed wafer placed on the conveying finger until it is positioned above the other base, and controlling the drive module to lower the upper flange, so that the conveying finger places the unprocessed wafer on the other base; and controlling the drive module to rotate the upper flange so that the carrier finger moves away from the base. The step of controlling the transport manipulator to transfer the processed wafer on the other base onto the part of the base includes: controlling the drive module to drive the upper end flange upward or downward to raise or lower the height of the conveying finger between the processed wafer and a mounting surface of the base; controlling the drive module to rotate the upper flange, rotate at least a part of the conveying fingers below the processed wafer on the other base, and control the drive module to lift the upper flange, so that the conveying fingers remove the processed wafer on the other base; controlling the drive module to rotate the upper flange, so as to rotate the processed wafer placed on the conveying finger until it is positioned above a portion of the base, and controlling the drive module to lower the upper flange, so that the conveying finger places the processed wafer on the portion of the base; 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of: controlling the drive module to rotate the top flange so that the carrier finger moves away from the base.
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