CN113206032A

CN113206032A - Wafer processing device, wafer transmission assembly and working method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN113206032A
Application number: CN202110500011.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 金东镇
Original assignee: Changxin Memory Technologies Inc
Current assignee: Changxin Memory Technologies Inc
Priority date: 2021-05-08
Filing date: 2021-05-08
Publication date: 2021-08-03

Abstract

The invention relates to a wafer processing device, a wafer transmission assembly and a working method thereof. The moving mechanism includes a tray. The tray can move the wafer into or out of the process chamber. The blowing mechanism is provided with a blowing surface, and the blowing area of the blowing surface can completely cover the wafers placed on the tray. When the tray of the moving mechanism drives the wafer to be positioned outside the process chamber, the purging mechanism is arranged right above the tray at intervals, so that the purging surface and the wafer on the tray are arranged face to face. The protective gas can better avoid the pollution phenomena of oxidation or particulate matter adhesion and the like on the surface of the wafer in the process of blowing the whole outer surface of the wafer to the wafer, and can also avoid the phenomenon that water vapor is synchronously brought into the process chamber when the moving mechanism carries the wafer to move into the process chamber, so that the surface cleanliness of the wafer can be ensured, the surface of the wafer can also be prevented from being oxidized, and the product quality is improved.

Description

Wafer processing device, wafer transmission assembly and working method thereof

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor processing technologies, and in particular, to a wafer processing apparatus, a wafer transfer module and a method for operating the same.

Background

In the production process of wafers, a robot arm is usually used to transport the wafers from one location to another in space. For example, wafers are transferred from a load chamber, in which the wafers are stored, to a process chamber for etching the wafers, and for example, wafers are transferred from one type of process chamber to another type of process chamber to perform different types of processes on the wafers.

However, the conventional robot arm has the following cleanliness problems during the wafer transferring process: for example, when the wafer is moved out of the process chamber, since a portion of the reaction gas (e.g., sulfur dioxide and fluorine gas) still adheres to the surface of the wafer, the reaction gas can easily adsorb particles in the environment on the surface of the wafer to cause contamination of the surface of the wafer; in addition, the wafer is affected by environmental factors, such as particles, metal ions, etc. in the environment are also attached to the surface of the wafer, which deteriorates the quality of the wafer and affects the processing and handling processes; in addition, when the wafer is directly exposed to air during the wafer transfer process, the surface of the wafer is oxidized by oxygen in the air and a thin oxide film is formed on the surface of the wafer, and the longer the time required for the transfer process is, the longer the time the wafer is exposed to air is, and the more the surface of the wafer is oxidized.

Disclosure of Invention

Accordingly, it is necessary to overcome the defects of the prior art and provide a wafer processing apparatus, a wafer transfer module and a working method thereof, which can ensure the surface cleanliness of the wafer, prevent the surface of the wafer from being oxidized and improve the product quality.

The technical scheme is as follows: a wafer transfer assembly, the wafer transfer assembly comprising:

the moving mechanism comprises a tray, the tray is used for placing wafers, and the tray of the moving mechanism can drive the wafers to move into the process chamber or move out of the process chamber;

the blowing mechanism is provided with a blowing surface, the blowing area of the blowing surface can completely cover the wafers placed on the tray, and when the tray of the moving mechanism drives the wafers to be positioned outside the process chamber, the blowing mechanism is arranged right above the tray at intervals so that the blowing surface and the wafers on the tray are arranged face to face.

According to the wafer conveying assembly, when the tray of the moving mechanism carries the wafer and is positioned outside the process chamber, the blowing mechanisms are arranged right above the tray at intervals, and the blowing surfaces and the wafer on the tray are arranged face to face, so that the protective gas blown by the blowing surfaces can completely cover the wafer placed on the tray, the wafer placed on the tray is well protected, and the surface of the wafer cannot be in contact with the atmosphere. When the moving mechanism carries the wafer and moves out of the process chamber, the protective gas can better avoid the pollution phenomena such as oxidation or particulate matter adhesion on the surface of the wafer in the process of blowing the whole outer surface of the wafer by the protective gas, and can also avoid the phenomenon that the moving mechanism carries the wafer and moves into the process chamber to synchronously bring water vapor into the process chamber, so that the surface cleanliness of the wafer can be better ensured, the surface of the wafer can be better prevented from being oxidized, and the product quality is improved.

In one embodiment, the projection of the purge surface on the tray along a direction perpendicular to the surface of the tray can completely cover the wafer placed on the tray.

In one embodiment, the cleaning surface is a circular surface, and the diameter of the circular surface is 5mm-40mm larger than that of the wafer.

In one embodiment, a plurality of nozzles or a plurality of gas injection holes are arranged on the blowing surface.

In one embodiment, a plurality of the nozzles or a plurality of the gas injection hole arrays are arranged on the blowing surface at regular intervals.

In one embodiment, the gas ejected from the nozzles or the gas ejecting holes in the central area of the blowing surface is divergent; the ejection direction of the nozzles or the gas ejection holes located in a region other than the center of the purge surface is arranged obliquely with respect to the purge surface.

In one embodiment, the purging structure further comprises a plurality of control air pipes, one ends of the plurality of control air pipes are communicated with the plurality of nozzles or the plurality of air injection holes in a one-to-one correspondence manner, and the other ends of the plurality of control air pipes are used for being connected to air source equipment; and a first control switch valve is arranged on the control air pipe.

In one embodiment, the purging structure further comprises an air inlet manifold disposed between the control air pipe and the air supply device; the control air pipes are all connected with the air inlet main pipe, and the air inlet main pipe is used for being communicated with the air source equipment; a second control switch valve is arranged on the air inlet main pipe; and the control air pipe and/or the air inlet main pipe are/is also provided with a flow control valve.

In one embodiment, the purging structure is provided with a gas storage chamber; the plurality of the air injection holes are communicated with the air storage cavity, and the air storage cavity is communicated with air source equipment through a pipeline; and a foldable wind shield and a first driving element for driving the wind shield to fold or unfold are further arranged on the blowing surface of the blowing structure.

In one embodiment, during the process that the tray of the moving mechanism drives the wafer to move into the process chamber or move out of the process chamber, the nozzles or the gas injection holes on the purge surface, which are used in the region directly opposite to the wafer, start gas injection purge operation, and the rest of the nozzles or the gas injection holes on the purge surface are closed.

In one embodiment, the moving mechanism further comprises a moving body and a moving arm assembly; the moving body is respectively connected with the moving arm assembly and the purging structure, and the moving body can drive the moving arm assembly and the purging structure to move synchronously; the moving arm assembly is connected with the tray, and the moving arm assembly can adjust the distance between the tray and the moving body.

In one embodiment, the moving arm assembly comprises a foldable connecting arm or a telescopic connecting arm and a second driving element; the second driving element is used for driving the foldable connecting arm to fold or unfold, or driving the telescopic connecting arm to perform telescopic action.

In one embodiment, the wafer transfer assembly further comprises a position sensor and a controller; the position sensor is used for acquiring the position of the wafer; the controller is respectively electrically connected with the position sensor, the second driving element, the moving body and the purging structure.

In one embodiment, the position sensor is disposed on the tray or on the process chamber at an entry and exit location for wafers.

In one embodiment, the moving body includes a rotating portion and a first lifting portion; the rotating part is connected with the first lifting part and is used for driving the first lifting part to rotate; the first lifting part is respectively connected with the moving arm assembly and the purging structure, and the first lifting part can drive the moving arm assembly and the purging structure to synchronously lift.

In one embodiment, the moving mechanism further comprises a second lifting part arranged between the purging structure and the first lifting part, the first lifting part is connected with the purging structure through the second lifting part, and the second lifting part is used for lifting the purging structure to enable the purging surface of the purging structure to be far away from or close to the wafer placed on the tray.

In one embodiment, the wafer transfer assembly further comprises a following mechanism, the purging structure is arranged on the following mechanism, and the following mechanism synchronously drives the purging structure to move during the process that the moving mechanism drives the tray to move outside the process chamber, so that a purging surface of the purging mechanism and the wafer on the tray are arranged in a face-to-face mode.

The wafer processing device comprises the wafer transmission assembly and a process chamber, wherein the wafer transmission assembly is arranged outside the process chamber.

According to the wafer processing device, when the tray of the moving mechanism carries the wafer and is positioned outside the process chamber, the purging mechanism is arranged right above the tray at intervals, and the purging surface and the wafer on the tray are arranged face to face, so that the protective gas purged by the purging surface can completely cover the wafer placed on the tray, the wafer placed on the tray is well protected, and the surface of the wafer cannot be in contact with the atmosphere. When the moving mechanism carries the wafer and moves out of the process chamber, the protective gas can better avoid the pollution phenomena such as oxidation or particulate matter adhesion on the surface of the wafer in the process of blowing the whole outer surface of the wafer by the protective gas, and can also avoid the phenomenon that the moving mechanism carries the wafer and moves into the process chamber to synchronously bring water vapor into the process chamber, so that the surface cleanliness of the wafer can be better ensured, the surface of the wafer can be better prevented from being oxidized, and the product quality is improved.

In one embodiment, the wafer processing apparatus includes a transfer chamber in which the wafer transfer assembly is disposed; the tray of the moving mechanism can drive the wafer to move from the transmission chamber to the process chamber or move from the process chamber to the transmission chamber.

In one embodiment, the process chamber is at least one; the wafer processing device also comprises a load chamber connected with the transmission chamber; the tray of the moving mechanism can also drive the wafer to move from the loading chamber to the transmission chamber.

In one embodiment, the transfer chamber is provided with a vacuumizing device, and the vacuumizing device is used for outwards pumping gas in the transfer chamber; and the conveying chamber is also provided with a purging device which is used for blowing protective gas into the conveying chamber.

The working method of the wafer transmission assembly comprises the following steps:

when the tray of the moving mechanism carries the wafer and moves out of the process chamber, the purging mechanism is started and is arranged right above the tray at intervals, and the purging surface and the wafer on the tray are arranged face to face;

and synchronously moving the purging mechanism during the process that the tray of the moving mechanism carries the wafer outside the process chamber, so that the purging surface of the purging mechanism and the wafer on the tray are arranged in a face-to-face mode.

According to the working method of the wafer transmission assembly, when the moving mechanism carries the wafer to move out of the process chamber, the protective gas is over against the wafer to blow the whole outer surface of the wafer, so that the pollution phenomena of oxidation or particulate matter adhesion and the like on the surface of the wafer can be well avoided, and the phenomenon that water vapor is synchronously brought into the process chamber when the moving mechanism carries the wafer to move into the process chamber can also be avoided, so that the surface cleanliness of the wafer can be well ensured, the surface of the wafer can also be well prevented from being oxidized, and the product quality is improved.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the invention and not to limit the invention.

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a wafer transfer assembly for transferring a wafer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of gas injection holes disposed on a purge surface of a wafer transfer assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of gas injection holes disposed on a purge surface of a wafer transfer assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the wafer transfer assembly being moved out of the process chamber according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a wafer transfer assembly being moved into a process chamber according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a side view of a wafer transfer assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic top view of a wafer transfer assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a tray of a wafer transfer assembly and wafers thereon being moved into a process chamber in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a simplified schematic diagram of a wafer processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a simplified schematic diagram of a wafer processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

10. A moving mechanism; 11. a tray; 12. a moving body; 121. a rotating part; 122. a first lifting unit; 123. a second lifting unit; 13. a moving arm assembly; 131. a connecting arm; 132. a second drive element; 20. a purging structure; 21. a surface is blown; 211. a gas injection hole; 30. a wafer; 40. a process chamber; 50. a transfer chamber; 60. a load chamber; 70. a pre-processing chamber.

Detailed Description

In order to make the aforementioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention comprehensible, embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, fig. 1 is a schematic top view illustrating a wafer 30 transferred by a wafer transfer assembly according to an embodiment of the invention, and fig. 2 is a schematic side view illustrating an embodiment of fig. 1. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a wafer transfer module includes a moving mechanism 10 and a purging mechanism 20. The moving mechanism 10 comprises a tray 11, the tray 11 is used for placing the wafer 30, and the tray 11 of the moving mechanism 10 can drive the wafer 30 to move into the process chamber 40 or move out of the process chamber 40. The purging mechanism is provided with a purging surface 21, and a purging area of the purging surface 21 can completely cover the wafer 30 placed on the tray 11. When the tray 11 of the moving mechanism 10 drives the wafer 30 to be located outside the process chamber 40, the purging mechanism is disposed directly above the tray 11 at an interval such that the purging surface 21 faces the wafer 30 on the tray 11.

In the wafer transfer assembly, when the tray 11 of the moving mechanism 10 carries the wafer 30 and is located outside the process chamber 40, the purging mechanism is arranged right above the tray 11 at intervals, and the purging surface 21 is arranged opposite to the wafer 30 on the tray 11, so that the protective gas purged by the purging surface 21 can completely cover the wafer 30 on the tray 11, and the wafer 30 on the tray 11 is well protected, so that the surface of the wafer 30 is not contacted with the atmosphere. That is, when the moving mechanism 10 carrying the wafer 30 moves out of the process chamber 40, the protective gas directly faces the wafer 30 to purge the entire outer surface of the wafer 30, which can better avoid the phenomenon of contamination such as oxidation or particulate matter adhesion on the surface of the wafer 30, and can also avoid the phenomenon that the moving mechanism 10 carrying the wafer 30 moves into the process chamber 40, which can synchronously bring water vapor into the process chamber 40, so that the surface cleanliness of the wafer 30 can be better ensured, the surface of the wafer 30 can also be better prevented from being oxidized, and the product quality is improved.

It should be noted that the gas blown out from the purge surface 21 of the purge structure 20 is mainly an inert gas, such as nitrogen, helium, argon, and the like, and may also be other gases that do not participate in the chemical reaction, which is not limited herein and may be set according to actual requirements.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, further, the projection of the purge surface 21 on the tray 11 along the direction perpendicular to the surface of the tray 11 can completely cover the wafer 30 placed on the tray 11. Thus, when the purging mechanism is disposed opposite to the wafer 30 placed on the tray 11, the purging area of the purging surface 21 can completely cover the entire surface of the wafer 30 placed on the tray 11, and the entire surface of the wafer 30 can be well protected. Of course, as an alternative, the projection of the purge surface 21 on the tray 11 along the direction perpendicular to the surface of the tray 11 may also cover the area of the surface of the wafer 30 placed on the tray 11, but at least cover the area above 2/3 of the surface of the wafer 30, and the purge direction of the purge surface 21 is inclined with respect to the axis perpendicular to the surface of the wafer 30, so that the purge area of the purge surface 21 can completely cover the surface of the wafer 30 placed on the tray 11, and a certain protection effect is provided for the whole surface of the wafer 30.

Referring again to fig. 1 and 2, in one embodiment, the purge surface 21 is a circular surface having a diameter 5mm to 40mm greater than the diameter of the wafer 30. Specifically, the diameter of the cleaning surface 21 is larger than the diameter of the wafer 30 by 5mm, 10mm, 15mm, 20mm, 25mm, 30mm, and 40mm, but may be 40mm or more, and is not limited thereto and may be set as needed. As a specific example, the diameter of the wafer 30 is, for example, 300mm, and the diameter of the purge surface 21 is, for example, 315mm, so on one hand, the design size of the purge surface 21 is large enough to completely cover the surface of the wafer 30, that is, the protective gas sent by the purge surface 21 can completely cover the entire surface of the wafer 30 placed on the tray 11, and has a good protective effect on the entire surface of the wafer 30; on the other hand, the design size of the purge surface 21 is not too large, so that the protective gas can be saved during operation, the movement outside the process chamber 40 is flexible, and the device cost is low.

It should be noted that the wafer 30 is usually designed to be circular during manufacturing, but if the wafer 30 is designed to be other shapes, the purge surface 21 may be designed to be a shape corresponding to the surface of the wafer 30 and slightly larger than the surface size of the wafer 30, so that when the purge mechanism is disposed opposite to the wafer 30 placed on the tray 11, the purge surface 21 can completely cover the entire surface of the wafer 30 placed on the tray 11, and the size of the region of the purge surface 21 protruding beyond the surface of the wafer 30 is uniform. For example, the wafer 30 is designed to be square, and the purge surface 21 is correspondingly designed to be square.

Referring to fig. 3 to 5, fig. 3 is a schematic side view of another embodiment of fig. 1, and fig. 3 is different from fig. 2 in that the flow direction of the shielding gas is slightly different, as shown by the dotted lines in fig. 2 and 3, which indicate the flow direction and flow range of the shielding gas. Fig. 4 is a structural view illustrating gas injection holes 211 arranged on a purge surface 21 of a wafer transfer module according to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 5 is a structural view illustrating gas injection holes 211 arranged on a purge surface 21 of a wafer transfer module according to another embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 5 is different from fig. 4 in the shape and arrangement of the gas injection holes 211. In one embodiment, the purge surface 21 has a plurality of nozzles (not shown) or a plurality of gas injection holes 211 disposed thereon. In this way, the purge structure 20 ejects the protective gas through the plurality of nozzles or the plurality of gas ejection holes 211 on the purge surface 21 to the outside to purge the surface of the wafer 30 placed on the tray 11, so that the protective effect on the surface of the wafer 30 is good. It should be noted that the number of the nozzles or the gas injection holes 211 is specifically, for example, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, etc., and may be set according to actual situations. Of course, the number of the nozzles or the gas injection holes 211 may be set to 1 or 2, which is not limited herein.

As shown in FIG. 4, in one embodiment, a plurality of nozzles or an array of a plurality of gas injection holes 211 are evenly spaced on the purge surface 21. In this way, when the purge surface 21 is facing the wafer 30 and spraying gas toward the wafer 30, the protective gas at each position on the surface of the wafer 30 is relatively uniform, so as to protect the surface of the wafer 30 well.

Referring to FIG. 3, in one embodiment, the gas ejected from the nozzles or gas injection holes 211 located in the central region of the purge surface 21 is divergent. The injection direction of the nozzles or gas injection holes 211 located in a region other than the center of the purge surface 21 is arranged obliquely with respect to the purge surface 21. In this way, the gas ejected from the nozzles or gas ejection holes 211 located in the central region of the cleaning surface 21 contacts the wafer 30 and then flows toward the outer edge of the wafer 30, and the gas ejected from the nozzles or gas ejection holes 211 located in the region other than the center of the cleaning surface 21 contacts the wafer 30 and then also flows toward the outer edge of the wafer 30, thereby providing a good protection effect for the surface of the wafer 30.

In one embodiment, the purge structure 20 further includes a plurality of control air pipes (not shown). One end of each of the plurality of control air pipes is in one-to-one correspondence communication with the plurality of nozzles or the plurality of air injection holes 211, and the other end of each of the plurality of control air pipes is used for being connected to air source equipment (not shown). The control air pipe is provided with a first control switch valve (not shown). Therefore, when the wafer 30 is blown and protected, the first control switch valves on the control air pipes can be opened or closed according to needs, so that the surface of the wafer 30 can be well blown and protected, and meanwhile, the first control switch valves on the control air pipes which are not needed to be used can be closed, so that the effect of saving an air source is achieved.

Referring to fig. 3, 6 and 7, fig. 6 is a schematic view illustrating a state of the wafer transfer module in the process of moving out of the process chamber 40 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 7 is a schematic view illustrating a state of the wafer transfer module in the process of moving into the process chamber 40 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, for example, during the process that the tray 11 of the moving mechanism 10 drives the wafer 30 to move into the process chamber 40 (as shown in fig. 7) or move out of the process chamber 40 (as shown in fig. 6), the nozzles or the gas injection holes 211 on the purge surface 21 for the region directly opposite to the wafer 30 are opened for gas injection purge operation, and the rest of the nozzles or the gas injection holes 211 on the purge surface 21 are not opposite to the surface of the wafer 30, so that the nozzles or the gas injection holes are controlled to be closed, thereby saving the gas source. In addition, when the tray 11 of the moving mechanism 10 drives the wafer 30 to move completely to the outside of the process chamber 40, referring to fig. 3, the whole purge surface 21 of the purge structure 20 covers the wafer 30 placed above the tray 11, and all the gas injection holes 211 on the purge surface 21 are opened.

Further, the purge structure 20 further includes an air inlet manifold (not shown) disposed between the control air pipe and the air source device. The plurality of control air pipes are connected with an air inlet main pipe, and the air inlet main pipe is used for being communicated with air source equipment. The intake manifold is provided with a second control on-off valve (not shown). Flow control valves (not shown) are also provided on the control gas pipe and/or the intake manifold. In this way, when the blowing surface 21 does not require the air-jet blowing operation, the second control switch valve may be controlled to be closed. In addition, according to the different protective gas flows required by the surfaces of the wafers 30 of different types and the different protective gas flows required by the surfaces of the wafers 30 at different processing stages, the flow rate of the gas sprayed out of the blowing surface 21 can be adjusted by controlling the opening of the flow control valve, and after adaptive adjustment, a better protection effect can be achieved.

In another embodiment, the purge structure 20 is provided with a gas storage chamber (not shown). The plurality of air injection holes 211 are communicated with an air storage chamber, and the air storage chamber is communicated with air source equipment through a pipeline. The blowing surface 21 of the blowing structure 20 is further provided with a folding wind deflector (not shown) and a first driving element (not shown) for driving the folding or unfolding of the wind deflector. After the gas source device delivers the shielding gas into the gas storage chamber, the shielding gas is supplied to the gas injection holes 211 from the gas storage chamber and is injected to the surface of the wafer 30 through the gas injection holes 211. When a part of the air injection holes 211 needs to be controlled to be closed, the first driving element is used for driving the air deflector to unfold and move, so that the air injection holes 211 can be closed; when all the gas injection holes 211 need to be controlled to inject the protective gas outwards, the first driving element is used for driving the wind deflector to be folded completely. Thus, the control air pipe in the embodiment can be omitted, and the product structure can be simplified to a certain extent.

The specific shape of the gas injection holes 211 may be set according to actual conditions, and may be, for example, an elliptical gas injection hole 211, a waist-shaped gas injection hole 211, a square gas injection hole 211, a circular gas injection hole 211, or the like, which is not limited herein.

Referring to fig. 6 and 7, in one embodiment, during the process of moving the wafer 30 to the process chamber 40 or moving the wafer out of the process chamber 40 by the tray 11 of the moving mechanism 10, the nozzles or gas injection holes 211 on the area of the purge surface 21 opposite to the wafer 30 are opened for gas injection purge operation, and the rest of the nozzles or gas injection holes 211 on the purge surface 21 are closed.

Referring to fig. 8 to 10, fig. 8 is a side view, fig. 9 is a top view, and fig. 10 is a state diagram of a tray 11 and a wafer 30 thereon of the wafer transfer assembly of an embodiment of the present invention being moved into a process chamber 40. In one embodiment, the moving mechanism 10 further includes a moving body 12 and a moving arm assembly 13. The moving body 12 is respectively connected with the moving arm assembly 13 and the purging structure 20, and the moving body 12 can drive the moving arm assembly 13 to move synchronously with the purging structure 20. The moving arm assembly 13 is connected to the tray 11, and the moving arm assembly 13 can adjust the interval of the tray 11 with respect to the moving body 12. Thus, when the tray 11 and the wafer 30 placed thereon are located outside the process chamber 40, the moving arm assembly 13 and the purging structure 20 can be driven by the moving body 12 to move synchronously, so that the purging surface 21 of the purging structure 20 can be ensured to face the wafer 30 and be located right above the wafer 30. When the tray 11 and the wafer 30 placed thereon need to enter the process chamber 40, the moving body 12 drives the moving arm assembly 13 to move to the in-out position of the process chamber 40 (i.e. the tray 11 and the wafer 30 placed thereon are ready to enter the process chamber 40), the moving body 12 stops moving, so that the purging structure 20 correspondingly stops moving and is located at the in-out position of the process chamber 40, after the moving body 12 stops moving, the moving arm assembly 13 is driven to move, when the moving arm assembly 13 moves, the position of the tray 11 can be adjusted, so that the tray 11 enters the process chamber 40, and after the tray 11 drives the wafer 30 placed thereon to enter the process chamber 40, the processing such as etching and the like can be performed in the process chamber 40; after the processing in the process chamber 40 is finished, the tray 11 can be moved out of the process chamber 40 and moved to the in-out position of the process chamber 40 by the reverse action of the moving arm assembly 13, and then the moving body 12 is moved to start the action again, so that the tray 11 and the wafer 30 above the tray and the purging structure 20 can be moved to the in-out position of another process chamber 40.

Referring to fig. 8 to 10, further, the moving arm assembly 13 includes a foldable connecting arm 131 or a telescopic connecting arm (not shown), and a second driving element 132. The second driving element 132 is used for driving the foldable connecting arm 131 to fold or unfold, or for driving the telescopic connecting arm to perform telescopic action. Thus, when the connecting arm 131 is the foldable connecting arm 131, and the second driving element 132 drives the foldable connecting arm 131 to fold or unfold, the distance from the tray 11 to the moving body 12 can be adjusted, so as to adjust the position of the tray 11 and the wafer 30 above the tray; of course, when the connecting arm 131 is a retractable connecting arm, and the second driving element 132 drives the retractable connecting arm to retract, the distance from the tray 11 to the moving body 12 can be adjusted, and the distance also serves to adjust the position of the tray 11 and the wafer 30 above the tray.

It is understood that the second driving element 132 mainly provides power to implement the folding or unfolding action of the foldable connecting arm 131, or provides power to implement the telescopic action of the telescopic connecting arm, and specifically may be, for example, a motor, an air cylinder, an electric cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a power gear, and the like, and the structural design forms thereof are many, and are not limited herein.

In one embodiment, the wafer transfer assembly further includes a position sensor (not shown) and a controller (not shown). The position sensor is used to acquire the position of the wafer 30. The controller is electrically connected to the position sensor, the second driving element 132, the moving body 12, and the purging structure 20. Thus, the position sensor can sense the position of the wafer 30, and can determine whether the tray 11 and the wafer 30 thereon are located in the process chamber 40 and move to the in-out position of the process chamber 40. The controller can correspondingly control the second driving element 132, the moving body 12 and the purging structure 20 to operate according to the sensing signal of the position sensor, that is, the purging structure 20 can be accurately and timely controlled to operate according to the position of the wafer 30, so that the wafer 30 above the tray 11 can be well protected, and waste of the gas source can be avoided.

Further, a position sensor is provided on the tray 11 or at an entry and exit position for the wafer 30 on the process chamber 40.

Specifically, the number of the position sensors may be more than one, and may be set according to actual needs.

Referring to fig. 8, in one embodiment, the moving body 12 includes a rotating portion 121 and a first lifting portion 122. The rotating part 121 is connected to the first elevating part 122, and the rotating part 121 is used to drive the first elevating part 122 to rotate. The first elevating portion 122 is connected to the moving arm assembly 13 and the purging structure 20, respectively, and the first elevating portion 122 can drive the moving arm assembly 13 and the purging structure 20 to synchronously elevate. In this way, when the rotating portion 121 rotates, the first elevating portion 122, the moving arm assembly 13, and the purging structure 20 are driven to rotate to adjust the position, and the purging structure 20 and the wafer 30 above the tray 11 rotate synchronously, so that the in-out position of one process chamber 40 is shifted to the in-out position of another process chamber 40 or the in-out position of the load chamber 60. The first elevating unit 122 can synchronously adjust the height positions of the tray 11, the wafer 30 above the tray, and the purge structure 20 above the wafer 30 during the elevating operation.

As an example, the first lifting portion 122 may be omitted from the moving body 12, that is, the moving body 12 only includes the rotating portion 121, the rotating portion 121 is respectively connected to the moving arm assembly 13 and the purging structure 20, and the rotating portion 121 is capable of driving the moving assembly to rotate synchronously with the purging structure 20 to adjust the positions of the moving assembly and the purging structure 20 when in operation.

The moving body 12 is not limited to the rotating portion 121, and may be, for example, a linear moving portion, etc., as long as the positions of the moving arm assembly 13 and the purge structure 20 can be adjusted, and the moving body is not limited herein and may be provided according to actual requirements.

In addition, the purge structure 20 is removably mounted to the moving body 12, for example, to facilitate removal of the purge structure 20 for maintenance. Of course, the purging structure 20 may be disposed on the moving body 12 in other manners, which are not limited herein.

Referring to fig. 8, in one embodiment, the moving mechanism 10 further includes a second elevating portion 123 disposed between the purging structure 20 and the first elevating portion 122, the first elevating portion 122 is connected to the purging structure 20 through the second elevating portion 123, and the second elevating portion 123 is configured to elevate the purging structure 20 so as to move the purging surface 21 of the purging structure 20 away from or close to the wafer 30 placed on the tray 11. In this way, when the second elevating portion 123 elevates the purge structure 20, the distance between the purge surface 21 of the purge structure 20 and the wafer 30 placed on the tray 11 can be adjusted, and the closer the distance between the purge structure 20 and the wafer 30 is, the better the protection effect on the surface of the wafer 30 is. According to different types and/or different processing stages of the wafers 30, the distance between the blowing surface 21 of the blowing structure 20 and the tray 11 is correspondingly adjusted, and after adaptive adjustment, a better protection effect can be achieved.

In one embodiment, the wafer transfer assembly further comprises a follower mechanism (not shown). The purging structure 20 is disposed on the following mechanism, and when the moving mechanism 10 drives the tray 11 to move outside the process chamber 40, the following mechanism synchronously drives the purging structure 20 to move, so that the purging surface 21 of the purging mechanism and the wafer 30 on the tray 11 are maintained in a face-to-face arrangement. Further, in order to ensure that the following mechanism can drive the purging structure 20 to keep synchronous operation with the wafer 30 on the tray 11, for example, a sensor is arranged on the purging structure, the sensor is used for sensing the position of the wafer 30 and correspondingly controlling the action of the following mechanism according to the position of the wafer 30, and the following mechanism drives the purging structure 20 to move when the following mechanism is actuated, so that the purging surface 21 of the purging mechanism and the wafer 30 on the tray 11 are kept in face-to-face arrangement.

Referring to fig. 1, 2 and 11, fig. 11 is a simplified schematic diagram of a wafer processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention. In one embodiment, a wafer processing apparatus comprises the wafer transfer assembly of any of the above embodiments, and further comprises a process chamber 40, wherein the wafer transfer assembly is disposed outside the process chamber 40.

In the wafer processing apparatus, when the tray 11 of the moving mechanism 10 carries the wafer 30 and is located outside the process chamber 40, the purging mechanism is disposed at an interval right above the tray 11, and the purging surface 21 is disposed opposite to the wafer 30 on the tray 11, so that the protective gas purged by the purging surface 21 can completely cover the wafer 30 on the tray 11, and the wafer 30 on the tray 11 is well protected, so that the surface of the wafer 30 is not in contact with the atmosphere. That is, when the moving mechanism 10 carrying the wafer 30 moves out of the process chamber 40, the protective gas directly faces the wafer 30 to purge the entire outer surface of the wafer 30, which can better avoid the phenomenon of contamination such as oxidation or particulate matter adhesion on the surface of the wafer 30, and can also avoid the phenomenon that the moving mechanism 10 carrying the wafer 30 moves into the process chamber 40, which can synchronously bring water vapor into the process chamber 40, so that the surface cleanliness of the wafer 30 can be better ensured, the surface of the wafer 30 can also be better prevented from being oxidized, and the product quality is improved.

Referring to fig. 1, 2 and 11, further, the wafer processing apparatus includes a transfer chamber 50. The wafer transfer assembly is disposed in the transfer chamber 50. The tray 11 of the moving mechanism 10 can drive the wafer 30 to move from the transfer chamber 50 into the process chamber 40 or move from the process chamber 40 out to the transfer chamber 50. Thus, the cleanliness of the transmission chamber 50 is higher than that of the atmospheric environment, and a better transmission environment can be provided for the wafer 30, so that the surface of the wafer 30 can be prevented from being polluted in the transmission process to a certain extent, and the processing quality of products can be improved.

Referring to fig. 12, fig. 12 is a simplified schematic diagram of a wafer processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, which may be configured without the transfer chamber 50.

Referring again to fig. 1, 2 and 11, in one embodiment, the number of the process chambers 40 is at least one, such as one, two, three, four, etc., and is not limited herein. In addition, the wafer processing apparatus further includes a load chamber 60 connected to the transfer chamber 50 and a pre-treatment chamber 70 connected to the load chamber 60. The tray 11 of the moving mechanism 10 can also move the wafer 30 from the loading chamber 60 to the transferring chamber 50. The wafer 30 may be subjected to a pre-processing operation, such as cleaning, drying, etc., in the pre-processing chamber 70. After the pretreatment operation of the pretreatment chamber 70, the wafer 30 enters the load chamber 60 for temporary storage, and more than one wafer 30 can be temporarily stored in the load chamber 60. The pre-processing chamber 70 is directly communicated with the atmosphere, and the load chamber 60 needs to be isolated from the pre-processing chamber 70 by a first opening and closing door in order to provide an environment with high cleanliness for the wafer 30, wherein the first opening and closing door is opened when the wafer 30 in the pre-processing chamber 70 needs to be loaded into the load chamber 60, and the first opening and closing door is closed after the wafer 30 is loaded into the load chamber 60, and the load chamber 60 is vacuumized, for example. In addition, a second switching door is disposed between the load chamber 60 and the transfer chamber 50, and is opened when the wafer 30 in the load chamber 60 needs to be moved out of the transfer chamber 50, and is closed when the wafer 30 is moved into the transfer chamber 50. In addition, a third switch door is arranged between the transfer chamber 50 and the process chamber 40, and when the wafer 30 needs to be moved out or into the process chamber 40, the third switch door is opened, and when the wafer 30 is moved out of the process chamber 40 or moved into the process chamber 40, the third switch door is immediately closed, so that the cleanliness of the process chamber 40 can be ensured, and adverse effects caused by the fact that gas in the transfer chamber 50 enters the process chamber 40 can be avoided as much as possible.

Referring to fig. 1, 2 and 11, in one embodiment, the transfer chamber 50 is provided with a vacuum device for pumping out the gas in the transfer chamber 50. The transfer chamber 50 is also provided with purging means for blowing a protective gas into the transfer chamber 50. Therefore, in the working process, the transmission chamber 50 is continuously vacuumized by the vacuumizing device, so that the cleanliness of the transmission chamber 50 can be improved, particles, water vapor, dust and the like in the environment are reduced, the oxidation phenomenon caused by contact of the wafer 30 and oxygen in the air can also be reduced, the surface of the wafer 30 can be prevented from being polluted, and the processing quality of the wafer 30 can be improved. In addition, the purging device synchronously introduces the protective gas into the transmission chamber 50, so that the effects of reducing particles, water vapor, dust and the like in the environment can be achieved, the effect of reducing the surface oxidation phenomenon caused by the contact of the wafer 30 and oxygen in the air can also be achieved, the surface of the wafer 30 can be prevented from being polluted, and the processing quality of the wafer 30 can be improved.

The shielding gas blown out by the purging device may be the same as or different from the shielding gas blown out by the purging structure 20, and is not limited herein.

Referring to fig. 1, 2 and 11, in one embodiment, a method of operating a wafer transfer module according to any of the above embodiments includes:

after the tray 11 of the moving mechanism 10 carries the wafer 30 and moves out of the process chamber 40, the purging mechanism is started and is arranged right above the tray 11 at intervals, and the purging surface 21 is arranged opposite to the wafer 30 on the tray 11;

during the movement of the tray 11 of the moving mechanism 10 carrying the wafer 30 outside the process chamber 40, the purging mechanism is synchronously moved so that the purging surface 21 of the purging mechanism and the wafer 30 on the tray 11 are kept in face-to-face arrangement.

According to the working method of the wafer transmission assembly, when the moving mechanism 10 carries the wafer 30 to move out of the process chamber 40, the protective gas is opposite to the wafer 30 to blow the whole outer surface of the wafer 30, so that the pollution phenomena such as oxidation or particulate matter adhesion and the like on the surface of the wafer 30 can be avoided well, and the phenomenon that water vapor is synchronously brought into the process chamber 40 when the moving mechanism 10 carries the wafer 30 to move into the process chamber 40 can also be avoided, so that the surface cleanliness of the wafer 30 can be well guaranteed, the surface of the wafer 30 can also be well prevented from being oxidized, and the product quality is improved.

The technical features of the above embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and for the sake of brevity, all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are not described, but should be considered as the scope of the present specification as long as there is no contradiction between the combinations of the technical features.

The above examples only show some embodiments of the present invention, and the description thereof is more specific and detailed, but not construed as limiting the scope of the invention. It should be noted that, for a person skilled in the art, several variations and modifications can be made without departing from the inventive concept, which falls within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present patent shall be subject to the appended claims.

In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "central," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," "circumferential," and the like are used in the orientations and positional relationships indicated in the drawings for convenience in describing the invention and to simplify the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the referenced device or element must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and are not to be considered limiting of the invention.

Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means at least two, e.g., two, three, etc., unless specifically limited otherwise.

In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly stated or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured," and the like are to be construed broadly and can, for example, be fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally formed; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be directly connected or indirectly connected through intervening media, or they may be connected internally or in any other suitable relationship, unless expressly stated otherwise. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.

In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly stated or limited, the first feature "on" or "under" the second feature may be directly contacting the first and second features or indirectly contacting the first and second features through an intermediate. Also, a first feature "on," "over," and "above" a second feature may be directly or diagonally above the second feature, or may simply indicate that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. A first feature being "under," "below," and "beneath" a second feature may be directly under or obliquely under the first feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is at a lesser elevation than the second feature.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "secured to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and the like as used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not denote a unique embodiment.

Claims

1. A wafer transfer assembly, comprising:

2. The wafer transfer assembly of claim 1, wherein a projection of the purge surface onto the tray in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the tray is capable of completely covering the wafer placed on the tray.

3. The wafer transfer assembly of claim 2, wherein the purge surface is a circular surface having a diameter that is 5mm to 40mm greater than a diameter of the wafer.

4. The wafer transfer assembly of claim 1, wherein the purge surface has a plurality of nozzles or a plurality of gas injection holes disposed thereon.

5. The wafer transfer assembly of claim 4, wherein the plurality of nozzles or the plurality of arrays of gas injection holes are evenly spaced on the purge surface.

6. The wafer transfer assembly of claim 4, wherein the nozzles or gas injection holes located in the central region of the purge surface emit outwardly diverging gases; the ejection direction of the nozzles or the gas ejection holes located in a region other than the center of the purge surface is arranged obliquely with respect to the purge surface.

7. The wafer transfer assembly of claim 4, wherein the purging structure further comprises a plurality of control gas pipes, one end of each of the plurality of control gas pipes is in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of nozzles or the plurality of gas injection holes, and the other end of each of the plurality of control gas pipes is used for being connected to a gas source device; and a first control switch valve is arranged on the control air pipe.

8. The wafer transfer assembly of claim 7, wherein the purge structure further comprises an inlet manifold disposed between the control gas line and the gas source device; the control air pipes are all connected with the air inlet main pipe, and the air inlet main pipe is used for being communicated with the air source equipment; a second control switch valve is arranged on the air inlet main pipe; and the control air pipe and/or the air inlet main pipe are/is also provided with a flow control valve.

9. The wafer transfer assembly of claim 4, wherein the purge structure is provided with a gas storage chamber; the plurality of the air injection holes are communicated with the air storage cavity, and the air storage cavity is communicated with air source equipment through a pipeline; and a foldable wind shield and a first driving element for driving the wind shield to fold or unfold are further arranged on the blowing surface of the blowing structure.

10. The wafer conveying assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein during the process of moving the wafer to or from the process chamber by the tray of the moving mechanism, the nozzles or the gas injection holes on the purge surface for the region directly opposite to the wafer are opened for gas injection purge operation, and the rest of the nozzles or the gas injection holes on the purge surface are closed.

11. The wafer transfer assembly of claim 1, wherein the movement mechanism further comprises a movement body and a movement arm assembly; the moving body is respectively connected with the moving arm assembly and the purging structure, and the moving body can drive the moving arm assembly and the purging structure to move synchronously; the moving arm assembly is connected with the tray, and the moving arm assembly can adjust the distance between the tray and the moving body.

12. The wafer transfer assembly of claim 11, wherein the moving arm assembly comprises a collapsible connecting arm, and a second drive element; the second driving element is used for driving the foldable connecting arm to fold or unfold, or driving the telescopic connecting arm to perform telescopic action.

13. The wafer transfer assembly of claim 12, further comprising a position sensor and a controller; the position sensor is used for acquiring the position of the wafer; the controller is respectively electrically connected with the position sensor, the second driving element, the moving body and the purging structure.

14. The wafer transfer assembly of claim 13, wherein the position sensor is disposed on the tray or on the process chamber at an entry and exit location for a wafer.

15. The wafer transfer assembly of claim 11, wherein the moving body comprises a rotating portion and a first lifting portion; the rotating part is connected with the first lifting part and is used for driving the first lifting part to rotate; the first lifting part is respectively connected with the moving arm assembly and the purging structure, and the first lifting part can drive the moving arm assembly and the purging structure to synchronously lift.

16. The wafer transfer assembly of claim 15, wherein the moving mechanism further comprises a second lift portion disposed between the purging structure and the first lift portion, the first lift portion being coupled to the purging structure by the second lift portion, the second lift portion being configured to lift the purging structure so that a purging face of the purging structure is away from or close to a wafer placed on the tray.

17. The wafer transfer assembly of claim 1, further comprising a follower mechanism, wherein the purge structure is disposed on the follower mechanism, and the follower mechanism synchronously drives the purge structure to move during the movement of the tray outside the process chamber by the moving mechanism, so that a purge surface of the purge mechanism is in face-to-face arrangement with the wafer on the tray.

18. A wafer processing apparatus, comprising the wafer transfer assembly of any of claims 1-17, and further comprising a process chamber, wherein the wafer transfer assembly is disposed outside the process chamber.

19. The wafer processing apparatus of claim 18, wherein the wafer processing apparatus includes a transfer chamber, the wafer transfer assembly being disposed in the transfer chamber; the tray of the moving mechanism can drive the wafer to move from the transmission chamber to the process chamber or move from the process chamber to the transmission chamber.

20. The wafer processing apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the process chamber is at least one; the wafer processing device also comprises a load chamber connected with the transmission chamber; the tray of the moving mechanism can also drive the wafer to move from the loading chamber to the transmission chamber.

21. The wafer processing apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein a vacuum device is disposed on the transfer chamber, and the vacuum device is used for pumping out gas in the transfer chamber; and the conveying chamber is also provided with a purging device which is used for blowing protective gas into the conveying chamber.

22. A method of operating a wafer transfer module according to any of claims 1 to 17, comprising the steps of: