Silicon wafer carrier and processing device

Abstract

A silicon wafer carrier. The silicon wafer carrier comprises a first end plate, a second end plate and supporting members arranged between the first end plate and the second end plate, wherein each supporting member comprises a flow channel used for accommodating gas and a plurality of slots used for receiving silicon wafers, the plurality of slots are arranged at intervals in a first direction, and the first direction is a length direction of the supporting member; the flow channel is used for accommodating gas; and the plurality of slots are communicated with the flow channel so as to come into contact with the gas. By forming a flow channel in each supporting member, gas can flow into slots from the flow channel, so that the gas in the flow channel comes into contact with silicon wafers in the slots, thereby reducing airflow imprints in the positions where the silicon wafers are in contact with the slots, and reducing the generation of defects of the silicon wafers.

Description

Silicon wafer carriers and processing equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on September 12, 2023, with application number 202322472687.6, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of solar cell preparation, for example, to a silicon wafer carrier and processing equipment. Background Art

[0003] To maximize yield in silicon wafer processing, wafer carriers, such as quartz boats, are often used to carry multiple wafers into reaction equipment for processing. In related technologies, the support members of these wafer carriers are equipped with slots. Airflow marks often occur where the wafers contact the slots, impacting processes like wafer coating and deposition.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application proposes a silicon wafer carrier, which can solve the technical problem of airflow marks occurring on silicon wafers placed in card slots in the related art.

[0006] In the first aspect, a silicon wafer carrier according to an embodiment of the present application includes a first end plate, a second end plate and a support member, wherein the support member is arranged between the first end plate and the second end plate, and the support member includes a flow channel and a plurality of slots, wherein the plurality of slots are arranged to place silicon wafers, and the plurality of slots are arranged at intervals along a first direction, and the first direction is the length direction of the support member; the flow channel is arranged to accommodate gas, and the plurality of slots are connected to the flow channel to contact the gas.

[0007] In some embodiments, the support member includes a first end, a second end and a side wall, the first end is connected to the first end plate; the second end is connected to the second end plate; the side wall is located between the first end and the second end, and the card groove is opened on the surface of the side wall; wherein, one or more of the first end plate, the second end plate and the side wall has an air inlet, the air inlet is connected to the flow channel, and the flow channel is configured to receive gas through the air inlet.

[0008] In some embodiments, the air inlet is opened on the surface of the side wall.

[0009] In some embodiments, the air inlet comprises a plurality of air inlets, and the plurality of air inlets are spaced apart along the first direction.

[0010] In some embodiments, a through hole is provided at the first end, and the air inlet is provided on the first end plate and is arranged corresponding to the through hole; or,

[0011] A through hole is provided at the second end, and an air inlet is provided on the second end plate and is arranged corresponding to the through hole; or

[0012] The first end and the second end are respectively provided with through holes, and the air inlet is provided at a position on the first end plate corresponding to the through hole on the first end, and at a position on the second end plate corresponding to the through hole on the second end.

[0013] In some embodiments, a partition is provided in the flow channel, and the partition is configured to divide the flow channel into a plurality of sub-flow channels, and each sub-flow channel is communicated with a portion of the plurality of slots.

[0014] In some embodiments, the size of the sub-channel in the first direction gradually increases as it approaches the card slot in the second direction.

[0015] In some embodiments, a dimension of the flow channel in the second direction is less than or equal to a preset multiple of a dimension of the support member in the second direction.

[0016] In some embodiments, a mounting member is also included; four support members are provided, two of which are located on the first side of the first end plate, and the other two support members are located on the second side of the first end plate, and the mounting member is connected to the two support members located on the same side of the first end plate.

[0017] In some embodiments, at least one connecting portion is provided on a side of the support member facing away from the card slot, and a plurality of connecting portions are spaced apart along the first direction. The mounting member can be selectively detachably connected to any connecting portion.

[0018] In some embodiments, the support member is made of one of quartz, silicon carbide, or zirconium oxide.

[0019] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a processing device, including a furnace body and the above-mentioned silicon wafer carrier; the furnace body is configured to accommodate the silicon wafer carrier. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a silicon wafer carrier in some embodiments of the present application;

[0021] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the silicon wafer carrier shown in FIG1 from another angle;

[0022] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of a support member of a silicon wafer carrier in some embodiments of the present application;

[0023] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a support member in a silicon wafer carrier in some other embodiments of the present application;

[0024] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a silicon wafer carrier in other embodiments of the present application;

[0025] FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the silicon wafer carrier shown in FIG. 5 .

[0026] Reference numerals:

[0027] 1. First end plate; 2. Second end plate; 3. Support member; 31. First end; 32. Second end; 33. Side wall; 34. First support member; 35. Second support member; 36. Third support member; 37. Fourth support member; 4. Slot; 5. Flow channel; 51. Sub-flow channel; 6. Air inlet; 7. Mounting member; 8. Connecting portion; 9. Partition. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In the description of this application, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "connected," "connected," and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integration; mechanical connections or electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and can refer to internal communication between two components or interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0029] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include the first and second features being in direct contact, or may include the first and second features being in contact not directly but through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above," "above," and "above" a second feature may include the first feature being directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below," "below," and "below" a second feature may include the first feature being directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0030] In the description of this embodiment, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and other orientations or positional relationships are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely for ease of description and simplified operation. They do not indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used solely for descriptive purposes and have no special meanings.

[0031] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a silicon wafer carrier according to some embodiments of the present application, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the silicon wafer carrier shown in Figure 1 from another angle, and Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a support member of the silicon wafer carrier according to some embodiments of the present application. The silicon wafer carrier includes a first end plate 1, a second end plate 2, and a support member 3 disposed between the first end plate 1 and the second end plate 2.

[0032] The support member 3 includes a flow channel 5 configured to accommodate gas and multiple slots 4 configured to accommodate silicon wafers. The slots 4 are spaced apart along a first direction, which is the length of the support member 3. The flow channel 5 accommodates gas, and the slots 4 are connected to the flow channel 5 to provide access to the gas. During operation, a silicon wafer is first placed in the slots 4. The wafer is then transported into the furnace body via the wafer carrier, and reactive gas is introduced into the furnace body. Some of the reactive gas flows to the surface of the silicon wafer to be coated (the surface of the silicon wafer positioned along the first direction when the wafer is placed in the wafer carrier). Some of the reactive gas flows through the flow channel 5 into the slots 4, allowing the silicon wafer in the slots 4 to come into contact with the reactive gas.

[0033] It should be noted that the material of the support member 3 can be quartz, silicon carbide, or zirconium oxide, which is not specifically limited here and can be determined according to actual conditions. Compared with the support member 3 made of quartz, the support member 3 made of silicon carbide or zirconium oxide has better structural strength.

[0034] The silicon wafer carrier provided in the embodiment of the present application has a flow channel 5 set on the support member 3, and the reaction gas can flow from the flow channel 5 to the slot 4, so that the reaction gas in the flow channel 5 contacts the silicon wafer in the slot 4, thereby reducing the airflow mark at the contact position between the silicon wafer and the slot 4 and reducing the occurrence of silicon wafer defects.

[0035] As shown in Figure 3, in some embodiments, the support member 3 includes a first end 31, a second end 32, and a sidewall 33. The first end 31 is connected to the first end plate 1, and the second end 32 is connected to the second end plate 2. The sidewall 33 is located between the first and second ends 31, 32, so that the support member 3 is connected to the first and second end plates 1, 2. The retaining groove 4 is defined on the surface of the sidewall 33. The sidewall 33 has an air inlet 6, which communicates with the flow channel 5. The flow channel 5 receives gas through the air inlet 6 and delivers the gas to the retaining groove 4. In this embodiment, the air inlet 6 is located on the surface of the sidewall 33, thereby shortening the flow path of the gas from the air inlet 6 to the retaining groove 4, allowing the gas to flow to the retaining groove 4 more quickly. The air inlet 6 is not limited to being located on the sidewall of the support member 3. For example, in some other embodiments, the air inlet 6 is defined on at least one of the first and second end plates 1, 2. In this embodiment, the air inlet 6 is directly provided on the sidewall surface of the support member 3, avoiding the air inlet 6, thereby ensuring the structural strength of the support member 3 and enabling the silicon wafer to be more stably held on the support member 3. For example, in some other embodiments, the air inlet 6 is respectively provided on the first end plate 1, the second end plate 2, and the sidewall 33 of the support member 3; or, the air inlet 6 is provided on the sidewall of the support member 3, and the air inlet 6 is provided on one of the first end plate 1 and the second end plate 2.

[0036] The number of the air inlets 6 is not limited to one. As shown in FIG3 , a plurality of air inlets 6 are provided on the side wall 33 of the support member. The plurality of air inlets 6 are spaced apart along the first direction, and each air inlet 6 is connected to the flow channel 5 .

[0037] With this arrangement, multiple air inlets 6 are provided and spaced apart along the first direction on the surface of the side wall 33 , so that gas enters the flow channel 5 simultaneously through the multiple air inlets 6 and the gas distribution can be more uniform.

[0038] In one embodiment, at least one of the first end plate 1 and the second end plate 2 is provided with an air inlet 6. In one embodiment, a through hole is formed at the first end 31, and the air inlet 6 is formed on the first end plate 1 and arranged correspondingly to the through hole. Alternatively, a through hole is formed at the second end 32, and the air inlet 6 is formed on the second end plate 2 and arranged correspondingly to the through hole. Alternatively, a through hole is formed at each of the first and second ends, and the air inlet 6 is formed at a position on the first end plate 1 corresponding to the through hole on the first end 31, and at a position on the second end plate 2 corresponding to the through hole on the second end 32.

[0039] As shown in Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of a support member in a silicon wafer carrier in some other embodiments of the present application, in some embodiments, a divider 9 is provided in the flow channel 5, which divides the flow channel 5 into a plurality of sub-flow channels 51, each of which is connected to a portion of the plurality of slots 4.

[0040] The flow channel 5 is divided into a plurality of sub-flow channels 51 by the partition 9, which can evenly distribute the gas and make it easier for the gas to diffuse into the card slot 4. Each sub-flow channel 51 is connected to at least one air inlet 6, thereby ensuring that each sub-flow channel 51 can normally take in air.

[0041] In some embodiments, the dimension of the sub-channel 51 in the first direction gradually increases as it approaches the slot 4 in the second direction. The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction; the dimension of the sub-channel 51 in the first direction gradually increases. This configuration creates a variable diameter flow channel through the sub-channel 51, slowing the flow of gas toward the slot 4 and preventing excessive airflow from impacting the silicon wafer in the slot 4, thereby preventing damage to the silicon wafer.

[0042] In some embodiments, the dimension of the flow channel 5 in the second direction is less than or equal to a preset multiple of the dimension of the support member 3 in the second direction. For example, the dimension of the flow channel 5 in the second direction is less than or equal to half the dimension of the support member 3 in the second direction. In this case, by properly setting the dimension of the flow channel 5, the structural strength of the support member 3 can be ensured, thereby enabling the silicon wafer to be more stably held on the support member 3.

[0043] As shown in Figures 1, 5, and 6, Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a silicon wafer carrier in other embodiments of the present application; Figure 6 is an exploded view of the silicon wafer carrier shown in Figure 5. In some embodiments, there are four support members 3, namely a first support member 34, a second support member 35, a third support member 36, and a fourth support member 37. The first and second support members 34, 35 are located on the first side of the first end plate 1, while the third and fourth support members 36, 37 are located on the second side of the first end plate 1. The edges of the silicon wafer are inserted into the slots 4 of the four support members 3, thereby ensuring the stability of the silicon wafer support. The silicon wafer carrier also includes two mounting members 7, namely a first mounting member 71 and a second mounting member 72. The first mounting member 71 is connected to the first and second support members 34, 35, respectively; the second mounting member 72 is connected to the third and fourth support members 36, 37, respectively. The mounting members 7 facilitate the movement of the entire silicon wafer carrier or secure the silicon wafer carrier to the boat support or paddle.

[0044] In some embodiments, the support member 3 is provided with a connecting portion 8, and the mounting member 7 is detachably connected to the connecting portion 8, allowing the mounting member 7 to be replaced. In one embodiment, the connecting portion 8 is a connecting block, and the mounting member 7 is provided with a mounting slot, through which the mounting member 7 is plugged into the connecting block. In other embodiments, the mounting member 7 and the connecting portion 8 are not limited to using a mounting slot. For example, in some other embodiments, the mounting member 7 and the connecting portion 8 can be glued together. The specific method can be determined according to actual design requirements.

[0045] As shown in Figure 6, in some embodiments, multiple connecting portions 8 are provided, and the mounting member 7 can be detachably connected to any of the connecting portions 8. This allows the mounting position of the mounting member 7 to be adaptively adjusted according to different processing requirements, thereby improving the versatility of the silicon wafer carrier. In one embodiment, two connecting portions 8 are provided, one of which connects two support members 3 (e.g., the first support member 34 and the second support member 35) located on the same side of the first end plate 1, and the other connecting portion 8 connects two support members 3 (e.g., the third support member 36 and the fourth support member 37) located on the other side of the first end plate 1. In some other embodiments, two connecting portions 8 are provided, one of which connects two support members 3 (e.g., the first support member 34 and the third support member 36) located on the same side of the first end plate 1, and the other connecting portion 8 connects two support members 3 (e.g., the second support member 35 and the fourth support member 37) located on the other side of the first end plate 1. This embodiment does not specifically limit the connection position of the connecting portion 8, as long as the two connecting portions 8 are installed on opposite sides.

[0046] This embodiment further provides a processing device, including a furnace body and the above-mentioned silicon wafer carrier. The furnace body can accommodate the silicon wafer carrier to perform a diffusion process, so as to reduce the air flow mark at the contact position between the silicon wafer and the card slot 4.

Claims

1. Silicon wafer carrier, including: A first end plate (1), a second end plate (2), and a support member (3) arranged between the first end plate (1) and the second end plate (2); Wherein, the support member (3) comprises: A plurality of card slots (4) are arranged to place silicon wafers, the plurality of card slots (4) are arranged at intervals along a first direction, and the first direction is the length direction of the support member (3); The flow channel (5) is configured to contain gas, and the plurality of slots (4) are connected to the flow channel (5) to contact the gas.

2. The silicon wafer carrier according to claim 1, wherein: The support member (3) comprises: A first end (31) connected to the first end plate (1); A second end (32) connected to the second end plate (2); A side wall (33) is located between the first end (31) and the second end (32), and the card slot (4) is opened on the surface of the side wall (33); One or more of the first end plate (1), the second end plate (2) and the side wall (33) has an air inlet (6), the air inlet (6) is connected to the flow channel (5), and the flow channel (5) is configured to receive the gas through the air inlet (6).

3. The silicon wafer carrier according to claim 2, wherein: The air inlet (6) is opened on the surface of the side wall (33).

4. The silicon wafer carrier according to claim 3, wherein: The air inlet (6) comprises a plurality of air inlets (6), and the plurality of air inlets (6) are arranged at intervals along the first direction.

5. The silicon wafer carrier according to claim 2, wherein: The first end (31) is provided with a through hole, and the air inlet (6) is provided on the first end plate (1) and is arranged corresponding to the through hole; or, The second end (32) is provided with the through hole, and the air inlet (6) is provided on the second end plate (2) and is arranged corresponding to the through hole; or, The first end (31) and the second end (32) are respectively provided with the through hole, and the air inlet (6) is provided at a position on the first end plate (1) corresponding to the through hole of the first end (31), and at a position on the second end plate (2) corresponding to the through hole of the second end (32).

6. The silicon wafer carrier according to claim 3, wherein: A partition (9) is provided in the flow channel (5), and the partition (9) is configured to divide the flow channel (5) into a plurality of sub-flow channels (50), each of the sub-flow channels (50) being connected to a portion of the plurality of slots (4).

7. The silicon wafer carrier according to claim 6, wherein: As the second direction approaches the clamping groove (4), the size of the sub-channel (50) in the first direction gradually increases, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

8. The silicon wafer carrier according to claim 7, wherein: The dimension of the flow channel (5) in the second direction is less than or equal to a preset multiple of the dimension of the support member (3) in the second direction.

9. The silicon wafer carrier according to any one of claims 1-8, further comprising a mounting member (7), wherein four support members (3) are provided, two of which are located on the first side of the first end plate (1), and the other two of which are located on the second side of the first end plate (1), and the mounting member (7) is connected to the two support members (3) located on the same side of the first end plate (1).

10. The silicon wafer carrier according to claim 9, wherein: The support member (3) is provided with at least one connecting portion (8), and the mounting member (7) is detachably connected to the support member (3) via the connecting portion (8).

11. The silicon wafer carrier according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The material of the support member (3) is one of quartz, silicon carbide or zirconium oxide.

12. A processing device, comprising a furnace body and a silicon wafer carrier as described in claims 1-11; the furnace body is configured to accommodate the silicon wafer carrier.

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