Load lock, semiconductor processing device and wafer alignment method

Abstract

The present application provides a load lock, a semiconductor processing device, and a wafer alignment method. The load lock comprises: a cavity; a first bearing plate; a second bearing plate; a driving mechanism; and a stop member. The first bearing plate and the second bearing plate are oppositely disposed in the cavity, the first bearing plate and the second bearing plate being used to bear a wafer; the driving mechanism is connected to the second bearing plate, and is used to drive the second bearing plate to move in a direction close to or away from the first bearing plate. The first bearing plate and the second bearing plate are configured to be capable of clamping a wafer to an alignment position when the second bearing plate moves towards the first bearing plate. The present application can effectively improve wafer transport efficiency.

Description

Wafer transfer chamber, semiconductor process equipment and wafer calibration method Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor process technology, and in particular to a wafer transfer chamber, semiconductor process equipment, and a method for calibrating a wafer. Background Art

[0002] The load lock (LL) serves as a transfer chamber between atmospheric and vacuum environments for wafers and requires frequent switching between atmospheric and vacuum conditions. As shown in Figure 1, the interior of the chamber 011 of the load lock 010 is typically provided with a first load plate 012 and a second load plate 013 facing each other, which are used to support wafers. When loading or placing wafers from the Equipment Front-End Module (EFEM) into the chamber 011 of the load lock 010, the interior of the chamber 011 is first inflated to atmospheric conditions, and then the atmospheric valve of the load lock 010 is opened before the wafer is loaded or placed. When loading or placing wafers from the Transport Module (TM) into the chamber 011 of the load lock 010, the interior of the chamber 011 is first evacuated to a vacuum state, and then the vacuum valve of the load lock 010 is opened before the wafer is loaded or placed. However, since the wafer is easily deflected inside the cavity 011 of the wafer transfer chamber 010, this will increase the time required for wafer calibration during subsequent transfer, resulting in lower wafer transfer efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present application provides a wafer transfer chamber, semiconductor process equipment and a method for calibrating wafers to solve the problem of low wafer transfer efficiency caused by the easy deviation of wafers inside the cavity of the wafer transfer chamber in the related art.

[0004] The first aspect of the present application provides a wafer transfer chamber, comprising: a cavity; a first carrier plate and a second carrier plate, which are arranged relatively to each other inside the cavity, and the first carrier plate and the second carrier plate are used to carry wafers; a driving mechanism, connected to the second carrier plate, for driving the second carrier plate to move toward or away from the first carrier plate; wherein, during the process of the second carrier plate moving toward the first carrier plate, the first carrier plate and the second carrier plate are configured to be able to clamp the wafer to a calibration position.

[0005] In one embodiment, it further includes:

[0006] The stopper is located between the first supporting plate and the second supporting plate, and is used for abutting against the second supporting plate when the second supporting plate moves toward the first supporting plate.

[0007] In one embodiment, the upper surface of the first carrier plate has a first limiting surface, and the upper surface of the second carrier plate has a second limiting surface; when the first carrier plate and the second carrier plate clamp the wafer to the calibration position, the first limiting surface and the second limiting surface both abut against the periphery of the wafer.

[0008] In one embodiment, the upper surface of the first carrier plate and the upper surface of the second carrier plate are both fan-shaped, and the upper surface of the first carrier plate and the upper surface of the second carrier plate constitute an annular carrier surface with a notch, and the annular carrier surface is inclined radially inward and downward along the annular carrier surface to support the edge area of ​​the lower surface of the wafer.

[0009] In one embodiment, there are multiple first carrier plates and multiple second carrier plates, and the multiple first carrier plates and multiple second carrier plates are spaced apart in the vertical direction, and the multiple first carrier plates correspond one-to-one to the multiple second carrier plates for carrying multiple wafers.

[0010] In one embodiment, the driving mechanism includes a cylinder and a telescopic rod, the first end of the telescopic rod is connected to the cylinder, and the second end of the telescopic rod is connected to the second supporting plate; the cylinder drives the telescopic rod to extend and retract to drive the second supporting plate to move; or, the driving mechanism includes a motor and a motor shaft, the first end of the motor shaft is connected to the motor, and the second end of the motor shaft is connected to the second supporting plate; the motor drives the motor shaft to extend and retract to drive the second supporting plate to move.

[0011] The second aspect of the present application provides a semiconductor process equipment, including front and back end chambers, a transfer chamber, a process chamber and at least one group of transfer chambers of any of the above-mentioned embodiments; each group of transfer chambers includes a first transfer chamber and a second transfer chamber arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction, and the first transfer chamber and the second transfer chamber are both connected between the front and back end chambers and the transfer chamber; the process chamber is connected to the transfer chamber, and a plurality of bases are arranged inside the process chamber; when the first carrier plate and the second carrier plate in the first transfer chamber clamp the wafer to the calibration position, and the first carrier plate and the second carrier plate in the second transfer chamber clamp the wafer to the calibration position, the relative position relationship between the wafer in the first transfer chamber and the wafer in the second transfer chamber is adapted to the relative position relationship between the two adjacent bases.

[0012] In one embodiment, the wafer transfer chambers include two groups, which are stacked vertically; one group of wafer transfer chambers is used as a transfer chamber for transferring wafers from the front and back end chambers to the transfer chamber; the other group of wafer transfer chambers is used as a transfer chamber for transferring wafers from the transfer chamber to the front and back end chambers.

[0013] The third aspect of the present application provides a method for calibrating wafers, which is applied to the wafer transfer chamber of any of the above-mentioned embodiments, and the wafer transfer chamber is provided with an air intake component and an air exhaust component. The method includes: when the wafer is placed on the first carrier plate and the second carrier plate in the wafer transfer chamber, controlling the air intake component to inflate air into the cavity of the wafer transfer chamber or controlling the air exhaust component to exhaust air from the cavity of the wafer transfer chamber; in the process of controlling the inflation or exhaust, controlling the driving mechanism to drive the second carrier plate to move toward the direction close to the first carrier plate.

[0014] In one embodiment, the method further includes: after controlling the wafer to move out of the wafer transfer chamber, controlling the driving mechanism to drive the second carrier plate to move in a direction away from the first carrier plate.

[0015] The advantages or beneficial effects of the above technical solution include at least: the second carrier plate is driven by a driving mechanism to move toward or away from the first carrier plate, so that when the second carrier plate is away from the first carrier plate, the first carrier plate and the second carrier plate are suitable for placing wafers, and when the second carrier plate is close to the first carrier plate, the first carrier plate and the second carrier plate can clamp the carried wafer to a calibration position, thereby achieving position calibration of the wafer. Based on this, the position of the wafer can be calibrated within the cavity of the wafer transfer chamber to ensure that the wafer is moved out of the wafer transfer chamber from the calibration position, which helps to reduce the time consumed by wafer calibration during subsequent transfer, thereby improving transfer efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The accompanying drawings are incorporated into and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application. In addition, these drawings and the description are not intended to limit the scope of the concept of the present application in any way, but rather to illustrate the concept of the present application for those skilled in the art by reference to specific embodiments.

[0017] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a film transfer chamber in the related art.

[0018] FIG. 2A is a schematic structural diagram of a film transfer chamber when the second carrier plate is away from the first carrier plate in one embodiment of the present application.

[0019] FIG. 2B is a schematic structural diagram of the film transfer chamber when the second carrier plate is close to the first carrier plate in one embodiment of the present application.

[0020] FIG. 2C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the first supporting plate and the second supporting plate in FIG. 2A .

[0021] FIG. 2D is a schematic top view of the film transfer chamber in FIG. 2A .

[0022] FIG3 is a schematic diagram showing a calibration process flow inside a process chamber in the related art.

[0023] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of a semiconductor process equipment according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of a group of film transmission chambers in FIG. 4 .

[0025] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of the two groups of film transmission chambers in FIG. 4 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Hereinafter, only certain exemplary embodiments are briefly described. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the described embodiments may be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application. Therefore, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.

[0027] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the film transfer chamber when the second carrier plate is away from the first carrier plate in one embodiment of the present application. Figure 2B is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the film transfer chamber when the second carrier plate is close to the first carrier plate in one embodiment of the present application. Figure 2C is a schematic diagram illustrating the cross-sectional structure of the first and second carrier plates in Figure 2A. Figure 2D is a schematic diagram illustrating a top view of the film transfer chamber in Figure 2A.

[0028] Please refer to FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D , the film transfer chamber 10 includes a cavity 11 , a first carrier plate 12 , a second carrier plate 13 , a driving mechanism 14 and a stopper 15 .

[0029] The first carrier plate 12 and the second carrier plate 13 are disposed opposite to each other inside the cavity 11 . The first carrier plate 12 and the second carrier plate 13 are used to carry the wafer 20 .

[0030] The driving mechanism 14 is connected to the second supporting plate 13 and is used to drive the second supporting plate 13 to move toward or away from the first supporting plate 12 .

[0031] In the process of the second carrier plate 13 moving toward the first carrier plate 12 , the first carrier plate 12 and the first carrier plate 12 are configured to clamp the wafer 20 to the calibration position.

[0032] The wafer transfer chamber 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application drives the second carrier plate 13 to move toward or away from the first carrier plate 12 via a driving mechanism 14, so that when the second carrier plate 13 is away from the first carrier plate 12, the first carrier plate 12 and the second carrier plate 13 are suitable for placing the wafer 20, and when the second carrier plate 13 is close to the first carrier plate 12, the first carrier plate 12 and the second carrier plate 13 can clamp the carried wafer 20 to a calibration position, thereby achieving position calibration of the wafer 20. Based on this, the position of the wafer 20 can be calibrated inside the cavity 11 of the wafer transfer chamber 10 to ensure that the wafer 20 is moved out of the wafer transfer chamber 10 from the calibration position, which is conducive to reducing the calibration time of the wafer 20 in the subsequent transfer process, thereby improving the transfer efficiency.

[0033] For example, when the drive mechanism 14 drives the second carrier plate 13 to move away from the first carrier plate 12, the distance between the first carrier plate 12 and the second carrier plate 13 increases, and the area of ​​the area enclosed by the first and second carrier plates 12, 13 increases, making it easier to place the wafer 20 on the first and second carrier plates 12, 13. When the drive mechanism 14 drives the second carrier plate 13 to move toward the first carrier plate 12, the distance between the second carrier plate 13 and the first carrier plate 12 decreases, and the area of ​​the area enclosed by the first and second carrier plates 12, 13 decreases. Furthermore, the first and second carrier plates 12, 13 can clamp the wafer 20 to the calibration position, achieving position calibration of the wafer 20.

[0034] For example, in actual applications, the calibration position inside the cavity 11 of the wafer transfer chamber 10 is adapted to the wafer picking position of the vacuum robot, and the calibration position inside the process chamber is adapted to the wafer placing position of the vacuum robot, and the wafer transfer path after the vacuum robot clamps the wafer 20 connects the wafer picking position and the wafer placing position; if the wafer 20 is positionally offset inside the cavity 11 of the wafer transfer chamber 10, the vacuum robot will take the wafer 20 out of the cavity 11 of the wafer transfer chamber 10 and transfer it to the inside of the process chamber. After that, the wafer 20 needs to be calibrated during the wafer placing process, which consumes more calibration time during the transfer of the wafer 20. The present application calibrates the position of the wafer 20 inside the cavity 11 of the wafer transfer chamber 10, so that the wafer 20 is located at the calibration position, which is conducive to the vacuum robot taking the wafer 20 out from the cavity 11 of the wafer transfer chamber 10 and accurately transferring it to the inside of the process chamber. In this way, the vacuum robot does not need to calibrate the wafer 20 during the wafer placement process, which can effectively reduce the calibration time of the wafer 20 in the subsequent transmission process.

[0035] During the movement of the second carrier plate 13 away from the first carrier plate 12, there are various ways to stop the second carrier plate 13 at the position where the wafer 20 is clamped to the calibration position. For example, the travel of the second carrier plate 13 can be controlled by a drive mechanism, or the end point of the movement of the second carrier plate 13 can be controlled by a position sensor. Furthermore, a mechanical structure can be used to prevent the second carrier plate 13 from further movement, thereby stopping the second carrier plate 13 at the position where the wafer 20 is clamped to the calibration position.

[0036] In some embodiments, there may be various mechanical structures for achieving the above-mentioned functions. For example, the wafer transfer chamber 10 further includes a stopper 15, which is located between the first carrier plate 12 and the second carrier plate 13 and is configured to move the second carrier plate 13 toward the first carrier plate 12 until the first carrier plate 12 and the second carrier plate 13 clamp the wafer 20 to a calibration position, at which point the stopper 15 abuts against the second carrier plate 13. Exemplarily, the stopper 15 is further disposed at the bottom of the chamber 11, and when the second carrier plate 13 moves toward the first carrier plate 12 and the first carrier plate 12 and the second carrier plate 13 clamp the wafer 20 to a calibration position, the bottom of the second carrier plate 13 abuts against the stopper 15.

[0037] For example, when the drive mechanism 14 drives the second carrier plate 13 to move away from the first carrier plate 12, the distance between the first carrier plate 12 and the second carrier plate 13 increases, and the area of ​​the area enclosed by the first and second carrier plates 12, 13 increases, making it easier to place the wafer 20 on the first and second carrier plates 12, 13. When the drive mechanism 14 drives the second carrier plate 13 to move toward the first carrier plate 12, the distance between the second carrier plate 13 and the first carrier plate 12 decreases, and the area of ​​the area enclosed by the first and second carrier plates 12, 13 decreases, until the second carrier plate 13 abuts the stopper 15, and the first and second carrier plates 12, 13 can clamp the wafer 20 to the calibration position, achieving position calibration of the wafer 20.

[0038] The wafer transfer chamber 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application drives the second carrier plate 13 to move toward or away from the first carrier plate 12 through the driving mechanism 14, so that when the second carrier plate 13 is away from the first carrier plate 12, the first carrier plate 12 and the second carrier plate 13 are suitable for placing the wafer 20, and when the second carrier plate 13 is close to the first carrier plate 12 and abuts against the stopper 15, the first carrier plate 12 and the second carrier plate 13 can clamp the carried wafer 20 to the calibration position, thereby achieving position calibration of the wafer 20. Based on this, the position of the wafer 20 can be calibrated inside the cavity 11 of the wafer transfer chamber 10 to ensure that the wafer 20 is moved out of the wafer transfer chamber 10 from the calibration position, which is conducive to reducing the calibration time of the wafer 20 in the subsequent transmission process, thereby improving the transmission efficiency.

[0039] In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the upper surface of the first carrier plate 12 has a first limiting surface 121, and the upper surface of the second carrier plate 13 has a second limiting surface 131; when the first carrier plate 12 and the second carrier plate 13 clamp the wafer 20 to the calibration position, for example, when the second carrier plate 13 abuts against the stopper 15, the first limiting surface 121 and the second limiting surface 131 both abut against the periphery of the wafer 20. Based on this, in the process of the second carrier plate 13 moving toward the direction close to the first carrier plate 12, the second limiting surface 131 can be used to abut against the periphery of the wafer 20 to drive the wafer 20 to move, and when the first carrier plate 12 and the second carrier plate 13 clamp the wafer 20 to the calibration position, for example, when the second carrier plate 13 abuts against the stop member 15, the first limiting surface 121 and the second limiting surface 131 can be used to abut against the periphery of the wafer 20 to clamp the wafer 20 and limit the wafer 20 to a specific calibration position, which helps to improve the accuracy of position calibration.

[0040] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG2C and FIG2D , the upper surface 12A of the first carrier plate 12 and the upper surface 13A of the second carrier plate 13 are both fan-shaped, and the upper surface 12A of the first carrier plate 12 and the upper surface 13A of the second carrier plate 13 form an annular bearing surface A having a gap G. The annular bearing surface A is inclined radially inward and downward to support the edge region of the lower surface of the wafer 20.

[0041] The above scheme, by setting the upper surface 12A of the first carrier plate 12 and the upper surface 13A of the second carrier plate 13 to be fan-shaped, and making the upper surface 12A of the first carrier plate 12 and the upper surface 13A of the second carrier plate 13 form an annular bearing surface A with a gap G, can make the shape of the annular bearing surface A compatible with the shape of the wafer 20; and the annular bearing surface A is set to be inclined radially inward and downward along the annular bearing surface A, so that when the annular bearing surface A supports the wafer 20, the annular bearing surface A only contacts the edge area of ​​the lower surface of the wafer 20, which can effectively reduce the contact area between the wafer 20 and the annular bearing surface A, thereby reducing the particulate matter generated by the friction between the wafer 20 and the annular bearing surface A.

[0042] In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 2A and 2B, there are multiple first carrier plates 12 and multiple second carrier plates 13, and the multiple first carrier plates 12 and the multiple second carrier plates 13 are arranged at intervals along the vertical direction, and the multiple first carrier plates 12 and the multiple second carrier plates 13 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence to each other for carrying multiple wafers 20.

[0043] For example, a first support portion 122 is provided at the bottom of the first carrier plate 12. Multiple first support portions 122 are stacked in the vertical direction and connected to the bottom of the cavity 11 by first fasteners 16 passing through the multiple first support portions 122. This allows multiple first carrier plates 12 to be spaced apart in the vertical direction. The first support portion 122 can not only support and fix the first carrier plate 12, but also keep two adjacent first carrier plates 12 at a certain distance to facilitate the operation of taking and placing the sheet. A second support portion 132 is provided at the bottom of the second carrier plate 13. Multiple second support portions 132 are stacked in the vertical direction and connected to each other by second fasteners 17 passing through the multiple second support portions 132. This allows multiple second carrier plates 13 to be spaced apart in the vertical direction. The first support portion 122 can not only support and fix the second carrier plate 13, but also keep two adjacent second carrier plates 13 at a certain distance to facilitate the operation of taking and placing the sheet. The first fasteners 16 and the second fasteners 17 include but are not limited to screws. The multiple first carrier plates 12 correspond one-to-one with the multiple second carrier plates 13, allowing multiple wafers 20 to be placed simultaneously within the chamber 11. Thus, when the drive mechanism 14 synchronously drives the multiple second carrier plates 13 to move toward the first carrier plates 12, the multiple first carrier plates 12 and the multiple second carrier plates 13 can clamp the multiple wafers 20 in a one-to-one alignment at the calibration position, allowing the position of multiple wafers 20 to be calibrated simultaneously, which helps improve calibration efficiency.

[0044] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the drive mechanism 14 includes a cylinder 141 and a telescopic rod 142. The first end of the telescopic rod 142 is connected to the cylinder 141, and the second end of the telescopic rod 142 is connected to the second supporting plate 13. The cylinder 141 drives the telescopic rod 142 to extend and retract, thereby driving the second supporting plate 13 to move.

[0045] For example, the cylinder 141 can be disposed on the outer wall of the cavity 11 adjacent to the second supporting plate 13. The first end of the telescopic rod 142 is connected to the side of the cylinder 141 facing the cavity 11, and the second end of the telescopic rod 142 passes through the outer wall of the cavity 11 and is connected to the second supporting plate 13. The second end of the telescopic rod 142 can be fixedly connected to the second supporting plate 13 via fasteners such as rivets or screws. When the cylinder 141 drives the telescopic rod 142 to retract, the telescopic rod 142 drives the second supporting plate 13 to move away from the first supporting plate 12; when the cylinder 141 drives the telescopic rod 142 to extend, the telescopic rod 142 drives the second supporting plate 13 to move toward the first supporting plate 12. In this manner, the drive mechanism 14 can drive the second supporting plate 13.

[0046] In other embodiments, the drive mechanism 14 includes a motor and a motor shaft (not shown in the drawings). A first end of the motor shaft is connected to the motor, and a second end of the motor shaft is connected to the second supporting plate 13. The motor drives the motor shaft to extend and retract to drive the second supporting plate 13 to move.

[0047] For example, the motor can be disposed on the outer wall of the cavity 11 adjacent to the second supporting plate 13. The first end of the motor shaft is connected to the side of the cylinder 141 facing the cavity 11, and the second end of the motor shaft passes through the outer wall and is connected to the second supporting plate 13. The motor drives the motor shaft to extend and retract, thereby driving the second supporting plate 13 to move. The principle of the motor driving the motor shaft to extend and retract is the same as the principle of the cylinder 141 driving the telescopic rod 142 to extend and retract, and will not be further described here.

[0048] It should be noted that the setting positions of the cylinder 141 and the motor can also be selected and adjusted according to actual needs, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0049] In the related art, in order to improve the efficiency of wafer transfer, two wafer transfer chambers are usually connected between the front and rear chambers and the transfer chamber. Two bases are set inside the process chamber. The vacuum robot can take out one wafer from each of the two wafer transfer chambers at a time, so that the vacuum robot can transfer two wafers to the two bases inside the process chamber at the same time. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the vacuum robot 50A is usually a single-layer double-arm robot. Two lifting mechanisms (not shown in the figure) inside the process chamber 50 lift two sets of ejector pins 52 to different heights (step S1), ensuring that there is a different height difference between the two wafers 20 clamped simultaneously by the vacuum robot 50A and the two sets of ejector pins 52, so that the vacuum robot 50A can use this height difference to calibrate and place the two wafers 20 respectively. For example, the height of the first group of ejector pins 52A on the right is higher than the height of the second group of ejector pins 52B on the left. The vacuum robot 50A first clamps the two wafers 20 at the same height (step S1); then aligns the wafer 20 on the right with the base 51 on the right and places it on the first group of ejector pins 52A on the right (step S2). During this process, the vacuum robot 50A simultaneously clamps the wafer 20 on the left and moves downward; then, the vacuum robot 50A continues to align the wafer 20 on the left with the base 51 on the left during the descent process, and places the wafer 20 on the left on the second group of ejector pins 52B on the left (steps S3 to S4); then, the vacuum robot 50A descends to a certain height and moves out of the process chamber 50 (step S5). However, since the wafers are prone to position displacement inside the transfer chamber, when the vacuum robot located inside the transfer chamber transfers two wafers from the transfer chamber to the two bases inside the process chamber, the two wafers need to be calibrated separately, which reduces the wafer transmission efficiency.

[0050] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application further provides a semiconductor process equipment. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the semiconductor process equipment 100 includes a front-end and back-end chamber 30, a transfer chamber 40, a process chamber 50, and at least one set of wafer transfer chambers 10 according to any of the above-mentioned embodiments. Each set of wafer transfer chambers 10 includes a first wafer transfer chamber 10A and a second wafer transfer chamber 10B arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction. The first wafer transfer chamber 10A and the second wafer transfer chamber 10B are both connected between the front-end and back-end chambers 30 and the transfer chamber 40. The process chamber 50 is connected to the transfer chamber 40, and a plurality of bases 51 are disposed inside the process chamber 50. When the first carrier plate 12 and the second carrier plate 13 in the first transfer chamber 10A clamp the wafer 20 to the calibration position, and the first carrier plate 12 and the second carrier plate 13 in the second transfer chamber 10B clamp the wafer 20 to the calibration position, for example, in an embodiment where a stop member 15 is provided, when the second carrier plate 13 in the first transfer chamber 10A abuts against the stop member 15 and the second carrier plate 13 in the second transfer chamber 10B abuts against the stop member 15, the relative position relationship between the wafer 20 in the first transfer chamber 10A and the wafer 20 in the second transfer chamber 10B is adapted to the relative position relationship between any two adjacent bases 51 inside the process chamber 50.

[0051] Among them, an atmospheric robot is set inside the front and rear end chambers 30, and a loading chamber 30A for placing wafers 20 is set on the side of the front and rear end chambers 30 facing away from the wafer transfer chamber 10. The atmospheric robot can transfer the wafer 20 inside the loading chamber 30A into the cavity 11 of the wafer transfer chamber 10, and can also transfer the wafer 20 inside the cavity 11 of the wafer transfer chamber 10 back to the loading chamber 30A.

[0052] The above solution sets the first wafer transfer chamber 10A and the second wafer transfer chamber 10B between the front and rear end chambers 30 and the transfer chamber 40, so that when the two wafers 20 are transferred into the cavity 11 of the first wafer transfer chamber 10A and the cavity 11 of the second wafer transfer chamber 10B one by one, the first carrier plate 12 and the second carrier plate 13 in the first wafer transfer chamber 10A clamp the wafers 20 to the calibration position, and the first carrier plate 12 and the second carrier plate 13 in the second wafer transfer chamber 10B clamp the wafers 20 to the calibration position, for example, the second carrier plate 13 in the first wafer transfer chamber 10A abuts against the stopper 15 and the second carrier plate 13 in the second wafer transfer chamber 10B abuts against the stopper When the parts 15 are in contact with each other, the two wafers 20 can be calibrated one by one; and, because after the two wafers 20 are calibrated one by one, the relative position relationship between the two wafers 20 is compatible with the relative position relationship between any two adjacent bases 51 inside the process chamber 50, so when the vacuum robot located inside the transfer chamber 40 transfers the two wafers 20 into the process chamber 50, only one wafer 20 needs to be calibrated to ensure that the two wafers 20 are aligned one by one with any two adjacent bases 51, which reduces the time consumption of the position calibration inside the process chamber 50 and is beneficial to improving the transmission efficiency of the wafers 20, such as increasing the number of wafers 20 transmitted per hour.

[0053] Furthermore, it should be noted that, as shown in FIG3 , in related art, two lifting mechanisms within the process chamber 50 typically raise the two sets of ejector pins 52 to different heights, ensuring that the two wafers 20 simultaneously held by the vacuum robot 50A have different height differences from the two sets of ejector pins 52, allowing the vacuum robot 50A to calibrate and place the two wafers 20 separately. This structure requires the use of a three-stage lifting mechanism to meet the requirements of raising the two sets of ejector pins 52 to different heights, and the valve height of the process chamber 50 must be set higher to meet the travel requirements of the vacuum robot 50A for calibrating and placing the wafers 20, which increases the design difficulty of the calibration function within the process chamber 50. In order to solve this problem, in an embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, since the first transfer chamber 10A and the second transfer chamber 10B have a calibration function, the relative positions of the two wafers 20 can be calibrated in advance after the two wafers 20 are calibrated in position by the first transfer chamber 10A and the second transfer chamber 10, so that the relative position relationship between the two wafers 20 is adapted to the relative position relationship between any two adjacent bases 51 inside the process chamber 50, for example, the distance between the two wafers 20 is equal to the distance between any two adjacent bases 51, which is equivalent to replacing part of the calibration function of the process chamber 50 in the related art. In this way, when the vacuum robot 50A moves two wafers 20 into the interior of the process chamber 50 at the same time, it is only necessary to calibrate the position of one wafer 20 to ensure that the two wafers 20 are aligned one by one with any two adjacent bases 51. There is no need to rely on two lifting mechanisms to lift the two groups of ejectors 52 to different heights to realize the calibration function of the process chamber 50. For example, the two lifting mechanisms can lift the two groups of ejectors 52 to the same height to realize the calibration function of the process chamber 50, which is also conducive to shortening the stroke of the vacuum robot 50A to calibrate and place the wafers 20, so that the valve height of the process chamber 50 can be set lower, reducing the design difficulty of the internal calibration function of the process chamber 50.

[0054] In one example, as shown in FIG5 , the second carrier plate 13 and drive mechanism 14 of the first chip transmission chamber 10A are both located on the side of the first chip transmission chamber 10A facing away from the second chip transmission chamber 10B. The second carrier plate 13 and drive mechanism 14 of the second chip transmission chamber 10B are both located on the side of the second chip transmission chamber 10B facing away from the first chip transmission chamber 10A. This arrangement allows the adjacent sides of the first chip transmission chamber 10A and the second chip transmission chamber 10B to be closely aligned, saving layout space.

[0055] In one embodiment, please refer to Figures 4 and 6 together. The wafer transfer chambers 10 include two groups, and the two groups of wafer transfer chambers 10 are stacked in the vertical direction; one group of wafer transfer chambers 10 is used as a transfer chamber for transferring wafers 20 from the front and back end chambers 30 to the transfer chamber 40, such as the group of wafer transfer chambers 10 located on the upper layer; the other group of wafer transfer chambers 10 is used as a transfer chamber for transferring wafers 20 from the transfer chamber 40 to the front and back end chambers 30, such as the group of wafer transfer chambers 10 located on the lower layer.

[0056] The above scheme sets up two groups of wafer transfer chambers 10, one of which is used as a transfer chamber for transferring the wafer 20 from the front and rear end chambers 30 to the transfer chamber 40, and sets up another group of wafer transfer chambers 10 as a transfer chamber for transferring the wafer 20 from the transfer chamber 40 to the front and rear end chambers 30. In this way, the transfer process of the wafer 20 from the front and rear end chambers 30 to the transfer chamber 40 and the return process of the wafer 20 from the transfer chamber 40 to the front and rear end chambers 30 do not interfere with each other, which is beneficial to improving the transmission efficiency of the wafer 20.

[0057] The present application also provides a method for calibrating a wafer, which is applicable to the wafer transfer chamber 10 of any of the above-described embodiments, wherein the wafer transfer chamber 10 is provided with an air intake assembly and an air extraction assembly (not shown in the drawings). Referring to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B , the method includes the following steps S110 to S120.

[0058] In step S110 , when the wafer 20 is placed on the first carrier plate 12 and the second carrier plate 13 in the wafer transfer chamber 10 , the air intake assembly is controlled to inflate air into the cavity 11 of the wafer transfer chamber 10 or the air extraction assembly is controlled to extract air from the cavity 11 of the wafer transfer chamber 10 .

[0059] Step S120 : During the process of controlling the inflation or deflating, the driving mechanism 14 is controlled to drive the second supporting plate 13 to move toward the direction close to the first supporting plate 12 .

[0060] Please refer to Figure 4. In actual application, before the wafer 20 is transferred from the cavity 11 of the transfer chamber 10 to the transfer chamber 40, the cavity 11 of the transfer chamber 10 is first evacuated to a vacuum state so that the state of the cavity 11 of the transfer chamber 10 is consistent with the state of the transfer chamber 40, and then the wafer 20 is taken out from the cavity 11 of the transfer chamber 10; before the wafer 20 is transferred from the cavity 11 of the transfer chamber 10 to the front and rear end chambers 30, the cavity 11 of the transfer chamber 10 is first inflated to an atmospheric state so that the state of the cavity 11 of the transfer chamber 10 is consistent with the state of the front and rear end chambers 30, and then the wafer 20 is taken out from the cavity 11 of the transfer chamber 10.

[0061] In the above scheme, while controlling the inflation or evacuation process, the drive mechanism 14 is simultaneously controlled to drive the second carrier plate 13 toward the first carrier plate 12, thereby calibrating the position of the wafers 20 placed on the first and second carrier plates 12, 13. This allows the position calibration of the wafers 20 to be performed simultaneously with the inflation or evacuation process. This eliminates the need for additional time to calibrate the position of the wafers 20, thereby improving the calibration efficiency of the wafers 20. Furthermore, calibrating the position of the wafers 20 during the evacuation process further helps reduce the risk of positional shifting of the wafers 20 during the return process.

[0062] In one embodiment, referring to both Figures 2A and 2B , the method further includes: after controlling the wafer 20 to move out of the transfer chamber 10, controlling the drive mechanism 14 to drive the second carrier plate 13 to move away from the first carrier plate 12. In this manner, when no wafer 20 is placed on the first carrier plate 12 or the second carrier plate 13, controlling the second carrier plate 13 to move away from the first carrier plate 12 allows the first carrier plate 12 and the second carrier plate 13 to be in a state suitable for placing the wafer 20, thereby facilitating preparation for the subsequent transfer process.

[0063] In this application, unless otherwise specified or limited, terms such as "connected," "connected," and "stacked" should be understood broadly. For example, they may refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integration; they may refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; they may refer to internal communication between two components or interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of these terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0064] In the description of this specification, the reference terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples" mean that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any appropriate manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as features of different embodiments or examples, unless they are mutually inconsistent.

[0065] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. Throughout the description of this application, "plurality" means two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0066] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application, and such modifications or substitutions should be included within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A film transfer chamber, characterized in that, Comprising: A cavity; A first carrier plate and a second carrier plate, which are oppositely arranged inside the cavity, and the first carrier plate and the second carrier plate are used for carrying wafers; A driving mechanism, connected to the second carrier plate, for driving the second carrier plate to move in a direction approaching or departing from the first carrier plate; Wherein, during the process of the second carrier plate moving towards the first carrier plate, the first carrier plate and the second carrier plate are arranged to be able to clamp the wafer to the calibration position.

2. The film transfer chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, Further comprising: A stopper, located between the first carrier plate and the second carrier plate, for abutting against the second carrier plate when the second carrier plate moves towards the first carrier plate until the first carrier plate and the second carrier plate clamp the wafer to the calibration position.

3. The film transfer chamber according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The upper surface of the first carrier plate has a first limiting surface, and the upper surface of the second carrier plate has a second limiting surface; when the first carrier plate and the second carrier plate clamp the wafer to the calibration position, both the first limiting surface and the second limiting surface abut against the periphery of the wafer.

4. The film transfer chamber according to claim 1, wherein, The upper surfaces of the first carrier plate and the second carrier plate are both fan-shaped rings, and the upper surface of the first carrier plate and the upper surface of the second carrier plate form an annular bearing surface with a notch, and the annular bearing surface is inclined inwards and downwards along the radial direction of the annular bearing surface for supporting the edge area of the lower surface of the wafer.

5. The film transfer chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the first carrier plate and the second carrier plate are multiple, and the multiple first carrier plates and the multiple second carrier plates are all arranged at intervals in the vertical direction, and the multiple first carrier plates correspond to the multiple second carrier plates one by one for carrying multiple wafers.

6. The film transfer chamber according to claim 1, wherein The driving mechanism includes a cylinder and a telescopic rod, the first end of the telescopic rod is connected to the cylinder, and the second end of the telescopic rod is connected to the second carrier plate; the cylinder drives the telescopic rod to expand and contract to drive the second carrier plate to move; or, The driving mechanism includes a motor and a motor shaft, the first end of the motor shaft is connected to the motor, and the second end of the motor shaft is connected to the second carrier plate; the motor drives the motor shaft to expand and contract to drive the second carrier plate to move.

7. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that, Including a front and rear end chamber, a transfer chamber, a process chamber, and at least one wafer transfer chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 6; Each group of wafer transfer chambers includes a first wafer transfer chamber and a second wafer transfer chamber arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction, and both the first wafer transfer chamber and the second wafer transfer chamber are connected between the front and rear end chambers and the transfer chamber; The process chamber is connected to the transfer chamber, and a plurality of bases are arranged inside the process chamber; When the first carrier plate and the second carrier plate in the first wafer transfer chamber clamp the wafer to the calibration position, and the first carrier plate and the second carrier plate in the second wafer transfer chamber clamp the wafer to the calibration position, the relative position relationship between the wafer in the first wafer transfer chamber and the wafer in the second wafer transfer chamber is adapted to the relative position relationship between two adjacent bases.

8. The semiconductor processing equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that, The wafer transfer chamber includes two groups, and the two groups of wafer transfer chambers are stacked vertically; one of the wafer transfer chambers serves as a transfer chamber for transferring the wafer from the front-end and back-end chamber to the transfer chamber; the other wafer transfer chamber serves as a transfer chamber for transferring the wafer from the transfer chamber to the front-end and back-end chamber.

9. A method for calibrating a wafer, characterized in that, Applied to the wafer transfer chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the wafer transfer chamber is provided with an air inlet assembly and an air extraction assembly, and the method includes: When the wafer is placed on the first carrier plate and the second carrier plate in the wafer transfer chamber, controlling the air inlet assembly to inflate the inside of the cavity of the wafer transfer chamber or controlling the air extraction assembly to extract air from the inside of the cavity of the wafer transfer chamber; During the process of controlling inflation or air extraction, controlling the driving mechanism to drive the second carrier plate to move towards the direction close to the first carrier plate.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein The method further includes: After controlling the wafer to be removed from the wafer transfer chamber, controlling the driving mechanism to drive the second carrier plate to move away from the first carrier plate.

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