Edge gas intake device, semiconductor process chamber, and semiconductor process apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the present application are an edge gas intake device, a semiconductor process chamber, and a semiconductor process apparatus. The device comprises: a rotating gas intake assembly, which is annular and is rotatable around its own axis; a fixed gas intake assembly, which is annular and is arranged outside the rotating gas intake assembly, wherein a first interface surface on the outer periphery of the rotating gas intake assembly is interfaced with a second interface surface on the inner periphery of the fixed gas intake assembly in a relatively rotatable manner; a first gas intake channel is provided in the rotating gas intake assembly, the first gas intake channel is provided with a first gas inlet in the first interface surface, and a plurality of first gas outlets are provided along the inner periphery of the rotating gas intake assembly; and a second gas intake channel is provided in the fixed gas intake assembly, the second gas intake channel is provided with a second gas outlet in the second interface surface, and the first gas inlet is in communication with the second gas outlet. The present solution can improve the uniformity of distribution of gas into the semiconductor process chamber, thereby enhancing process uniformity.

Description

Edge air inlet device, semiconductor process chamber and semiconductor process equipment Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular, to an edge air intake device, a semiconductor process chamber, and semiconductor process equipment. Background Art

[0002] Silicon oxide deposition is a crucial process in integrated circuit chip manufacturing. Because integrated circuit manufacturing requires thermal budget considerations, silicon oxide deposition is typically performed using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), a method suitable for low-temperature deposition. Typically, PECVD, based on the capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) principle, can meet the requirements of this deposition process. However, when silicon oxide deposition needs to be performed within a structure with a certain aspect ratio, CCP-based PECVD falls short. This is because deposition can easily create a sealing effect at openings in such structures, resulting in voids within the structure.

[0003] Many solutions have been proposed for depositing silicon oxide on structures with high aspect ratios, including high-density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDP CVD) based on inductively coupled plasma (ICP), selected area chemical vapor deposition (SACVD), and flame chemical vapor deposition (FCVD). Although SACVD and FCVD offer better pore-filling capabilities than HDP CVD, their film quality is inferior to that of HDP CVD. Therefore, HDP CVD continues to attract attention in the industry.

[0004] In plasma deposition of silicon oxide, film formation depends on the surface reaction: SiH 4-x *+O*→Si(OH) n →SiO2+H2O↑+H2↑

[0005] This is a two-step reaction, first generating the intermediate Si(OH) n , and then silicon oxide is generated under the thermal effect and ion physical bombardment generated by the power assist of the lower electrode.4-x The generation of * and O* radicals is based on the following gas phase reaction: SiH4→SiH 4-x ++SiH 4-x *+e - O2→O + +O*+e -

[0006] If SiH4 and O2 mix too early when introduced into the process chamber, a chemical reaction can easily occur, resulting in particle problems. Therefore, SiH4 and O2 need to be introduced into the process chamber from the top and side of the process chamber, respectively. However, when the above gases are introduced into the process chamber from the side of the process chamber through the current edge gas inlet device, there is a problem of uneven distribution of the gases introduced into the process chamber, resulting in uneven process results. In particular, it cannot meet the gas distribution uniformity requirements of the HDP CVD process. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present application aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and proposes an edge air inlet device, a semiconductor process chamber and a semiconductor process equipment, which can improve the uniformity of gas distribution entering the semiconductor process chamber, thereby improving the process uniformity.

[0008] To achieve the purpose of the present application, an edge gas inlet device is provided for use in a semiconductor process chamber, comprising:

[0009] A rotating air intake assembly is annular and can rotate around its own axis;

[0010] The fixed air intake assembly is annular and is arranged on the outside of the rotating air intake assembly. The first docking surface located on the outer periphery of the rotating air intake assembly and the second docking surface located on the inner periphery of the fixed air intake assembly can be relatively rotatably docked. The rotating air intake assembly is provided with a first air intake channel, and the first air intake channel is provided with a first air inlet on the first docking surface, and a plurality of first air outlets are provided along the inner periphery of the rotating air intake assembly; the fixed air intake assembly is provided with a second air intake channel, and the second air intake channel is provided with a second air outlet on the second docking surface, and the first air inlet is communicated with the second air outlet.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first air inlet is annular and extends along the outer circumference of the rotating air inlet assembly.

[0012] In some embodiments, the second air outlet is annular and extends along the inner circumference of the fixed air inlet component; or, the second air outlet includes a plurality of sub-air outlets evenly distributed along the inner circumference of the fixed air inlet component, and the plurality of sub-air outlets are all connected to the first air inlet.

[0013] In some embodiments, the edge air intake device further comprises:

[0014] A dynamic sealing assembly is provided at the docking position between the first docking surface and the second docking surface, and is used to seal the gap at the docking position while ensuring that the rotary air intake assembly can rotate.

[0015] In some embodiments, the dynamic sealing assembly includes a first annular dynamic sealing portion and a second annular dynamic sealing portion, and the first annular dynamic sealing portion and the second annular dynamic sealing portion are respectively located on the upper side and the lower side of the docking position, and are used to seal the upper side gap and the lower side gap of the docking position respectively, while ensuring that the rotating air intake assembly can rotate.

[0016] In some embodiments, the rotating air inlet assembly and the fixed air inlet assembly are both made of magnetic conductive materials;

[0017] There are annular gaps between the two ends of the first annular dynamic sealing portion and the second annular dynamic sealing portion and the fixed air intake component and the rotating air intake component respectively. The magnetic pole directions of the two ends of the first annular dynamic sealing portion are opposite to those of the two ends of the second annular dynamic sealing portion, and the annular gaps are filled with magnetic fluid.

[0018] In some embodiments, the fixed air inlet assembly includes a fixed air inlet ring, which is used to penetrate the side wall of the semiconductor process chamber, and a portion of the fixed air inlet ring is used to be located outside the semiconductor process chamber; the second air inlet channel is provided with a second air inlet port on the portion of the fixed air inlet ring that is used to be located outside the semiconductor process chamber, for connecting to a gas source of the process gas.

[0019] In some embodiments, the fixed air inlet assembly includes a fixed air inlet ring and at least one air inlet pipe, wherein the fixed air inlet ring is configured to be located between a sidewall of the semiconductor process chamber and the rotating air inlet assembly;

[0020] The second air inlet channel has at least one second air inlet port, and each second air inlet port is connected to the air outlet end of each air inlet pipe in a one-to-one correspondence. The air inlet end of each air inlet pipe is used to pass through the side wall of the semiconductor process chamber and extend to the outside of the semiconductor process chamber for connection to a gas source.

[0021] In some embodiments, the rotating air intake assembly includes a rotating air intake ring, a rotating driving source for driving the rotating air intake ring to rotate, and a plurality of air intake nozzles; wherein the plurality of air intake nozzles are connected to the rotating air intake ring and are evenly distributed along the circumference of the rotating air intake ring;

[0022] A first sub-channel is provided in the rotating air intake ring, and a second sub-channel is provided in each air intake nozzle. The first sub-channel is connected with each second sub-channel and together constitutes the first air intake channel, and the air outlet of each second sub-channel serves as the first air outlet.

[0023] In some embodiments, each of the air intake nozzles is connected to the rotating air intake ring via an angle adjustment structure, and the angle adjustment structure is used to adjust the air outlet direction of the air intake nozzle.

[0024] As another technical solution, the present application further provides a semiconductor process chamber comprising:

[0025] a chamber body, wherein a carrying device for carrying a wafer is provided in the chamber body;

[0026] The edge air inlet device provided by the present application, wherein the rotating air inlet assembly surrounds the periphery of the carrier device disposed in the chamber body and is located above the carrier device;

[0027] A rotation driving source is used to drive the rotating air intake assembly to rotate.

[0028] In some embodiments, the rotary drive source includes a rotary drive member, a transmission structure, and a dynamic seal, wherein the rotary drive member is located outside the chamber body and is used to provide rotary power; the transmission structure is rotatably disposed through the chamber body and is respectively connected to the rotary drive member and the rotary air intake assembly, and is used to drive the rotary air intake assembly to rotate under the drive of the rotary drive member;

[0029] The dynamic seal is used to seal the gap between the transmission structure and the chamber body, while ensuring that the transmission structure can rotate.

[0030] In some embodiments, the rotary driving member is arranged above the chamber body, and the transmission structure includes a first connecting rod and multiple second connecting rods. The first connecting rod is vertically arranged, and one end of the first connecting rod passes through the top of the chamber body and extends to the outside of the chamber body, connected to the drive shaft of the rotary driving member, and the other end of the first connecting rod is connected to one end of multiple second connecting rods; the other ends of multiple second connecting rods are bent and extended to the edge of the inside of the chamber body, and are connected to the rotary air intake assembly at different positions on its circumference.

[0031] In some embodiments, the semiconductor process chamber further includes a central gas inlet device, which is used to transport process gas from the top of the chamber body to the interior of the chamber body.

[0032] In some embodiments, the semiconductor process chamber is a chemical vapor deposition chamber; the central gas inlet device and the edge gas inlet device are used to respectively transport a first process gas and a second process gas into the interior of the semiconductor process chamber, and the plasma formed by the first process gas and the second process gas can react with each other to form a thin film.

[0033] As another technical solution, the present application also provides a semiconductor process equipment, including the above-mentioned semiconductor process chamber provided by the present application.

[0034] This application has the following beneficial effects:

[0035] In the technical solutions of the edge air intake device, semiconductor process chamber and semiconductor process equipment provided in the present application, the rotating air intake component is annular and can rotate around its own axis and output process gas into the semiconductor process chamber during rotation. In the related art, the edge air inlet device is fixed. Since there is a certain distance between two adjacent air outlets in the circumferential direction of the edge air inlet device, the process gas flowing out from the two adjacent air outlets needs to diffuse to reach the position between the two adjacent air outlets, while the process gas flowing out from each air outlet can flow to the position directly opposite each air outlet faster. That is to say, under the condition of the same distance, there is a difference between the speed at which the process gas flowing out from multiple air outlets reaches the position directly opposite the air outlet and the speed at which it reaches the position between the two adjacent air outlets, which leads to uneven distribution of the process gas flowing into the semiconductor process chamber in the circumferential direction. In this regard, the rotating air inlet assembly in the present application can rotate to enable the gas flowing out from each first air outlet to reach any position on the circumference evenly without diffusion, thereby solving the problem in the related art that there is a difference between the speed at which the process gas flowing out from multiple air outlets reaches the position directly opposite the air outlet and the speed at which it reaches the position between the two adjacent air outlets, thereby improving the uniformity of gas distribution in the semiconductor process chamber, thereby improving process uniformity, and especially meeting the requirements for gas distribution uniformity of the HDP CVD process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] FIG1 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor process equipment provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG2 is a top view of an edge air inlet device used in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG3 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an edge air intake device used in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG4 is a comparison diagram of the gas flow of the first gas outlet of the edge air inlet device in the fixed and rotating states;

[0040] FIG5 is a cross-sectional view of a dynamic seal assembly used in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG6 is a cross-sectional view of another dynamic sealing assembly used in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present application, the edge air intake device, semiconductor process chamber and semiconductor process equipment provided by the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 1 , an embodiment of the present application provides a semiconductor processing apparatus 100, such as an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) apparatus, comprising a semiconductor processing chamber 1, an upper RF coil 2, an upper RF source, a lower RF source, and an edge gas inlet 5. The semiconductor processing chamber 1 includes a chamber body 13, within which is disposed a wafer carrier 3, such as an electrostatic chuck. The carrier 3 is electrically connected to the lower RF source (not shown), which includes a lower matcher and a lower RF power supply. The lower RF power supply applies RF power to the carrier 3 via the lower matcher, thereby attracting plasma toward the carrier 3. The upper RF coil 2 is electrically connected to the upper RF source (not shown), which includes an upper matcher and an upper RF power supply. The upper RF power supply applies RF power to the upper RF coil 2 via the upper matcher, thereby exciting process gas within the chamber body 13 to form a plasma.

[0044] The semiconductor process chamber 1 further includes an edge gas inlet 5, which delivers process gas from the edge of the chamber body 13 into the interior of the chamber body 13. In some embodiments, the semiconductor process chamber 1 further includes a center gas inlet 4, which is used to deliver process gas from the top of the chamber body 13 into the interior of the chamber body 13. The center gas inlet 4, for example, includes one or more nozzles disposed at the top of the chamber body 13. A vacuum pump 6 is also disposed at the bottom of the semiconductor process chamber 1 for extracting gas from the semiconductor process chamber 1.

[0045] For chemical vapor deposition processes, such as high-density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDP CVD), the central gas inlet device 4 and the edge gas inlet device 5 are used to respectively deliver a first process gas and a second process gas into the chamber body 13. The plasma formed by the first process gas and the second process gas can react with each other to form a thin film. For example, for silicon oxide deposition with a high-aspect ratio structure, the first process gas and the second process gas, such as SiH4 and O2, respectively, are used to form silicon oxide under the thermal effect generated by the lower electrode power and the physical bombardment of ions.

[0046] Since SiH4 and O2 are easily mixed if they are introduced into the chamber body 13 too early, a chemical reaction may occur, thereby causing particle problems. Therefore, SiH4 and O2 need to be introduced into the chamber body 13 from the top and side of the chamber body 13 respectively. However, the inventors have found through research that when the above-mentioned gases are introduced into the interior of the chamber body 13 from the side of the chamber body 13 through the current edge air intake device 5, there is a problem of uneven distribution of the gases introduced into the chamber body 13, which leads to uneven process results, and in particular, fails to meet the requirements of the HDP CVD process for gas distribution uniformity.

[0047] To address the above-mentioned issues, the present embodiment further provides an edge gas inlet device 5, which is applied to the semiconductor process chamber 1 provided in the present embodiment and is used to introduce process gas into the chamber body 13. Of course, in practical applications, the edge gas inlet device provided in the present embodiment can also be applied to semiconductor process chambers of other structures, and the present embodiment is not particularly limited in this regard.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 2 , the edge gas inlet device 5 provided in an embodiment of the present application includes a rotating gas inlet assembly 51. The rotating gas inlet assembly 51 is annular. Taking the application of the rotating gas inlet assembly 51 to the semiconductor process chamber 1 provided in an embodiment of the present application as an example, the rotating gas inlet assembly 51 surrounds the periphery of the carrier device 3 and is located above the carrier device 3. For chemical vapor deposition processes, such as high-density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDP CVD) processes, the uniformity of gas distribution in the chamber body 13 is required to be higher than that of etching processes. In this case, by surrounding the rotating gas inlet assembly 51 around the periphery of the carrier device 3 and being located above the carrier device 3, the distance between the rotating gas inlet assembly 51 and the carrier device 3 can be reduced compared to arranging the gas outlet on the sidewall of the semiconductor process chamber. The reduced distance helps to improve the uniformity of process gas distribution.

[0049] 3 , the rotary air inlet assembly 51 is capable of rotating about its own axis (i.e., the axis of the ring formed by the rotary air inlet assembly 51). The rotary air inlet assembly 51 is provided with a first air inlet channel 511. The first air inlet channel 511 is provided with a plurality of first air outlets 511a along the inner periphery of the rotary air inlet assembly 51 for outputting process gas into the semiconductor process chamber 1. In some embodiments, the plurality of first air outlets 511a are evenly distributed along the inner periphery of the rotary air inlet assembly 51. FIG3 shows a radial cross-sectional view of the edge air inlet device 5. The right side of the rotary air inlet assembly 51 in FIG3 is the inner periphery of the rotary air inlet assembly 51, and the left side is the outer periphery of the rotary air inlet assembly 51.

[0050] In the related art, the multiple first gas outlets 511a of the edge gas inlet device are fixed. As shown in Figure (a) in Figure 4, there is a certain distance between two adjacent first gas outlets 511a, which results in the process gas flowing out from the two adjacent first gas outlets 511a needing to diffuse to reach any position between the two adjacent first gas outlets 511a (i.e., the position of the five-pointed star shown in Figure (a) in Figure 4), while the process gas flowing out from each first gas outlet 511a can flow faster to the position directly opposite each first gas outlet 511a. That is to say, there is a difference between the speed at which the process gas flowing out from the multiple first gas outlets 511a reaches the position directly opposite the first gas outlet 511a and the speed at which the process gas reaches the position between the two adjacent first gas outlets 511a, thereby resulting in uneven distribution of the process gas flowing into the semiconductor process chamber 1 in the circumferential direction. In this regard, as shown in Figure (b) in Figure 4, the rotating air inlet component 51 in the embodiment of the present application rotates, and the position of each first air outlet 511a continuously changes in the circumferential direction of the carrier device 3. For example, as shown in Figure (b) in Figure 4, one of the first air outlets 511a rotates clockwise to the position of the dotted line, that is, moves to the position opposite to the five-pointed star. In this way, the gas flowing out from each first air outlet 511a can reach any position on the circumference evenly without diffusion, thereby solving the problem in the related art that the speed at which the process gas flowing out from multiple first air outlets 511a reaches the position opposite the first air outlet 511a and the speed at which it reaches the position between the two adjacent first air outlets 511a are different, thereby improving the uniformity of the gas distribution into the semiconductor process chamber 1, thereby improving the process uniformity, and especially meeting the requirements of the HDP CVD process for gas distribution uniformity.

[0051] During the process, the rotating air inlet assembly 51 can rotate continuously in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, and the linear speed of the rotation should be equivalent to the speed of the air flow flowing out of the first air outlet 511a to ensure that the above-mentioned rotational motion can have an impact on the air flow and play a role in improving the uniformity of gas distribution. In some embodiments, the linear speed of the rotating air inlet assembly 51 is, for example, greater than or equal to 1m / s and less than or equal to 3m / s. Of course, in actual applications, the rotating air inlet assembly 51 can also be controlled to switch between rotating in a clockwise direction and rotating in a counterclockwise direction according to specific needs. In this mode, the angle of a single rotation in the same direction should be increased as much as possible to ensure that the uniformity of gas distribution can be improved.

[0052] In some embodiments, in order to introduce the process gas into the interior of the semiconductor process chamber 1 and transport it to the rotating rotating air inlet component 51, while ensuring the sealing of the first air inlet channel 511, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the edge air inlet device 5 also includes: a fixed air inlet component 52, a first docking surface 512 located on the outer periphery of the rotating air inlet component 51 and a second docking surface 522 located on the inner periphery of the fixed air inlet component 52 can be relatively rotatably docked, and the first air inlet channel 511 in the rotating air inlet component 51 is provided with a first air inlet 511b on the first docking surface 512, and a second air inlet channel 521 is provided in the fixed air inlet component 52, and the second air inlet channel 521 is provided with a second air outlet 521b on the second docking surface 522; the first air inlet 511b is communicated with the second air outlet 521b. During the rotation of the rotating air intake assembly 51 , the first docking surface 512 can rotate relative to the second docking surface 522 , while the first air inlet 511 b and the second air outlet 521 b are always kept in communication to supply air to the rotating rotating air intake assembly 51 .

[0053] In some embodiments, the edge air intake device 5 also includes: a dynamic sealing assembly, which is arranged at the docking position between the first docking surface 512 and the second docking surface 522, and is used to seal the gap at the docking position, while ensuring that the rotating air intake assembly 51 can rotate, so that while supplying air to the rotating rotating air intake assembly 51, the dynamic sealing assembly can be used to ensure the sealing of the connection position between the first air inlet 511b and the second air outlet 521b.

[0054] In some embodiments, without affecting the rotation and air outlet of the rotating air inlet component 51, the fixed air inlet component 52 can surround the outer periphery of the rotating air inlet component 51, or can be located above or below the rotating air inlet component 51 (directly above or below, or obliquely above or below). The relative positions of the fixed air inlet component 52 and the rotating air inlet component 51 are different, and the position of the first docking surface 512 on the rotating air inlet component 51 and the position of the second docking surface 522 on the fixed air inlet component 52 are also different. Taking the fixed air inlet component 52 surrounding the outer periphery of the rotating air inlet component 51 as an example, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the first docking surface 512 is located on the outer periphery of the rotating air inlet component 51, and correspondingly, the second docking surface 522 is located on the inner periphery of the fixed air inlet component 52, and the first air inlet 511b is annular and extends along the outer periphery of the rotating air inlet component 51. Since the first air inlet 511b is annular, it can always remain connected with the second air outlet 521b during the rotation of the rotating air inlet component 51. On this basis, the above-mentioned second air outlet 521b can also be annular and extend along the inner circumference of the fixed air inlet component 52; or, the above-mentioned second air outlet 521b can also include multiple sub-air outlets evenly distributed along the inner circumference of the fixed air inlet component 52, and the multiple sub-air outlets are all connected to the first air inlet 511b.

[0055] In some embodiments, to facilitate docking, as shown in FIG3 , an extension portion 523 is further provided on the first docking surface 512, extending through the first air inlet 511b into the first air inlet channel 511, and the second air outlet 521b is located at an end of the extension portion 523 away from the first docking surface 512. Of course, in actual applications, an extension portion may also be provided on the second docking surface 522, extending through the second air outlet 521b into the second air inlet channel 521, and the first air inlet 511b is located at an end of the extension portion away from the second docking surface 522.

[0056] In order to seal the gap at the docking position between the first docking surface 512 and the second docking surface 522 while ensuring that the rotary air intake assembly 51 can rotate, the structure of the dynamic seal assembly can be various. For example, as shown in Figure 5, the dynamic seal assembly includes a first annular dynamic seal portion 6a and a second annular dynamic seal portion 6b. The first annular dynamic seal portion 6a and the second annular dynamic seal portion 6b are respectively located on the upper and lower sides of the docking position A (i.e., the docking position between the first docking surface 512 and the second docking surface 522), and are used to respectively seal the upper and lower gaps of the docking position A while ensuring that the rotary air intake assembly 51 can rotate. In some embodiments, the first annular dynamic seal portion 6a and the second annular dynamic seal portion 6b are arranged relative to each other in the axial direction of the carrier device 3.

[0057] The first annular dynamic seal portion 6a and the second annular dynamic seal portion 6b are both sealed, for example, by magnetic fluid sealing. Specifically, the rotating air intake assembly 51 and the fixed air intake assembly 52 are both made of magnetic conductive material (i.e., ferromagnetic material); an annular gap is formed between the ends of the first annular dynamic seal portion 6a and the second annular dynamic seal portion 6b and the fixed air intake assembly 52 and the rotating air intake assembly 51, respectively. The magnetic pole directions of the two ends (inner circumferential end and outer circumferential end) of the first annular dynamic seal portion 6a are opposite to those of the two ends (inner circumferential end and outer circumferential end) of the second annular dynamic seal portion 6b, and the annular gap is filled with magnetic fluid. The specific structure of the first annular dynamic sealing portion 6a and the second annular dynamic sealing portion 6b is, for example, that the first annular dynamic sealing portion 6a and the second annular dynamic sealing portion 6b both include an annular permanent magnet 61 (e.g., a permanent magnet), and a first annular magnetic pole 62 and a second annular magnetic pole 63, wherein the annular permanent magnets 61 of the first annular dynamic sealing portion 6a and the second annular dynamic sealing portion 6b are respectively arranged on the upper side and the lower side of the docking position A, and the outer peripheral end of each annular permanent magnet 61 is a first magnetic pole and the inner peripheral end is a second magnetic pole, and the polarity of the first magnetic pole is opposite to that of the second magnetic pole, and is used to generate a magnetic field. In addition, the magnetic pole direction of the two ends (inner peripheral end and outer peripheral end) of the annular permanent magnet 61 in the first annular dynamic sealing portion 6a is opposite to the magnetic pole direction of the two ends (inner peripheral end and outer peripheral end) of the annular permanent magnet 61 in the second annular dynamic sealing portion 6b. For example, as shown in Figure 5, the magnetic pole at the inner circumferential end of the annular permanent magnet 61 in the first annular dynamic sealing part 6a is the S pole, and the magnetic pole at the outer circumferential end is the N pole; the magnetic pole at the inner circumferential end of the annular permanent magnet 61 in the second annular dynamic sealing part 6b is the N pole, and the magnetic pole at the outer circumferential end is the S pole.

[0058] For the first annular dynamic sealing portion 6a located on the upper side of the docking position A, the upper ends of the first annular magnetic pole 62 and the second annular magnetic pole 63 are in contact with the outer peripheral end and the inner peripheral end of the annular permanent magnet 61 respectively, and the lower ends of the first annular magnetic pole 62 and the second annular magnetic pole 63 are respectively located on the outer peripheral side and the inner peripheral side of the upper side gap, that is, the upper side gap is located between the lower ends of the first annular magnetic pole 62 and the second annular magnetic pole 63; and, there is an annular gap between the lower ends of the first annular magnetic pole 62 and the second annular magnetic pole 63 and the upper end face of the fixed air intake component 52 and the upper end face of the rotating air intake component 51, respectively, and the annular gap is filled with magnetic fluid 64.

[0059] With respect to the second annular dynamic seal portion 6b located below the docking position A, the lower ends of its first annular magnetic pole 62 and second annular magnetic pole 63 respectively contact the outer circumferential end and inner circumferential end of the annular permanent magnet 61, and the upper ends of the first annular magnetic pole 62 and second annular magnetic pole 63 respectively are located on the outer circumferential side and inner circumferential side of the lower gap. That is, the lower gap is located between the upper ends of the first annular magnetic pole 62 and second annular magnetic pole 63. Furthermore, annular gaps are defined between the upper ends of the first annular magnetic pole 62 and second annular magnetic pole 63 and the lower end surfaces of the fixed air intake assembly 52 and the rotating air intake assembly 51, respectively. These annular gaps are filled with magnetic fluid 64.

[0060] The annular permanent magnet 61, the first annular magnetic pole 62, the second annular magnetic pole 63, the rotating air intake assembly 51 made of a magnetically conductive material, and the fixed air intake assembly 52 can form a closed magnetic circuit. The magnetic field generated by the annular permanent magnet 61 can "bind" the magnetic fluid in the annular gap, forming a liquid "O" ring, thereby sealing the upper and lower gaps. It is easy to understand that to ensure that the rotating air intake assembly 51 can rotate, a gap is provided between the first docking surface 512 and the second docking surface 522. The air in this gap is magnetically conductive, ensuring the formation of the closed magnetic circuit. In addition, the first annular dynamic sealing portion 6a and the second annular dynamic sealing portion 6b also include a fixing component, such as the black outline shown in Figure 5 that is covered on the outside of the annular permanent magnet 61, the first annular magnetic pole 62, and the second annular magnetic pole 63. The fixing component is used to fix the above-mentioned annular permanent magnet 61, the first annular magnetic pole 62, and the second annular magnetic pole 63, and form a space in which the upper side gap or the lower side gap is accommodated. The space is formed into a sealed space B through the sealing action of the magnetic fluid 64.

[0061] In some embodiments, taking the application of the rotating air inlet assembly 51 to the semiconductor process chamber 1 provided in the embodiment of the present application as an example, the above-mentioned fixing component is fixedly connected to the side wall 11 of the chamber body 13 through the connecting component 12 to achieve the overall fixation of the first annular dynamic sealing part 6a and the second annular dynamic sealing part 6b.

[0062] In other embodiments, in order to avoid the influence of the gap between the first docking surface 512 and the second docking surface 522 on the sealing ability of the magnetic fluid, the first annular dynamic sealing portion 6a and the second annular dynamic sealing portion 6b can also adopt the following structure. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, the rotating air intake assembly 51 and the fixed air intake assembly 52 are both made of magnetic conductive material; the first annular dynamic sealing portion 6a' and the second annular dynamic sealing portion 6b' both include a first dynamic sealing group 65a and a second dynamic sealing group 65b. For the first annular dynamic sealing portion 6a' located on the upper side of the docking position A, the first dynamic sealing group 65a is located on the outer peripheral side of the upper gap, and the second dynamic sealing group 65b is located on the inner peripheral side of the upper gap, which is used to seal the upper gap between the first dynamic sealing group 65a and the second dynamic sealing group 65b. Both the first dynamic seal group 65a and the second dynamic seal group 65b include an annular permanent magnet, as well as a first annular magnetic pole and a second annular magnetic pole. The annular permanent magnet of the first dynamic seal group 65a is positioned above the fixed air intake assembly 52, while the annular permanent magnet of the second dynamic seal group 65b is positioned above the rotating air intake assembly 51. Each annular permanent magnet has a first magnetic pole at its outer circumferential end and a second magnetic pole at its inner circumferential end. The first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole have opposite polarity and are used to generate a magnetic field. Furthermore, the upper ends of the first and second annular magnetic poles of the first dynamic seal group 65a contact the outer and inner circumferential ends of the annular permanent magnet, respectively, and a first annular gap is defined between their lower ends and the upper end surface of the fixed air intake assembly 52. ​​The upper ends of the first and second annular magnetic poles of the second dynamic seal group 65b contact the outer and inner circumferential ends of the annular permanent magnet, respectively, and a second annular gap is defined between their lower ends and the upper end surface of the rotating air intake assembly 51. Both the first and second annular gaps are filled with magnetic fluid. The structures and functions of the annular permanent magnet, and the first annular magnetic pole and the second annular magnetic pole in FIG6 are similar to those of the annular permanent magnet 61 , and the first annular magnetic pole 62 and the second annular magnetic pole 63 in FIG5 .

[0063] Regarding the first annular dynamic seal portion 6b' located below the docking position A, the first dynamic seal group 65a is located on the outer circumference of the lower gap, while the second dynamic seal group 65b is located on the inner circumference of the lower gap, thereby sealing the lower gap between the first and second dynamic seal groups 65a, 65b. Both the first and second dynamic seal groups 65a, 65b include annular permanent magnets and first and second annular magnetic poles. The annular permanent magnets of the first dynamic seal group 65a are located below the stationary intake assembly 52, while the annular permanent magnets of the second dynamic seal group 65b are located below the rotating intake assembly 51. Each annular permanent magnet has a first magnetic pole at its outer circumference and a second magnetic pole at its inner circumference. The first and second magnetic poles have opposite polarities, generating a magnetic field. Furthermore, the magnetic poles at both ends of each annular permanent magnet in the first annular dynamic seal portion 6a' are oriented in opposite directions to those at both ends of each annular permanent magnet in the second annular dynamic seal portion 6b'. In addition, the lower ends of the first annular magnetic pole and the second annular magnetic pole of the first dynamic sealing group 65a are in contact with the outer peripheral end and the inner peripheral end of the annular permanent magnet respectively, and a first annular gap is formed between the upper end and the lower end face of the fixed air intake component 52; the lower ends of the first annular magnetic pole and the second annular magnetic pole of the second dynamic sealing group 65b are in contact with the outer peripheral end and the inner peripheral end of the annular permanent magnet respectively, and a second annular gap is formed between the upper end and the lower end face of the rotating air intake component 51, and both the first annular gap and the second annular gap are filled with magnetic fluid.

[0064] For the first dynamic seal group 65a or the second dynamic seal group 65b located on the outer circumference of the upper gap or the lower gap, the annular permanent magnet, the first annular magnetic pole, the second annular magnetic pole, and the fixed air intake assembly 52 made of a magnetically conductive material can form a closed magnetic circuit. The magnetic field generated by the annular permanent magnet can "bind" the magnetic fluid in the first annular gap, forming a liquid "O" ring. For the dynamic seal group (65a or 65b) located on the inner circumference of the upper gap or the lower gap, the annular permanent magnet, the first annular magnetic pole, the second annular magnetic pole, and the rotating air intake assembly 51 made of a magnetically conductive material can form a closed magnetic circuit. The magnetic field generated by the annular permanent magnet can "bind" the magnetic fluid in the second annular gap, forming a liquid "O" ring. Since both the upper gap and the lower gap are located between the first annular gap and the second annular gap, the magnetic fluid in the first annular gap and the second annular gap can seal the upper gap or the lower gap. It is easy to understand that the above-mentioned closed magnetic circuit is composed of an annular permanent magnet, a first annular magnetic pole, a second annular magnetic pole and a rotating air intake component 51 (or a fixed air intake component 52), and there is no need for a gap between the first docking surface 512 and the second docking surface 522, thereby avoiding the influence of the gap on the sealing ability of the magnetic fluid and improving the sealing ability of the magnetic fluid.

[0065] In some embodiments, the first annular dynamic seal portion 6a' and the second annular dynamic seal portion 6b' each further include a fixed component, such as the black outline shown in FIG6 that covers the exterior of the first dynamic seal group 65a and the second dynamic seal group 65b. The first dynamic seal group 65a and the second dynamic seal group 65b are fixed to the fixed component, and the fixed component is configured to form a sealed space C between the first dynamic seal group 65a and the second dynamic seal group 65b, which accommodates the upper gap or the lower gap. Specifically, the annular permanent magnets, the first annular magnetic pole, and the second annular magnetic pole of the first dynamic seal group 65a and the second dynamic seal group 65b are all fixed to the fixed component. Moreover, the fixed component forms a space that accommodates the upper gap or the lower gap, and this space forms the sealed space C under the sealing action of the magnetic fluid.

[0066] The fixed gas inlet assembly 52 for introducing process gas into the semiconductor process chamber 1 can have various structures. For example, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG5 , the fixed gas inlet assembly 52 includes a fixed gas inlet ring, which is configured to penetrate the sidewall of the semiconductor process chamber 1 (i.e., the chamber body 13 ), and a portion of the fixed gas inlet ring is configured to be located outside the sidewall of the semiconductor process chamber 1 . As shown in FIG3 , the second gas inlet channel 521 is provided with a second gas inlet port 521 a in the portion of the fixed gas inlet ring configured to be located outside the semiconductor process chamber 1 , for connection to a gas source. The process gas provided by the gas source flows into the second gas inlet channel 521 through the second gas inlet port 521 a. To ensure the sealing of the semiconductor process chamber 1 , a seal (not shown) can be provided between the fixed gas inlet ring and the sidewall of the semiconductor process chamber 1 to seal the gap therebetween.

[0067] For example, in some other embodiments, the fixed air inlet assembly 52 may further include a fixed air inlet ring and at least one air inlet pipeline, wherein the fixed air inlet ring is used to be located between the sidewall of the semiconductor process chamber 1 and the rotating air inlet assembly 51; the second air inlet channel 521 has at least one second air inlet 521a, and each second air inlet 521a is connected to the outlet end of each air inlet pipeline in a one-to-one correspondence, and the air inlet end of each air inlet pipeline is used to pass through the sidewall of the semiconductor process chamber 1 and extend to the outside of the semiconductor process chamber 1 for connection to a gas source of the process gas. In a specific embodiment, the second air inlet channel 521 may include an annular channel having the at least one second air inlet 521a on its outer periphery and an annular second air outlet 521b on its inner periphery, or a second air outlet 521b composed of multiple sub-air outlets evenly distributed along the inner periphery of the annular channel. Alternatively, the second air inlet passage 521 may include multiple straight passages extending radially along the fixed air inlet ring, with the multiple straight passages evenly distributed along the inner circumference of the fixed air inlet ring. The inlet end of each straight passage, serving as the second air inlet port 521a, is located on the outer circumference of the fixed air inlet ring, while the outlet end, serving as the aforementioned sub-air outlet, is located on the inner circumference of the fixed air inlet ring.

[0068] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG2 , the rotating air intake assembly 51 includes a rotating air intake ring 51a, a rotating drive source for driving the rotating air intake ring 51a to rotate, and a plurality of air intake nozzles 51b; wherein, the plurality of air intake nozzles 51b are connected to the rotating air intake ring 51a and are evenly distributed along the circumference of the rotating air intake ring 51a; a first sub-channel is provided in the rotating air intake ring 51a, and a second sub-channel is provided in each air intake nozzle 51b, the first sub-channel is connected to each second sub-channel, and together constitutes a first air intake channel 511, and the air outlet of each second sub-channel serves as the first air outlet 511a. The above-mentioned first sub-channel is, for example, an annular channel. In some embodiments, the number of air intake nozzles 51b is, for example, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, etc., preferably 32, which is a number that has a better effect of improving the uniformity of gas distribution.

[0069] In some embodiments, each air inlet nozzle 51b is connected to the rotating air inlet ring 51a via an angle adjustment structure, which is used to adjust the air outlet direction of the air inlet nozzle 51b. The angle adjustment structure can be, for example, a manually adjustable angle adjustment structure for the air inlet nozzle 51b.

[0070] As another technical solution, as shown in FIG1 , an embodiment of the present application further provides a semiconductor process chamber 1, comprising a chamber body 13 and an edge air inlet device 5. A carrier device 3 for carrying wafers is disposed within the chamber body 13. The structures and functions of the chamber body 13, the edge air inlet device 5, and the carrier device 3 have been described in detail in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0071] The semiconductor process chamber 1 provided in the embodiment of the present application can improve the uniformity of gas distribution entering the semiconductor process chamber by adopting the above-mentioned edge gas inlet device provided in the embodiment of the present application, thereby improving the process uniformity, and especially meeting the requirements of the HDP CVD process for gas distribution uniformity.

[0072] In some embodiments, the semiconductor process chamber 1 further includes a rotational drive source, which includes a rotational drive member 53, a transmission structure, and a dynamic seal, wherein the rotational drive member 53 is located outside the chamber body 13 and is used to provide rotational power; the rotational drive member 53 is, for example, a rotary motor. The transmission structure is rotatably provided in the chamber body 13 and is respectively connected to the rotational drive member 53 and the rotary air intake assembly 51 (i.e., the rotary air intake ring 51a), and is used to drive the rotary air intake assembly 51 to rotate under the drive of the rotational drive member 53; the dynamic seal (not shown in the figure) is used to seal the gap between the transmission structure and the chamber body 13, while ensuring that the transmission structure can rotate. The dynamic seal is sealed, for example, by means of a magnetic fluid.

[0073] Under the premise of not affecting the progress of the process and the operation of the rotary air inlet assembly 51, the above-mentioned rotary drive member 53 can be set at any position outside the chamber body 13. For example, in order to simplify the structure and ensure that the structure inside the chamber body 13 is symmetrical with respect to the axis of the chamber body 13, as shown in Figure 1, the rotary drive member 53 is set above the chamber body 13, and the transmission structure includes a first connecting rod 54 and a plurality of second connecting rods 55. The first connecting rod 54 is vertically arranged, and one end of the first connecting rod 54 passes through the top of the chamber body 13 and extends to the outside of the chamber body 13 and is connected to the drive shaft of the rotary drive member 53. The other end of the first connecting rod 54 is connected to one end of the plurality of second connecting rods 55; the other ends of the plurality of second connecting rods 55 are bent and extended to the edge of the interior of the chamber body 13 and are connected to the rotary air inlet assembly 51 at different positions on its circumference. Driven by the drive shaft of the rotary drive member 53, the first connecting rod 54 drives each second connecting rod 55 to rotate synchronously, thereby driving the rotary air inlet assembly 51 to rotate.

[0074] In one specific embodiment, the second connecting rod 55 includes a horizontal portion extending radially along the rotating air intake assembly 51, and a vertical portion extending vertically. One end of the horizontal portion is connected to one end of the first connecting rod 54, and the other end of the horizontal portion extends to a position close to the side wall of the rotating air intake assembly 51. One end of the vertical portion is integrally connected to the horizontal portion, and the other end extends downward and is connected to the rotating air intake assembly 51. For example, there are two second connecting rods 55, and they are symmetrically arranged relative to the axis of the rotating air intake assembly 51 to ensure that the rotating air intake assembly 51 is evenly stressed. At the same time, the rotation of the two second connecting rods 55 has a minimal impact on the airflow entering the chamber body 13 from the central air intake device 4.

[0075] As another technical solution, as shown in Figure 1, the semiconductor process equipment 100 provided in the embodiment of the present application can improve the uniformity of gas distribution entering the semiconductor process chamber by adopting the above-mentioned semiconductor process chamber 1 provided in the embodiment of the present application, thereby improving the process uniformity, and especially meeting the requirements of the HDP CVD process for gas distribution uniformity.

[0076] 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. An edge gas inlet device for a semiconductor process chamber, characterized in that, Including: A rotating intake assembly, which is annular and can rotate around its own axis; A fixed intake assembly, which is annular and is arranged outside the rotating intake assembly. The first docking surface on the outer periphery of the rotating intake assembly and the second docking surface on the inner periphery of the fixed intake assembly are rotatably docked. A first intake channel is arranged in the rotating intake assembly. The first intake channel has a first intake port on the first docking surface and a plurality of first outlet ports are arranged along the inner periphery of the rotating intake assembly. A second intake channel is arranged in the fixed intake assembly. The second intake channel has a second outlet port on the second docking surface, and the first intake port is communicated with the second outlet port.

2. The edge air intake device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first intake port is annular and extends along the outer periphery of the rotating intake assembly.

3. The edge air intake device according to claim 2, wherein, The second outlet port is annular and extends along the inner periphery of the fixed intake assembly; or the second outlet port includes a plurality of sub-outlet ports uniformly distributed along the inner periphery of the fixed intake assembly, and the plurality of sub-outlet ports are all communicated with the first intake port.

4. The edge air intake device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The edge intake device further includes: A dynamic sealing assembly, which is arranged at the docking position of the first docking surface and the second docking surface, is used to seal the gap at the docking position, and at the same time ensure that the rotating intake assembly can rotate.

5. The edge air intake device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The dynamic sealing assembly includes a first annular dynamic sealing part and a second annular dynamic sealing part. The first annular dynamic sealing part and the second annular dynamic sealing part are respectively located on the upper side and the lower side of the docking position, and are used to seal the upper side gap and the lower side gap of the docking position respectively, and at the same time ensure that the rotating intake assembly can rotate.

6. The edge air intake device according to claim 5, characterized in that, Both the rotating intake assembly and the fixed intake assembly are made of a magnetically conductive material; There are annular gaps between the two ends of the first annular dynamic sealing part and the second annular dynamic sealing part and the fixed intake assembly and the rotating intake assembly respectively. The magnetic pole directions of the two ends of the first annular dynamic sealing part and the two ends of the second annular dynamic sealing part are opposite, and the annular gaps are filled with magnetic fluid.

7. The edge air intake device according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that The fixed intake assembly includes a fixed intake ring, which is used to penetrate through the side wall of the semiconductor process chamber, and a part of the fixed intake ring is located outside the semiconductor process chamber; the second intake channel has a second intake port on the part of the fixed intake ring located outside the semiconductor process chamber, and is used to connect with the gas source of the process gas.

8. The edge air intake device according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The fixed intake assembly includes a fixed intake ring and at least one intake pipeline. The fixed intake ring is used to be located between the side wall of the semiconductor process chamber and the rotating intake assembly; The second intake channel has at least one second intake port, and each second intake port is correspondingly connected to the outlet end of each intake pipeline. The intake end of each intake pipeline is used to penetrate through the side wall of the semiconductor process chamber and extend to the outside of the semiconductor process chamber for connection with the gas source.

9. The edge air intake device according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The rotating intake assembly includes a rotating intake ring, a rotating drive source for driving the rotation of the rotating intake ring, and a plurality of intake nozzles; wherein, the plurality of intake nozzles are connected to the rotating intake ring and are uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction of the rotating intake ring; A first sub-channel is provided in the rotating intake ring, and a second sub-channel is provided in each of the intake nozzles. The first sub-channel is connected to each of the second sub-channels and together constitute the first intake channel. The outlet of each second sub-channel serves as the first outlet.

10. The edge air intake device according to claim 9, characterized in that, Each of the intake nozzles is connected to the rotating intake ring through an angle adjustment structure, and the angle adjustment structure is used to adjust the outlet direction of the intake nozzle.

11. A semiconductor process chamber, characterized in that, Comprising: A chamber body, in which a carrying device for carrying a wafer is provided; The edge intake device according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein the rotating intake assembly is disposed around the periphery of the carrying device in the chamber body and is located above the carrying device; A rotating drive source for driving the rotation of the rotating intake assembly.

12. The semiconductor process chamber according to claim 11, wherein, The rotating drive source includes a rotating drive member, a transmission structure, and a dynamic seal. Among them, the rotating drive member is located outside the chamber body and is used to provide rotational power; the transmission structure is rotatably disposed through the chamber body and is respectively connected to the rotating drive member and the rotating intake assembly, and is used to drive the rotating intake assembly to rotate under the drive of the rotating drive member; The dynamic seal is used to seal the gap between the transmission structure and the chamber body while ensuring that the transmission structure can rotate.

13. The semiconductor process chamber according to claim 12, wherein, The rotating drive member is disposed above the chamber body. The transmission structure includes a first connecting rod and a plurality of second connecting rods. The first connecting rod is vertically disposed, and one end of the first connecting rod penetrates through the top of the chamber body and extends to the outside of the chamber body and is connected to the drive shaft of the rotating drive member. The other end of the first connecting rod is connected to one end of the plurality of second connecting rods; the other ends of the plurality of second connecting rods are bent and extended to the edge inside the chamber body and are connected to different positions in the circumferential direction of the rotating intake assembly.

14. The semiconductor process chamber according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The semiconductor process chamber further includes a central intake device for delivering process gas from the top of the chamber body into the chamber body.

15. The semiconductor process chamber according to claim 14, wherein, The semiconductor process chamber is a chemical vapor deposition chamber; the central intake device and the edge intake device are used to deliver a first process gas and a second process gas into the semiconductor process chamber respectively.

16. A semiconductor process equipment, comprising the semiconductor process chamber according to any one of claims 11-15.

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