Semiconductor process device

Abstract

The present application provides a semiconductor process device, comprising a reaction cavity; a wafer support apparatus used for supporting a wafer, wherein the wafer support apparatus is arranged in the reaction cavity; a heating assembly, comprising at least two lower heating element groups, wherein the lower heating element groups are arranged below the wafer support apparatus and distributed in the radial direction of the wafer support apparatus, each lower heating element group comprises a plurality of lower heating elements uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction of the wafer support apparatus, and different lower heating element groups heat different target heating zones of the wafer support apparatus; and a temperature measurement apparatus, comprising at least two lower zone temperature measurement groups, which are in one-to-one correspondence to the at least two lower heating element groups and are used for measuring the temperature of the target heating zones of the corresponding lower heating element groups. In the present application, by means of the at least two lower zone temperature measurement groups, the lower surface of the wafer support apparatus is provided with at least two temperature measurement points, and the temperature of each zone can be controlled in real time on the basis of the temperature of the different target heating zones of the wafer support apparatus, thereby improving the stability of temperature control in the cavity.

Description

A semiconductor process equipment Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor fabrication technology, specifically to a semiconductor process equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Epitaxy, a film-forming process in modern semiconductor material fabrication, involves creating a film of a specific material on a silicon or silicon carbide substrate, or an existing film substrate, using physical or chemical methods to meet the specific conductivity or insulation requirements of semiconductor devices. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) uses chemical methods to decompose a compound gas under specific reaction conditions, releasing atoms that form a film with a specific lattice structure on the substrate surface. By precisely controlling the reaction temperature and selecting different substrates, it is possible to control the growth of the film into different crystal structures, such as single crystals, polycrystalline, and amorphous, to meet the varying electron mobility requirements of semiconductor devices.

[0003] Finished semiconductor devices are made by cutting a whole wafer of prepared semiconductor material into numerous small units, followed by a series of packaging and testing processes. The yield rate of these devices is directly linked to the quality of the surface film layer of the semiconductor material. As production capacity requirements have gradually increased, the size of semiconductor wafers has evolved from the initial 4-inch and 6-inch wafers to larger silicon wafers with 8-inch and 12-inch wafers becoming the mainstream sizes. The requirements for uniformity control of various indicators on the semiconductor material surface have also become more stringent. This necessitates real-time stability and controllability of the temperature and flow field on the wafer surface during epitaxy. For epitaxial processes with lower reaction pressures, the wafer surface temperature field plays a dominant role in the growth rate of the surface film layer of the device.

[0004] Existing process equipment, such as the temperature measurement device of the epitaxial reaction chamber, has an infrared thermometer installed at the top and bottom of the chamber. The upper thermometer is placed at the center of the upper heating component, with its field of view facing the center of the wafer tray, to monitor the center temperature above the wafer during the process. The lower thermometer is tilted and placed below the lower heating component, with its field of view passing through the space between the lower outer lamp area and the lower inner lamp area, and is obliquely aligned with the center of the lower surface of the tray to monitor the center temperature below the wafer tray.

[0005] However, in existing technologies, there is only one temperature measuring point (located at the center) across the entire area above and below the tray. This means that the power ratio between different lamp zones can only be determined through extensive process experiments to ensure that processes in non-central locations meet target requirements. Furthermore, real-time temperature control of different areas within the tray is not possible during the process, resulting in poor stability of the cavity temperature control. Moreover, since the process gas mainly accumulates at the top of the tray, a constantly changing film layer forms on the surface of the device within the field of view of the upper temperature measuring instrument as the reaction proceeds. This causes the infrared emissivity of the measured object and other cavity structures passed through the field of view to change in real time, ultimately leading to uncontrollable fluctuations in the upper temperature measuring instrument's reading. The temperature measurement stability of the upper temperature measuring instrument is easily affected by adverse external factors, thus impacting the stability of the cavity temperature control.

[0006] Furthermore, in existing technologies, halogen lamps are arranged horizontally, and different lamp zones cannot overlap. This limits the number of lamp zones that can be arranged within the limited cavity radius, resulting in a large heat-affected zone for each lamp zone. Cold spots are easily generated at the boundaries of the lamp zones, failing to meet the temperature compensation requirements of small, specific radius areas. Moreover, since the lower cavity center needs to house mechanisms such as the wafer lifting axis and rotation axis, while also requiring the lower temperature measuring instrument's field of view to be aligned with the center of the wafer's lower surface, the lower temperature measuring instrument's field of view needs to be tilted and offset towards the lower heating assembly. This design requires the field of view to pass obliquely through the heating assembly, inevitably causing cutting to the related optical components of the lower heating assembly, severely limiting the space for structural upgrades and hindering the refined design of the heating assembly's temperature field.

[0007] Furthermore, process gases do not completely prevent diffusion to the area below the wafer tray, and the deposition of process byproducts can also affect the stable temperature measurement of the lower temperature measuring instrument. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In view of this, the purpose of this application is to provide a semiconductor process apparatus to improve the stability of intracavity temperature control.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solution:

[0010] A semiconductor process apparatus, comprising:

[0011] Reaction chamber;

[0012] A wafer support device for supporting a wafer, the wafer support device being disposed within the reaction chamber;

[0013] The heating assembly includes at least two lower heating element groups, which are disposed below the wafer carrier and distributed radially along the wafer carrier. Each lower heating element group includes a plurality of lower heating elements evenly distributed circumferentially along the wafer carrier. Different lower heating element groups heat different target heating areas of the wafer carrier.

[0014] The temperature measuring device includes at least two lower zone temperature measuring groups, which are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the at least two lower heating element groups. The lower zone temperature measuring groups are used to measure the temperature of the target heating zone of the lower heating element group to which they correspond.

[0015] In some embodiments, in the semiconductor process equipment described above, each of the lower zone temperature measurement groups includes at least one lower temperature measurement element, the field of view of the lower temperature measurement element intersects with the most sensitive heat-affected point in the target heating zone corresponding to it; the most sensitive heat-affected point is the point in the target heating zone where the temperature changes most significantly with the power of the lower heating element group corresponding to the target heating zone.

[0016] In some embodiments, the semiconductor process equipment described above further includes an optical refraction assembly, which includes at least two optical refraction element groups, each of which is corresponding to one of the at least two lower zone temperature measurement groups. Each optical refraction element group includes at least one optical refraction element, and each optical refraction element in each optical refraction element group corresponds one-to-one with the lower temperature measurement element in the corresponding lower zone temperature measurement group. Each optical refraction element is disposed between the corresponding lower temperature measurement element and the wafer carrier. The field of view of the lower temperature measurement element is refracted by the optical refraction element and intersects with the most sensitive heat-affected point in its corresponding target heating area.

[0017] In some embodiments, in the above-described semiconductor process equipment, the lower heating element is a lower heating lamp, the light beam emitted by the lower heating lamp has a central axis, and the point where the extension of the central axis intersects with the wafer carrier is the most sensitive heat-affected point.

[0018] The lower temperature measuring element is disposed below its corresponding lower heating element, and the field of view optical path of the lower temperature measuring element between the optical refractive element and the lower temperature measuring element is parallel to the central axis of the lower heating lamp.

[0019] In some embodiments, in the above-described semiconductor process equipment, the reaction chamber includes:

[0020] A cylindrical reaction chamber body, wherein the wafer carrier device is disposed within the reaction chamber body;

[0021] A lower reaction chamber is sealed and connected below the main body of the reaction chamber. The lower reaction chamber is tapered at one end near the main body of the reaction chamber and gradually expands from bottom to top. The lower reaction chamber is made of a light-transmitting material.

[0022] The lower heating lamp has a light beam emitting end, the lower heating lamp is disposed outside the reaction chamber, the central axis of the lower heating lamp has an angle of 0°-45° with the vertical direction, and the emitting end of the lower heating lamp is biased towards the center of the wafer carrier relative to the other end away from the emitting end, and / or, the central axis of the lower heating lamp is perpendicular to the conical surface of the reaction chamber.

[0023] In some embodiments, in the semiconductor process equipment described above, each of the lower partition temperature measurement groups includes at least two lower temperature measurement elements that are uniformly distributed along the circumference of the wafer carrier.

[0024] Each optical refractive element group includes at least two optical refractive elements, and each of them corresponds one-to-one with at least two lower temperature measuring elements in the corresponding lower temperature measuring group.

[0025] In some embodiments, in the above-described semiconductor process equipment, the optical refractive element is a prism;

[0026] The length of the prism and the side length of the triangular cross section are both more than 1 times the field diameter of the lower zone temperature measurement group.

[0027] In some embodiments, the semiconductor process equipment includes a wafer lifting shaft for driving a wafer on the wafer carrier to separate from the wafer carrier. The top of the wafer lifting shaft is provided with a plurality of main branches that slope upward from the beginning to the end, and each of the main branches is provided with a wafer support pin platform at the end.

[0028] The wafer lifting axis also includes:

[0029] An end extension that extends horizontally outward from the end of the main branch;

[0030] Multiple arc-shaped support branches are radially dispersed on the main branch and the end extension along the wafer lifting axis. The arc-shaped support branches extend circumferentially along the wafer lifting axis to avoid the wafer support pin platform. The ends of the arc-shaped support branches are all located at the same radial position on the wafer lifting axis. The optical refractive elements are correspondingly arranged at the ends of the arc-shaped support branches.

[0031] In some embodiments, in the semiconductor process equipment described above, the heating assembly further includes a plurality of upper heating element groups for heating the wafer on the wafer carrier, the upper heating element groups being disposed above the reaction chamber and distributed radially along the wafer carrier, and each of the upper heating element groups including a plurality of upper heating elements uniformly distributed circumferentially along the wafer carrier.

[0032] The temperature measuring device further includes an upper temperature measuring element for measuring the temperature of the wafer center on the wafer carrier, the upper temperature measuring element being located above the upper heating element group and the field of view of the upper temperature measuring element being directly facing the center of the upper surface of the wafer carrier.

[0033] In some embodiments, in the above-described semiconductor process equipment, the reaction chamber includes:

[0034] A cylindrical reaction chamber body, wherein the wafer carrier device is disposed within the reaction chamber body;

[0035] A reaction upper cavity is sealed and connected above the reaction chamber body, and the reaction upper cavity is made of a light-transmitting material;

[0036] The upper heating element is located on the outside of the upper reaction chamber.

[0037] In some embodiments, in the above-described semiconductor process equipment, the upper heating element is an upper heating lamp, the upper heating lamp has an emitting end for a light beam, and the light beam emitted by the upper heating lamp has a central axis. The central axis of the upper heating lamp is arranged in a vertical direction, or the central axis of the upper heating lamp has an angle of 0°-45° with the vertical direction, and the emitting end of the upper heating lamp is biased towards the center of the wafer carrier relative to the other end away from the emitting end.

[0038] In some embodiments, the above-described semiconductor process equipment further includes:

[0039] A lower reflector screen is used to uniformly reflect the light source emitted by the lower heating element. The lower reflector screen covers the positions of all the lower heating elements from below and is provided with a plurality of lower reflector slots corresponding one-to-one with the lower heating elements and a lower temperature measuring opening through which the field of view of the lower temperature measuring group passes. The other end of the lower heating element away from the emitting end is built into the lower reflector slot.

[0040] An upper reflective screen is used to uniformly reflect the light source emitted by the upper heating element. The upper reflective screen covers the positions of all the upper heating elements from above and is provided with a plurality of upper reflective element slots corresponding one-to-one with the upper heating elements and an upper temperature measuring opening through which the field of view of the upper temperature measuring element passes. The other end of the upper heating element away from the emitting end is built into the upper reflective element slot.

[0041] In some embodiments, in the semiconductor process equipment described above, the wafer lifting shaft of the semiconductor process equipment is fitted inside the center of the lower reaction chamber of the reaction chamber, and a gas injection port is provided between the bottom of the lower reaction chamber and the bottom of the wafer lifting shaft, the gas injection port being able to inject gas into the lower space of the reaction chamber located in the wafer carrier device.

[0042] In some embodiments, the semiconductor process equipment described above further includes a gas supply system and a control system;

[0043] The gas supply system is connected to the gas injection port, and the gas supply system includes:

[0044] The first gas branch is used to supply etching gas to the gas injection port;

[0045] The second gas branch is used to supply deposition process gas to the gas injection port;

[0046] The third gas branch is used to supply purge gas to the gas injection port;

[0047] The control system is used to ensure that when one of the first gas branch, the second gas branch, and the third gas branch is connected to the gas injection port, the other two gas branches are not connected to the gas injection port.

[0048] In some embodiments, in the above-described semiconductor process equipment, the control system includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program, which, when executed by the processor, performs the following steps:

[0049] When the temperature detected by the lower zone temperature measurement group is lower than the target temperature limit, the first gas branch is connected to the gas injection port to introduce etching gas into the reaction chamber.

[0050] When the temperature detected by the lower partition temperature measurement group is not lower than the target temperature limit, or when the process time of the semiconductor process equipment entering the temperature measurement and cleaning mode reaches the upper limit of the target time, the first gas branch is controlled to be disconnected from the gas injection port.

[0051] As can be seen from the above technical solution, the semiconductor process equipment provided in this application includes a reaction chamber; a wafer carrier for supporting a wafer, the wafer carrier being disposed within the reaction chamber; a heating assembly including at least two lower heating element groups, the lower heating element groups being disposed below the wafer carrier and uniformly distributed radially along the wafer carrier, each lower heating element group including multiple lower heating elements uniformly distributed circumferentially along the wafer carrier, each lower heating element group heating different target heating areas of the wafer carrier; and a temperature measuring device including at least two lower zone temperature measuring groups, the at least two lower zone temperature measuring groups corresponding one-to-one with at least two lower heating element groups, used to measure the temperature of the target heating area of ​​the corresponding lower heating element group.

[0052] The temperature measuring device for semiconductor process equipment provided in this application measures the temperature of at least two different target heating zones of the wafer carrier device heated by at least two lower heating element groups through at least two lower zone temperature measuring groups. This results in at least two temperature measuring points on the lower surface of the wafer carrier device, which facilitates the determination of the power ratio between different lower heating element groups. This ensures that the process at the non-center position of the wafer on the wafer carrier device meets the target requirements. Furthermore, the device can perform real-time temperature control of each target heating zone based on the temperature of different target heating zones of the wafer carrier device during the process, thereby improving the stability of intracavity temperature control.

[0053] Moreover, the temperature of the target heating zone on the lower surface of the wafer carrier measured by at least two lower zone temperature measurement groups is less affected by the reaction of process gases. Therefore, the fluctuation of the readings of the lower zone temperature measurement groups is small, and their temperature measurement stability is not easily affected by external factors, which can also improve the stability of cavity temperature control. Attached Figure Description

[0054] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0055] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the semiconductor process equipment provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 2 is a top view of the lower heating element group and the lower reflector screen cooperation structure provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the distribution of temperature and power in the heat-affected zone of the heating element area as a function of distance from the axis provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the position between the lower temperature sensing element and the lower heating element provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 5 is a diagram showing the relative relationship between the field of view optical path of the temperature measuring element and the optical refraction element provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0060] Figure 6 is a top view of the wafer lifting axis and optical refractive element formed by the embodiments of this application;

[0061] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure along line CC in Figure 6;

[0062] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the gas supply system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0063] In Figures 1-8 above: 101-Upper reflector slot, 102-Upper heating lamp, 103-Upper temperature measuring element, 104-Lower temperature measuring element, 105-Lower reflector slot, 106-Lower heating lamp, 107-Wafer lifting shaft, 107a-Hollow shaft, 107b-Wafer support pin platform, 107c-Arc-shaped support fork, 107d-End extension, 107e-Main branch, 108-Rotation shaft, 109-Wafer lifting support pin, 1 10-Upper flange, 111-Reaction chamber body, 112-Lower flange, 113-Exhaust passage, 114-Lower reaction chamber, 115-Inlet passage, 116-Cavity isolation ring, 117-Upper reaction chamber, 118-Wafer carrier, 119-Preheating ring, 120-Double sealing ring, 121-Gas injection port, 122-Optical refractive element, 123-Lower reflector, 123a-Lower temperature measuring opening; 201-Etching gas manual valve, 202-Etching gas adjustable pressure valve, 203-Etching gas filter, 204-Etching gas primary diaphragm valve, 205-Etching gas flow controller, 206-Etching gas secondary diaphragm valve; 301-Nitrogen manual valve, 302-Nitrogen adjustable pressure valve, 303-Nitrogen filter, 304-Check valve, 305-Nitrogen diaphragm valve; 401-Hydrogen manual valve, 402-Hydrogen adjustable pressure valve, 403-Hydrogen filter, 404-Hydrogen primary diaphragm valve, 405-Hydrogen flow controller, 406-Hydrogen secondary diaphragm valve. Detailed Implementation

[0064] This application provides a semiconductor process apparatus that improves the stability of intracavity temperature control.

[0065] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0066] As shown in Figures 1-8, the semiconductor process equipment provided in this application embodiment includes a reaction chamber; a wafer carrier 118 for supporting a wafer, the wafer carrier 118 being disposed within the reaction chamber; a heating assembly including at least two lower heating element groups, the lower heating element groups being disposed below the wafer carrier 118 and radially distributed along the wafer carrier 118 (e.g., uniformly distributed radially), each lower heating element group including multiple lower heating elements uniformly distributed circumferentially along the wafer carrier 118, different lower heating element groups heating different target heating areas of the wafer carrier 118; and a temperature measuring device including at least two lower partition temperature measuring groups, the at least two lower partition temperature measuring groups being configured one-to-one with the at least two lower heating element groups, for measuring the temperature of the target heating area of ​​their corresponding lower heating element group.

[0067] Since at least two lower heating element groups of the heating assembly are disposed below the wafer carrier 118 and distributed radially (e.g., uniformly distributed radially) along the wafer carrier 118, the lower surface of the wafer carrier 118 is divided radially into at least two target heating zones. For example, each lower heating element group heats each target heating zone of the wafer carrier 118 in a corresponding manner.

[0068] The temperature measuring device for semiconductor process equipment provided in this application measures the temperature of at least two different target heating zones of the wafer carrier 118 heated by at least two lower zone temperature measuring groups, corresponding to at least two lower heating element groups. This results in at least two temperature measuring points on the lower surface of the wafer carrier 118, facilitating the determination of the power ratio between different lower heating element groups. This ensures that the process at the non-center position of the wafer on the wafer carrier 118 meets the target requirements. Furthermore, during the process, the temperature of each target heating zone can be controlled in real time based on the different target heating zone temperatures of the wafer carrier 118, improving the stability of intracavity temperature control.

[0069] Moreover, the target heating zone temperature on the lower surface of the wafer carrier 118 measured by at least two lower zone temperature measurement groups is less affected by the process gas reaction, so the fluctuation of the readings of the lower zone temperature measurement groups is small, and its temperature measurement stability is not easily affected by external factors, which can also improve the stability of cavity temperature control.

[0070] The wafer carrier 118 is part of the wafer rotation support device of semiconductor process equipment. Specifically, the wafer rotation support device includes the wafer carrier 118, the rotation axis 108, the wafer lifting axis 107, and the wafer lifting support pin 109. The wafer carrier 118 has a disk structure, specifically a wafer tray or other structure capable of supporting the wafer, and is made of a high thermal conductivity material with high infrared light absorption efficiency. It is often made of graphite material with a black-gray ceramic coating, and the wafer is placed on its upper surface. A thin ring-shaped device of the same material as the wafer carrier 118—a preheating ring 119—is placed between the outside of the wafer carrier 118 and the upper surface of the chamber isolation ring 116 of the reaction chamber. The rotation axis 108 is made of a light-transmitting material and its structure extends from bottom to top. The upper part of the column is transformed into a three-branched structure. The upper ends of the three branches are in contact with the wafer carrier 118, which supports the wafer carrier 118 and drives the wafer placed on it to rotate around the axis. The wafer lifting support pin 109 is used to support the wafer at three points. Its structure passes through the tapered countersunk hole of the wafer carrier 118 and the positioning through hole on the branch of the rotating shaft 108 from top to bottom to ensure the lifting direction of the lifting support pin. The lower end of the wafer lifting support pin 109 is in contact with the wafer lifting shaft 107. The lower part of the wafer lifting shaft 107 is a hollow structure and is nested with the rotating shaft 108. During the process of the robotic arm retrieving the wafer from the reaction chamber, the wafer lifting shaft 107 rises upward, pushing the wafer lifting support pin 109 upward to lift the wafer and separate it from the wafer carrier device 118. Then, the robotic arm extends to the lower part of the wafer, and the wafer lifting shaft 107 moves downward a short distance, so that the wafer contacts the robotic arm and separates from the wafer lifting support pin 109. Subsequently, the robotic arm carries the wafer away from the reaction chamber. Placing the wafer is the reverse process of the above procedure, which will not be described in detail.

[0071] To achieve better temperature control, each lower heating element group corresponds to a target heating area on the lower surface of the wafer carrier 118, and correspondingly, each corresponds to a lower zone temperature measurement group. Specifically, as shown in Figure 1, the lower surface of the circular tray is designed with three target heating areas. Each target heating area corresponds to one lower heating element group and one lower zone temperature measurement group from the outside to the inside. The field of view of the lower zone temperature measurement group is parallel to the lower heating element of the corresponding lower heating element group. It is used to measure the temperature of the area under the responsibility of its respective element group, and to provide feedback control of the power of the corresponding element group, so that the temperature of the corresponding target heating area is maintained at the set temperature; thus, the stability of the cavity temperature control is better. Of course, depending on the actual wafer size, the number of target heating areas, the number of lower heating element groups, and the number of lower zone temperature measurement groups can be adapted to the design.

[0072] In some embodiments, in the semiconductor process equipment described above, each lower zone temperature measurement group includes at least one lower temperature measurement element 104, and the field of view optical path of the lower temperature measurement element 104 intersects with the most sensitive heat-affected point in the target heating zone corresponding to it; the most sensitive heat-affected point is the point in the target heating zone where the temperature changes most significantly with the power of the lower heating element group corresponding to the target heating zone.

[0073] Taking the lower heating element group within the dashed box in Figure 2 as an example, Figure 3 shows the spatial distribution of temperature changes on the lower surface of the heated object, i.e., the wafer carrier device 118, due to unit power changes in each element group. Generally, the point where the temperature changes most significantly with power within the heat-affected zone of each heating element group is located on the extension line of the central axis of the heating element. This type of point is called the most sensitive heat-affected point. Furthermore, the location where the extension line of the central axis of the target heating area intersects with the central axis of the lower heating element is the most sensitive heat-affected point of the target heating area, which serves as the temperature measurement point. The central axis of the heating element refers to the central axis of the light beam emitted by the heating element.

[0074] This application ensures that the field of view optical path of the lower zone temperature measurement group coincides with the most sensitive heat-affected point on the lower surface of the wafer carrier device 118. The lower zone temperature measurement group is most sensitive to temperature changes, and the control accuracy reaches a high level, reducing the computational load of the temperature control algorithm and improving the temperature control speed.

[0075] It is understood that this application may also use locations other than the most sensitive heat-affected point of the target heating zone as temperature measurement points to achieve the same effect of measuring the temperature of different target heating zones.

[0076] To facilitate the arrangement of the lower temperature measurement groups, the aforementioned semiconductor process equipment also includes an optical refraction assembly. The optical refraction assembly includes at least two optical refraction element groups, each of which corresponds to one of the lower temperature measurement groups. Each optical refraction element group includes at least one optical refraction element 122. Each optical refraction element 122 in each optical refraction element group corresponds one-to-one with the lower temperature measurement element 104 of the corresponding lower temperature measurement group, and each optical refraction element 122 is disposed between the corresponding lower temperature measurement element 104 and the wafer carrier device 118. The field of view of the lower temperature measurement element 104 is refracted by the optical refraction element 122 and intersects with the most sensitive heat-affected point in its corresponding target heating area.

[0077] In this application, the field-of-view optical path of the lower temperature sensing element 104 in the lower temperature sensing group is refracted through the optical refractive element 122 onto the target heating area on the lower surface of the wafer carrier 118. In this way, this application can modify the field-of-view optical path of the lower temperature sensing element by means of the optical refractive element 122, so that the field-of-view optical path of the lower temperature sensing element is refracted to the most sensitive heat-affected point of the target heating area on the lower surface of the wafer carrier 118, thereby expanding the installation range of the lower temperature sensing element and improving the temperature measurement accuracy of the lower temperature sensing group. Alternatively, this application can also adjust the installation position of the lower temperature sensing element so that the field-of-view optical path of the lower temperature sensing element directly illuminates the most sensitive heat-affected point of the target heating area on the lower surface of the wafer carrier 118.

[0078] In addition, this application relies on the optical refractive element 122 to make the field of view of the lower temperature measurement group coincide with the most sensitive heat-affected point on the lower surface of the wafer carrier device 118. The lower temperature measurement group is most sensitive to temperature changes, and the control accuracy reaches a high level, reducing the computational load of the temperature control algorithm and improving the temperature control speed.

[0079] In a specific embodiment, the lower heating element is a lower heating lamp 106. The light beam emitted by the lower heating lamp 106 has a central axis. The point where the extension of the central axis intersects with the wafer carrier device 118 is the most sensitive heat-affected point. The lower temperature measuring element 104 is disposed below its corresponding lower heating element, and the field of view optical path of the lower temperature measuring element 104 between the optical refractive element and the lower temperature measuring element 104 is parallel to the aforementioned central axis of the lower heating lamp 106.

[0080] The lower zone temperature measuring group is arranged below the lower heating element group, and the field of view of the lower zone temperature measuring group is respectively parallel to the central axis of the lower heating lamp 106 corresponding to the target heating area it measures, passing through the middle position of two adjacent lower heating element groups or the outer position of the outermost lower heating element group to illuminate the optical refraction element 122. The optical refraction element 122 changes the field of view of the lower zone temperature measuring group to the position where the target heating area intersects the extension line of the central axis of the lower heating lamp 106.

[0081] In this embodiment, the simplified optical path of the lower temperature measuring element 104 is shown in Figures 4-5. A is the aforementioned central axis of the lower heating lamp 106, which is also the line connecting the aforementioned central axis of the lower heating lamp 106 and the most sensitive heat-affected point of the target heating area on the lower surface of the wafer carrier device 118. B is the simplified optical path of the field of view of the lower temperature measuring element 104. Before B reaches the optical refractive element 122, it is necessary to ensure that A and B are parallel to ensure that they do not overlap, thereby minimizing the erosion of the lower heating lamp 106 arrangement space by the field of view of the lower temperature measuring group, while maximizing the space utilization.

[0082] This embodiment utilizes a lower heating lamp 106 to heat different target heating areas of the wafer carrier device 118. The lower heating lamp 106 has a simple structure, saves costs, and occupies less space. Of course, other heating elements, such as heating quartz tubes, can also be used as the lower heating element in this application.

[0083] Specifically, the reaction chamber includes a cylindrical reaction chamber body 111, and a wafer carrier device 118 is disposed inside the reaction chamber body 111; a lower reaction chamber 114 is sealed and connected below the reaction chamber body 111. The lower reaction chamber 114 is tapered at one end near the reaction chamber body 111 and gradually expands from bottom to top, and the lower reaction chamber 114 is made of a light-transmitting material.

[0084] The reaction chamber body 111 is made of corrosion-resistant metal and has an inlet passage 115 and an exhaust passage 113 located on its left and right sides, respectively. These passages are used to introduce the gas required for the reaction into the reaction chamber body 111 and to exhaust the gas after the reaction is completed. At the same time, the gas is rectified to ensure a stable airflow field inside the chamber. The reaction gas atmosphere inside the chamber is mainly located in the space above the wafer. The lower reaction chamber 114 is made of light-transmitting material and is located below the reaction chamber body 111. It is pressed and fixed by a lower flange 112 made of corrosion-resistant metal. The contact parts are sealed with double sealing rings 120 to ensure the internal sealing of the chamber. The chamber isolation ring 116 is made of high-temperature resistant material that does not transmit infrared light and covers the entire side wall of the reaction chamber body 111 to prevent the side wall from overheating due to excessive absorption of infrared light. In some embodiments, the lower heating lamp 106 is disposed outside the reaction chamber 114, which refers to the side of the reaction chamber 114 away from the wafer carrier 118, that is, the side of the reaction chamber 114 away from the inner cavity of the reaction chamber body 111. The lower heating lamp 106 has an emitting end that emits a light beam, the central axis of the lower heating lamp 106 forms an angle of 0°-45° with the vertical direction, and the emitting end of the lower heating lamp 106 is biased towards the center of the wafer carrier 118 relative to the other end away from the emitting end, and / or, the central axis of the lower heating lamp 106 is perpendicular to the conical surface of the reaction chamber 114. It should be noted that the central axis of the lower heating lamp 106 is, for example, a central axis passing through the geometric center of the light source. The lower heating lamp 106 is specifically a halogen heating lamp or other lamps that meet the requirements. It should be noted that the lower heating lamp 106 typically has a lamp holder disposed at the other end of the lower heating lamp 106 away from the emitting end.

[0085] In this way, the emitting end, i.e. the tip, of the lower heating lamp 106 arranged in a ring below the reaction chamber body 111 is arranged perpendicular to the conical surface of the lower reaction chamber 114. This minimizes the refraction deflection angle caused by the lower reaction chamber 114 to the field of view optical path of the lower partition temperature measurement group parallel to the central axis of the lower heating lamp 106, reducing the influence of the lower reaction chamber 114 on temperature measurement. It can also adjust the angle between the central axis of the lower heating lamp 106 and the vertical direction between 0° and 45° while ensuring that the emitting end of the lower heating lamp 106 is biased towards the wafer center. This reduces the erosion of the temperature measurement optical path on the heating structure layout space to a low level. Under the premise of keeping the overall module space occupied unchanged, the upper limit of the number of target heating areas for chamber temperature control is increased. By changing the arrangement direction of the central axis of the lower heating lamp 106, the horizontal space occupied by a single lower heating lamp 106 is reduced, thereby increasing the number of lamps.

[0086] In some embodiments, in the semiconductor process equipment described above, each lower temperature measurement group includes at least two lower temperature measurement elements 104 that are uniformly distributed along the circumference of the wafer carrier device 118; each optical refractive element group includes at least two optical refractive elements 122, and each corresponds one-to-one with at least two lower temperature measurement elements 104 of the corresponding lower temperature measurement group.

[0087] Each lower zone temperature measurement group in this application measures the temperature of the same target heating zone through at least two lower temperature measurement elements 104, thereby reducing temperature measurement error and improving temperature measurement accuracy.

[0088] For ease of layout, each lower temperature measuring element 104 of each lower temperature measuring group is distributed along the same radial position of the wafer carrier device 118 in a one-to-one correspondence with the lower temperature measuring elements 104 of other lower temperature measuring groups, so that the lower temperature measuring elements 104 of different lower temperature measuring groups are arranged at the same radial position of the wafer carrier device 118, and can be replaced or distributed at different radial positions.

[0089] The optical refractive element 122 can be a square prism or a light-transmitting prism with other numbers of edges, or other structures capable of refraction. To simplify the structure, the optical refractive element 122 is, for example, a triangular prism; the length of the prism and the side length of its triangular cross-section are both more than one times the field-of-view diameter of the lower zone temperature measurement group, which better accommodates installation deviations of the lower zone temperature measurement group. The prism is generally an equilateral triangular pyramid with an included angle of 60°. In some embodiments, the side length of the triangular cross-section of the pyramid is set to more than three times the field-of-view diameter of the prism position thermometer, and the length of the pyramid is also set to more than three times the field-of-view diameter, further ensuring the reliability of temperature measurement.

[0090] The field of view optical path B of the lower temperature measurement group is transmitted through the prism at the incident angle θ1, according to δ=θ1+arcsin[(sinα)(n 2 -sin2 θ1) 0.5 The value is obtained by interpolation of -sinθ1cosα]-α; where α is the angle between the two sides of the prism through which the field of view light path B passes; δ is the deflection angle, δ=arctan(D1 / D2), D1 is the distance between the field of view light path B and the central axis A of the lower heating lamp 106 corresponding to the target heating area being measured, D2 is the projection distance of the line connecting the center of the prism to the position where the extension line of the target heating area and the central axis of the lower heating lamp 106 intersects in the direction of the central axis A of the lower heating lamp 106; n is the refractive index of infrared light in quartz, usually taken as 1.45.

[0091] It should be noted that D1 and D2 are determined based on the arrangement of the lower partition temperature measurement group, the field of view optical path, and the structural position of the wafer lifting axis 107. The principle is to ensure that the field of view optical path passes through the optical refractive element 122 and is not blocked by other structures, so as to ensure that the wafer lifting axis 107 does not collide with the cavity during operation.

[0092] In the optical refractive element 122, the preset angle α = 60° is usually used, but it can also be adjusted between 0 and 90° according to actual needs. After D1 and D2 are determined according to the spatial layout, in order to achieve the goal of coinciding the temperature measurement point of the lower zone temperature measurement group with the most sensitive heat-affected point of the target heating zone, the required deflection angle is determined according to δ = arctan(D1 / D2), and then according to δ = θ1 + arcsin[(sinα)(n 2 -sin 2 θ1) 0.5 The incident angle θ1 is calculated using interpolation [-sinθ1cosα]. The installation angle θ of each prism around the central axis of its triangular section is determined according to the field of view incident angle θ1 calculated by the corresponding lower zone temperature measurement group, which facilitates the installation of the prism.

[0093] In a specific embodiment, the semiconductor process equipment includes a wafer lifting shaft 107 for driving the wafer on the wafer carrier 118 to separate from the wafer carrier 118. The top of the wafer lifting shaft 107 has multiple main branches 107e that slope upwards from one end to the other, and each main branch 107e has a wafer support pin platform 107b at its end. To simplify the structure while ensuring support stability, there are three main branches 107e, but other numbers can also be chosen. The wafer lifting shaft 107 pushes the wafer lifting support pin 109 upwards via the wafer support pin platform 107b at the end of the main branches 107e. The wafer support pin platform 107b increases the contact area with the wafer lifting support pin 109, ensuring stable operation.

[0094] The wafer lifting axis 107 also includes an end extension 107d extending horizontally outward from the end of the self-branch 107e; a plurality of arc-shaped support branches 107c are radially dispersed on the main branch 107e and the end extension 107d along the wafer lifting axis 107. The arc-shaped support branches 107c extend circumferentially along the wafer lifting axis 107 to avoid the wafer support pin platform 107b. The ends of the arc-shaped support branches 107c are all located at the same radial position of the wafer lifting axis 107. Optical refractive elements 122 are correspondingly arranged at the ends of the arc-shaped support branches 107c.

[0095] This application adds an arc-shaped support branch 107c to the wafer lifting axis 107, with the same number of lower temperature measuring elements 104 as the lower temperature measuring group. An optical refractive element 122 is set at the end of the arc-shaped support branch 107c, so that the field of view of the lower temperature measuring element 104 accurately passes through the optical refractive element 122. The center of the field of view is refracted by the optical refractive element 122 to the most sensitive heat-affected point of the target heating area illuminated by the corresponding element group, thereby ensuring that the measurement position of the lower temperature measuring element 104 is located at the most sensitive heat-affected point of the corresponding target heating area. At the same time, it ensures that the optical path of the field of view of the lower temperature measuring element 104 is parallel to the direction of the lower heating lamp 106, so as to maximize the space utilization.

[0096] Specifically, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the wafer lifting shaft 107 has a hollow shaft 107a as its axis, with a main branch 107e welded to its top. The angle between the main branch 107e and the axis of the hollow shaft 107a is set between 50° and 70°. A square wafer support pin platform 107b and an end extension 107d are welded to the upper end of the main branch 107e, with the end extension 107d extending horizontally outward. Based on the main branch 107e and the wafer support pin platform 107b, several arc-shaped support branches 107c with unequal center radii are determined according to the field of view path of the lower temperature sensing element 104. An optical refractive element 122 is welded to the end of each arc-shaped support branch 107c.

[0097] For the case of three lower temperature measurement groups, and each lower temperature measurement group including three lower temperature measurement elements 104, during assembly, a component consisting of a main branch 107e and its wafer support pin platform 107b, end extension 107d, three arc-shaped support branches 107c, and three optical refractive elements 122, welded together, is arranged in a circumferential array at a 120° included angle around the axis of the hollow shaft 107a. This ensures the stability of the structure's center of gravity, thereby guaranteeing the positioning accuracy of the optical refractive elements 122 and the horizontality of the wafer supported by the wafer lifting support pin 109. It should be noted that the number and position of the optical refractive elements 122 in each optical refractive element group, as well as the layout of the corresponding branch structure, are determined by the number of the lower temperature measuring elements 104 in the corresponding lower temperature measuring group. The number of the lower temperature measuring elements 104 in the lower temperature measuring group is consistent with the number of the optical refractive elements 122 in the corresponding optical refractive element group, and the number of the lower temperature measuring groups is consistent with the target heating area. The position of the optical refractive elements 122 is determined based on the arrangement of the lower temperature measuring elements 104, the field of view optical path, and the structural position of the wafer lifting axis 107. The principle is to ensure that the field of view optical path of the lower temperature measuring element 104 passes through the optical refractive elements 122 and is not blocked by other structures, and to ensure that the wafer lifting axis 107 does not collide with the reaction cavity during operation.

[0098] To further optimize the above technical solution, the heating assembly also includes multiple upper heating element groups for heating the wafer on the wafer carrier 118. These upper heating element groups are positioned above the reaction chamber and uniformly distributed radially along the wafer carrier 118, with each upper heating element group including multiple upper heating elements uniformly distributed circumferentially along the wafer carrier 118. The temperature measuring device also includes an upper temperature measuring element 103 for measuring the center temperature of the wafer on the wafer carrier 118. The upper temperature measuring element 103 is located above the upper heating element groups, and its field of view faces the center of the upper surface of the wafer carrier 118. This application, by setting the upper heating element groups above the reaction chamber in conjunction with the lower heating element groups below, can better control the wafer temperature and optimize the process effect. This application also arranges the upper temperature measuring element 103 above the upper heating element groups, directly facing the wafer center, to monitor the wafer center temperature and facilitate the acquisition of the wafer reaction temperature.

[0099] Specifically, the reaction chamber includes a cylindrical reaction chamber body 111, a wafer carrier device 118 disposed inside the reaction chamber body 111; a reaction upper chamber 117 sealed and connected above the reaction chamber body 111, and the reaction upper chamber 117 is made of a light-transmitting material; an upper heating element is disposed on the outside of the reaction upper chamber 117, which refers to the side of the reaction upper chamber 117 away from the wafer carrier device 118, that is, the side of the reaction upper chamber 117 away from the inner cavity of the reaction chamber body 111, specifically the upper side of the reaction upper chamber 117.

[0100] The reaction chamber body 111 is made of corrosion-resistant metal and has an inlet passage 115 and an exhaust passage 113 located on its left and right sides, respectively. These passages are used to introduce the gas required for the reaction into the chamber and to exhaust the gas after the reaction is completed. The gas is also rectified to ensure a stable airflow field within the chamber. The reaction gas atmosphere within the chamber is mainly located in the space above the wafer. The upper reaction chamber 117 is made of light-transmitting material and is located above the reaction chamber body 111. It is fixed by a corrosion-resistant metal upper flange 110, and the contact parts are sealed with a double sealing ring 120 structure to ensure the internal sealing of the chamber. The chamber isolation ring 116 is made of a high-temperature resistant material that does not transmit infrared light and covers the entire side wall of the reaction chamber body 111 to prevent the chamber structure from overheating due to excessive absorption of infrared light.

[0101] To optimize the above technical solution, the upper heating element is an upper heating lamp 102. The upper heating lamp 102 has a light beam emitting end, and the light beam emitted by the upper heating lamp 102 has a central axis. This central axis of the upper heating lamp 102 is arranged vertically, or the central axis of the upper heating lamp 102 forms an angle of 0°-45° with the vertical direction, and the emitting end of the upper heating lamp 102 is offset towards the center of the wafer carrier 118 relative to the end furthest from the emitting end. It should be noted that the central axis of the upper heating lamp 102 is, for example, a central axis passing through the geometric center of the light source. Specifically, the upper heating lamp 102 is a halogen heating lamp or other lamps that meet the requirements.

[0102] The heat source for the heating component is provided by halogen heating lamps arranged in a ring above and below the reaction chamber. The upper heating lamp 102 above the reaction chamber is installed vertically toward the wafer carrier 118. It can also be adjusted within the range of 0 to 45° with the emitting end, i.e. the tip, of the upper heating lamp 102 biased toward the center of the wafer on the wafer carrier 118. By changing the arrangement direction of the upper heating lamp 102, the horizontal space occupied is reduced, thereby increasing the number of lamps. Under the premise that the overall module space remains unchanged, the upper limit of the number of target heating areas for chamber temperature control is increased.

[0103] The number of lower heating element groups and lower heating lamps 106, and the number of upper heating element groups and upper heating lamps 102, are such that the average power density adjustment range of the lower heating lamps 106 and upper heating lamps 102 on the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer carrier 118 and the preheating ring 119 connected to the outer ring of the wafer carrier 118 is between 0 and 3E5 W / m^2 and 0 and 6E5 W / m^2, where E5 represents 10 to the power of 5. In this embodiment, the number of rings m of heating lamps above and below the reaction chamber, and the number of heating lamps arranged in each ring, can be flexibly selected according to the number of annular target heating areas distributed in the wafer carrier 118. The setting principle ensures that the average power density adjustment range of the upper and lower lamps on the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer carrier 118 and the preheating ring 119 is between 0 and 3E5 W / m^2 and 0 and 6E5 W / m^2, which can meet different process adjustment requirements.

[0104] As shown in Figures 1-2, the semiconductor process equipment provided in the above embodiments further includes: a lower reflective screen 123 for uniformly distributing the light source emitted by the lower heating element, the lower reflective screen 123 covering the positions of all lower heating elements from below, and having a plurality of lower reflective element slots 105 corresponding to each lower heating element and a lower temperature measuring opening 123a through which the field of view of the lower zone temperature measuring group passes, the other end of the lower heating element away from its emitting end being built into the lower reflective element slot 105; and an upper reflective screen for uniformly distributing the light source emitted by the upper heating element, the upper reflective screen covering the positions of all upper heating elements from above, and having a plurality of upper reflective element slots 101 corresponding to each upper heating element and an upper temperature measuring opening through which the field of view of the upper zone temperature measuring element 103 passes, the other end of the upper heating element away from its emitting end being built into the upper reflective element slot 101.

[0105] To simplify the structure, the lower heating element is specifically the lower heating lamp 106, and the upper heating element is specifically the upper heating lamp 102.

[0106] It should be noted that the lower reflector 123 is positioned between the lower heating lamp 106 and the lower temperature measuring element 104 of the lower partition temperature measuring group, with the reflective surface facing the lower heating lamp 106. The lower reflector 123 is integrally formed with multiple downward-recessed lower reflective element grooves 105 or has multiple lower reflective element grooves 105 installed for installing the lower heating lamp 106, thereby covering the positions of all the lower heating lamps 106 from below, and thus focusing the light emitted by the lower heating lamps 106 on one side close to the target heating area (specifically the upper side in Figure 1).

[0107] The upper reflector is positioned between the upper heating lamp 102 and the upper temperature measuring element 103, with the reflective surface facing the upper heating lamp 102. The upper reflector is integrally formed with multiple upward-recessed upper reflective element slots 101 or multiple upper reflective element slots 101 are installed for mounting the upper heating lamp 102, thereby covering the positions of all upper heating lamps 102 from above, and concentrating the light emitted by the upper heating lamp 102 on one side close to the target heating area (specifically the lower side in Figure 1).

[0108] The lower reflector 123 and the upper reflector have basically the same structure. The following is an example of the cooperation between the lower reflector 123 and the lower heating lamp 106. Figure 2 shows a typical arrangement of the lower heating lamps 106 in the lower heating element group. Between the lower heating lamps 106 is the smooth surface of the lower reflector 123. The surface of the lower reflector 123 is coated with a metal coating with high specular reflectivity. The coating material can be chromium, gold, etc. Each lower heating lamp 106 is equipped with an independent lower reflective element slot 105 for focusing light. According to the different structural designs of the lower reflective element slot 105, a specific energy peak distribution can be formed on the lower surface of the wafer carrier device 118 to meet specific process requirements.

[0109] In the semiconductor process equipment provided in the above embodiments, the wafer lifting shaft 107 of the semiconductor process equipment is fitted inside the center of the lower reaction chamber 114 of the reaction chamber, and a gas injection port 121 is provided between the bottom of the lower reaction chamber 114 and the bottom of the wafer lifting shaft 107. The gas injection port 121 can inject gas into the lower space of the reaction chamber located in the wafer carrier device 118.

[0110] Specifically, the injected gas can be etching gas, hydrogen, or nitrogen.

[0111] Since process gases do not completely prevent diffusion to the area below the wafer carrier 118, the deposition of process byproducts can also affect the stable temperature measurement of the lower zone temperature measurement group. In order to ensure the long-term stability of the temperature measurement accuracy of the lower zone temperature measurement group, this application adds a gas injection port 121 between the bottom of the reaction chamber 114 and the bottom of the wafer lifting shaft 107. Etching gases (mostly hydrogen chloride), hydrogen, and nitrogen are selectively injected into the space below the chamber tray. Under specific temperature and pressure, the etching gases quickly clean the byproducts attached to the inner surface of the reaction chamber 114, the surface of the optical refractive element 122, and the lower surface of the wafer carrier 118, ensuring that the temperature control stability is not affected by the byproducts in the chamber.

[0112] In a further technical solution, the semiconductor process equipment also includes a gas supply system and a control system; the gas supply system is connected to the gas injection port 121, and the gas supply system includes: a first gas branch for supplying etching gas to the gas injection port 121; a second gas branch for supplying deposition process gas to the gas injection port 121; and a third gas branch for supplying purge gas to the gas injection port 121; the control system is used to control that when one of the first gas branch, the second gas branch, and the third gas branch is connected to the gas injection port 121, the other two gas branches are not connected to the gas injection port 121.

[0113] Specifically, hydrogen chloride is often used as the etching gas; the first gas branch is an etching gas pipeline for supplying etching gas to the gas injection port 121. Along the gas flow direction, the etching gas pipeline is equipped with an etching gas manual valve 201, an etching gas adjustable pressure valve 202, an etching gas filter 203, an etching gas first-stage diaphragm valve 204, an etching gas flow controller 205, and an etching gas second-stage diaphragm valve 206.

[0114] The deposition process gas is hydrogen; the second gas branch is a hydrogen pipeline for supplying hydrogen to the gas injection port 121. Along the gas flow direction, the hydrogen pipeline is equipped with a hydrogen manual valve 401, a hydrogen adjustable pressure valve 402, a hydrogen filter 403, a hydrogen primary diaphragm valve 404, a hydrogen flow controller 405, and a hydrogen secondary diaphragm valve 406.

[0115] Nitrogen is used as the purging gas; the third gas branch is a nitrogen pipeline for supplying nitrogen to the gas injection port 121. The nitrogen pipeline includes a main nitrogen pipeline, a first nitrogen branch pipeline, and a second nitrogen branch pipeline. A nitrogen manual valve 301, a nitrogen adjustable pressure valve 302, and a nitrogen filter 303 are sequentially arranged along the gas flow direction on the main nitrogen pipeline. The first nitrogen branch pipeline connects the outlet side of the nitrogen filter 303 to the inlet side of the etching gas primary diaphragm valve 204. The second nitrogen branch pipeline connects the outlet side of the nitrogen filter 303 to the inlet side of the hydrogen primary diaphragm valve 404. A one-way valve 304 and a nitrogen diaphragm valve 305 are arranged along the gas flow direction on both the first and second nitrogen branch pipelines.

[0116] Figure 8 shows the gas supply system diagram. During the main deposition process, the control system controls the gas supply system to only supply hydrogen. At this time, the hydrogen manual valve 401 remains open, and the hydrogen secondary diaphragm valve 406 opens immediately upon being pushed by external compressed gas. After an interval of 0.5 seconds, the hydrogen primary diaphragm valve 404 opens, and then the hydrogen passes through the hydrogen manual valve 401. The hydrogen adjustable pressure valve 402 stabilizes the downstream pressure at above 20 psig. The hydrogen then passes through the hydrogen filter 403 (filtration accuracy less than 10 nm) and then sequentially passes through the hydrogen primary diaphragm valve 404, the hydrogen flow controller 405, and the hydrogen secondary diaphragm valve 406. The hydrogen flow controller 405 stabilizes the gas flow rate in real time at the set flow rate issued by the control system, which can be set within the range of 0 to 3 L / min. When the hydrogen injection ends, the hydrogen primary diaphragm valve 404 and the hydrogen secondary diaphragm valve 406 close sequentially at 0.5 seconds intervals, and the hydrogen flow controller 405 returns the flow control to zero. This process ensures a pressure gradient from bottom to top in the lower part of the cavity, reducing the downward diffusion of process gas from above, thereby slowing down the deposition of process byproducts on the optical refractive element 122 and the surface of the lower cavity.

[0117] As the chamber is used for a longer period of time, if the temperature measured by the current temperature sensing element 104 in the constant power hot standby state between machine processes deviates from the preset standard temperature by more than the preset alarm limit, it is determined that the deposition on the surface of the optical refractive element 122 in the lower part of the chamber or in the lower cavity has an adverse effect on temperature control and cleaning is required. At this time, the system will remind the operator. The operator can select to start the etching gas cleaning process, i.e., temperature measurement cleaning mode, in the hot standby state after the machine process is completed. The control system controls the gas supply system to inject etching gas into the gas injection port 121. The specific process is as follows: the etching gas manual valve 201 remains open, the etching gas secondary diaphragm valve 206 opens immediately upon being pushed by external compressed gas, and after a 0.5s interval, the etching gas primary diaphragm valve 204 opens. The etching gas then passes through the etching gas manual valve 201, and the etching gas adjustable pressure valve 202 stabilizes the downstream pressure at above 20psig. The etching gas then passes through the etching gas filter 203 (filtration accuracy less than 10nm), and then sequentially passes through the etching gas primary diaphragm valve 204, the etching gas flow controller 205, and the etching gas secondary diaphragm valve 206. The etching gas flow controller 205 stabilizes the gas flow rate in real time at the set flow rate issued by the control system, which can be set within the range of 0 to 3L / min. When the etching gas injection ends, the etching gas primary diaphragm valve 204 and the etching gas secondary diaphragm valve 206 close sequentially at 0.5s intervals, and the etching gas flow controller 205 returns the flow control to zero.

[0118] Nitrogen is activated in nitrogen purging mode and can only be manually opened when the chamber heating is stopped and switched to nitrogen maintenance mode. Its main function is to purge etching gas and hydrogen into the gas injection port 121. When purging begins, the nitrogen manual valve 301 remains open. The control system controls the nitrogen adjustable pressure valve 302 to stabilize the nitrogen pressure at above 20 psig. After passing through the nitrogen filter 303 (filtration accuracy less than 10 nm), the nitrogen diaphragm valve 305 on the first nitrogen branch pipe or the second nitrogen branch pipe can be opened, or the nitrogen diaphragm valves 305 on both pipes can be opened simultaneously. This achieves the purpose of purging and cleaning the etching gas and hydrogen into the gas pipeline connected to the gas injection port 121. The one-way valve 304 ensures one-way flow of nitrogen and prevents etching gas and hydrogen from flowing back into the nitrogen source pipeline.

[0119] The above-mentioned gas supply system facilitates the control of various modes. Of course, the gas supply system can also adopt other forms, which can realize the injection of etching gas, hydrogen and nitrogen into the gas injection port 121 according to the preset flow rate and preset pressure.

[0120] In a further technical solution, the control system includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, it performs the following steps: when the temperature detected by the current zone temperature measurement group is lower than the target temperature limit, the first gas branch is connected to the gas injection port 121 to introduce etching gas into the reaction chamber; when the temperature detected by the current zone temperature measurement group is not lower than the target temperature limit, or when the process time of the semiconductor process equipment entering the temperature measurement and cleaning mode reaches the upper limit of the target time, the first gas branch is disconnected from the gas injection port 121.

[0121] In this embodiment, when the temperature detected by the current zone temperature measurement group is lower than the target temperature limit, the control system controls the gas supply system to introduce etching gas into the gas injection port 121 to enter the temperature measurement and cleaning mode; when the temperature detected by the current zone temperature measurement group is not lower than the target temperature limit, or when the process time of the temperature measurement and cleaning mode reaches the target time limit, the control system controls the temperature measurement and cleaning mode to terminate, and controls the gas supply system to introduce hydrogen into the gas injection port 121 to switch to the hydrogen purging mode to replace the etching gas in the reaction chamber; when the control system controls the semiconductor process equipment to be in nitrogen maintenance state, it controls the gas supply system to introduce nitrogen into the gas injection port 121.

[0122] The control system selectively controls the gas supply system to inject etching gas, hydrogen, and nitrogen into the space below the chamber tray. The etching gas rapidly cleans the byproducts attached to the inner surface of the reaction chamber 114, the surface of the optical refractive element 122, and the lower surface of the wafer carrier 118 under specific temperature and pressure, ensuring that the temperature control stability is not affected by the byproducts in the chamber.

[0123] The specific implementation method is as follows: The machine automatically records the output value of the temperature measuring element 104 during the constant power process in the process standby state. When the temperature value of the temperature measuring element 104 drops below the limit, the temperature measuring and cleaning mode can be selected. At this time, etching gas is introduced into the gas injection port 121, and the chamber temperature is automatically controlled to the specified temperature to improve the etching efficiency. When the temperature value of the temperature measuring element 104 returns to the set range, or when the process time reaches the preset upper limit, the process can be terminated. At this time, the gas injection port 121 switches to hydrogen mode to purge for a specific time to ensure that the etching gas in the chamber is completely replaced. After that, the gas injection port 121 stops injecting gas, and the chamber automatically returns to the process standby state.

[0124] The basic principles of this application have been described above with reference to specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, benefits, and effects mentioned in this application are merely examples and not limitations, and should not be considered as essential features of each embodiment of this application. Furthermore, the specific details disclosed above are for illustrative and facilitative purposes only, and are not limitations. These details do not limit the application to the necessity of employing the aforementioned specific details for implementation.

[0125] The block diagrams of devices, apparatuses, devices, and systems involved in this application are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that they must be connected, arranged, or configured in the manner shown in the block diagrams. As those skilled in the art will recognize, these devices, apparatuses, devices, and systems can be connected, arranged, and configured in any manner. Words such as “comprising,” “including,” “having,” etc., are open-ended terms meaning “including but not limited to,” and are used interchangeably with them. The terms “or” and “and” as used herein refer to the terms “and / or,” and are used interchangeably with them unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term “such as” as used herein refers to the phrase “such as but not limited to,” and is used interchangeably with it.

[0126] It should also be noted that in the apparatus, equipment, and methods of this application, the components or steps can be disassembled and / or recombined. These disassemblies and / or recombinations should be considered as equivalent solutions of this application.

[0127] The above description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use this application. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, this application is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but rather to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0128] It should be understood that the qualifiers “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” “fifth,” and “sixth” used in the description of the embodiments of this application are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application.

[0129] The above description has been given for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, this description is not intended to limit the embodiments of this application to the forms disclosed herein. Although numerous exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those skilled in the art will recognize certain variations, modifications, alterations, additions, and sub-combinations thereof.

Claims

1. A semiconductor process apparatus, characterized in that, include: Reaction chamber; A wafer support device for supporting a wafer, the wafer support device being disposed within the reaction chamber; The heating assembly includes at least two lower heating element groups, which are disposed below the wafer carrier and distributed radially along the wafer carrier. Each lower heating element group includes a plurality of lower heating elements evenly distributed circumferentially along the wafer carrier. Different lower heating element groups heat different target heating areas of the wafer carrier. The temperature measuring device includes at least two lower zone temperature measuring groups, which are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the at least two lower heating element groups. The lower zone temperature measuring groups are used to measure the temperature of the target heating zone of the lower heating element group to which they correspond.

2. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the lower zone temperature measurement groups includes at least one lower temperature measurement element, the field of view optical path of the lower temperature measurement element intersects with the most sensitive heat-affected point in its corresponding target heating zone; The most sensitive thermally affected point is the point in the target heating zone where the temperature changes most significantly with the power of the corresponding lower heating element group.

3. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes an optical refraction assembly, which includes at least two optical refraction element groups, each of which is configured in a one-to-one correspondence with the at least two lower zone temperature measurement groups; each of the optical refraction element groups includes at least one optical refraction element, and each of the optical refraction elements in each of the optical refraction element groups corresponds in a one-to-one correspondence with the lower temperature measurement element in the corresponding lower zone temperature measurement group, and each of the optical refraction elements is disposed between the corresponding lower temperature measurement element and the wafer carrier device; The field of view of the lower temperature measuring element is refracted by the optical refractive element and intersects with the most sensitive heat-affected point in the target heating area.

4. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The lower heating element is a lower heating lamp, and the light beam emitted by the lower heating lamp has a central axis. The point where the extension of the central axis intersects with the wafer carrier device is the most sensitive heat-affected point. The lower temperature measuring element is disposed below its corresponding lower heating element, and the field of view optical path of the lower temperature measuring element between the optical refractive element and the lower temperature measuring element is parallel to the central axis of the lower heating lamp.

5. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, The reaction chamber includes: A cylindrical reaction chamber body, wherein the wafer carrier device is disposed within the reaction chamber body; A lower reaction chamber is sealed and connected below the main body of the reaction chamber. The lower reaction chamber is tapered at one end near the main body of the reaction chamber and gradually expands from bottom to top. The lower reaction chamber is made of a light-transmitting material. The lower heating lamp has a light beam emitting end, the lower heating lamp is disposed outside the reaction chamber, the central axis of the lower heating lamp has an angle of 0°-45° with the vertical direction, and the emitting end of the lower heating lamp is biased towards the center of the wafer carrier relative to the other end away from the emitting end, and / or, the central axis of the lower heating lamp is perpendicular to the conical surface of the reaction chamber.

6. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, Each of the lower temperature measurement groups includes at least two lower temperature measurement elements that are evenly distributed along the circumference of the wafer carrier. Each optical refractive element group includes at least two optical refractive elements, and each of them corresponds one-to-one with at least two lower temperature measuring elements in the corresponding lower temperature measuring group.

7. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The optical refractive element is a prism; The length of the prism and the side length of the triangular cross section are both more than 1 times the field diameter of the lower zone temperature measurement group.

8. The semiconductor process equipment according to any one of claims 3-5, characterized in that, The semiconductor process equipment includes a wafer lifting shaft for driving the wafer on the wafer carrier to separate from the wafer carrier. The top of the wafer lifting shaft is provided with multiple main branches that slope upward from the beginning to the end. Each of the main branches is provided with a wafer support pin platform at the end. The wafer lifting axis also includes: An end extension that extends horizontally outward from the end of the main branch; Multiple arc-shaped support branches are radially dispersed on the main branch and the end extension along the wafer lifting axis. The arc-shaped support branches extend circumferentially along the wafer lifting axis to avoid the wafer support pin platform. The ends of the arc-shaped support branches are all located at the same radial position on the wafer lifting axis. The optical refractive elements are correspondingly arranged at the ends of the arc-shaped support branches.

9. The semiconductor process equipment according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The heating assembly further includes a plurality of upper heating element groups for heating the wafer on the wafer carrier device. The upper heating element groups are disposed above the reaction chamber and distributed radially along the wafer carrier device, and each upper heating element group includes a plurality of upper heating elements uniformly distributed circumferentially along the wafer carrier device. The temperature measuring device further includes an upper temperature measuring element for measuring the temperature of the wafer center on the wafer carrier, the upper temperature measuring element being located above the upper heating element group and the field of view of the upper temperature measuring element being directly facing the center of the upper surface of the wafer carrier.

10. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that, The reaction chamber includes: A cylindrical reaction chamber body, wherein the wafer carrier device is disposed within the reaction chamber body; A reaction upper cavity is sealed and connected above the reaction chamber body, and the reaction upper cavity is made of a light-transmitting material; The upper heating element is located on the outside of the upper reaction chamber.

11. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that, The upper heating element is an upper heating lamp, which has a light beam emitting end and the light beam emitted by the upper heating lamp has a central axis. The central axis of the upper heating lamp is arranged in the vertical direction, or the central axis of the upper heating lamp has an angle of 0°-45° with the vertical direction and the emitting end of the upper heating lamp is biased towards the center of the wafer carrier relative to the other end away from the emitting end.

12. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that, Also includes: A lower reflector screen is used to uniformly reflect the light source emitted by the lower heating element. The lower reflector screen covers the position of all the lower heating elements from below and is provided with a plurality of lower reflector slots corresponding one-to-one with the lower heating elements and a lower temperature measuring opening through which the field of view of the lower temperature measuring group passes. The element seat end of the lower heating element is built into the lower reflector slot. An upper reflective screen is used to uniformly reflect the light source emitted by the upper heating element. The upper reflective screen covers the positions of all the upper heating elements from above and is provided with a plurality of upper reflective element slots corresponding one-to-one with the upper heating elements and an upper temperature measuring opening through which the field of view of the upper temperature measuring element passes. The element seat end of the upper heating element is built into the upper reflective element slot.

13. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, The wafer lifting shaft of the semiconductor process equipment is fitted inside the center of the lower reaction chamber of the reaction chamber, and a gas injection port is provided between the bottom of the lower reaction chamber and the bottom of the wafer lifting shaft. The gas injection port can inject gas into the lower space of the reaction chamber located on the wafer carrier device.

14. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 13, characterized in that, The semiconductor process equipment also includes a gas supply system and a control system; The gas supply system is connected to the gas injection port, and the gas supply system includes: The first gas branch is used to supply etching gas to the gas injection port; The second gas branch is used to supply deposition process gas to the gas injection port; The third gas branch is used to supply purge gas to the gas injection port; The control system is used to ensure that when one of the first gas branch, the second gas branch, and the third gas branch is connected to the gas injection port, the other two gas branches are not connected to the gas injection port.

15. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 14, characterized in that, The control system includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores a computer program, which, when executed by the processor, performs the following steps: When the temperature detected by the lower zone temperature measurement group is lower than the target temperature limit, the first gas branch is connected to the gas injection port to introduce etching gas into the reaction chamber. When the temperature detected by the lower partition temperature measurement group is not lower than the target temperature limit, or when the process time of the semiconductor process equipment entering the temperature measurement and cleaning mode reaches the upper limit of the target time, the first gas branch is controlled to be disconnected from the gas injection port.

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