CN111968926A - Semiconductor equipment and semiconductor processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a semiconductor device and a wafer transmission method, wherein the semiconductor device comprises: equipment front end module and transmission platform still include: the dual-function cavity is arranged between the equipment front-end module and the transmission platform and has a transfer function and a process function; wherein the transfer function is to enable transfer of wafers between the equipment front end module and the transfer platform while transitioning the chamber between an atmospheric state and a vacuum state; the process function is to realize the process treatment of the workpiece to be processed. The invention improves the production efficiency of the semiconductor equipment.

Description

Semiconductor equipment and semiconductor process processing method

technical field

The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular, to a semiconductor device and a semiconductor process processing method.

Background technique

At present, in the manufacturing process of integrated circuits, semiconductor devices are indispensable. In the process of metal aluminum (such as etching), chlorine gas is widely used as a reactive gas, and its main product is aluminum chloride. These products react with water to generate highly corrosive hydrogen chloride, which will cause corrosion to aluminum. Therefore, it is necessary to After the aluminum etching process is completed, the degumming process is performed, and the corrosive compound is treated in the degumming chamber to reduce the occurrence of corrosion. Therefore, when the aluminum is processed, the semiconductor equipment will integrate a degumming chamber. .

As shown in FIG. 1 , a structure diagram of a semiconductor device in the prior art is shown. The transmission platform can generally carry 4 chambers, and the 4 chambers include 2 degumming chambers. The transfer sequence of wafers is cassette Foup-equipment front-end module EFEM-wafer transfer station LoadLock-transfer platform-reaction chamber PM-transfer platform-degum chamber-transfer platform-wafer transfer station LoadLock-equipment front-end module EFEM-wafer Box Foup. Gate valves are used for status isolation between different modules. The transfer platform is always in the vacuum state, the equipment front-end module EFEM is always in the atmospheric state, and the wafer transfer station LoadLock is used for the conversion of vacuum and atmospheric states. When the wafer is transferred between the equipment front-end module EFEM and the wafer transfer station LoadLock, The LoadLock of the wafer transfer station is in the atmospheric state. When the wafer is transferred between the transfer platform and the LoadLock of the wafer transfer station, the LoadLock of the wafer transfer station is in the vacuum state.

To sum up, in the prior art, the degumming chamber occupies the hanger position of the transfer chamber which can be used for hanging the process chamber, which greatly reduces the production efficiency of the entire semiconductor equipment and affects the equipment productivity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and proposes a semiconductor device and a semiconductor process processing method, so as to improve the working efficiency of the semiconductor device and the production capacity of the device.

In order to achieve the purpose of the present invention, a semiconductor device is provided, comprising: a device front-end module and a transmission platform, characterized in that it further comprises: a dual-function chamber disposed between the device front-end module and the transmission platform, and The dual-function chamber has both a transfer function and a process function; wherein, the transfer function is to be able to transfer wafers between the equipment front-end module and the transfer platform, while making the chamber between the atmospheric state and the vacuum state Conversion; the technological function is capable of realizing technological processing of the workpiece to be processed.

Preferably, the dual function chamber includes:

The cavity is provided with two film transfer ports, which are respectively docked with the respective film transfer ports of the equipment front-end module and the transmission platform;

a sealing door, the sealing door is arranged corresponding to the film transfer opening, and the sealing door is used to open or seal the film transfer opening; and

A process base for performing process treatment on the workpiece to be processed carried thereon. Preferably, the process function includes a degumming process for degumming the workpiece to be processed.

Preferably, there are two bifunctional chambers.

Preferably, it also includes: a detection device;

The detection device is used for detecting the workpiece to be processed in the dual-function chamber.

Preferably, it also includes: a plurality of reaction chambers, and the plurality of reaction chambers are hung on the transmission platform.

A semiconductor processing method, using the semiconductor equipment described in this application, the semiconductor processing method comprising:

Judging whether the dual-function chamber has a workpiece to be processed, if so, wait and return to continue the judgment step; The workpiece to be processed in the introduction end of the workpiece to be processed is introduced into the dual-function chamber.

Preferably, the incoming end of the workpiece to be processed is an equipment front-end module, and if there is no workpiece to be processed in the dual-function chamber, the dual-function chamber is switched to an atmospheric state.

Preferably, the incoming end of the workpiece to be processed is the transmission platform, and if there is no workpiece to be processed in the dual-function chamber, the dual-function chamber is switched to a vacuum state.

Preferably, after the workpiece to be processed is introduced into the dual-function chamber, a degumming process can be performed.

The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

The semiconductor equipment provided by the present invention is provided with a dual-function chamber having both a transfer function and a process function between the equipment front-end module and the transfer platform. Switch between atmospheric and vacuum states; the process function enables one of the process steps in processing wafers. The semiconductor equipment provided by the present invention can enable wafer transfer, wafer processing and conversion between atmospheric state and vacuum state to be completed by a dual-function chamber, so that the original transfer platform can be attached to the chamber with more hanging positions, which can be used for the hanging process. chambers, thereby increasing the number of process chambers, improving the production efficiency of semiconductor equipment, and increasing equipment productivity.

In the semiconductor process method provided by the present invention, it is judged whether the dual-function chamber has a workpiece to be processed. If so, wait and return to continue the judgment step; state, and the workpiece to be processed in the incoming end of the workpiece to be processed is transferred into the dual-function chamber, so as to ensure the safety of the workpiece transmission and process in the semiconductor equipment.

Description of drawings

1 is a structural diagram of a semiconductor device in the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a semiconductor device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a schematic structural diagram of a dual-function chamber in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is another schematic structural diagram of a semiconductor device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a flowchart of a semiconductor process processing method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is another flowchart of a semiconductor process processing method provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

In order for those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the semiconductor device and the semiconductor process processing method provided by the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a semiconductor device provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The semiconductor device includes: a device front-end module E and a transmission platform T, and further includes: a device disposed between the device front-end module E and the transmission platform T Dual-function chamber, the dual-function chamber has both transfer function and process function, wherein the transfer function is to transfer wafers between the equipment front-end module E and the transfer platform T, and at the same time make the chamber switch between the atmospheric state and the vacuum state ; The technological function is to realize the technological processing of the workpiece to be processed.

The semiconductor equipment provided by the embodiments of the present invention has a dual-function chamber, the dual-function chamber has a transfer function and a process function, and the transfer function is to transfer wafers between the equipment front-end module and the transfer platform, and at the same time, the chamber is in an atmospheric state with Conversion between vacuum states; the process function is to be able to process the workpiece to be processed; the semiconductor equipment provided by the embodiment of the present invention can make wafer transfer, wafer processing process steps, and conversion between atmospheric state and vacuum state all by a dual-function chamber The chamber is completed, thereby increasing the process chamber and improving the production efficiency of the semiconductor device.

Specifically, the semiconductor device provided in this embodiment further includes: a plurality of reaction chambers, and the plurality of reaction chambers are all mounted on the transport platform T. As shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 1, there are four reaction chambers (PM1, PM2, PM3, PM4); further, the number of reaction chambers is determined by the structure of the transmission platform T, which can be multiple, but is not limited to four .

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 , the dual-function chamber includes: a chamber 1 , a process base 3 and a sealing door 2 .

The cavity 1 is provided with a film transfer port (not shown in the figure), and is connected to the respective film transfer ports of the equipment front-end module E and the transfer platform T respectively. The sealing door 2 corresponds to the film transfer port, and the sealing door is used to open or seal the film transfer port. The process base 3 is arranged in the cavity 1 and is used to realize the process of the workpiece to be processed carried thereon. When the wafer is transferred between the equipment front-end module E and the dual-function chamber, the dual-function chamber is in an atmospheric state, and when the wafer is transferred between the transfer platform T and the dual-function chamber, the dual-function chamber is in a vacuum state. Since the main gas used in the chamber 1 is oxygen, no special gas is involved, the atmospheric vacuum state can be switched repeatedly, and the chamber 1 can only store one wafer; The gate valve performs state isolation.

The dual-function chamber provided by the embodiment of the present invention is located between the equipment front-end module and the transmission platform, and is provided with a sealing door to facilitate the conversion between the atmospheric state of the equipment front-end module and the vacuum state of the transmission platform; further, the cavity is provided with There is a process base, which can realize the process function.

Further, in another embodiment of the present invention, the process function includes a degumming process, which is used for degumming the workpiece to be processed. The degumming process is mainly used to remove the photoresist on the surface of the wafer. The process is simple. After the degumming device completes the degumming process, the chamber is inflated to the atmospheric state, and then the wafer is transferred to the front-end module E of the equipment through the robot arm; further, In the embodiment of the present invention, the number of reaction chambers in the semiconductor device may be four. In the semiconductor device provided by the embodiment of the present invention, compared with the existing semiconductor device, the dual-function chamber has the function of removing glue, and the dual-function chamber The space of the reaction chamber is not occupied, so that the semiconductor equipment can be equipped with more reaction chambers, and the production efficiency of the semiconductor equipment is improved.

Further, in another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4 , there are two dual-function chambers. The two dual-function chambers are located between the equipment front-end module and the transfer platform, and the two are arranged side by side. The workpiece to be processed in the equipment front-end module can be transferred from either of the two dual-function chambers to the transfer platform. Of course, the workpiece to be processed in the transfer platform can also be transferred from any one of the two dual-function chambers to the front-end module of the equipment; further, the working order of the two dual-function chambers can be reasonably set according to the process time, In order to achieve maximum production efficiency. Of course, the number of dual-function chambers may also be more than two, and the specific number of dual-function chambers may be determined by the process requirement configuration of the semiconductor device.

Further, in another embodiment of the present invention, the semiconductor device further includes: a detection device, where the detection device is used to detect whether there is a workpiece to be processed in the dual-function chamber. Specifically, since the dual-function chamber has a transfer function and a process function, the two functions are not compatible. The dual-function chamber can only perform one function at a time. When the dual-function chamber is required to perform any function, in order to detect the dual-function Whether the chamber is free needs to be determined by the detection device whether there is a wafer in the dual-function chamber, and when there is no wafer, any one of the transfer function and the process function can be performed.

For the above-mentioned semiconductor equipment, the present invention also provides a semiconductor processing method. The semiconductor processing method adopts the semiconductor equipment in the above-mentioned embodiments. FIG. 5 shows one of the semiconductor processing methods provided by the embodiments of the present invention. Flow chart, in this embodiment, the semiconductor processing method includes the following steps:

Step 101: Determine whether there is a workpiece to be processed in the dual-function chamber; if yes, go to step 101; otherwise, go to step 102.

Step 102: Convert the dual-function chamber to a gas pressure state consistent with the incoming end of the workpiece to be processed, and introduce the workpiece to be processed in the incoming end of the workpiece to be processed into the dual-function chamber.

Specifically, the air pressure state can be an atmospheric state or a vacuum state. For example, the incoming end of the workpiece to be processed is an equipment front-end module, and the equipment front-end module is in an atmospheric state, and the dual-function chamber is converted into an atmospheric state.

Specifically, the incoming end of the workpiece to be processed is the front-end module of the equipment, and if there is no workpiece to be processed in the dual-function chamber, the dual-function chamber is switched to the atmospheric state.

Specifically, in another embodiment of the present invention, when the incoming end of the workpiece to be processed is a transfer platform, if there is no workpiece to be processed in the dual-function chamber, the dual-function chamber is converted to a vacuum state.

In the semiconductor process processing method provided by the embodiment of the present invention, when the wafer in the front-end module of the equipment needs to be transferred to the transfer platform, or before the wafer in the transfer platform needs to be transferred to the front-end module of the device, it is first necessary to check whether there is a workpiece to be processed in the dual-function chamber. Judgment is made to ensure that the transfer function of the dual-function chamber does not conflict with the process function, and on the basis of no conflict, the wafer transfer between the equipment front-end module and the transfer platform and the conversion between the atmospheric state and the vacuum state in the chamber are performed. Through the present invention, the safety of the semiconductor equipment for transferring the wafer and for processing the wafer is ensured.

In one embodiment of the present invention, after the workpiece to be processed is introduced into the dual-function chamber, a degumming process can be performed. .

Specifically, when it is determined that there is no workpiece to be processed in the dual-function chamber, the dual-function chamber can be switched to the atmospheric state, and the wafers in the front-end module of the equipment are transferred to the transfer platform through the dual-function chamber; or the dual-function chamber can be made to The chamber is switched to a vacuum state and the wafers in the transfer platform are passed through the dual function chamber to the equipment front-end module.

In the embodiment of the present invention, by detecting whether there is a wafer in the dual-function chamber to detect whether the dual-function chamber is undergoing a process, the execution of the transfer function of the dual-function chamber can be effectively ensured, and the transfer function and process function of the dual-function chamber can be effectively guaranteed. No conflict occurs, the safety of the semiconductor equipment for transferring wafers is ensured, and the efficiency of the semiconductor equipment is improved.

Further, for the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 4 , when there are two dual-function chambers, FIG. 6 is another flowchart of the semiconductor process processing method provided by the embodiment of the present invention. The method includes the following steps:

Step 201: Determine whether the two dual-function chambers have workpieces to be processed; if yes, continue to step 201; otherwise, go to step 202.

Step 202 : Convert any one of the two dual-function chambers without the workpiece to be processed to a gas pressure state consistent with the incoming end of the workpiece to be processed, and transfer the workpiece to be processed in the incoming end of the workpiece to be processed into the dual function chamber.

Specifically, the semiconductor process flow of the semiconductor device is described in detail below;

When the wafers are transferred from the wafer transfer box to the front-end module of the equipment, the detection device determines whether all the dual-function chambers have wafers. Transfer the wafers to the dual-function chamber, and then transfer the wafers to the transfer platform through the dual-function chamber. If all dual-function chambers have wafers, wait, and re-determine whether there are wafers in the dual-function chambers. Until the wafers are transferred to the transfer platform, the wafers in the transfer platform are transferred to the reaction chamber for process processing. The processed wafers are first transferred from the reaction chamber to the transfer platform. At this time, the detection unit determines whether all the dual-function chambers have wafers. , if no, any of the dual function chambers without a wafer is switched to a vacuum state, and the wafer is transferred to the dual function chamber for processing, then transferred to the equipment front-end module, and then transferred back to the wafer transfer If all the dual-function chambers are in the process of processing, wait, and re-determine whether there are wafers in the dual-function chambers, and finally complete the process through the dual-function chambers and transfer the wafers back to the wafer transfer box.

In the wafer transfer method provided by the embodiment of the present invention, when there are two dual-function chambers, when the wafers in the front-end module of the equipment need to be transferred to the transfer platform, or before the wafers in the transfer platform need to be transferred to the front-end module of the equipment, the It is judged whether there are workpieces to be processed in the two dual-function chambers. When only one of the two dual-function chambers has no workpieces to be processed, wafer transfer or process can be performed, which ensures the safety of wafer transfer and process of semiconductor equipment. And improve the efficiency of semiconductor devices.

It can be understood that the above embodiments are only exemplary embodiments adopted to illustrate the principle of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, various modifications and improvements can be made, and these modifications and improvements are also regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. A semiconductor device, comprising: a device front-end module and a transmission platform, characterized in that it further comprises: a dual-function chamber disposed between the device front-end module and the transmission platform, and the dual-function chamber It has both a transfer function and a process function; wherein, the transfer function is capable of transferring wafers between the equipment front-end module and the transfer platform, and at the same time, the chamber is converted between an atmospheric state and a vacuum state; the process function In order to realize the technological processing of the workpiece to be processed. 2. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the dual function chamber comprises: The cavity is provided with two film transfer ports, which are respectively docked with the respective film transfer ports of the equipment front-end module and the transmission platform; a sealing door, the sealing door is arranged corresponding to the film transfer opening, and the sealing door is used to open or seal the film transfer opening; and The process base is used to realize the process of the workpiece to be processed carried on it. 3 . The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the process function includes a degumming process for degumming the workpiece to be processed. 4 . 4. The semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the number of the dual function chambers is two. 5. The semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, further comprising: a detection device; The detection device is used for detecting whether there is a workpiece to be processed in the dual-function chamber. 6 . The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a plurality of reaction chambers, and the plurality of reaction chambers are hung on the transport platform. 7 . 7. A semiconductor processing method, characterized in that, using the semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1-6, the semiconductor processing method comprises: Judging whether the dual-function chamber has a workpiece to be processed, if so, wait and return to continue the judgment step; The workpiece to be processed in the introduction end of the workpiece to be processed is introduced into the dual-function chamber. 8 . The semiconductor processing method according to claim 7 , wherein the incoming end of the workpiece to be processed is an equipment front-end module, and if there is no workpiece to be processed in the dual-function chamber, the dual-function chamber The chamber is switched to atmospheric state. 9 . The semiconductor processing method according to claim 7 , wherein the incoming end of the workpiece to be processed is the transmission platform, and if there is no workpiece to be processed in the dual-function chamber, the dual-function chamber The functional chamber is switched to a vacuum state. 10 . The semiconductor processing method according to claim 7 , wherein after the workpiece to be processed is introduced into the dual-function chamber, a degumming process can be performed. 11 .

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