Carrying mechanism, transmission component, and semiconductor process device

Abstract

The present application provides a carrying mechanism, a transmission component, and a semiconductor process device. The carrying mechanism comprises carrying components and a separation and combination assembly; the carrying components are used for carrying wafers, and the carrying components can be carried by the separation and combination assembly or can be separated from the separation and combination assembly; the separation and combination assembly is configured to be able to separately carry a wafer, to separately carry a carrying component, and to carry both a wafer and a carrying component; and when carrying both the wafer and the carrying component, the separation and combination assembly separates the carrying component from the wafer, so that the separated wafer can be independently separated from the separation and combination assembly. According to the carrying mechanism, the transmission component, and the semiconductor process device provided by the present application, the yield of wafers can be improved, the production efficiency and the production capacity can be improved, and the floor area occupied by the semiconductor process device can be reduced.

Description

Carrying mechanisms, transmission components and semiconductor process equipment Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular, to a carrying mechanism, a transmission component, and semiconductor process equipment. Background Art

[0002] Metal-organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) is a vapor-phase epitaxial growth process. In existing MOCVD equipment, multiple wafers are typically transported between chambers, such as the loading chamber, buffer chamber, transfer chamber, reaction chamber, and cooling chamber, using trays.

[0003] However, the use of trays requires manual labor to first remove the wafers from the wafer cassette outside the semiconductor process equipment, and place the wafers on the tray with a suction cup or a suction pen, and then place the tray carrying multiple wafers in the tray cassette, and then place the tray cassette into the loading chamber. This process causes serious contamination of the wafers, a low wafer yield, and requires a lot of manpower, resulting in low production efficiency and capacity. On the other hand, the loading chamber and the cooling chamber need to have a large volume to accommodate the tray carrying multiple wafers, resulting in a large footprint of the semiconductor process equipment. On the other hand, because the wafers need to be cooled together with the tray in the cooling chamber, the cooling time is long, resulting in low production efficiency.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and proposes a carrying mechanism, a transmission component and a semiconductor process equipment, which can improve the yield rate of wafers, improve production efficiency and production capacity, and reduce the footprint of semiconductor process equipment.

[0006] To achieve the purpose of the present application, a carrying mechanism is provided, comprising a carrying component and a clutch assembly, wherein the carrying component is used to carry a wafer, and the carrying component can be carried by the clutch assembly or leave the clutch assembly;

[0007] The clutch assembly is configured to be capable of carrying a wafer alone, carrying the carrying component alone, and carrying the wafer and the carrying component at the same time, and when carrying the wafer and the carrying component at the same time, the carrying component is separated from the wafer so that the separated wafer can leave the clutch assembly alone.

[0008] In some embodiments, the supporting component is ring-shaped, and an outer diameter of the supporting component is larger than an outer diameter of the wafer, and an inner diameter of the supporting component is smaller than an outer diameter of the wafer.

[0009] In some embodiments, a first bearing recess is provided on the inner edge of the bearing component. The first bearing recess is arranged in a ring shape along the circumference of the bearing component and is recessed relative to the top surface and the inner wall of the bearing component respectively. The first bearing recess is used to support the wafer.

[0010] In some embodiments, the clutch assembly includes a bearing member and a plurality of first support members, the outer diameter of the bearing member is smaller than the outer diameter of the bearing component and larger than the inner diameter of the bearing component, and the bearing member is used to support the bearing component;

[0011] Multiple first support members are arranged at intervals along the first circumferential direction, and the bottom ends of multiple first support members are arranged on the carrier, and the top ends of multiple first support members protrude relative to the top surface of the carrier, so as to jointly support the wafer; the diameter of the first circumferential direction is smaller than the inner diameter of the carrier.

[0012] In some embodiments, a second bearing recess is provided on the edge of the bearing member. The second bearing recess is arranged in a ring shape along the circumference of the bearing member and is recessed relative to the top surface and the outer peripheral wall of the bearing member respectively. The second bearing recess is used to support the bearing member.

[0013] In some embodiments, the inner peripheral wall of the bearing component is an inclined surface, and gradually approaches the center of the bearing component from the bottom surface of the bearing component along the direction close to the top surface of the bearing component. The side wall of the second bearing recess is provided with a positioning protrusion, and the top surface of the positioning protrusion is an inclined surface, and gradually decreases from the side close to the side wall of the second bearing recess along the direction away from the side wall of the second bearing recess. The top surface of the positioning protrusion is used to cooperate with the inner peripheral wall of the bearing component to position the relative position of the bearing component and the bearing member.

[0014] In some embodiments, there are multiple positioning protrusions, and the multiple positioning protrusions are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the second bearing recess.

[0015] In some embodiments, the bottom wall of the second bearing recess is provided with a plurality of bearing protrusions, and the plurality of bearing protrusions are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the second bearing recess, and the plurality of bearing protrusions are used to jointly support the bearing component.

[0016] In some embodiments, a plurality of the first supporting members can be raised and lowered synchronously relative to the carrier.

[0017] The present application also provides a transmission component for transmitting wafers and the carrying component of the above-mentioned carrying mechanism provided in the present application.

[0018] In some embodiments, the transmission component is rotatably arranged in the transmission chamber, and the transmission component includes a first transmission part and a second transmission part. The first transmission part is used to carry the wafer and can transfer the wafer to the clutch assembly, or transfer the wafer away from the clutch assembly. The second transmission part is used to carry the carrying component and can transfer the carrying component to the clutch assembly, or transfer the carrying component away from the clutch assembly.

[0019] In some embodiments, the transmission component also includes a first telescopic part and a second telescopic part, the first telescopic part is connected to the first transmission part, and is used to drive the first transmission part to move telescopically, the second telescopic part is connected to the second transmission part, and is used to drive the second transmission part to move telescopically, and both the first transmission part and the second transmission part can be raised and lowered.

[0020] The present application also provides a semiconductor process equipment, including a loading chamber, a clutch chamber, a transfer chamber, a reaction chamber, the above-mentioned carrying mechanism provided in the present application and the above-mentioned transfer component provided in the present application, the loading chamber is used to place a wafer carrier, the wafer carrier is used to load the wafer, the clutch assembly is arranged in the clutch chamber, the transfer component is arranged in the transfer chamber, the transfer component is used to transfer the wafer between the loading chamber, the transfer chamber and the clutch chamber, and to transfer the carrying component between the reaction chamber and the clutch chamber.

[0021] In some embodiments, the cavity of the clutch chamber is provided with a first light-transmitting opening, a first light-transmitting component is provided in the first light-transmitting opening, and a first pressure ring is provided at a position of the cavity corresponding to the first light-transmitting component. The first pressure ring is used to press the first light-transmitting component onto the cavity and seal the gap between the first light-transmitting component and the cavity.

[0022] In some embodiments, the clutch chamber is provided with second light-transmitting openings on opposite sides of the cavity in the circumferential direction, the two second light-transmitting openings are arranged opposite to each other, a second light-transmitting component is provided in each second light-transmitting opening, and a second pressure ring is provided at a position of the cavity corresponding to each second light-transmitting component, the second pressure ring is used to press the corresponding second light-transmitting component against the cavity and seal the gap between the corresponding second light-transmitting component and the cavity;

[0023] A positioning component is correspondingly provided outside each of the second light-transmitting components. The two positioning components are arranged opposite to each other and are used to detect the relative position between the wafer carried by the carrying component in the clutch chamber and the carrying component.

[0024] In some embodiments, a position alignment component is further provided in the transfer chamber, and the position alignment component is used to align the position of the wafer to a preset position, and the transfer component can transfer the wafer to the position alignment component.

[0025] In some embodiments, a cooling assembly is further provided in the transfer chamber, and the cooling assembly is used to cool the wafer, and the transfer component can transfer the wafer to the cooling assembly.

[0026] In some embodiments, the transfer chamber is provided with a first transfer channel, the first transfer channel is communicated with the transfer chamber and optionally communicated with the loading chamber, and the cooling assembly is provided in the first transfer channel.

[0027] In some embodiments, a receiving groove is provided at the bottom of the first transmission channel, and the top surface of the cooling assembly is flush with the bottom surface of the first transmission channel.

[0028] In some embodiments, the semiconductor process equipment further includes a carrier lifting component, which is disposed in the loading chamber and connected to the wafer carrier for driving the wafer carrier to move up and down in the loading chamber.

[0029] In some embodiments, a process base is provided in the reaction chamber, and the process base is rotatably provided in the reaction chamber. A plurality of carrying slots are provided on the process base, and the plurality of carrying slots are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the process base, and each of the carrying slots is used to carry the wafer.

[0030] This application has the following beneficial effects:

[0031] The carrying mechanism provided in the present application and the clutch assembly are configured to be able to carry wafers alone, carry carrying components alone, and carry wafers and carrying components at the same time. When carrying wafers and carrying components at the same time, the carrying components are separated from the wafers so that the separated wafers can leave the clutch assembly alone, thereby enabling the wafers and carrying components to be transported separately or the wafers to be transported together on the carrying components. Compared with the prior art, there is no need to transport trays carrying multiple wafers throughout the entire semiconductor process, but individual wafers can be transported. On the one hand, this can reduce manual intervention, improve production efficiency and capacity, reduce wafer contamination, and improve wafer yield. On the other hand, individual wafers can be cooled, so that the cooling time can be shortened, improving production efficiency and capacity. On the other hand, some chambers and devices of semiconductor process equipment only need to have an area that can accommodate or carry individual wafers, thereby reducing the area occupied by semiconductor process equipment.

[0032] The transmission component provided in the present application is used to transmit wafers and the carrying components of the carrying mechanism provided in the present application (which may carry wafers or not), so that the yield of the wafers can be improved, the production efficiency and production capacity can be improved, and the footprint of the semiconductor process equipment can be reduced.

[0033] The semiconductor process equipment provided in this application, with the help of the supporting mechanism provided in this application and the transmission component provided in this application, can improve the yield rate of wafers, improve production efficiency and production capacity, and reduce the footprint of the semiconductor process equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a semiconductor process equipment provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a clutch assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of a clutch assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application when a wafer is separated from a supporting component;

[0037] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of a clutch chamber provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of a transmission component according to an embodiment of the present application when transmitting a wafer in a clutch chamber;

[0039] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of a wafer and a supporting component separated in a clutch chamber according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a structure in which a wafer is completely supported in a first supporting recess in a clutch chamber according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a structure in which a wafer is not completely supported in a first supporting recess in a clutch chamber according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a transmission component provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the front view of the transfer chamber and the loading chamber provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG11 is a schematic top view of the transfer chamber and the loading chamber according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of a cooling assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Description of reference numerals:

[0047] 100-semiconductor process equipment; 101-transfer chamber; 102-loading chamber; 103-clutch chamber; 104-reaction chamber; 1-carrying component; 11-first carrying recess; 2-transfer component; 21-first transfer part; 22-second transfer part; 23-first telescopic part; 24-second telescopic part; 31-first light-transmitting component; 32-first pressure ring; 33-second light-transmitting component; 34-second pressure ring; 35-positioning component; 36-chamber body; 37-top cover; 38-first transfer channel; 4-clutch assembly; 41-carrying component; 42-first support member; 43-second carrying recess; 44-positioning protrusion; 45-carrying protrusion; 5-position alignment assembly; 6-cooling assembly; 61-cooling member; 62 - second support member; 63 - supporting protrusion; 64 - cooling and lifting component; 7 - wafer carrier; 72 - carrier lifting component; 8 - switching component; 9 - process base; 200 - wafer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present application, the supporting mechanism, transmission components and semiconductor process equipment provided by the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] As shown in Figures 1 to 8, an embodiment of the present application provides a carrying mechanism, including a carrying component 1 and a clutch assembly 4. The carrying component 1 is used to carry a wafer 200, and the carrying component 1 can be carried by the clutch assembly 4, or leave the clutch assembly 4, that is, the carrying component 1 can be detachably placed on the clutch assembly 4. In some embodiments, the carrying component 1 can be transferred to the clutch assembly 4 or transferred away from the clutch assembly 4. On this basis, the clutch assembly 4 is configured to be able to carry the wafer 200 alone, carry the carrying component 1 alone, and carry the wafer 200 and the carrying component 1 at the same time. When carrying the wafer 200 and the carrying component 1 at the same time, the carrying component 1 is separated from the wafer 200 so that the separated wafer 200 can leave the clutch assembly 4 alone. That is, after the carrying component 1 carrying the wafer 200 is transferred to the clutch assembly 4, the clutch assembly 4 will separate the wafer 200 from the carrying component 1 and carry the two separately. The separated wafer 200 can be transferred away from the clutch assembly 4 alone. Of course, it is also possible to first transfer the carrier 1 to the clutch assembly 4 alone, and then transfer the wafer 200 to the clutch assembly 4 alone. In this case, the carrier 1 and wafer 200 on the clutch assembly 4 are also in a separated state. In addition, if the clutch assembly 4 does not carry the wafer 200, the carrier 1 can be transferred away from the clutch assembly 4 alone. If the clutch assembly 4 carries both the wafer 200 and the carrier 1, the carrier 1 and wafer 200 can be transferred away from the clutch assembly 4 together. That is, the carrier 1 will support the wafer 200 during the removal process and be transferred away from the clutch assembly 4 together with the wafer 200.

[0050] The carrying mechanism provided in the embodiment of the present application is configured such that the clutch assembly 4 is capable of carrying the wafer 200 alone, the carrying component 1 alone, and the wafer 200 and the carrying component 1 at the same time. When the wafer 200 and the carrying component 1 are carried at the same time, the carrying component 1 is separated from the wafer 200 so that the separated wafer 200 can leave the clutch assembly 4 alone, thereby enabling the wafer 200 and the carrying component 1 to be transported separately or the wafer 200 to be carried on the carrying component 1 and transported together. Compared with the prior art, there is no need to always keep the wafer 200 in the same position during the entire semiconductor process. Instead of transporting a tray carrying multiple wafers 200, individual wafers 200 can be transported, which on the one hand can reduce manual intervention, improve production efficiency and capacity, reduce contamination of the wafers 200, and improve the yield of the wafers 200; on the other hand, individual wafers 200 can be cooled, so that the cooling time can be shortened, and production efficiency and capacity can be improved; on the other hand, some chambers and devices of the semiconductor process equipment 100 only need to have an area that can accommodate or carry individual wafers 200, thereby reducing the area occupied by the semiconductor process equipment 100.

[0051] For example, in actual applications, the carrier component 1 can be independently transferred to the clutch component 4 to be carried by the clutch component 4, or independently transferred away from the clutch component 4. The wafer 200 can be independently transferred to the clutch component 4 to be carried by the clutch component 4, or independently transferred away from the clutch component 4, and the clutch component 4 can separately carry the wafer 200 and the carrier component 1. When the clutch component 4 separately carries the wafer 200 and the carrier component 1 that does not carry the wafer 200, and before the wafer 200 is independently transferred away from the clutch component 4, during the process of the carrier component 1 being transferred away from the clutch component 4, the carrier component 1 can carry the wafer 200 carried on the clutch component 4, and then the wafer 200 can be carried on the carrier component 1 and transferred away from the clutch component 4 together. When the clutch assembly 4 does not carry the wafer 200 and the carrying component 1, the carrying component 1 carrying the wafer 200 can be transferred to the clutch assembly 4, and the wafer 200 and the carrying component 1 can be carried separately by the clutch assembly 4, that is, the clutch assembly 4 can separate the carrying component 1 from the wafer 200 it carries. After the wafer 200 and the carrying component 1 are separated, the wafer 200 can be transferred away from the clutch assembly 4 alone. When the clutch assembly 4 does not carry the wafer 200, the carrying component 1 can be transferred away from the clutch assembly 4 alone.

[0052] As shown in FIG3 and FIG5 to FIG8 , in one embodiment of the present application, the supporting component 1 may be annular, and the outer diameter of the supporting component 1 is larger than the outer diameter of the wafer 200 , and the inner diameter of the supporting component 1 is smaller than the outer diameter of the wafer 200 .

[0053] As shown in FIG1 , such a design is because in actual application, the wafer 200 will be transferred by the transmission component 2 to the reaction chamber 104 of the semiconductor process equipment 100 for semiconductor processing. A process base 9 will be provided in the reaction chamber 104, and a supporting portion will be provided on the process base 9. The supporting portion is used to support the wafer 200, and the supporting portion is, for example, a boss. When performing the semiconductor process, the wafer 200 is supported on the supporting portion, and the process base 9 can heat the wafer 200. In order to improve the uniformity of heating of the wafer 200, the side of the supporting portion that contacts the wafer 200 is flat, and the diameter of the flat surface is usually slightly smaller than the diameter of the wafer 200. Since the structure of the first transmission portion 21 (as shown in FIG9 ) of the transmission component 2 for supporting the wafer 200 will interfere with the supporting portion when it descends to the corresponding height, the transmission component 2 cannot place the carried wafer 200 directly on the supporting portion. Since the inner diameter of the supporting component 1 is smaller than the outer diameter of the wafer 200, the supporting component 1 can support the wafer 200 from the annular edge at the bottom of the wafer 200, and since the outer diameter of the supporting component 1 is larger than the outer diameter of the wafer 200, the outer diameter of the supporting component 1 can be larger than the outer diameter of the supporting portion, that is, the edge of the supporting component 1 can protrude relative to the edge of the supporting portion. On this basis, the second transmission portion 22 of the transmission component 2 for supporting the supporting component 1 can support the supporting component 1 from the annular edge at the bottom of the supporting component 1, and the second transmission portion 22 of the transmission component 2 can be located on the outside of the supporting portion when it descends to the corresponding height and will not interfere with the supporting portion, so that the supporting component 1 carrying the wafer 200 can be placed on the supporting portion, so that the wafer 200 can be completely aligned with the plane of the process base 9, and then the second transmission portion 22 of the transmission component 2 can be withdrawn from the reaction chamber 104.

[0054] As shown in Figures 3 and 5 to 8, in one embodiment of the present application, a first bearing recess 11 may be provided on the inner edge of the bearing component 1. The first bearing recess 11 is arranged in a ring shape along the circumference of the bearing component 1 and is recessed relative to the top surface and the inner wall of the bearing component 1 respectively. The first bearing recess 11 is used to carry the wafer 200.

[0055] The design of the first supporting recess 11 can form an annular step structure along the circumference of the supporting component 1 on the inner edge of the supporting component 1. By supporting the wafer 200 in the first supporting recess 11, the wafer 200 can be limited by the first supporting recess 11.

[0056] As shown in Figures 2 to 8, in one embodiment of the present application, the clutch assembly 4 may include a carrier 41 and multiple first support members 42. The outer diameter of the carrier 41 is smaller than the outer diameter of the carrier component 1 and larger than the inner diameter of the carrier component 1. The carrier 41 is used to support the carrier component 1. The multiple first support members 42 are arranged at intervals along the first circumferential direction, and the bottom ends of the multiple first support members 42 are arranged on the carrier 41. The top ends of the multiple first support members 42 protrude relative to the top surface of the carrier 41 and are used to jointly support the wafer 200; the above-mentioned first circumferential diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the carrier component 1.

[0057] After the carrier component 1 without carrying the wafer 200 is transferred to the clutch assembly 4, the carrier component 1 without carrying the wafer 200 can be transferred and lowered relative to the clutch assembly 4. During the process of the carrier component 1 without carrying the wafer 200 being lowered relative to the clutch assembly 4, multiple first support members 42 can pass through the ring of the carrier component 1, and the carrier component 1 can be lowered onto the carrier 41, and the carrier component 1 is supported by the carrier 41. After the wafer 200 is transferred to the clutch assembly 4 alone, the wafer 200 can be transferred and lowered relative to the clutch assembly 4. During the process of the wafer 200 being lowered relative to the clutch assembly 4, the wafer 200 can be lowered onto the multiple first support members 42, and the wafer 200 is supported by the multiple first support members 42. With the help of the carrier 41 and the multiple first support members 42, the clutch assembly 4 can separately support the wafer 200 and the carrier component 1.

[0058] When the clutch assembly 4 separately carries the wafer 200 and the carrying part 1, the wafer 200 placed on the multiple first support members 42 is higher than the carrying part 1 placed on the carrying part 41. Afterwards, in the process of the carrying part 1 being transported and separated from the carrying part 41 and rising, the carrying part 1 can lift the wafer 200 carried on the multiple first support members 42, so that the carrying part 1 can automatically carry the wafer 200 in the process of being transported and separated from the carrying part 41, thereby realizing that the carrying part 1 and the wafer 200 are transported away from the clutch assembly 4 together.

[0059] After the carrier component 1 carrying the wafer 200 is transferred to the clutch assembly 4, the carrier component 1 carrying the wafer 200 can be transferred to descend relative to the clutch assembly 4. During the process of the carrier component 1 carrying the wafer 200 descending relative to the clutch assembly 4, multiple first support members 42 can pass through the ring of the carrier component 1 and jointly support the wafer 200 carried by the carrier component 1. Afterwards, the wafer 200 carried on the multiple first support members 42 will not continue to descend. At this time, the wafer 200 is separated from the carrier component 1, and the separated carrier component 1 can continue to descend onto the carrier component 41, and the carrier component 1 is supported by the carrier component 41.

[0060] As shown in Figure 2, in one embodiment of the present application, a second bearing recess 43 may be provided on the edge of the bearing member 41. The second bearing recess 43 is arranged in a ring shape along the circumference of the bearing member 1 and is recessed relative to the top surface and the outer peripheral wall of the bearing member 41 respectively. The second bearing recess 43 is used to support the bearing member 1.

[0061] The design of the second bearing recess 43 can form an annular step structure along the circumference of the bearing component 1 at the edge of the bearing member 41. By carrying the bearing member 41 in the second bearing recess 43, the bearing member 41 can be limited by means of the second bearing recess 43.

[0062] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, in one embodiment of the present application, the inner peripheral wall of the supporting component 1 can be a slope, and gradually approaches the center of the supporting component 1 from the bottom surface of the supporting component 1 along the direction close to the top surface of the supporting component 1. The side wall of the second supporting recess 43 is provided with a positioning protrusion 44. The top surface of the positioning protrusion 44 can be a slope, and gradually decreases from the side close to the side wall of the second supporting recess 43 along the direction away from the side wall of the second supporting recess 43. The top surface of the positioning protrusion 44 is used to cooperate with the inner peripheral wall of the supporting component 1 to position the relative position of the supporting component 1 and the supporting member 41.

[0063] In this way, when the supporting member 41 is eccentric to the supporting member 1, in the process of the supporting member 1 descending onto the supporting member 41, the inclined inner peripheral wall of the supporting member 1 will contact the inclined top surface of the positioning protrusion 44, and the inclined top surface of the positioning protrusion 44 will guide the inclined inner peripheral wall of the supporting member 1, and correct the eccentricity of the supporting member 41 and the supporting member 1, so that the supporting member 41 that is eccentric to the supporting member 1 can still descend onto the supporting member 1.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 2 , in one embodiment of the present application, there may be multiple positioning protrusions 44 , and the multiple positioning protrusions 44 are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the second bearing recess 43 .

[0065] By arranging a plurality of positioning protrusions 44 at circumferential intervals along the second bearing recess 43, the bearing member 41 that is eccentric to the bearing component 1 can be corrected from different circumferential positions of the second bearing recess 43 with the help of the plurality of positioning protrusions 44, thereby improving the stability of the bearing member 41 that is eccentric to the bearing component 1 when it is lowered to the bearing component 1.

[0066] In some embodiments, the distances between two adjacent positioning protrusions 44 in the circumferential direction of the second bearing recess 43 may be equal. That is, the plurality of positioning protrusions 44 may be evenly spaced along the circumferential direction of the second bearing recess 43 .

[0067] As shown in Figure 2, in one embodiment of the present application, the bottom wall of the second bearing recess 43 can be provided with multiple bearing protrusions 45, and the multiple bearing protrusions 45 are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the second bearing recess 43. The multiple bearing protrusions 45 are used to jointly support the bearing component 1.

[0068] In this way, when the carrying component 1 is carried in the second carrying recess 43, the carrying component 1 contacts the multiple carrying protrusions 45 instead of the entire bottom wall of the second carrying recess 43, thereby reducing the contact area between the carrying component 1 and the carrying member 41, and then reducing the particles generated by the friction between the carrying component 1 and the carrying member 41, thereby reducing the particle contamination of the wafer 200 and further improving the yield of the wafer 200.

[0069] In one embodiment of the present application, the plurality of first support members 42 can be raised and lowered synchronously relative to the carrier 41 .

[0070] Thus, when the clutch assembly 4 separates the wafer 200 and the carrier 1, the plurality of first support members 42 can be lowered relative to the carrier 41, so that the wafer 200 can be lowered onto the carrier 1 along with the plurality of first support members 42, so that the carrier 1 can carry the wafer 200. Afterwards, the transport component 2 can directly transport the carrier 1 carrying the wafer 200 without having to drive the carrier 1 to a certain height to lift the wafer 200. This design can reduce the height at which the transport component 2 removes the carrier 1 carrying the wafer 200 from the clutch assembly 4, thereby reducing the height of the chamber in the semiconductor processing equipment 100 that accommodates the clutch assembly 4.

[0071] In some embodiments, the clutch assembly 4 may further include a lifting drive source, which may be connected to the plurality of first support members 42 to drive the plurality of first support members 42 to move upward and downward. In this case, the plurality of first support members 42 may, for example, be arranged to vertically penetrate the carrier 41, and the lower ends of the plurality of first support members 42 may be connected to the lifting drive source located below the carrier 41.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 1 , FIG. 5 and FIG. 9 , the embodiment of the present application further provides a transmission component 2 for transmitting the wafer 200 and the carrying component 1 of the carrying mechanism provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0073] The transmission component 2 provided in the embodiment of the present application is used to transmit the wafer 200 and the supporting component 1 of the supporting mechanism provided in the embodiment of the present application (which may carry the wafer 200 or may not carry the wafer 200), so that the yield of the wafer 200 can be improved, the production efficiency and production capacity can be improved, and the floor space of the semiconductor process equipment 100 can be reduced.

[0074] That is to say, the transmission component 2 provided in the embodiment of the present application can realize the transmission of the wafer 200 mentioned in the embodiment of the present application, the transmission of the carrying component 1 not carrying the wafer 200, and the transmission of the carrying component 1 carrying the wafer 200.

[0075] As shown in Figures 1 and 9, in one embodiment of the present application, the transmission component 2 is rotatably arranged in the transmission chamber 101. The transmission component 2 may include a first transmission part 21 and a second transmission part 22. The first transmission part 21 is used to carry the wafer 200 and can transfer the wafer 200 to the clutch component 4, or transfer the wafer 200 away from the clutch component 4. The second transmission part 22 is used to carry the carrying component 1 (which can carry the wafer 200 or not carry the wafer 200) and can transfer the carrying component 1 (which can carry the wafer 200 or not carry the wafer 200) to the clutch component 4, or transfer the carrying component 1 (which can carry the wafer 200 or not carry the wafer 200) away from the clutch component 4.

[0076] In actual application, when the clutch assembly 4 does not carry the wafer 200 and the carrying part 1, the transmission part 2 can be rotated to make the second transmission part 22 opposite to the clutch assembly 4, and the carrying part 1 not carrying the wafer 200 can be transferred to the clutch assembly 4 with the help of the second transmission part 22. Then, the transmission part 2 can be rotated to make the first transmission part 21 opposite to the clutch assembly 4, and the wafer 200 can be transferred to the clutch assembly 4 with the help of the first transmission part 21. Then, the transmission part 2 can be rotated to make the second transmission part 22 opposite to the clutch assembly 4, and the carrying part 1 on the clutch assembly 4 can be lifted and raised with the help of the second transmission part 22. During the rising process, the carrying part 1 lifts the wafer 200 on the clutch assembly 4, and then the transmission part 2 can be rotated to make the second transmission part 22 continue to transfer the carrying part 1 carrying the wafer 200. Alternatively, when the clutch assembly 4 does not carry the wafer 200 and the carrying component 1, the second transmission part 22 can be rotated by the transmission component 2 to be opposite to the clutch assembly 4, and the carrying component 1 carrying the wafer 200 can be transferred to the clutch assembly 4 with the help of the second transmission part 22. After the clutch assembly 4 carries the wafer 200 and the carrying component 1 separately, the first transmission part 21 can be rotated by the transmission component 2 to be opposite to the clutch assembly 4, and the wafer 200 can be carried by the first transmission part 21, and the first transmission part 21 can be rotated to continue to transmit the wafer 200. Afterwards, the second transmission part 22 can be rotated by the transmission component 2 to be opposite to the clutch assembly 4, and the carrying component 1 can be carried by the second transmission part 22, and the second transmission part 22 can be rotated to continue to transmit the carrying component 1.

[0077] In the embodiment of the present application, since the wafer 200 can be transported individually, the size of the first transport part 21 only needs to be able to carry a single wafer 200, and the size of the second transport part 22 only needs to be able to carry a single carrier component 1, so that the size of the transport component 2 can be reduced, thereby reducing the footprint of the semiconductor process equipment 100.

[0078] In some embodiments, the transport component 2 may include a robot.

[0079] As shown in Figures 1 and 9, in one embodiment of the present application, the transmission component 2 may also include a first telescopic part 23 and a second telescopic part 24. The first telescopic part 23 is connected to the first transmission part 21 and is used to drive the first transmission part 21 to move telescopically. The second telescopic part 24 is connected to the second transmission part 22 and is used to drive the second transmission part 22 to move telescopically. Both the first transmission part 21 and the second transmission part 22 can be raised and lowered.

[0080] By driving the first transfer unit 21 to telescopic movement with the first telescopic portion 23, the first transfer unit 21 can be extended into or retracted from various chambers of the semiconductor processing equipment 100, such as the reaction chamber 104, to transfer wafers 200. By driving the second telescopic portion 24 to telescopic movement with the second transfer unit 22, the second transfer unit 22 can be extended into or retracted from various chambers of the semiconductor processing equipment 100, such as the reaction chamber 104, to transfer the carrier 1 (which may or may not be carrying wafers 200). By lowering the first transfer unit 21, the wafer 200 carried by the first transfer unit 21 can be dropped onto the clutch assembly 4, or by raising the first transfer unit 21, the wafer 200 carried on the clutch assembly 4 can be lifted. By lowering the second transmission part 22 , the bearing component 1 carried by the second transmission part 22 can be dropped onto the clutch assembly 4 , or by raising the second transmission part 22 , the bearing component 1 carried on the clutch assembly 4 can be lifted.

[0081] As shown in Figure 1, an embodiment of the present application also provides a semiconductor process equipment 100, including a loading chamber 102, a clutch chamber 103, a transfer chamber 101, a reaction chamber 104, a carrying mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present application, and a transfer component 2 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The loading chamber 102 is used to place a wafer carrier 7, and the wafer carrier 7 is used to load a wafer 200. The transfer chamber 101 is selectively connected to the loading chamber 102, the clutch chamber 103 and the reaction chamber 104 respectively. The clutch assembly 4 is arranged in the clutch chamber 103, and the transfer component 2 is arranged in the transfer chamber 101. The transfer component 2 is used to transfer the wafer 200 between the loading chamber 102, the transfer chamber 101 and the clutch chamber 103, and is used to transfer the carrying component 1 (which may carry the wafer 200 or not) between the reaction chamber 104 and the clutch chamber 103.

[0082] The semiconductor process equipment 100 provided in the embodiment of the present application, with the help of the supporting mechanism provided in the embodiment of the present application and the transmission component 2 provided in the embodiment of the present application, can improve the yield rate of the wafer 200, improve production efficiency and production capacity, and reduce the footprint of the semiconductor process equipment 100.

[0083] The semiconductor process equipment 100 provided in the embodiment of the present application, when performing a semiconductor process, the transmission component 2 can directly transmit a single wafer 200 from the wafer carrier 7 of the loading chamber 102 to the clutch chamber 103, and then cooperate with the clutch component 4 to allow the wafer 200 to be carried on the carrier component 1 transmitted by the transmission component 2 to the clutch chamber 103, and then transmit the carrier component 1 carrying the wafer 200 to the reaction chamber 104 for semiconductor processing; after the semiconductor process is completed, the transmission component 2 can transmit the carrier component 1 carrying the wafer 200 from the reaction chamber 104 to the clutch chamber 103, and then cooperate with the clutch component 4 to separate the wafer 200 from the carrier component 1, and then directly transmit the single wafer 200 to the wafer carrier 7 of the loading chamber 102. Compared with the prior art, there is no need to transport the tray carrying multiple wafers 200 throughout the entire semiconductor process. Instead, individual wafers 200 can be transported, which, on the one hand, can reduce labor, improve production efficiency and capacity, reduce contamination of the wafers 200, and thus improve the yield of the wafers 200; on the other hand, the individual wafers 200 can be cooled, so that the cooling time can be shortened, thereby improving production efficiency and capacity. On another hand, for example, the transmission component 2, the transmission chamber 101, the loading chamber 102 and the clutch chamber 103 only need to have an area that can accommodate or carry a single wafer 200, thereby reducing the area occupied by the semiconductor process equipment 100.

[0084] Specifically, in actual applications, before the semiconductor process starts, the carrying component 1 can be located in the reaction chamber 104, and the wafer carrier 7 loaded with the wafer 200 is placed in the loading chamber 102. After the semiconductor process starts, the transmission component 2 can transmit the carrying component 1 from the reaction chamber 104 to the clutch chamber 103 and place it on the clutch assembly 4, and then directly take out the individual wafer 200 from the wafer carrier 7 in the loading chamber 102, and transmit the wafer 200 to the clutch chamber 103 and place it on the clutch assembly 4. Afterwards, the transmission component 2 can cooperate with the clutch assembly 4 to carry the wafer 200 on the carrying component 1. Afterwards, the transmission component 2 can transmit the carrying component 1 carrying the wafer 200 from the clutch chamber 103 to the reaction chamber 104 and place it on the carrying part of the process base 9. The wafer 200 can undergo semiconductor processing in the reaction chamber 104. After the semiconductor process is completed, the transmission component 2 can transfer the carrier component 1 carrying the wafer 200 from the reaction chamber 104 to the clutch chamber 103 and place it on the clutch assembly 4, and cooperate with the clutch assembly 4 to separate the wafer 200 from the carrier component 1. Afterwards, the transmission component 2 can directly take out the individual wafer 200 from the clutch chamber 103 and transfer the wafer 200 back to the wafer carrier 7 in the loading chamber 102. Afterwards, the wafer carrier 7 loaded with the wafer 200 can be taken away from the loading chamber 102.

[0085] In actual application, the staff can place the wafer carrier 7 loaded with wafers 200 in the loading chamber 102, and take the wafer carrier 7 loaded with wafers 200 out of the loading chamber 102. Although staff are still needed, compared with the existing technology, the staff does not need to first place multiple wafers 200 from the wafer carrier 7 on a tray, and then place the tray in the tray carrier, and then place the tray carrier in the loading chamber 102. Therefore, the staff's operating steps can be reduced, thereby improving production efficiency and production capacity, and reducing the time that the wafer 200 is exposed to a contaminated environment, reducing the possibility of the wafer 200 being contaminated, thereby reducing the contamination of the wafer 200 and improving the yield of the wafer 200.

[0086] In actual application, the transmission component 2 can first be rotated so that the second transmission part 22 is opposite to the reaction chamber 104, and the second transmission part 22 can be extended into the reaction chamber 104. After the second transmission part 22 carries the carrying part 1, the second transmission part 22 can carry the carrying part 1 out of the reaction chamber 104 to the transmission chamber 101. Afterwards, the transmission component 2 can be rotated so that the second transmission part 22 is opposite to the clutch chamber 103, and the second transmission part 22 can be extended into the clutch chamber 103 to place the carrying part 1 on the clutch assembly 4. Afterwards, the second transmission part 22 can be In order to exit from the clutch chamber 103 to the transfer chamber 101, the transfer component 2 can be rotated so that the first transfer part 21 is opposite to the loading chamber 102, and the first transfer part 21 can be extended into the loading chamber 102. After the first transfer part 21 carries the wafer 200, the first transfer part 21 can carry the wafer 200 and exit from the loading chamber 102 to the transfer chamber 101. The transfer component 2 can be rotated so that the first transfer part 21 is opposite to the clutch chamber 103, and the first transfer part 21 can be extended into the clutch chamber 103 to place the wafer 200 on the clutch assembly 4.

[0087] Afterwards, the first transfer part 21 can withdraw from the clutch chamber 103 to the transfer chamber 101, the transfer component 2 can rotate so that the second transfer part 22 is opposite to the clutch chamber 103, and the second transfer part 22 can be extended into the clutch chamber 103. After the second transfer part 22 carries the carrying part 1 carrying the wafer 200, the second transfer part 22 can carry the carrying part 1 carrying the wafer 200 and withdraw from the clutch chamber 103 to the transfer chamber 101. The transfer component 2 can rotate so that the second transfer part 22 is opposite to the reaction chamber 104, and the second transfer part 22 can be extended into the reaction chamber 104 to place the carrying part 1 carrying the wafer 200 in the reaction chamber 104. Afterwards, the second transfer part 22 can withdraw from the reaction chamber 104 to the transfer chamber 101.

[0088] After the semiconductor process is completed, the second transfer part 22 can be extended into the reaction chamber 104. After the second transfer part 22 carries the carrying part 1 carrying the wafer 200, the second transfer part 22 can carry the carrying part 1 carrying the wafer 200 out of the reaction chamber 104 to the transfer chamber 101. The transfer part 2 can be rotated so that the second transfer part 22 is opposite to the clutch chamber 103. The second transfer part 22 can be extended into the reaction chamber 104 to place the carrying part 1 carrying the wafer 200 on the clutch assembly 4 to separate the wafer 200 from the carrying part 1. After that, the second transfer part 22 can be withdrawn from the clutch chamber 103 to the transfer chamber 101. The transfer part 2 can be rotated so that the first transfer part 21 is opposite to the clutch chamber 103. The first transfer part 21 can be extended into the clutch chamber 103. After the first transfer part 21 carries the wafer 200, the first transfer part 21 can carry the wafer 200 out of the clutch chamber 103 to the transfer chamber 101, the transfer component 2 can be rotated so that the first transfer part 21 is opposite to the loading chamber 102, the first transfer part 21 can be extended into the loading chamber 102 to place the wafer 200 in the wafer carrier 7, and then the first transfer part 21 can be withdrawn from the loading chamber 102 to the transfer chamber 101, the transfer component 2 can be rotated so that the second transfer part 22 is opposite to the clutch chamber 103, the second transfer part 22 can be extended into the clutch chamber 103, after the second transfer part 22 carries the carrying part 1, the second transfer part 22 can carry the carrying part 1 out of the clutch chamber 103 to the transfer chamber 101, the transfer component 2 can be rotated so that the second transfer part 22 is opposite to the reaction chamber 104, the second transfer part 22 can be extended into the reaction chamber 104 to place the carrying part 1 in the reaction chamber 104.

[0089] In some embodiments, the wafer carrier 7 may be a wafer cassette.

[0090] In some embodiments, the material of the supporting component 1 and the material of the process base 9 may be the same.

[0091] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in one embodiment of the present application, the cavity of the clutch chamber 103 can be provided with a first light-transmitting opening, a first light-transmitting component 31 is provided in the first light-transmitting opening, and a first pressure ring 32 is provided at a position of the cavity corresponding to the first light-transmitting component 31. The first pressure ring 32 is used to press the first light-transmitting component 31 against the cavity of the clutch chamber 103 and seal the gap between the first light-transmitting component 31 and the cavity of the clutch chamber 103.

[0092] With the help of the first light-transmitting component 31 , the staff can observe the status of the wafer 200 and the supporting component 1 in the clutch chamber 103 from outside the clutch chamber 103 , so as to timely discover problems with the wafer 200 and the supporting component 1 and improve the stability of the semiconductor process.

[0093] As shown in Figures 4 and 6-8, in one embodiment of the present application, the cavity of the clutch chamber 103 can be respectively provided with second light-transmitting openings on opposite sides in the circumferential direction, and the two second light-transmitting openings are arranged opposite to each other. A second light-transmitting component 33 is provided in each second light-transmitting opening, and a second pressure ring 34 is provided at a position of the cavity corresponding to each second light-transmitting component 33. The second pressure ring 34 is used to press the corresponding second light-transmitting component 33 on the cavity of the clutch chamber 103 and seal the gap between the corresponding second light-transmitting component 33 and the cavity of the clutch chamber 103; a positioning component 35 can be correspondingly provided outside each second light-transmitting component 33, and the two positioning components 35 are arranged opposite to each other for detecting the relative position of the wafer 200 carried by the carrying component 1 in the clutch chamber 103 and the carrying component 1.

[0094] In actual application, when the transmission component 2 drives the carrying component 1 to rise so that the wafer 200 is completely carried on the carrying component 1, the wafer 200 may not be completely carried in the first carrying recess 11, but one side may be overlapped outside the first carrying recess 11. When the wafer 200 is completely carried in the first carrying recess 11 (as shown in Figure 7), the total height of the wafer 200 and the carrying component 1 is smaller. When one side of the wafer 200 is overlapped outside the first carrying recess 11 (as shown in Figure 8), the total height of the wafer 200 and the carrying component 1 is larger. By using the total height of the wafer 200 and the carrying component 1 when the wafer 200 is completely carried in the first carrying recess 11 as a preset value, the relative height of the wafer 200 and the carrying component 1 can be measured from opposite sides of the carrying component 1 with the help of two positioning components 35. The position is detected. When it is detected that the total height of the wafer 200 and the supporting component 1 is equal to the preset value, it can be determined that the wafer 200 is completely supported in the first supporting recess 11, so that the supporting component 1 supporting the wafer 200 can be transferred to the reaction chamber 104 through the transmission component 2; when it is detected that the total height of the wafer 200 and the supporting component 1 is greater than the preset value, it can be determined that the wafer 200 is not completely supported in the first supporting recess 11, so that an alarm can be issued and the action of the transmission component 2 can be stopped. After the staff resolves the fault, the transmission component 2 can continue to move to transfer the supporting component 1 supporting the wafer 200 to the reaction chamber 104, thereby reducing the possibility of the wafer 200 slipping due to offset from the supporting component 1, thereby improving the stability of the semiconductor process.

[0095] In some embodiments, the positioning component 35 may include a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor.

[0096] As shown in FIG. 4 , in one embodiment of the present application, the cavity of the clutch chamber 103 may include a chamber body 36 and a top cover 37 . The top cover 37 is disposed on the chamber body 36 , and the first light-transmitting opening is disposed on the top cover 37 .

[0097] As shown in Figure 1, in one embodiment of the present application, a position alignment component 5 may also be provided in the transmission chamber 101. The position alignment component 5 is used to align the position of the wafer 200 to a preset position, and the transmission component 2 can transmit the wafer 200 to the position alignment component 5.

[0098] In actual application, after the transmission component 2 takes out the wafer 200 from the wafer carrier 7 in the loading chamber 102, the wafer 200 can be first transmitted to the position alignment component 5. The position alignment component 5 can detect the placement direction of the wafer 200 through the positioning notch on the edge of the wafer 200, and adjust the placement position of the wafer 200 to a preset position according to the detection result, so that the placement direction of each wafer 200 undergoing the semiconductor process can be unified, thereby improving the consistency of the semiconductor process. After the position alignment component 5 positions and adjusts the placement direction of the wafer 200, the transmission component 2 can then transmit the wafer 200 from the position alignment component 5 to the clutch chamber 103.

[0099] In the embodiment of the present application, since a separate wafer 200 can be transferred, the size of the position alignment component 5 only needs to be sufficient to align the position of a separate wafer 200, so that the size of the position alignment component 5 can be reduced, so that the position alignment component 5 can be placed in the transfer chamber 101 without setting up a separate chamber to place the position alignment component 5, thereby reducing the footprint of the semiconductor process equipment 100.

[0100] The position alignment component 5 may include a vacuum wafer aligner.

[0101] As shown in Figures 1 and 9 to 12, in one embodiment of the present application, a cooling component 6 may be further provided in the transfer chamber 101. The cooling component 6 is used to cool the wafer 200, and the transfer component 2 can transfer the wafer 200 to the cooling component 6.

[0102] In actual application, after the transfer component 2 takes out the wafer 200 separated from the supporting component 1 from the clutch chamber 103, the wafer 200 can be first transferred to the cooling component 6, and the wafer 200 can be cooled with the help of the cooling component 6. After the wafer 200 is cooled, the wafer 200 is transferred to the wafer carrier 7 in the loading chamber 102.

[0103] In the embodiment of the present application, since individual wafers 200 can be transported, the size of the cooling assembly 6 only needs to be sufficient to cool the individual wafers 200, which allows the size of the cooling assembly 6 to be reduced, thereby allowing the cooling assembly 6 to be placed within the transport chamber 101 without having to set up a separate chamber to house the cooling assembly 6, thereby reducing the footprint of the semiconductor process equipment 100. Furthermore, since individual wafers 200 can be transported, the cooling assembly 6 can cool the individual wafers 200, thereby increasing the cooling speed of the wafers 200 and thereby improving production efficiency and capacity.

[0104] In actual application, after the semiconductor process is completed, the wafer 200 can be cooled to 600°C in the reaction chamber 104, and then the supporting component 1 carrying the wafer 200 can be taken out of the reaction chamber 104, and then the wafer 200 can be separated from the supporting component 1, and then the wafer 200 can be transferred to the cooling component 6 to cool the wafer 200 to avoid damage to the wafer 200 due to too fast cooling speed.

[0105] As shown in Figure 12, in one embodiment of the present application, the cooling assembly 6 may include a cooling member 61 and a plurality of second support members 62. The cooling member 61 is used to support the wafer 200 and cool the wafer 200. The plurality of second support members 62 pass through the cooling member 61 and are arranged at intervals along the second circumferential direction and can be raised and lowered relative to the cooling member 61. The plurality of second support members 62 are used to cooperate with the transmission component 2 to transmit the wafer 200 between the transmission component 2 and the cooling member 61.

[0106] In actual application, after the transfer component 2 removes the wafer 200 separated from the carrier component 1 from the clutch chamber 103, the transfer component 2 can transfer the wafer 200 to the multiple second supports 62, which jointly support the wafer 200. Afterwards, the transfer component 2 can leave the multiple second supports 62, and the multiple second supports 62 can descend relative to the cooling component 61, allowing the wafer 200 to descend onto the cooling component 61, thereby cooling the wafer 200 with the help of the cooling component 61. After cooling is completed, the multiple second supports 62 can rise relative to the cooling component 61, lifting the wafer 200 carried on the cooling component 61. Afterwards, the transfer component 2 can carry the wafer 200 and transfer the wafer 200 to the wafer carrier 7 in the loading chamber 102.

[0107] As shown in FIG. 12 , in one embodiment of the present application, a plurality of supporting protrusions 63 may be provided on the cooling member 61 . The plurality of supporting protrusions 63 are spaced apart on the cooling member 61 to jointly support the wafer 200 .

[0108] That is to say, when the multiple second support members 62 descend relative to the cooling member 61 and the wafer 200 descends onto the cooling member 61, the wafer 200 contacts the multiple support protrusions 63 and is supported by the multiple support protrusions 63 instead of directly contacting the cooling member 61. Such a design is because if the wafer 200 is in direct contact with the cooling member 61, then when the wafer 200 is lowered along with the multiple second support members 62 to be in direct contact with the cooling member 61, the gas between the wafer 200 and the cooling member 61 may not be discharged in time, causing the wafer 200 to shift relative to the cooling member 61, resulting in uneven cooling of the wafer 200, and may even cause the wafer 200 to break due to uneven cooling. However, by arranging multiple support protrusions 63 at intervals on the cooling member 61, when the wafer 200 is lowered along with the multiple second support members 62 to the multiple support protrusions 63, there is still a gap between the wafer 200 and the cooling member 61, so that the compressed gas between the wafer 200 and the cooling member 61 can be discharged in time, reducing the possibility of the wafer 200 shifting relative to the cooling member 61, thereby improving the cooling uniformity of the wafer 200 and reducing the possibility of damage to the wafer 200.

[0109] In some embodiments, the supporting protrusion 63 may protrude 0.5 mm relative to the top surface of the cooling member 61 .

[0110] In some embodiments, the supporting protrusion 63 may be made of quartz.

[0111] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, in one embodiment of the present application, a first transfer channel 38 can be provided in the transfer chamber 101. The first transfer channel 38 is connected to the transfer chamber 101 and is optionally connected to the loading chamber 102. The cooling component 6 is provided in the first transfer channel 38.

[0112] That is to say, the cooling member 61 and multiple second support members 62 can be arranged in the first transfer channel 38, and the transfer component 2 can transfer the wafer 200 from the transfer chamber 101 to the first transfer channel 38, and place it on the multiple second support members 62. After the wafer 200 is cooled, the transfer component 2 removes the wafer 200 from the multiple second support members 62 and transfers the wafer 200 from the first transfer channel 38 back to the wafer carrier 7 in the loading chamber 102.

[0113] In some embodiments, a second transfer channel may be provided in the transfer chamber 101 , the second transfer channel being in communication with the transfer chamber 101 and optionally in communication with the loading chamber 102 , and the position alignment assembly 5 being provided in the second transfer channel.

[0114] That is to say, the transmission component 2 can transfer the wafer 200 from the wafer carrier 7 in the loading chamber 102 to the second transmission channel and place it on the position alignment component 5. After the position of the wafer 200 is aligned, the transmission component 2 removes the wafer 200 from the position alignment component 5 and transfers the wafer 200 from the second transmission channel to the clutch component 4 in the clutch chamber 103.

[0115] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, in one embodiment of the present application, a receiving groove may be provided at the bottom of the first transmission channel 38, the cooling component 6 is provided in the receiving groove, and the top surface of the cooling component 6 is flush with the bottom surface of the first transmission channel 38.

[0116] That is to say, the cooling member 61 can be accommodated in the accommodating groove, and the top surface of the cooling member 61 can be flush with the bottom surface of the first transmission channel 38. Such a design can avoid the cooling member 61 and multiple second support members 62 from interfering with the movement of the transmission component 2 in the first transmission channel 38.

[0117] As shown in Figure 10, in one embodiment of the present application, the cooling assembly 6 may also include a cooling lifting component 64, which passes through the bottom wall of the transmission chamber 101 and extends into the first transmission channel 38, and is connected to all second support members 62, for driving all second support members 62 to rise and fall relative to the cooling member 61.

[0118] That is, by driving all the second support members 62 to move up and down together through the cooling lifting component 64 , it is possible to achieve the lifting of all the second support members 62 relative to the cooling member 61 .

[0119] As shown in Figure 10, in one embodiment of the present application, the semiconductor process equipment 100 may also include a carrier lifting component 72, which is arranged in the loading chamber 102 and connected to the wafer carrier 7 for driving the wafer carrier 7 to rise and fall in the loading chamber 102.

[0120] By driving the wafer carrier 7 to rise and fall in the loading chamber 102 through the carrier lifting component 72, the transmission component 2 can place multiple wafers 200 from top to bottom or from bottom to top in the wafer carrier 7, and can also enable the transmission component 2 to take out the wafers 200 in the wafer carrier 7 from top to bottom or from bottom to top.

[0121] As shown in Figures 1, 10 and 11, in one embodiment of the present application, the loading chamber 102 and the transfer chamber 101, the clutch chamber 103 and the transfer chamber 101, and the reaction chamber 104 and the transfer chamber 101 can all be connected through a switching component 8, and the switching component 8 is used to control the connection between the two chambers connected thereto.

[0122] By controlling the on-off connection between the two chambers connected thereto by means of the on-off component 8, selective communication between the loading chamber 102 and the transfer chamber 101, between the clutch chamber 103 and the transfer chamber 101, and between the reaction chamber 104 and the transfer chamber 101 can be achieved. In actual applications, for example, when the wafer 200 is undergoing a semiconductor process in the reaction chamber 104, the on-off component 8 between the transfer chamber 101 and the reaction chamber 104 can be closed to disconnect the connection between the transfer chamber 101 and the reaction chamber 104. When the semiconductor process is completed, the semiconductor process equipment 100 can detect the pressure difference between the transfer chamber 101 and the reaction chamber 104. When the pressure in the transfer chamber 101 is greater than the pressure in the reaction chamber 104, the on-off component 8 between the transfer chamber 101 and the reaction chamber 104 can be opened to connect the transfer chamber 101 and the reaction chamber 104 to avoid harmful gases in the reaction chamber 104 flowing into the transfer chamber 101 and causing corrosion to the devices in the transfer chamber 101, thereby improving the service life of the devices in the transfer chamber 101.

[0123] In some embodiments, the on-off component 8 may include an on-off valve.

[0124] As shown in FIG1 , in one embodiment of the present application, the number of loading chambers 102 and the number of reaction chambers 104 can be both multiple and the same, and the multiple loading chambers 102 are respectively connected to the transfer chamber 101 , and the multiple reaction chambers 104 are respectively connected to the transfer chamber 101 .

[0125] In this way, semiconductor processes can be performed simultaneously with the help of multiple reaction chambers 104, thereby improving production efficiency and capacity. In actual applications, the wafers 200 in the wafer carrier 7 in one loading chamber 102 can be transferred to one reaction chamber 104 for semiconductor processing, and after the semiconductor process is completed, the wafers 200 in the one reaction chamber 104 can be transferred back to the wafer carrier 7 in the one loading chamber 102, and the wafers 200 in the wafer carrier 7 in another loading chamber 102 can be transferred to another reaction chamber 104 for semiconductor processing, and after the semiconductor process is completed, the wafers 200 in the other reaction chamber 104 can be transferred back to the wafer carrier 7 in the other loading chamber 102.

[0126] As shown in Figure 1, in one embodiment of the present application, a process base 9 is provided in the reaction chamber 104, and the process base 9 is rotatably provided in the reaction chamber 104. A plurality of supporting parts are provided on the process base 9, and the plurality of supporting parts are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the process base 9, and each supporting part is used to support the wafer 200.

[0127] This allows multiple wafers 200 to undergo semiconductor processing simultaneously within the reaction chamber 104, thereby improving production efficiency and capacity. In actual applications, the transfer component 2 can transfer the carrier component 1 carrying the wafers 200 one by one to multiple carriers. When each carrier is carrying a wafer 200, the semiconductor process can be performed. During the semiconductor process, the process base 9 can rotate within the reaction chamber 104, and the multiple wafers 200 can rotate with the rotation of the process base 9, thereby improving the process uniformity of the wafers 200 and further improving the yield rate of the wafers 200.

[0128] In summary, the supporting mechanism, transmission component 2 and semiconductor process equipment 100 provided in the embodiment of the present application can improve the yield rate of the wafer 200, improve production efficiency and production capacity, and reduce the footprint of the semiconductor process equipment 100.

[0129] It is understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments for illustrating the principles of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit and substance of the present application, and such modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A bearing mechanism, characterized in that: It comprises a bearing component and a clutch component, wherein the bearing component is used to bear the wafer, and the bearing component can be carried by the clutch component, or leave the clutch component; The clutch assembly is configured to be capable of carrying a wafer alone, carrying the carrying component alone, and carrying the wafer and the carrying component simultaneously, and in the case of carrying the wafer and the carrying component simultaneously, the carrying component is separated from the wafer so that the separated wafer can leave the clutch assembly alone.

2. The supporting mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bearing component is ring-shaped, and the outer diameter of the bearing component is larger than the outer diameter of the wafer, and the inner diameter of the bearing component is smaller than the outer diameter of the wafer.

3. The supporting mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The inner edge of the bearing component is provided with a first bearing recess, which is arranged in a ring shape along the circumference of the bearing component and is recessed relative to the top surface and the inner circumferential wall of the bearing component respectively, and is used to carry the wafer.

4. The supporting mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The clutch assembly comprises a bearing member and a plurality of first supporting members, the outer diameter of the bearing member is smaller than the outer diameter of the bearing component and larger than the inner diameter of the bearing component, and the bearing member is used to carry the bearing component; Multiple first support members are arranged at intervals along the first circumferential direction, and the bottom ends of the multiple first support members are arranged on the carrier, and the top ends of the multiple first support members protrude relative to the top surface of the carrier to jointly support the wafer; the diameter of the first circumferential direction is smaller than the inner diameter of the carrier.

5. The supporting mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The edge of the bearing member is provided with a second bearing recess, which is arranged in an annular shape along the circumference of the bearing member and is recessed relative to the top surface and the outer peripheral wall of the bearing member respectively, and is used to carry the bearing member.

6. The supporting mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The inner circumferential wall of the bearing component is an inclined surface, and gradually approaches the center of the bearing component from the bottom surface of the bearing component along the direction close to the top surface of the bearing component. The side wall of the second bearing recess is provided with a positioning protrusion, and the top surface of the positioning protrusion is an inclined surface, and gradually decreases from the side close to the side wall of the second bearing recess along the direction away from the side wall of the second bearing recess. The top surface of the positioning protrusion is used to cooperate with the inner circumferential wall of the bearing component to position the relative position of the bearing component and the bearing member.

7. The supporting mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: There are multiple positioning protrusions, and the multiple positioning protrusions are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the second bearing recess.

8. The supporting mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The bottom wall of the second bearing recess is provided with a plurality of bearing protrusions, the plurality of bearing protrusions are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the second bearing recess, and the plurality of bearing protrusions are used to jointly bear the bearing component.

9. The supporting mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The plurality of first supporting members can be raised and lowered synchronously relative to the bearing member.

10. A transmission component, characterized in that: Used to transport wafers and the carrying components of the carrying mechanism as described in any one of claims 1-9.

11. The transmission component according to claim 10, characterized in that The transmission component is rotatably arranged in the transmission chamber, and the transmission component includes a first transmission part and a second transmission part. The first transmission part is used to carry the wafer and can transfer the wafer to the clutch assembly, or transfer the wafer away from the clutch assembly. The second transmission part is used to carry the carrying component and can transfer the carrying component to the clutch assembly, or transfer the carrying component away from the clutch assembly.

12. The transmission component according to claim 11, characterized in that The transmission component also includes a first telescopic part and a second telescopic part. The first telescopic part is connected to the first transmission part and is used to drive the first transmission part to move telescopically. The second telescopic part is connected to the second transmission part and is used to drive the second transmission part to move telescopically. Both the first transmission part and the second transmission part can be raised and lowered.

13. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: It includes a loading chamber, a clutch chamber, a transfer chamber, a reaction chamber, a carrying mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, and a transfer component as described in any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the loading chamber is used to place a wafer carrier, the wafer carrier is used to load the wafer, the clutch assembly is arranged in the clutch chamber, the transfer component is arranged in the transfer chamber, the transfer component is used to transfer the wafer between the loading chamber, the transfer chamber and the clutch chamber, and is used to transfer the carrying component between the reaction chamber and the clutch chamber.

14. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 13, characterized in that: The cavity body of the clutch chamber is provided with a first light-transmitting opening, a first light-transmitting component is provided in the first light-transmitting opening, a first pressure ring is provided at a position of the cavity corresponding to the first light-transmitting component, and the first pressure ring is used to press the first light-transmitting component against the cavity body and seal the gap between the first light-transmitting component and the cavity.

15. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 13, characterized in that: The cavity of the clutch chamber is provided with second light-transmitting openings on opposite sides of the circumference, the two second light-transmitting openings are arranged opposite to each other, a second light-transmitting component is arranged in each of the second light-transmitting openings, and a second pressure ring is arranged at a position of the cavity corresponding to each second light-transmitting component, the second pressure ring is used to press the corresponding second light-transmitting component onto the cavity, and seal the gap between the corresponding second light-transmitting component and the cavity; A positioning component is correspondingly arranged outside each of the second light-transmitting components, and the two positioning components are arranged opposite to each other to detect the relative position between the wafer carried by the carrying component in the clutch chamber and the carrying component.

16. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 13, characterized in that: A position alignment component is also provided in the transfer chamber, and the position alignment component is used to align the position of the wafer to a preset position. The transfer component can transfer the wafer to the position alignment component.

17. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 13, characterized in that: A cooling assembly is also provided in the transfer chamber, and the cooling assembly is used to cool the wafer. The transfer component can transfer the wafer to the cooling assembly.

18. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 17, characterized in that: The transfer chamber is provided with a first transfer channel, the first transfer channel is communicated with the transfer chamber and is selectively communicated with the loading chamber, and the cooling component is arranged in the first transfer channel.

19. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 18, characterized in that: A receiving groove is arranged at the bottom of the first transmission channel, and the top surface of the cooling assembly is flush with the bottom surface of the first transmission channel.

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