CN222838818U - Wafer box gas conveying device and semiconductor process equipment - Google Patents
Wafer box gas conveying device and semiconductor process equipment Download PDFInfo
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- CN222838818U CN222838818U CN202420324885.XU CN202420324885U CN222838818U CN 222838818 U CN222838818 U CN 222838818U CN 202420324885 U CN202420324885 U CN 202420324885U CN 222838818 U CN222838818 U CN 222838818U
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Abstract
本实用新型提供一种片盒气体输送装置及半导体工艺设备，该装置中，固定座用于安装于片盒承载部件，柔性连接件与固定座固定连接，且在固定座中设置有第一连接通道，柔性连接件中设置有第二连接通道，第一连接通道的一端用于与气源或厂务排气端连接，第一连接通道的另一端与第二连接通道的一端连接；在片盒放置于片盒承载部件的承载面的情况下，第二连接通道的另一端用于与片盒底部的送气口或排气口连通，且柔性连接件与片盒的底面相贴合，并处于被压缩状态，用以密封第二连接通道与送气口或排气口的连接处。本方案可以降低片盒内部的含氧量和湿度，防止外部的颗粒进入片盒内，从而可以提高片盒内的微环境质量，保护片盒内的晶圆。
The utility model provides a wafer box gas delivery device and semiconductor process equipment, in which a fixed seat is used to be installed on a wafer box bearing component, a flexible connector is fixedly connected to the fixed seat, and a first connection channel is provided in the fixed seat, a second connection channel is provided in the flexible connector, one end of the first connection channel is used to be connected to a gas source or a factory exhaust end, and the other end of the first connection channel is connected to one end of the second connection channel; when the wafer box is placed on the bearing surface of the wafer box bearing component, the other end of the second connection channel is used to communicate with the air supply port or exhaust port at the bottom of the wafer box, and the flexible connector fits the bottom surface of the wafer box and is in a compressed state to seal the connection between the second connection channel and the air supply port or exhaust port. This solution can reduce the oxygen content and humidity inside the wafer box, prevent external particles from entering the wafer box, thereby improving the microenvironment quality inside the wafer box and protecting the wafers in the wafer box.
Description
Technical Field
The utility model relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, in particular to a wafer box gas conveying device and semiconductor process equipment.
Background
Before entering the rear-end vertical furnace to carry out the rear-end process on the wafer, the wafer box with the wafer needs to be temporarily stored on a wafer box bearing component (bearing bracket) in a temporary storage device, and when the wafer box and the internal wafer are needed, the mechanical arm takes the temporarily stored wafer box and takes the wafer out of the wafer box. The temporary storage device is used for conveniently coordinating the front and back working beats of the production line.
In the process of temporary storage of the wafer box on the wafer box bearing component, the wafer box is limited by the sealing degree of the wafer box, the material of the wafer box has certain air permeability, air circulation exists between the interior of the wafer box and the external environment, the pressure in the wafer box is equal to the ambient atmospheric pressure along with the increase of time, the humidity and the oxygen content are equal to the external environment (the humidity is about 60 percent and the oxygen content is about 21 percent), and meanwhile, external particles (particle) possibly enter the wafer box to pollute the wafer.
Disclosure of utility model
The utility model aims at solving at least one of the technical problems in the prior art, and provides a wafer box gas conveying device and semiconductor process equipment, which can reduce the oxygen content and humidity in the wafer box and prevent external particles from entering the wafer box, thereby improving the micro-environment quality in the wafer box and protecting wafers in the wafer box.
In order to achieve the object of the present utility model, there is provided a gas delivery device for a wafer cassette, which is applied to semiconductor process equipment, comprising a gas supply assembly for supplying gas to the wafer cassette, and a gas exhaust assembly for exhausting gas in the wafer cassette, the gas supply assembly and the gas exhaust assembly each comprising a fixing base and a flexible connection member, wherein,
The fixing seat is used for being arranged on the wafer box bearing component, the flexible connecting piece is fixedly connected with the fixing seat, a first connecting channel is arranged in the fixing seat, a second connecting channel is arranged in the flexible connecting piece, one end of the first connecting channel is used for being connected with an air source or a factory exhaust end, and the other end of the first connecting channel is connected with one end of the second connecting channel;
and under the condition that the wafer box is placed on the bearing surface of the wafer box bearing part, the other end of the second connecting channel is communicated with the air inlet or the air outlet at the bottom of the wafer box, and the flexible connecting piece is attached to the bottom surface of the wafer box and is in a compressed state so as to seal the joint of the second connecting channel and the air inlet or the air outlet.
Optionally, the flexible connecting piece comprises a flexible corrugated pipe, one end of the flexible corrugated pipe is fixedly connected with the fixing seat, the other end of the flexible corrugated pipe is attached to the bottom surface of the wafer box under the condition that the wafer box is placed on the bearing surface of the wafer box bearing part, and the second connecting channel is formed inside the flexible corrugated pipe.
Optionally, the flexible bellows includes a bellows main body and a connecting part arranged at one end of the bellows main body, and an end face of the other end of the connecting part, which is far away from the bellows main body, is attached to the outer surface of the fixing seat and is provided with a threaded column;
The outer surface of the fixing seat is provided with a first threaded hole, and the threaded column is arranged in the first threaded hole and matched with the first threaded hole;
The connecting part and the threaded column are correspondingly provided with sub-channels which are respectively communicated with the inside of the corrugated pipe body and the first connecting channel, and the sub-channels and the inside of the corrugated pipe body jointly form the second connecting channel.
Optionally, the fixing seat is used for being installed at the bottom of the wafer box bearing component, and the flexible connecting piece penetrates through the wafer box bearing component and protrudes relative to the bearing surface of the wafer box bearing component under the condition of being in a non-compressed state.
Optionally, a second threaded hole is formed in the bottom surface of the cassette bearing component;
The air supply assembly and the air exhaust assembly also comprise a fastening screw and at least one adjusting washer, wherein the bottom surface of the fixing seat is provided with a mounting groove, the bottom surface of the mounting groove is provided with a through hole vertically penetrating through the fixing seat, and the fastening screw penetrates through the through hole from bottom to top and is in threaded connection with the second threaded hole;
At least one adjusting gasket is sleeved on the fastening screw and is positioned between the bottom surface of the mounting groove and the screw head of the fastening screw.
Optionally, the bottom surface of the wafer box is provided with a plurality of grooves, and the air inlet and the air outlet are respectively positioned on the bottom surfaces of the plurality of grooves;
Under the condition that the wafer box is placed on the bearing surface of the wafer box bearing part, the flexible connecting piece is attached to the bottom surface of the corresponding groove and is in a compressed state.
Optionally, a plurality of third threaded holes vertically penetrating through the fixing seat are further formed in the fixing seat;
The air supply assembly and the air exhaust assembly also comprise a plurality of adjusting screws, the adjusting screws are arranged in the third threaded holes in a one-to-one correspondence manner, and the top ends of the adjusting screws are propped against the bottom surface of the wafer box bearing component and used for adjusting the levelness of the fixing seat through rotation.
Optionally, the cassette gas conveying device further comprises a gas supply and gas path mechanism, wherein the gas supply and gas path mechanism comprises a gas supply pipeline, and a pressure reducing valve, a flow controller, a first on-off valve and a filter which are sequentially arranged on the gas supply pipeline along the gas supply direction of the gas supply pipeline, and two ends of the gas supply pipeline are respectively communicated with the first connecting channel and the gas source in the gas supply assembly.
Optionally, the cassette gas conveying device further comprises an exhaust gas path mechanism, wherein the exhaust gas path mechanism comprises an exhaust pipeline and a second on-off valve arranged on the exhaust pipeline, and two ends of the exhaust pipeline are respectively communicated with the first connecting channel and the factory exhaust end in the exhaust assembly.
As another technical scheme, the present utility model also provides a semiconductor process apparatus, including a temporary storage device for a temporary storage cassette, the temporary storage device including:
a cassette loading part for loading at least one cassette;
In the case that the wafer cassette is placed on the bearing surface of the wafer cassette bearing component, the wafer cassette gas conveying device is used for conveying gas to the wafer cassette and exhausting gas in the wafer cassette.
The utility model has the following beneficial effects:
According to the wafer box gas conveying device, under the condition that the wafer box is placed on the bearing surface of the wafer box bearing part, the gas is conveyed to the wafer box by the gas conveying component, and the gas in the wafer box is discharged by the gas discharging component, so that the pressure in the wafer box can be kept to be positive pressure, external particles can be prevented from entering the wafer box, meanwhile, the pressure, the humidity and the oxygen content in the wafer box can be controlled by the gas (such as clean nitrogen) in the wafer box, so that the micro-environment quality in the wafer box can be improved, and wafers in the wafer box can be protected. On the basis, the air supply assembly and the air exhaust assembly comprise a fixing seat and a flexible connecting piece, the first connecting channel in the fixing seat and the second connecting channel in the flexible connecting piece can respectively communicate the inside of the box with an air source for supplying air and a factory exhaust end for recycling air in the box, and the flexible connecting piece is attached to the bottom surface of the box and is in a compressed state so as to seal the connecting position of the second connecting channel and the air supply port or the air exhaust port of the box, thereby ensuring that air cannot leak.
The semiconductor process equipment provided by the utility model can reduce the oxygen content and humidity in the wafer box and prevent external particles from entering the wafer box by adopting the wafer box gas conveying device provided by the utility model, so that the micro-environment quality in the wafer box can be improved and the wafers in the wafer box are protected.
Drawings
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a temporary storage device of a semiconductor processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present utility model;
FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a cassette according to an embodiment of the present utility model;
FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a cassette at an exhaust port as used in an embodiment of the present utility model;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an air supply assembly/exhaust assembly in a cassette gas delivery apparatus according to an embodiment of the present utility model;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an air supply/exhaust assembly at a first connection channel and a second connection channel in a cassette gas delivery device according to an embodiment of the present utility model;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the plenum/exhaust assembly at the fastening screw in the cassette gas delivery device according to an embodiment of the present utility model;
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a gas delivery device for a wafer cassette according to an embodiment of the present utility model when the wafer cassette is not placed on a carrying surface;
FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of region I of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a gas delivery device for a wafer cassette according to an embodiment of the present utility model when the wafer cassette is placed on a carrying surface;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of area II of FIG. 9;
Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of an air supply and exhaust path mechanism employed in an embodiment of the present utility model.
Detailed Description
In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical scheme of the present utility model, the detailed description of the wafer cassette gas delivery device and the semiconductor process equipment provided by the present utility model is provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to fig. 1, an embodiment of the present utility model provides a cassette gas delivery device 300, which is applied to semiconductor processing equipment, and in particular, is a temporary storage device of semiconductor processing equipment, and is used for introducing gas (such as clean nitrogen or other inert gas) into the interior of a cassette 200 and exhausting the gas in the cassette 200 when the cassette 200 is placed on a bearing surface of a cassette bearing member 100 of the temporary storage device. Cassette 200 has an openable cassette lid that seals the interior of the cassette when the cassette lid is closed.
In some embodiments, the cassette loading part 100 includes, for example, a plurality of support brackets 101 disposed at intervals in a vertical direction, and a fixing bracket 102 for supporting and fixing the plurality of support brackets 101. Here, in order to more clearly show the structure of support frame 101, second-layer support frame 101 from bottom to top in fig. 1 does not place cassette 200. Each layer of support brackets 101 includes a pallet 101a for placing at least one cassette 200, and specifically, as shown in fig. 1, two cassettes 200 may be placed on pallet 101a of each layer of support brackets 101, for example. Optionally, a positioning structure 101b, such as a positioning pin, is also provided on pallet 101a, and/or an in-place sensor 101c for detecting whether cassette 200 is present on pallet 101 a. In addition, the number of cassette gas delivery devices 300 is the same as the total number of cassettes 200 that can be placed on cassette carrier 100, and each cassette gas delivery device 300 is disposed in one-to-one correspondence with the carrier surface of cassette carrier 100 on which each cassette 200 is placed.
Specifically, each cassette gas delivery device 300 includes a gas supply assembly 300a for supplying gas to cassette 200 and a gas discharge assembly 300b for discharging gas in cassette 200, the positions of which on cassette carrier 100 are interchangeable. To accommodate this, as shown in fig. 2 and 3, the bottom of cassette 200 is provided with an air supply port 201 and an air exhaust port 202 communicating with the inside of cassette 200, both of which are, for example, through holes penetrating the bottom wall of cassette 200, and fig. 3 only shows air exhaust port 202, and the structure of air supply port 201 may be the same as or similar to that. When cassette 200 is placed on the support surface of cassette support member 100, the air is supplied to cassette 200 via air supply port 201 by air supply module 300a, and the air in cassette 200 is discharged via air discharge port 202 by air discharge module 300b, so that the pressure in cassette 200 can be maintained at a positive pressure (for example, the pressure in cassette 200 is 300Pa or more), and external particles can be prevented from entering into cassette 200. Meanwhile, in the process of introducing gas (e.g., clean nitrogen) into the cassette 200 and exhausting the gas in the cassette 200, the pressure, humidity and oxygen content in the cassette 200 can be controlled by controlling parameters such as the gas inlet flow rate, the gas supply time, etc., thereby improving the micro-environment quality in the cassette 200 and protecting the wafers in the cassette 200.
Referring to fig. 4 and 5 together, gas supply unit 300a and gas discharge unit 300b for achieving the above-described functions may have the same structure capable of transporting gas, but have different functions, that is, gas supply unit 300a is used for supplying gas to cassette 200, and gas discharge unit 300b is used for discharging gas in cassette 200. For example, the air supply assembly 300a and the air exhaust assembly 300b each include a fixing base 1 and a flexible connection member 2, wherein the fixing base 1 is configured to be mounted on the cassette carrier 100, the flexible connection member 2 is fixedly connected with the fixing base 1, a first connection channel 11 is disposed in the fixing base 1, a second connection channel 23 is disposed in the flexible connection member 2, one end of the first connection channel 11 is configured to be connected to an air source or a factory exhaust end, and the other end of the first connection channel 11 is connected to one end of the second connection channel 23. In the case where cassette 200 is placed on the carrying surface of cassette carrier 100, air supply port 201 of cassette 200 corresponds to an air supply assembly 300a, and air exhaust port 202 of cassette 200 corresponds to an air exhaust assembly 300 b. Specifically, second connection channel 23 in air feed assembly 300a is configured to communicate with air feed port 201 at the bottom of cassette 200, and second connection channel 23 in air bleed assembly 300b is configured to communicate with air bleed port 202 at the bottom of cassette 200. Further, flexible connector 2 in air feed assembly 300a is attached to the bottom surface of cassette 200 in a compressed state to seal the connection between second connection channel 23 in air feed assembly 300a and air bleed 201, and flexible connector 2 in air bleed assembly 300b is attached to the bottom surface of cassette 200 in a compressed state to seal the connection between second connection channel 23 in air bleed assembly 300b and air bleed 202.
In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5, one end of the first connecting channel 11, which is used for being connected with the air source or the plant exhaust end, is provided with an internal threaded hole 12, and the internal threaded hole 12 is used for installing an air pipe connector so as to be matched with an air pipe of the air source or the plant exhaust end, so that sealing connection is realized.
In the case where cassette 200 is placed on the carrying surface of cassette carrying member 100, first connection channel 11 in holder 1 and second connection channel 23 in flexible connector 2 may enable communication between the interior of cassette 200 and the gas source for supplying gas and the factory exhaust end for recovering gas in cassette 200, respectively, specifically, gas supplied from the gas source enters into cassette 200 via first connection channel 11 and second connection channel 23 in gas supply assembly 300a and via gas supply port 201, and gas in cassette 200 is discharged into the factory exhaust end via gas discharge port 202, first connection channel 11 and second connection channel 23 in gas discharge assembly 300 b. On this basis, flexible connector 2 in air supply assembly 300a is attached to the bottom surface of cartridge 200 and is in a compressed state to seal the junction between second connection channel 23 in air supply assembly 300a and air supply port 201, and flexible connector 2 in air exhaust assembly 300b is attached to the bottom surface of cartridge 200 and is in a compressed state to seal the junction between second connection channel 23 in air exhaust assembly 300b and air exhaust port 202, thereby ensuring that gas does not leak.
In some embodiments, the flexible connector 2 for achieving the above function includes, for example, a flexible bellows 21, where one end of the flexible bellows 21 is fixedly connected to the fixing base 1, and in a case where the cassette 200 is placed on the carrying surface of the cassette carrying part 100, the other end of the flexible bellows 21 is closely attached to the bottom surface of the cassette 200, so as to achieve a sealing effect, and the inside of the flexible bellows 21 forms the above second connection channel 23. Above-mentioned flexible bellows 21 can be in the circumstances that cassette 200 placed in the loading face of cassette loading part 100, produce compression set to under the circumstances that makes cassette 200 can be in the level state of placing, guarantee that the terminal surface of flexible bellows 21 can closely laminate with the bottom surface of cassette 200, avoid producing the clearance between flexible bellows 21 and the bottom surface of cassette 200 because of the processing error (for example for + -0.5 mm) of cassette 200, thereby can guarantee that flexible bellows 21 and the sealing of the bottom surface of cassette 200 are good, avoid producing the gas leakage. In some embodiments, the flexible bellows 21 is made of rubber, for example.
The flexible bellows 21 may have various modes of fixedly connecting one end of the flexible bellows 21 with the fixing base 1, for example, the flexible bellows 21 includes a bellows body and a connecting portion 22 disposed at one end of the bellows body, an end surface of the other end of the connecting portion 22, which is far away from the bellows body, is attached to an outer surface of the fixing base 1, and is provided with a threaded post 221, the outer surface of the fixing base 1 is provided with a first threaded hole, and the threaded post 221 is disposed in the first threaded hole and is matched with the first threaded hole, so as to realize the fixed connection between the bellows body and the fixing base 1. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4, the outer circumference of the connection part 22 is provided with a hexagonal screw head structure, and in the case that the screw post 221 is screwed in the first screw hole, the bottom surface of the hexagonal screw head structure is pre-fastened to the outer surface of the fixing base 1 (i.e., the end surface of the first screw hole), thereby achieving the fixed connection of the flexible bellows 21 with the fixing base 1.
In some embodiments, the material of the bellows body includes, for example, rubber, and the material of the connection portion 22 includes, for example, metal. The bellows body and the connection portion 22 are fixed together by, for example, bonding, tightening, or the like. Further, a sub-passage 222 communicating with the bellows main body interior 211 and the first connection passage 11 is provided in the connection portion 22 and the screw column 221, respectively, and the sub-passage 222 and the bellows main body interior 211 together constitute the second connection passage 23, whereby, in the air supply unit 300a, the air in the first connection passage 11 can flow into the bellows main body interior 211 and then into the inside of the cassette 200 via the screw column 221 and the sub-passage 222 in the connection portion 22 in this order. The direction of the air flow in the air discharge unit 300b is opposite to that of the air supply unit 300 a.
In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 6, the fixing base 1 is configured to be mounted on the bottom of the cassette carrier 100, for example, on the bottom of the bottom plate 101a, and the flexible connector 2 penetrates through the cassette carrier 100 (for example, the bottom plate 101 a), and as shown in fig. 7 and 8, the flexible connector 2 protrudes with respect to the bearing surface of the cassette carrier 100 (for example, the bearing surface a of the bottom plate 101 a) in a non-compressed state, where the protruding height is the height H1 in fig. 8. Thus, in the case where cassette 200 is placed on the carrying surface of cassette carrier 100, as shown in fig. 9 and 10, cassette 200 is pressed down by gravity to make the portion of flexible connector 2 (i.e., flexible bellows 21) protruding above carrying surface a, so that cassette 200 can be placed horizontally on carrying surface a, i.e., bottom surface B of cassette 200 is bonded to carrying surface a, while ensuring that the end surface of flexible bellows 21 can be bonded to the bottom surface of cassette 200 tightly, avoiding a gap between flexible bellows 21 and the bottom surface of cassette 200 due to processing error of cassette 200, thereby ensuring good sealing between flexible bellows 21 and the bottom surface of cassette 200 and avoiding air leakage.
In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 8, the height H1 of the portion of the flexible connection unit 2 (i.e., the flexible bellows 21) protruding from the bearing surface is, for example, 3mm or 3.5mm or the like.
In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 8, in order to perform a positioning function on flexible connector 2 (i.e., flexible bellows 21), bottom surface B of cartridge 200 is provided with a plurality of grooves, air supply port 201 and air exhaust port 202 are respectively located at the bottom surfaces of the plurality of grooves, for example, two grooves, and air supply port 201 and air exhaust port 202 are respectively located at the bottom surfaces of the two grooves. As shown in fig. 10, when cassette 200 is placed on the bearing surface of cassette bearing member 100 (e.g., bearing surface a of bottom plate 101 a), flexible connector 2 is in a compressed state while being attached to bottom surface C of the corresponding groove. Further alternatively, the depth H2 of the recess is, for example, 1.5mm, such that the height of the flexible connection unit 2 protruding from the bearing surface a when in the compressed state is 1.5mm. Through setting up the recess at bottom surface B of box 200, flexonics spare 2 is located corresponding recess, not only can play the locate function to flexonics spare 2, but also can reserve certain space (i.e. the degree of depth H2 of recess) for flexonics spare 2 in vertical direction in addition, increased flexible bellows 21 and connecting portion 22 in vertical direction's installation space to can reduce to a certain extent the requirement to flexible bellows 21 and connecting portion 22's dimensional tolerance and with fixing base 1's installation tolerance.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6, a second threaded hole is provided in a bottom surface of cassette carrier 100 (e.g., a bottom surface of bottom plate 101a facing away from carrier surface A), and air supply assembly 300a and air exhaust assembly 300b each further include a fastening screw 3 and at least one adjustment washer 5, wherein a bottom surface of fixing base 1 is provided with a mounting groove 13, and a through hole vertically penetrating fixing base 1 is provided in a bottom surface of mounting groove 13, and fastening screw 3 passes through the through hole from bottom to top and is threadedly connected with the second threaded hole, thereby fixedly connecting fixing base 1 with cassette carrier 100 (e.g., bottom plate 101 a). At least one adjusting washer 5 is sleeved on the fastening screw 3 and is located between the bottom surface of the mounting groove 13 and the screw head of the fastening screw 3, and is used for adjusting the length of the fastening screw 3 extending into the second threaded hole, so as to avoid the fastening screw from being screwed in too deeply, and even penetrates through and protrudes out of the cassette bearing part 100.
In some embodiments, a plurality of third threaded holes vertically penetrating through the fixing base 1 are further provided in the fixing base 1, the air supply assembly 300a and the air exhaust assembly 300b each further include a plurality of adjusting screws 4, the plurality of adjusting screws 4 are disposed in the plurality of third threaded holes in a one-to-one correspondence manner, and top ends of the adjusting screws 4 are abutted against a bottom surface of the cassette bearing part 100 (for example, a bottom surface of a groove 101a1 formed on a bottom surface of the bottom plate 101a facing away from the bearing surface a) for adjusting levelness of the fixing base 1 by rotation, so that tilting of the flexible connection member 2 relative to a vertical direction can be avoided, resulting in seal failure.
In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 11, cassette gas delivery device 300 further includes a gas supply and gas path mechanism including a gas supply line 61 and a pressure reducing valve 62, a flow controller 63, a first on-off valve 64, and a filter 65 sequentially provided on gas supply line 61 in a gas supply direction of gas supply line 61. Wherein, both ends of air supply line 61 are respectively communicated with first connection channel 11 in air supply assembly 300a and an air source (e.g., air source N 2 for supplying nitrogen gas), and the air supplied by the air source is sequentially supplied into cassette 200 via air supply line 61 and air supply assembly 300 a. The pressure reducing valve 62 is used to reduce the pressure of the gas flowing therethrough to reduce the pressure of the gas outputted from the pressure reducing valve 62 to a desired pressure value (e.g., 0.4 Mpa) while maintaining pressure stability, the flow controller 63 is used to adjust the flow rate of the gas in the gas supply line 61, the first on-off valve 64 is used to turn on or off the gas supply line 61, and the filter 65 is used to filter impurities in the gas flowing therethrough. The pressure reducing valve 62, the flow controller 63, and the first on-off valve 64 may be, for example, manual valves or automatic control valves that can be controlled by a controller such as a host computer. Specifically, the first on-off valve 64 is, for example, a diaphragm valve, which is turned on or off under the control of, for example, a control air passage 66, specifically, two ends of the control air passage 66 are connected to the diaphragm valve and a compressed air source (i.e., air source CDA), respectively, and a three-way valve 67 and a pressure reducing valve 68 are provided on the control air passage 66. With three-way valve 67 open, compressed air provided by a compressed air source is directed to diaphragm valve via control air path 66 to close the diaphragm valve, at which time the air provided by the source is delivered to cassette 200 via air delivery line 61 and air delivery assembly 300 a. The pressure reducing valve 68 is used for reducing the pressure of the gas output from the pressure reducing valve 68 to a certain required pressure value (for example, 0.3mpa to 0.4 mpa), and at the same time, ensuring pressure stability.
In some embodiments, cassette gas delivery device 300 further includes an exhaust gas path mechanism that includes exhaust gas line 71 and second on-off valve 72 and flow regulating valve 73 disposed on exhaust gas line 71. The second on-off valve 72 is used to switch on or off the exhaust line, and the second on-off valve 72 is controlled to switch on or off, for example, by a pilot-operated two-way solenoid valve. The flow rate adjustment valve 73 is, for example, a ball valve.
In some embodiments, in the case that cassette 200 is placed on the carrying surface of cassette carrier 100, or in the case that an in-place sensor 101c for detecting whether cassette 200 is triggered on pallet 101a, and a trigger signal indicating that cassette 200 is present is fed back to the upper computer, the upper computer controls the air supply and air passage mechanism to start delivering the air supplied from the air supply to first connecting channel 11, and finally to the interior of cassette 200, and controls the air exhaust and air passage mechanism to exhaust the air in cassette 200 to the factory exhaust end. When cassette 200 placed on the carrying surface of cassette carrying member 100 is taken out by the robot, the above-mentioned in-place sensor 101c is triggered, and a trigger signal indicating that there is no cassette 200 is fed back to the host computer, at which time the host computer controls the above-mentioned air supply and air passage mechanism to stop feeding the air supplied from the air supply into first connecting passage 11. Of course, the embodiment of the utility model is not limited to this, and in practical application, the opening, stopping, air supply duration and flow rate adjustment of the air supply can be controlled according to different process requirements.
Table 1 shows the oxygen content of four cassettes (cassette 1 to cassette 4) at different inlet air flows at the connection of the air supply port 201 and the air exhaust port 202 to the air supply module 300a and the air exhaust module 300b, respectively, when placed on the carrying surface of the cassette carrying member 100.
TABLE 1
As can be seen from Table 1, the oxygen content at the junction of the four cassettes was 21% or greater than 20% and less than 21% for each of the different inlet flows. Wherein, the oxygen content is 21% which means that the oxygen content at the joint is consistent with the oxygen content of the external environment, and the gas is not leaked. The values of oxygen content greater than 20% and less than 21% indicate that there is a trace leak of gas in the oxygen content cartridge at the junction, but the degree of leak does not affect the function of the cartridge gas delivery device, depending on the process requirements.
By introducing an inert gas such as clean nitrogen into cassette 200 and controlling the flow rate of the inlet gas, the pressure in cassette 200 can be controlled to be maintained at a positive pressure, thereby preventing external particles from entering the cassette. Specifically, table 2 shows the pressure values of the cassette at different intake air flows.
TABLE 2
As shown in table 2, in the case where the flow rate of the intake air is 4L/min or more, the pressure in the cassette can be maintained in the range of 300Pa or more, so that external particles can be prevented from entering the cassette 200, and the gas (e.g., clean nitrogen gas) in the cassette 200 can be introduced.
The oxygen content of cassette may be controlled by introducing an inert gas, such as clean nitrogen, into cassette 200 and controlling the flow rate of the gas and/or the time of the gas delivery. Specifically, table 3 shows the change in oxygen content of the cassette during the air supply.
TABLE 3 Table 3
As shown in Table 3, under the condition that the intake air flow is 10L/min, the oxygen content in the wafer cassette gradually decreases from 20.60% to 0.75% in the process of the air supply time reaching 460s from 0s, so that the oxygen content in the wafer cassette can be effectively reduced by the wafer cassette gas delivery device 300 provided by the embodiment of the utility model.
Cassette humidity may be controlled by introducing an inert gas, such as clean nitrogen, into cassette 200 and controlling the inlet flow, cassette pressure, and/or the delivery time. Specifically, table 4 shows the humidity change of the cassette during the air supply.
TABLE 4 Table 4
As shown in Table 4, in the case where the air inflow rate is 15L/min and the cassette pressure is 680Pa, the humidity in the cassette gradually decreases from 58.9% to 3.98% in the process of the air supply time reaching 400s from 20s, so that the cassette gas conveying device 300 provided by the embodiment of the utility model can effectively reduce the humidity in the cassette.
As another technical solution, an embodiment of the present utility model further provides a semiconductor processing apparatus, including a temporary storage device for temporarily storing a wafer cassette 200, where the temporary storage device includes a wafer cassette carrier 100 for carrying at least one wafer cassette 200, and the wafer cassette gas delivery device 300 provided in the embodiment of the present utility model is configured to, when the wafer cassette 200 is placed on a carrying surface of the wafer cassette carrier 100, supply gas to the wafer cassette 200, and exhaust gas in the wafer cassette 200.
The semiconductor processing equipment provided by the utility model can reduce the oxygen content and humidity in the wafer box 200 by adopting the wafer box gas conveying device 300 provided by the utility model, and prevent external particles from entering the wafer box 200, so that the micro-environment quality in the wafer box 200 can be improved, and the wafers in the wafer box 200 are protected.
It is to be understood that the above embodiments are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the present utility model, but not in limitation thereof. Various modifications and improvements may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and substance of the utility model, and are also considered to be within the scope of the utility model.
Claims (10)
1. The gas delivery device for the wafer box is applied to semiconductor process equipment and is characterized by comprising a gas delivery assembly for delivering gas to the wafer box and a gas exhaust assembly for exhausting gas in the wafer box, wherein the gas delivery assembly and the gas exhaust assembly both comprise a fixed seat and a flexible connecting piece,
The fixing seat is used for being arranged on the wafer box bearing component, the flexible connecting piece is fixedly connected with the fixing seat, a first connecting channel is arranged in the fixing seat, a second connecting channel is arranged in the flexible connecting piece, one end of the first connecting channel is used for being connected with an air source or a factory exhaust end, and the other end of the first connecting channel is connected with one end of the second connecting channel;
and under the condition that the wafer box is placed on the bearing surface of the wafer box bearing part, the other end of the second connecting channel is communicated with the air inlet or the air outlet at the bottom of the wafer box, and the flexible connecting piece is attached to the bottom surface of the wafer box and is in a compressed state so as to seal the joint of the second connecting channel and the air inlet or the air outlet.
2. The gas delivery device of claim 1, wherein the flexible connector comprises a flexible bellows, one end of the flexible bellows is fixedly connected with the fixing base, the other end of the flexible bellows is attached to the bottom surface of the cassette when the cassette is placed on the bearing surface of the cassette bearing component, and the second connecting channel is formed inside the flexible bellows.
3. The cassette gas delivery device of claim 2, wherein the flexible bellows comprises a bellows body and a connecting portion arranged at one end of the bellows body, and an end face of the other end of the connecting portion, which is far away from the bellows body, is attached to the outer surface of the fixing seat and is provided with a threaded column;
The outer surface of the fixing seat is provided with a first threaded hole, and the threaded column is arranged in the first threaded hole and matched with the first threaded hole;
The connecting part and the threaded column are correspondingly provided with sub-channels which are respectively communicated with the inside of the corrugated pipe body and the first connecting channel, and the sub-channels and the inside of the corrugated pipe body jointly form the second connecting channel.
4. A cassette gas delivery device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said mounting bracket is adapted to be mounted to the bottom of said cassette carrier and said flexible connector extends through said cassette carrier and projects relative to the bearing surface of said cassette carrier in an uncompressed state.
5. The cassette gas delivery mechanism of claim 4, wherein a second threaded aperture is provided in a bottom surface of the cassette carrier;
The air supply assembly and the air exhaust assembly also comprise a fastening screw and at least one adjusting washer, wherein the bottom surface of the fixing seat is provided with a mounting groove, the bottom surface of the mounting groove is provided with a through hole vertically penetrating through the fixing seat, and the fastening screw penetrates through the through hole from bottom to top and is in threaded connection with the second threaded hole;
At least one adjusting gasket is sleeved on the fastening screw and is positioned between the bottom surface of the mounting groove and the screw head of the fastening screw.
6. The cassette gas delivery mechanism of claim 1, wherein a bottom surface of the cassette is provided with a plurality of grooves, and the gas supply port and the gas discharge port are respectively located at bottom surfaces of the plurality of grooves;
Under the condition that the wafer box is placed on the bearing surface of the wafer box bearing part, the flexible connecting piece is attached to the bottom surface of the corresponding groove and is in a compressed state.
7. The cassette gas delivery mechanism of claim 1, wherein the holder further has a plurality of third threaded holes vertically therethrough;
The air supply assembly and the air exhaust assembly also comprise a plurality of adjusting screws, the adjusting screws are arranged in the third threaded holes in a one-to-one correspondence manner, and the top ends of the adjusting screws are propped against the bottom surface of the wafer box bearing component and used for adjusting the levelness of the fixing seat through rotation.
8. The cassette gas delivery device of any one of claims 1-7, further comprising a gas supply path mechanism comprising a gas supply line and a pressure reducing valve, a flow controller, a first on-off valve and a filter sequentially arranged on the gas supply line along a gas supply direction of the gas supply line, wherein both ends of the gas supply line are respectively communicated with the first connecting channel and the gas source in the gas supply assembly.
9. The cassette gas delivery device of any one of claims 1-7, further comprising an exhaust gas path mechanism comprising an exhaust gas line and a second on-off valve disposed on the exhaust gas line, wherein two ends of the exhaust gas line are respectively in communication with the first connection channel and the factory exhaust end in the exhaust assembly.
10. A semiconductor processing apparatus comprising a temporary storage device for a temporary storage cassette, the temporary storage device comprising:
a cassette loading part for loading at least one cassette;
A cassette gas delivery device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 for supplying gas to said cassette and exhausting gas from said cassette with said cassette disposed on a bearing surface of said cassette bearing member.
Priority Applications (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202420324885.XU CN222838818U (en) | 2024-02-21 | 2024-02-21 | Wafer box gas conveying device and semiconductor process equipment |
| TW114104929A TW202534004A (en) | 2024-02-21 | 2025-02-11 | Cassette gas delivery device and semiconductor process equipment |
| PCT/CN2025/076796 WO2025176042A1 (en) | 2024-02-21 | 2025-02-11 | Gas conveying device for wafer cassette, and semiconductor process apparatus |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202420324885.XU CN222838818U (en) | 2024-02-21 | 2024-02-21 | Wafer box gas conveying device and semiconductor process equipment |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN222838818U true CN222838818U (en) | 2025-05-06 |
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ID=95528271
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202420324885.XU Active CN222838818U (en) | 2024-02-21 | 2024-02-21 | Wafer box gas conveying device and semiconductor process equipment |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CN (1) | CN222838818U (en) |
| TW (1) | TW202534004A (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2025176042A1 (en) |
Family Cites Families (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5988233A (en) * | 1998-03-27 | 1999-11-23 | Asyst Technologies, Inc. | Evacuation-driven SMIF pod purge system |
| SG11201605453WA (en) * | 2014-03-17 | 2016-09-29 | Murata Machinery Ltd | Purge apparatus and purge method |
| JP6459682B2 (en) * | 2015-03-20 | 2019-01-30 | Tdk株式会社 | Gas purge device, load port device and gas purge method |
| KR102061568B1 (en) * | 2015-08-10 | 2020-01-02 | 무라다기카이가부시끼가이샤 | Purge Device, Purge Stocker, and Cleaning Method |
| CN116564854B (en) * | 2023-05-16 | 2024-03-19 | 弥费科技(上海)股份有限公司 | Cleaning equipment, air tap device, air channel device and control method thereof |
-
2024
- 2024-02-21 CN CN202420324885.XU patent/CN222838818U/en active Active
-
2025
- 2025-02-11 WO PCT/CN2025/076796 patent/WO2025176042A1/en active Pending
- 2025-02-11 TW TW114104929A patent/TW202534004A/en unknown
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| WO2025176042A1 (en) | 2025-08-28 |
| TW202534004A (en) | 2025-09-01 |
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