Wafer baking device

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application is a wafer baking device, comprising: a housing and a heating mechanism arranged inside the housing, wherein the housing comprises a top wall and an air exhaust port. The wafer baking device comprises a flow guide plate located between the heating mechanism and the top wall, wherein the outer periphery of the flow guide plate abuts against inner wall surfaces of the housing; the flow guide plate has an air outlet; the housing comprises a first buffer space formed between the flow guide plate and the top wall; and the air exhaust port is in communication with the first buffer space, and the air outlet is also in communication with the first buffer space.

Description

Wafer baking equipment

[0001] This application is based on and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410781162.7, filed on June 17, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, and more particularly to a wafer baking apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] In existing technologies, wafers require baking during the base film deposition process, soft baking after resist coating, baking after exposure, and hard baking after development. Essentially every step in the wafer manufacturing process requires baking, although the purposes differ, all require the removal of gaseous solvents during baking. If these gaseous solvents are not removed promptly and evenly, they will condense and liquefy as they flow upwards, dripping down onto the wafer surface, contaminating the wafer, and affecting product yield. Summary of the Invention

[0004] One of the objectives of this application is to provide a wafer baking apparatus to solve the technical problem of aerosol condensation and dripping in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve one of the above-mentioned objectives, one embodiment of this application provides a wafer baking apparatus, comprising: a housing and a heating mechanism disposed inside the housing, the housing including a top wall and an exhaust port, the wafer baking apparatus including a guide plate located between the heating mechanism and the top wall, the outer periphery of the guide plate abutting against the inner wall surface of the housing, the guide plate having an exhaust port, the housing including a first buffer space formed between the guide plate and the top wall, the exhaust port communicating with the first buffer space, and the exhaust port communicating with the first buffer space.

[0006] As a further improvement of one embodiment of this application, the guide plate includes a guide slope located between the air outlet and the outer periphery, wherein the air outlet is higher than the outer periphery.

[0007] As a further improvement of one embodiment of this application, the guide slope has an arc-shaped longitudinal section, and the center of the arc-shaped longitudinal section is located above the guide plate.

[0008] As a further improvement of one embodiment of this application, the central angle corresponding to the arc-shaped longitudinal section is 20-30 degrees.

[0009] As a further improvement of one embodiment of this application, the wafer baking apparatus includes, in sequence along its height direction, a first air duct uniform plate, a second air duct uniform plate, and the guide plate; the first air duct uniform plate, the second air duct uniform plate, and the guide plate are located between the heating mechanism and the top wall in sequence.

[0010] As a further improvement of one embodiment of this application, the housing includes a second buffer space formed between the second air duct uniform plate and the guide plate, a third buffer space formed between the first air duct uniform plate and the second air duct uniform plate, and a heating space located between the first air duct uniform plate and the heating mechanism; the first air duct uniform plate is provided with a first air duct hole connecting the heating space and the third buffer space, the second air duct uniform plate is provided with a second air duct hole connecting the third buffer space and the second buffer space, and the air outlet connects the first buffer space and the second buffer space.

[0011] As a further improvement of one embodiment of this application, the housing has a bottom wall, and the bottom wall and the top wall have a height value along the height direction, and the distance between the first air duct uniform plate and the bottom wall ranges from one-third to one-half of the height value.

[0012] As a further improvement of one embodiment of this application, the distance between the first air duct uniform plate and the second air duct uniform plate ranges from one-quarter to one-third of the height value.

[0013] As a further improvement of one embodiment of this application, the outer periphery of the second air duct uniform plate abuts against the inner wall surface of the housing, the second air duct uniform plate has a reference position located at the center, and the diameter of the second air duct hole tends to increase in the direction of outward divergence from the reference position.

[0014] As a further improvement of one embodiment of this application, a plurality of second air duct holes are arranged in a plurality of annular rings with the reference position as the center; the diameters of the second air duct holes located in the same ring are equal, and the diameters of the second air duct holes located in different rings from the inside out increase sequentially and then remain equal.

[0015] As a further improvement of one embodiment of this application, when the diameters of the second air duct holes begin to remain equal, the corresponding annulus coincides with the projection of the air outlet along the height direction.

[0016] As a further improvement of one embodiment of this application, the outer periphery of the first air duct uniform plate abuts against the inner wall surface of the housing, and the diameters of the plurality of first air duct holes are equal and arranged in a rectangular array.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, this application provides a wafer baking apparatus, including a guide plate. The gaseous solvent enters the first buffer space through the air outlet of the guide plate and is then discharged through the exhaust port of the housing. Furthermore, if the gaseous solvent that is not discharged in time condenses and liquefies between the top wall and the guide plate, it will drip onto the surface of the guide plate instead of dripping directly onto the wafer surface, thus preventing wafer contamination. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wafer baking apparatus according to an embodiment of this application.

[0019] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the wafer baking apparatus with the door removed in one embodiment of this application.

[0020] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the wafer baking apparatus in one embodiment of this application, with the housing and door concealed.

[0021] Figure 4 is a front view of the wafer baking apparatus in one embodiment of this application, with the housing and door concealed.

[0022] Figure 5 is a top view of the wafer baking apparatus with the housing hidden in one embodiment of this application.

[0023] Figure 6 is an exploded view of a wafer baking apparatus according to one embodiment of this application.

[0024] Figure 7 is a front view of the guide plate in one embodiment of this application.

[0025] Figure 8 is a top view of the second air duct uniform plate in one embodiment of this application.

[0026] Figure 9 is a top view of the first air duct uniform plate in one embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The present application will now be described in detail with reference to the specific embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, these embodiments do not limit the present application, and any structural, methodological, or functional modifications made by those skilled in the art based on these embodiments are included within the scope of protection of this application.

[0028] It should be noted that the term "comprising" or any other variation thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0029] The terms “connection,” “connected to,” or any other variations are intended to encompass various relative positions where a connection exists, including both direct and indirect connections. A direct connection can be formed through a pneumatic conduit, while an indirect connection can be formed through devices such as valves or sensors, through pneumatic components such as brake control units, or through any other medium such as air.

[0030] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer baking apparatus 100 provided in one embodiment of this application. In a specific embodiment, the wafer baking apparatus 100 can be used for hard baking after development.

[0031] Referring to Figures 2-3, the wafer baking apparatus 100 includes a housing 10 and a heating mechanism 20 disposed inside the housing 10. The wafer is placed in the heating mechanism 20 and heated and baked by the heating mechanism 20. The colloid coated on the wafer surface evaporates into the air when heated to form a gaseous solvent, and the gaseous solvent condenses and liquefies into a liquid solvent when cooled.

[0032] The wafer baking apparatus 100 also includes a first air duct uniform plate 30, a second air duct uniform plate 40, and a guide plate 50 disposed within the housing 10. The gaseous solvent passes sequentially through the first air duct uniform plate 30, the second air duct uniform plate 40, and the guide plate 50, and is discharged from the housing 10.

[0033] The housing 10 includes a top wall 11 and a bottom wall disposed opposite to each other, a side wall 12 connecting the top wall 11 and the bottom wall, and an exhaust port 13. The top wall 11, the bottom wall, and the side wall 12 enclose an internal space of the housing. The exhaust port 13 is used to discharge gaseous solvents from the housing.

[0034] The wafer baking apparatus 100 also includes a door 14 disposed on one side of the housing 10, which can be opened or closed relative to the housing 10.

[0035] In one embodiment, the flow guide disk 50 is located between the heating mechanism 20 and the top wall 11. The outer periphery of the flow guide disk 50 abuts against the inner wall surface of the housing 10. In this way, if the gaseous solvent condenses and drips onto the surface of the flow guide disk 50, it will not drip onto the surface of the wafer.

[0036] The surface of the guide plate 50 is preferably a smooth surface, which is conducive to the downward flow of liquid solvent on the surface.

[0037] The air guide plate 50 has an air outlet 51. The housing 10 includes a first buffer space 101 formed between the air guide plate 50 and the top wall 11. The exhaust port 14 communicates with the first buffer space 101, and the air outlet 51 communicates with the first buffer space 101.

[0038] Specifically, the air outlet 51 is located on the side wall 12 and corresponds to the first buffer space 101.

[0039] Thus, the gaseous solvent generated by the heating mechanism 20 can enter the first buffer space 101 through the air outlet 51, and then be discharged outside the housing 10 through the exhaust outlet 14. Even if the gaseous solvent condenses and liquefies in the first buffer space 101, the liquid solvent will drip onto the smooth guide plate 50 surface, and will not drip onto and contaminate the wafer surface.

[0040] In one embodiment, the guide plate 50 includes a guide slope 52 located between its air outlet 51 and its outer periphery, with the air outlet 51 of the guide plate 50 being higher than its outer periphery. In other words, the guide plate 50 has a shape that is higher on the inside and lower on the outside, which facilitates the sliding of liquid solvents to the outer periphery of the guide plate 50.

[0041] Referring to Figures 4-5 and 7, the guide plate 50 is rectangular to adapt to the shape of the inner wall of the housing 10 and abut against the inner wall of the housing 10, and the air outlet 51 is located at the center of the rectangle.

[0042] In one embodiment, the guide slope 52 has an inclined plane.

[0043] In one embodiment, the guide slope 52 has an arc-shaped longitudinal section. The center of the arc-shaped longitudinal section is located above the guide plate 50. The arc-shaped longitudinal section has a downward concave curvature. If the center of the arc-shaped longitudinal section is located below the guide plate 50, the arc-shaped longitudinal section has an upward convex curvature, which is not conducive to the downward flow of liquid solvent.

[0044] Specifically, the guide plate 50 can also be considered as a centrally symmetrical structure obtained by rotating an arc-shaped line.

[0045] The central angle corresponding to the arc-shaped longitudinal section is 20-30 degrees.

[0046] Understandably, within a limited space, the outer edge of the guide plate 50 needs to abut against the inner wall of the housing 10, but it cannot be set too high. Therefore, the central angle corresponding to the arc-shaped longitudinal section cannot be too large, but it should also have a certain slope.

[0047] In one embodiment, referring to FIG6, the wafer baking apparatus 100 is provided with a first air duct uniform plate 30, a second air duct uniform plate 40, and a guide plate 50 in sequence along its height direction. The first air duct uniform plate 30, the second air duct uniform plate 40, and the guide plate 50 are located between the heating mechanism 20 and the top wall 11.

[0048] The housing 10 includes a second buffer space 102 formed between the second air duct uniform plate 40 and the guide plate 50, a third buffer space 103 formed between the first air duct uniform plate 30 and the second air duct uniform plate 40, and a heating space 104 located between the first air duct uniform plate 30 and the heating mechanism 20.

[0049] The first air duct uniform distribution plate 30 is provided with a first air duct hole 31 connecting the heating space 104 and the third buffer space 103. The second air duct uniform distribution plate 40 is provided with a second air duct hole 41 connecting the third buffer space 103 and the second buffer space 102. The air outlet 51 connects the first buffer space 101 and the second buffer space 102.

[0050] Thus, the wafer is located in the heating mechanism 20, the gaseous solvent is heated and evaporates upward, enters the third buffer space 103 through the first air duct hole 31, enters the second buffer space 102 through the second air duct hole 41, enters the first buffer space 101 through the air outlet 51, and finally is discharged to the outside of the housing 10 through the exhaust port 14.

[0051] From the perspective of ventilation, the exhaust vent 14 is connected to the first buffer space 101, and then to the air outlet 51, the second buffer space 102 and the third buffer space 103.

[0052] Understandably, the exhaust vent 14 is typically configured as an extraction device to accelerate the removal of gaseous solvents from the housing 10. The removal of hot air will undoubtedly affect the temperature inside the housing 10. Therefore, unstable extraction will also lead to uneven temperature distribution within the housing 10, affecting the baking of the wafer. Thus, while ensuring efficient and drip-free removal of gaseous solvents, the uniformity of gas removal must also be considered to guarantee a uniform temperature around the wafer.

[0053] The outer periphery of the first air duct uniform plate 30 abuts against the inner wall surface of the housing 10. A plurality of first air duct holes 31 have equal diameters and are arranged in a rectangular array.

[0054] Referring to Figure 9, several first air duct holes 31 are of equal size and equally spaced. In this way, the gaseous solvent in all parts of the heating space 104 enters the third buffer space 103 evenly through the first air duct uniform distribution plate 30.

[0055] The outer periphery of the second air duct uniform distribution plate 40 abuts against the inner wall surface of the housing 10. Referring to Figure 8, the second air duct uniform distribution plate 40 has a reference position O located at the center, and the diameter of the second air duct hole 41 tends to increase in the direction radiating outward from the reference position O.

[0056] The reference position O corresponds to the center of the air outlet 51. In other words, the diameter of the second air duct hole 41 directly opposite the air outlet 51 is the smallest, thereby reducing the air volume and air velocity. Conversely, the diameter of the air duct hole offset from the air outlet 51 is increased, thereby increasing the air volume and air velocity. In this way, the air volume and air velocity of the second air duct hole 41 directly opposite or adjacent to the air outlet 51 are kept in balance with those of the second air duct hole 41 farther away from the air outlet 51, thus improving the uniformity of the airflow from the guide plate 50.

[0057] In a specific embodiment, a plurality of second air duct holes 41 are arranged in a linear divergent pattern outward from the reference position O. The plurality of second air duct holes 41 are also arranged in a ring pattern with different diameters centered on the reference position O. Similar to the tendency of peripheral gas to converge towards the center and exit from the air outlet 51, this promotes uniform airflow from the guide plate 50. Under the condition of uniform airflow from the guide plate 50, even if the exhaust port 14 experiences uneven exhaust, the impact on the space below the guide plate 50 is minimal.

[0058] In a specific embodiment, the diameters of the second air duct holes 41 located within the same ring are equal. The diameters of the second air duct holes 41 located in different rings from the inside out increase sequentially until they remain equal. The number of second air duct holes 41 located in different rings from the inside out is consistent. The arrangement density of the second air duct holes 41 decreases from the inside out. Thus, the second air duct holes 41 closer to the reference position O region are more densely packed, while those farther from the reference position O region are sparser, resulting in more efficient airflow.

[0059] When the diameter of the second air duct hole 41 becomes constant, the corresponding annulus coincides with the projection of the air outlet 51 along the height direction. Referring to Figure 5, the air outlet 51 at the center of the guide plate 50 corresponds to the second or third annulus at the center of the second air duct uniform plate 40. The specific annulus is not limited, as long as the diameter of the corresponding second air duct hole 41 no longer changes from that annulus onwards.

[0060] The first air duct uniform distribution plate 30, with perfectly uniform arrangement, is located at the bottom layer. Because the third buffer space 103 is closest to the heating space 104 and the wafer, it should ensure the best uniformity. Above the first air duct uniform distribution plate 30 is the second air duct uniform distribution plate 40, and the second air duct holes 41 are also arranged in a regular pattern, so there will be no large gas fluctuations during exhaust.

[0061] The second air duct uniform distribution plate 40 is located in the middle layer, and the guide plate 50 is located in the top layer. Because the guide plate 50 only has one air outlet 51 in the central area, the gaseous solvent from the second buffer space 102 can only be discharged to the first buffer space 101 through one air outlet 51, which inevitably leads to uneven air discharge from the second buffer space 102. However, by setting the second air duct hole 41, this uneven air discharge can be relatively improved, thereby improving temperature uniformity.

[0062] Furthermore, after the temperature uniformity of the second buffer space 102 is improved, the third buffer space 103 is further optimized and improved by the first air duct uniform disk 30, which is arranged in a completely uniform manner. In this way, the gas in the heating space 104 can be efficiently discharged without dripping, and the exhaust uniformity is good, resulting in good temperature uniformity around the wafer.

[0063] The bottom wall and top wall 11 of the casing 10 have a height value along the vertical direction. The distance between the first air duct uniform distribution plate 30 and the bottom wall ranges from one-third to one-half of the height value. The distance between the first air duct uniform distribution plate 30 and the second air duct uniform distribution plate 40 ranges from one-quarter to one-third of the height value. This optimized spatial arrangement ensures that the density is neither too high nor too low within a limited space, facilitating smoother gas discharge.

[0064] The beneficial effects of this application are as follows: The guide plate 50 prevents the condensed and liquefied gaseous solvent from dripping onto the wafer surface. A first buffer space 101 is formed between the guide plate 50 and the top wall 11, reducing the impact of the guide plate 50's exhaust on the airflow and temperature below it. A second airflow uniformity plate 40 is positioned below the guide plate 50, resulting in better airflow and temperature uniformity in the second buffer space 102. A first airflow uniformity plate 30 is further positioned below the second airflow uniformity plate 40, further improving the airflow and temperature uniformity in the first buffer space 101. This ensures good temperature uniformity around the wafer.

[0065] It should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This way of describing the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0066] The detailed descriptions listed above are merely specific descriptions of feasible implementation methods of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. All equivalent implementation methods or modifications made without departing from the spirit of the art of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A wafer baking apparatus, characterized in that, The application relates to a wafer baking device, which comprises a shell and a heating mechanism arranged in the shell, wherein the shell comprises a top wall and an air outlet, the wafer baking device comprises a flow guide disc between the heating mechanism and the top wall, the outer periphery of the flow guide disc abuts against the inner wall surface of the shell, the flow guide disc has an air outlet, the shell comprises a first buffer space formed between the flow guide disc and the top wall, the air outlet communicates with the first buffer space, and the air outlet communicates with the first buffer space. The flow guide disc comprises a flow guide slope between the air outlet and the outer periphery, and the air outlet is higher than the outer periphery.

2. The wafer baking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The flow guide slope has an arc-shaped longitudinal section, and the center of the arc-shaped longitudinal section is located above the flow guide disc.

3. The wafer baking apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The center angle of the arc-shaped longitudinal section is 20-30 degrees.

4. The wafer baking apparatus according to claim 3, wherein The wafer baking device comprises a first air duct uniform disc, a second air duct uniform disc and the flow guide disc in sequence along the height direction of the wafer baking device; the first air duct uniform disc, the second air duct uniform disc and the flow guide disc are sequentially arranged between the heating mechanism and the top wall.

5. The wafer baking apparatus of claim 1, wherein The shell comprises a second buffer space formed between the second air duct uniform disc and the flow guide disc, a third buffer space formed between the first air duct uniform disc and the second air duct uniform disc, and a heating space between the first air duct uniform disc and the heating mechanism; the first air duct uniform disc is provided with a first air duct hole communicating the heating space and the third buffer space, the second air duct uniform disc is provided with a second air duct hole communicating the third buffer space and the second buffer space, and the air outlet communicates the first buffer space and the second buffer space.

6. The wafer baking apparatus of claim 5, wherein The shell has a bottom wall, and the height value between the bottom wall and the top wall along the height direction is provided; the distance between the first air duct uniform disc and the bottom wall ranges from one-third of the height value to one-half of the height value.

7. The wafer baking apparatus of claim 6, wherein The distance between the first air duct uniform disc and the second air duct uniform disc ranges from one-fourth of the height value to one-third of the height value.

8. The wafer baking apparatus according to claim 7, wherein The outer periphery of the second air duct uniform disc abuts against the inner wall surface of the shell, the second air duct uniform disc has a reference position at the center, and the diameter of the second air duct hole has an increasing trend in the direction diverging outward from the reference position.

9. The wafer baking apparatus of claim 6, wherein The second air duct holes are arranged in annular shapes with different diameters with the reference position as the center; the diameters of the second air duct holes in the same annular shape are equal, and the diameters of the second air duct holes in different annular shapes from the inside to the outside sequentially increase and then remain equal.

10. The wafer baking apparatus of claim 9, wherein The annular shape corresponding to the start of the equal diameters of the second air duct holes coincides with the projection of the air outlet along the height direction.

11. The wafer baking apparatus of claim 10, wherein The outer periphery of the first air duct uniform disc abuts against the inner wall surface of the shell, and the diameters of the first air duct holes are equal and arranged in a rectangular array.

12. The wafer baking apparatus of claim 6, wherein ​

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