TWI856558B - Wafer calibration device and chamber, semiconductor process equipment and calibration method - Google Patents

Abstract

A wafer calibration device, a wafer calibration chamber, a semiconductor process equipment and a calibration method. The wafer calibration device comprises a bearing mechanism and a guide centering mechanism; The bearing mechanism has a first bearing surface, which is used for bearing the wafer; The guide centering mechanism includes a lifting component and a guide bearing part, which is connected with the guide bearing part and is used to drive the guide bearing part to lift, so that the guide bearing part is located at the first or second position, and the guide bearing part is arranged around the bearing mechanism; The guide bearing part has a guide inclined plane and a second bearing plane parallel to the first bearing plane. The guide inclined plane is used to guide the wafer into the second bearing plane and realize alignment in the process; When the guide bearing part is in the first position, the second bearing surface is higher than the first bearing surface; When the guide bearing part is in the second position, the second bearing surface is lower than the first bearing surface.

Description

Wafer calibration device and chamber, semiconductor process equipment and calibration method

The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a wafer calibration device, a wafer calibration chamber, a semiconductor process equipment and a calibration method.

Semiconductor process equipment includes a process chamber and a wafer loading chamber. During the operation of the semiconductor process equipment, the robot transfers the wafer stored in the wafer loading chamber to the process chamber, and processes the wafer in the process chamber.

However, due to the deviations in the robot's station calibration and the position of the wafer in the wafer carrier chamber, when the wafer is transferred from the wafer carrier chamber to the process chamber, the position accuracy of the wafer in the process chamber is poor, thus affecting the process performance of the wafer.

To this end, in the relevant technology, the semiconductor process equipment also includes a wafer calibration device, which includes a carrying mechanism and a detection mechanism. The carrying mechanism is used to carry the wafer, and the detection mechanism is used to detect the external structure of the wafer, thereby calibrating the relative position of the wafer. The robot adjusts its grasping position according to the detection signal of the detection mechanism to compensate for the position deviation of the wafer to calibrate the position of the wafer, so that the wafer can be transferred into the process chamber at a more accurate position.

However, when the center of the carrier mechanism deviates greatly from the center of the wafer, it is easy to exceed the calibration range of the wafer calibration device, causing the wafer calibration device to be unable to perform calibration operations. Therefore, the calibration range of the wafer calibration device in the relevant technology is relatively small. In addition, when the center of the carrier mechanism deviates greatly from the center of the wafer, it is also easy to cause the wafer to fall from the carrier mechanism, causing damage to the wafer. Therefore, the compatibility and safety of the wafer calibration device are relatively poor.

The present invention discloses a wafer calibration device, a wafer calibration chamber, a semiconductor process equipment and a calibration method to solve the problem of poor compatibility and safety of the wafer calibration device.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions: a wafer calibration device, including a supporting mechanism and a guide centering mechanism; the supporting mechanism has a first supporting surface, and the first supporting surface is used to support the wafer; the guide centering mechanism includes a lifting assembly and a guide supporting part, and the lifting assembly is connected to the guide supporting part and is used to drive the guide supporting part to rise and fall, so that the guide supporting part is at a first position or a second position , the guide support part is arranged around the support mechanism; the guide support part has a guide slope and a second support surface parallel to the first support surface, the guide slope is used to guide the wafer into the second support surface and realize centering in the process; when the guide support part is in the first position, the second support surface is higher than the first support surface; when the guide support part is in the second position, the second support surface is lower than the first support surface.

A wafer calibration chamber includes the above-mentioned wafer calibration device, the wafer calibration chamber also includes a chamber body, the guide support part and the support mechanism are both arranged in the chamber body, and the lifting assembly is arranged below the chamber body.

A semiconductor process equipment includes a wafer loading chamber, a process chamber, a transfer chamber and the above-mentioned wafer calibration chamber. A robot is arranged in the transfer chamber. The robot is used to transfer the wafer in the wafer loading chamber to the wafer calibration chamber for calibration, and transfer the calibrated wafer to the process chamber.

A wafer calibration method is applied to the above-mentioned semiconductor process equipment, and the calibration method includes: controlling a robot carrying a wafer to move to a wafer transfer position in the wafer calibration chamber; controlling the robot to descend, so that the wafer is transferred to the guiding slope of the guiding support part located at the first position, and the guiding slope is used to guide the wafer into the second support surface and realize centering in this process; controlling the lifting assembly to drive the guiding support part to move downward from the first position, so that the wafer is transferred from the second support surface to the first support surface.

The technical solution adopted by the present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects: In the wafer calibration device disclosed in the present invention, the robot can first transfer the wafer to the guide support part, and the guide support part has a guide bevel. Under the action of the gravity of the wafer, the guide bevel can center the wafer, so as to preliminarily calibrate the position of the wafer. When the guide support part moves from the first position to the second position, the wafer is transferred to the supporting mechanism. In this scheme, when the deviation of the wafer is large, the guide bevel can center the wafer to preliminarily calibrate the position of the wafer, so that the wafer can be carried on the supporting mechanism with a smaller deviation. The wafer calibration device in this application can tolerate a larger deviation range. In addition, the wafer is carried on the supporting mechanism with a smaller deviation, so that the wafer is not easy to fall from the supporting mechanism. Therefore, this solution improves the compatibility and safety of the wafer calibration device.

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples of different components for implementing the present disclosure. Specific examples of components and configurations are described below to simplify the present disclosure. Of course, these are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, a first component formed above or on a second component in the following description may include embodiments in which the first component and the second component are formed to be in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which additional components may be formed between the first component and the second component so that the first component and the second component may not be in direct contact. In addition, the present disclosure may repeatedly reference numbers and/or letters in various examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplification and clarity and does not in itself indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

Additionally, for ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "below," "beneath," "below," "above," "upper," and the like may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element or component to another element or components as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein may be interpreted similarly accordingly.

Although the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the present disclosure are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in the respective testing measurements. Furthermore, as used herein, the term "approximately" generally means within 10%, 5%, 1%, or 0.5% of a given value or range. Alternatively, the term "approximately" means within an acceptable standard error of the mean when considered by one of ordinary skill in the art. Except in operating/working examples, or unless otherwise expressly specified, all numerical ranges, quantities, values, and percentages, such as for quantities of materials, durations of time, temperatures, operating conditions, ratios of quantities, and the like disclosed herein, should be understood as being modified in all instances by the term "approximately". Accordingly, unless otherwise indicated, the numerical parameters set forth in the present disclosure and the accompanying claims are approximate values that may vary as necessary. At a minimum, each numerical parameter should be interpreted in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Ranges may be expressed herein as from one end point to another or between two end points. All ranges disclosed herein are inclusive of the end points unless otherwise specified.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 14 , an embodiment of the present invention discloses a wafer calibration device, which is used to calibrate the relative position of a wafer 500. The disclosed wafer calibration device includes a mounting base 110, a supporting mechanism 130, a detection mechanism 140, and a guiding and centering mechanism 150.

The mounting base 110 provides a mounting location for components such as the supporting mechanism 130, the detection mechanism 140, and the guiding and centering mechanism 150.

The supporting mechanism 130 has a first supporting surface, and the first supporting surface is used to support the wafer 500. Optionally, the supporting mechanism 130 can be a table-shaped or columnar structure. Of course, the supporting mechanism 130 can also be other structures, which is not limited in this article.

The detection mechanism 140 is arranged on the mounting base 110, and is used to detect the position and contour shape of the wafer 500. At this time, the detection mechanism 140 obtains the position information and contour information of the wafer 500, and transmits the position information and contour information of the wafer 500 to the control device of the semiconductor process equipment. The control device obtains the compensation information of the robot 410 according to the information transmitted by the detection mechanism 140, thereby driving the robot 410 to correct the grasping position to compensate for the position deviation of the wafer 500.

The guide centering mechanism 150 includes a lifting assembly 151 and a guide bearing part 152. The guide bearing part 152 is connected to the lifting assembly 151. The lifting assembly 151 is used to drive the guide bearing part 152 to rise and fall so that the guide bearing part 152 is located at the first position or the second position. The guide bearing part 152 is arranged around the bearing mechanism 130.

The guide support portion 152 has a guide slope 1521 and a second support surface 1522 parallel to the first support surface. The guide slope 1521 is used to guide the wafer 500 into the second support surface 1522 and achieve centering in the process.

When the wafer 500 is placed in the guide support portion 152 , the guide slope 1521 guides the wafer 500 into the second support surface 1522 and simultaneously aligns the wafer 500 . If there is a position deviation of the wafer 500 on the robot 410, the wafer 500 will tilt due to the deviation when it just falls into the guide support part 152, and the edge of the wafer 500 will overlap the guide slope 1521. The guide slope 1521 will provide the wafer 500 with a supporting force perpendicular to the guide slope 1521. The supporting force perpendicular to the guide slope 1521 is decomposed into a vertical component force and a component force pointing to the center of the guide support part 152. The component force pointing to the guide support part 152 can make the wafer 500 slide to the center of the guide support part 152, thereby eliminating part of the position deviation of the wafer 500.

As shown in FIG. 10 , F1 is the gravity of the wafer 500 , F2 is the support force perpendicular to the guide slope 1521 provided by the guide slope 1521 for the wafer 500 , F3 is the vertical component force, and F4 is the component force pointing to the center of the guide support portion 152 .

When the guide bearing portion 152 is in the first position, the second bearing surface 1522 is higher than the first bearing surface, and when the guide bearing portion 152 is in the second position, the second bearing surface 1522 is lower than the first bearing surface.

In the specific operation process, the guide support part 152 first moves to the first position, at which time the second support surface 1522 is higher than the first support surface, and the robot 410 transfers the wafer 500 to the guide support part 152. After the wafer 500 is initially calibrated on the guide support part 152, it is transferred to the support mechanism 130. During this process, the second support surface 1522 moves from a position higher than the first support surface to a position lower than the first support surface, so the wafer 500 is transferred to the support mechanism 130. Then, the detection mechanism 140 recalibrates the wafer 500.

In the embodiment disclosed in the present application, the robot 410 can first transfer the wafer 500 to the guide support part 152. The guide support part 152 has a guide slope 1521. Under the gravity of the wafer 500, the guide slope 1521 can center the wafer 500, so as to preliminarily calibrate the position of the wafer 500. When the guide support part 152 moves from the first position to the second position, the wafer 500 is transferred to the support mechanism 130. When the deviation of the wafer 500 is large, the guide slope 1521 can center the wafer 500 to preliminarily calibrate the position of the wafer, so that the wafer 500 is supported on the support mechanism 130 with a smaller deviation. Therefore, the wafer calibration device in the present application can tolerate a larger deviation range. In addition, the wafer 500 is carried on the supporting mechanism 130 with a small deviation, so that the wafer 500 is not easy to fall from the supporting mechanism 130. Therefore, this solution improves the compatibility and safety of the wafer calibration device.

In addition, when the deviation range between the robot 410 and the wafer 500 exceeds the calibration range of the detection mechanism 140, the guide centering mechanism 150 can perform a preliminary calibration on the wafer 500, thereby adjusting the deviation of the wafer 500 to within the calibration range of the detection mechanism 140, and then calibrating. Therefore, the wafer calibration device disclosed in this application allows a larger position deviation range of the calibrated wafer 500.

In the above embodiment, the guide support part 152 can be a ring-shaped structure. The guide support part 152 of the ring-shaped structure is larger in size, so it occupies a larger internal space of the wafer calibration device.

Based on this, in another optional embodiment, the guide support part 152 may include at least three guide support blocks, and the at least three guide support blocks are distributed along the circumferential interval of the support mechanism 130, and the at least three guide support blocks may have a guide inclined surface 1521 and a second support surface 1522. In this solution, at least three guide support blocks are supported at least three positions of the wafer 500. Compared with the guide support part 152 of the annular structure, the volume of the at least three guide support blocks is smaller, so the internal space of the wafer calibration chamber 100 is smaller.

The center of the guide support portion 152 can be the center of the circle where at least three guide support blocks are located.

In another optional embodiment, the lifting assembly 151 may include a driving source 1511, a lifting platform 1512, and a plurality of supporting rods 1513. The driving source 1511 may be connected to the lifting platform 1512, and the plurality of supporting rods 1513 may be arranged at intervals on the lifting platform 1512, for example, they may be distributed at intervals along the circumference of the supporting mechanism 130. Each supporting rod 1513 may be connected to a guide bearing block. In this solution, the driving source 1511 drives the plurality of supporting rods 1513 to rise and fall simultaneously through the lifting platform 1512, so that the plurality of guide bearing blocks rise and fall simultaneously, so that it is not easy to cause the plurality of guide bearing blocks to rise and fall at different heights.

Furthermore, the lifting assembly 151 also includes a plurality of mounting plates 1514, each mounting plate 1514 can be arranged at one end of the support rod 1513 away from the lifting platform 1512, the guide bearing block can be mounted on the mounting plate 1514, and the mounting position of the guide bearing block on the mounting plate 1514 can be adjusted along the radial direction of the supporting mechanism 130. At this time, the mounting position of the guide bearing block on the mounting plate 1514 can be adjusted, so as to meet the calibration of wafers 500 of different sizes, thereby improving the compatibility of the wafer calibration device.

In addition, by adjusting the installation position of the guide support block, the calibration accuracy of the wafer 500 can be further improved.

Optionally, the mounting plate 1514 is provided with multiple slots along the radial direction of the supporting mechanism 130, and the buckle of the guide bearing block can be snapped into one of the slots. Alternatively, the mounting plate 1514 is provided with threaded holes along the radial direction of the supporting mechanism 130, and the guide bearing block is fixed in one of the threaded holes by bolts.

In the above embodiment, the lifting assembly 151 also includes a screw transmission mechanism 1515 and a coupling 1516, and the screw transmission mechanism 1515 and the coupling are both located below the supporting mechanism 130. The screw transmission mechanism 1515 is connected to the driving source 1511 through the coupling 1516, and the lifting platform 1512 is connected to the screw transmission mechanism 1515. The driving source 1511 drives the screw transmission mechanism 1515 to rotate through the coupling 1516, and the screw transmission mechanism 1515 drives the lifting platform 1512 to rise and fall.

In another optional embodiment, the lifting assembly 151 may further include a first detection switch 1517a, a second detection switch 1517b and a switch trigger 1519. The switch trigger 1519 may be disposed on the lifting platform 1512, and the first detection switch 1517a and the second detection switch 1517b may be fixedly disposed below the supporting mechanism 130. Optionally, a fixed bracket may be disposed below the supporting mechanism 130, and the first detection switch 1517a and the second detection switch 1517b may be fixed on the fixed bracket, or the first detection switch 1517a and the second detection switch 1517b may be fixed on the mounting base 110, or the first detection switch 1517a and the second detection switch 1517b may be fixed on the chamber body 101 described below.

When the switch trigger 1519 triggers the first detection switch 1517a, the guide carrier 152 is in the first position. At this time, when the first detection switch 1517a outputs a signal, the guide carrier 152 is in the first position, and the wafer 500 can be transferred. When the switch trigger 1519 triggers the second detection switch 1517b, the guide carrier 152 is in the second position. At this time, when the second detection switch 1517b outputs a signal, the guide carrier 152 is in the second position, and the wafer 500 is transferred to the carrier mechanism 130.

In this solution, the first detection switch 1517a and the second detection switch 1517b can output the position of the guide carrier 152, so that there is no need to manually judge the position of the guide carrier 152, thus avoiding human error.

Optionally, the first detection switch 1517a and the second detection switch 1517b can be contact switches, and the switch trigger key contacts the first detection switch 1517a or the second detection switch 1517b to output a signal. The first detection switch 1517a and the second detection switch 1517b can also be photoelectric sensors, and the switch trigger 1519 blocks the light source signal of the photoelectric sensor, thereby causing the photoelectric sensor to output a signal.

In order to prevent the guide bearing part 152 from colliding with other parts of the wafer calibration device due to a long stroke, in another optional embodiment, the lifting assembly 151 may also include a first limit switch 1518a and a second limit switch 1518b, the first detection switch 1517a and the second detection switch 1517b may be fixedly arranged between the first limit switch 1518a and the second limit switch 1518b, and the switch trigger 1519 may trigger the first limit switch 1518a or the second limit switch 1518b, and the first limit switch 1518a and the second limit switch 1518b are used to limit the stroke of the guide bearing part 152.

In this solution, due to the restrictions of the first limit switch 1518a and the second limit switch 1518b, the moving distance of the guide bearing part 152 is the distance between the first limit switch 1518a and the second limit switch 1518b, so it can prevent the guide bearing part 152 from colliding with other components due to the long distance.

Specifically, when the first limit switch 1518a or the second limit switch 1518b sends a signal, the motor of the drive source 1511 is locked and stops working, and the guide carrier 152 no longer moves.

Optionally, the first limit switch 1518a and the second limit switch 1518b can be contact switches or photoelectric sensors. Of course, other structures are also possible, which is not limited in this article.

In another optional embodiment, the angle between the guiding inclined surface 1521 and the second bearing surface 1522 can be greater than or equal to 120° and less than or equal to 150°. In this solution, the component force pointing to the center of the guiding bearing portion 152 is greater, so the guiding performance of the guiding bearing portion 152 is better.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 12 , the projection length L1 of the second bearing surface 1522 can be 5.5 mm, the projection length L2 of the guide slope 1521 can be 4.5 mm, and the distance L3 from the edge of the second bearing surface 1522 to the installation point of the guide bearing block can be 20 mm. Here, L3 can also be understood as the length of the guide bearing block.

As shown in FIG. 13 , the wafer 500 is carried on the second carrying surface 1522. When the center of the wafer 500 coincides with the center of the guide carrying portion 152, it can be assumed that the position deviation of the wafer 500 is 0. Wherein R1 represents the radius of the minimum inscribed circle between the second carrying surface 1522 and the center of the guide carrying portion 152, R2 represents the radius of the wafer 500, R3 represents the radius of the maximum inscribed circle between the second carrying surface 1522 and the center of the guide carrying portion 152, R4 represents the radius of the inscribed circle between the intersection of the guide inclined surface 1521 and the second carrying surface 1522 and the center point of the guide carrying portion 152, and R5 represents the radius of the inscribed circle between the mounting point of the guide carrying block and the center point of the guide carrying portion 152. At this time, the maximum deviation of the wafer 500 allowed by the guide centering mechanism 150 is related to R2 and R1. The maximum deviation of the wafer 500 allowed by the guide centering mechanism 150 can be the distance from the outer diameter of the wafer 500 to the inner edge of the second supporting surface 1522, that is, ΔL1=R1-R2. ΔL1 is the maximum deviation of the wafer 500 allowed by the guide centering mechanism 150. When the wafer 500 is carried on the second supporting surface 1522, the deviation of the wafer 500 after centering can be expressed as ΔL2, ΔL2=R2-R4. According to the attached figure, the following formula can also be obtained: R1=R5- L3, R3=R1+L1+L3, R4=R1+L1.

For example, if the radius R2 of the wafer 500 is 100mm, R5 can be 115mm, L1 can be 5.5mm, L2 can be 4.5mm, and L3 can be 20mm. It can be obtained that R1 is 95mm, and at this time, ΔL1 is 5mm. It can be obtained that R4 is 100.5mm, and at this time, ΔL2 is 0.5mm. Therefore, if the position deviation ΔL1 of the wafer 500 before being placed in the guide centering mechanism 150 is less than 5mm, after the guide centering mechanism 150 automatically centers, the position deviation ΔL2 of the wafer 500 does not exceed 0.5mm. In order to further reduce ΔL2, ΔL2 can be corrected by adjusting the installation position of the guide carrier block, that is, adjusting the size of R5.

In order to prevent the robot 410 from interfering with the guide support block, in another optional embodiment, the distance between two adjacent guide support blocks is greater than the width of the robot 410. In this case, the robot 410 can extend between the two adjacent guide support blocks during the film placement process, so that it is not easy to interfere with the guide support blocks.

In the above embodiment, when the robot 410 clamps the calibrated wafer 500, it is easy to interfere with the guide support part 152.

Based on this, in another optional embodiment, the mounting base 110 is arranged around the base body 131, and the lifting assembly 151 is located below the mounting base 110. The mounting base 110 includes at least three fan-shaped plates, which are arranged in sequence along the circumference of the base body 131 and spliced in sequence to form a disc-shaped base. An installation gap can be set between adjacent fan-shaped plates, and the support rod 1513 can pass through the corresponding installation gap to connect with the corresponding guide bearing block. For example, the number of the installation gaps is the same as the number of the support rods 1513, and they are arranged one by one. When the guide bearing portion 152 is in the second position, each guide bearing block can be located in the corresponding installation gap. In this solution, when the robot 410 clamps the calibrated wafer 500, each guide support block can be located in its corresponding installation gap, and the guide support block is hidden in the corresponding installation gap, and is not easy to interfere with the robot 410. In addition, the lifting assembly 151 can be located below the mounting base 110, so that the lifting assembly 151 is not easy to interfere with the components above the mounting base 110.

In another optional embodiment, the supporting mechanism 130 may include a base body 131 and a plurality of push pins 132, and the plurality of push pins 132 may be arranged at intervals on the base body 131, for example, the plurality of push pins 132 are distributed at intervals along the circumference of the base body 131. The top ends of the plurality of push pins 132 form a first supporting surface. In this solution, the base body 131 is used to support the plurality of push pins 132, and the plurality of push pins 132 form a hollow structure, so that a larger position can be reserved for the robot 410 to clamp the wafer 500. At the same time, the push pin 132 is usually a slender structure, so a larger clamping space can be reserved, so that the robot 410 can conveniently clamp the wafer 500.

Optionally, when each guide bearing block can be located in its corresponding installation gap, the upper surface of the guide bearing block is at least flush with the upper surface of the base body 131.

In the above embodiment, when the detection mechanism 140 detects the position and contour shape of the wafer 500, the wafer 500 can be stationary. At this time, the detection mechanism 140 needs to have a larger detection range to cover the entire contour range of the wafer 500. Therefore, the detection is more difficult and the detection accuracy is poor.

Based on this, in another optional embodiment, the wafer calibration device may further include a rotating mechanism 120, the driving end of the rotating mechanism 120 is connected to the base body 131 for driving the base body 131 to rotate around its central axis. The detection mechanism 140 may be used to detect the position and contour shape of the wafer 500 during the rotation of the wafer 500.

In the specific operation process, when the wafer 500 is transferred to the supporting mechanism 130, the rotating mechanism 120 drives the wafer 500 to rotate through the supporting mechanism 130, and the detection mechanism 140 recalibrates the wafer 500.

In this solution, the detection mechanism 140 can obtain the position and contour shape of the entire wafer 500 during the rotation of the wafer 500. The detection mechanism 140 does not need to cover the entire wafer 500, so the detection mechanism 140 does not need a larger detection range, which makes the detection easier and more accurate.

Optionally, the above-mentioned rotating mechanism 120 can be a driving motor, a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder and other components. Of course, it can also be other power structures, which is not limited in this article.

In an optional embodiment, the detection mechanism 140 may include an emitter 141 and a receiver 142, and the emitter 141 may be arranged opposite to the receiver 142, for example, the emitter 141 may be arranged opposite to the receiver 142 in a direction parallel to the central axis of the base body 131. A receiving groove is provided on the upper surface of one of the fan-shaped plates, and one of the emitter 141 and the receiver 142 is arranged in the receiving groove, and the other may be arranged on the chamber body 101 mentioned below, or on a mounting frame arranged on the fan-shaped plate. When the first bearing surface carries the wafer 500, the edge of the wafer 500 may be located between the emitter 141 and the receiver 142.

The transmitter 141 is used to transmit a signal to the receiver 142 during the rotation of the wafer 500. The receiver 142 is used to receive the signal emitted by the transmitter 141 that is not blocked by the wafer 500, and obtain the position and contour shape of the wafer 500 based on the signal.

Specifically, as shown in Figure 14, when the wafer 500 is a circular structure and its center coincides with the center of the supporting mechanism 130, that is to say, the wafer 500 has no positional displacement, when the wafer 500 rotates, the signal emitted by the transmitting element 141 is blocked by the wafer 500, and the signal not blocked by the wafer 500 and received by the receiving element 142 (or the signal emitted by the transmitting element 141 may also be completely blocked by the wafer 500) is exactly the same as the set comparison value. When the wafer 500 is a circular structure and has a deviation from the supporting mechanism 130, when the wafer 500 rotates, the degree to which the wafer 500 blocks the signal emitted by the transmitting element 141 changes, and the strength of the signal not blocked by the wafer 500 received by the receiving element 142 also changes accordingly. By comparing the signal with the set comparison value, the position deviation of the wafer 500 can be determined. If the wafer 500 has a characteristic point, such as a flat edge or a "v"-shaped opening, a signal mutation will occur at the characteristic point, thereby being identified by the detection mechanism 140.

In this solution, the transmitting element 141 can transmit a signal, and the receiving element 142 can receive the signal. By receiving the change of the signal that is not blocked by the wafer 500, the shape and position of the wafer 500 can be identified, so that the structure of the detection mechanism 140 is simple and reliable.

Optionally, the emitter 141 can be an infrared light emitter or other light source emitter, which is not limited in this article.

In the above embodiment, when the detection mechanism 140 detects the position and contour shape information of the wafer 500, the detection mechanism 140 transmits the position and contour shape information of the wafer 500 to the controller of the semiconductor process equipment, and the controller can adjust the wafer picking position of the robot 410 according to the detected position and contour shape information of the wafer 500. For example, when the wafer 500 has a feature point, the wafer picking direction of the robot 410 is consistent with the direction of the feature point of the wafer 500.

Based on the wafer calibration device of any of the above embodiments of this application, this embodiment of this application also discloses a wafer calibration chamber, and the disclosed semiconductor chamber has the wafer calibration chamber of any of the above embodiments.

The wafer calibration chamber 100 disclosed in the present application may also include a chamber body 101, which is the installation base of the wafer calibration chamber 100. The guide support 152, the support mechanism 130, the installation base 110 and the detection mechanism 140 may all be located in the chamber body 101, and the lifting assembly 151 may be arranged below the chamber body 101.

Specifically, the mounting base 110 can be disposed on the bottom wall of the chamber body 101, and a portion of the lifting assembly 151 can pass through the bottom wall of the chamber body 101 to connect to the guide support portion 152. When the lifting assembly 151 includes a support rod, the support rod passes through the bottom wall of the chamber body 101 to connect to the guide support portion 152.

Based on the wafer calibration chamber 100 of any of the above embodiments of the present application, the present application also discloses a semiconductor process equipment, wherein the disclosed semiconductor chamber has the wafer calibration chamber 100 of any of the above embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 15 , the semiconductor process equipment disclosed in the present application further includes a wafer loading chamber 200, a process chamber 300 and a transfer chamber 400. The wafer loading chamber 200 is used to load a wafer 500, the process chamber 300 is used to process the wafer 500, and the transfer chamber 400 realizes the transfer of the wafer 500 between chambers. A robot 410 may be provided in the transfer chamber 400. The robot 410 may be used to transfer the wafer 500 in the wafer loading chamber 200 to the wafer calibration chamber 100 for calibration, and transfer the calibrated wafer to the process chamber 300.

Based on the semiconductor process equipment of the above embodiment of the present invention, the embodiment of the present invention also discloses a wafer calibration method, which is applied to the semiconductor process equipment described above. As shown in FIG. 16, the wafer calibration method includes:

S100, control the robot 410 carrying the wafer 500 to move to the wafer transfer position in the wafer calibration chamber 100.

The wafer transfer position here refers to the position of the robot 410 in the wafer calibration chamber 100, and the wafer transfer position should be higher than the first position of the guide support 152.

S200, control the robot 410 to descend, so that the wafer 500 is transferred to the guiding slope 1521 of the guiding support part 152 located at the first position. The guiding slope 1521 is used to guide the wafer 500 into the second support surface 1522 and realize centering in this process.

At this time, during the process of the robot 410 descending, the position of the robot 410 gradually becomes lower than the first position, so that the wafer 500 is transferred to the guide support part 152. When the wafer 500 is deviated, the edge of the wafer 500 overlaps the guide slope 1521. The wafer 500 is centered under the influence of gravity, that is, under the gravity of the wafer 500, the guide slope 1521 can center the wafer, thereby preliminarily calibrating the position of the wafer.

S300, control the lifting assembly 151 to drive the guide support part 152 to move downward from the first position, so that the wafer 500 is transferred from the second support surface 1522 to the first support surface.

When the wafer 500 is transferred to the guide support part 152, the guide support part 152 starts to move downward, and the wafer 500 has been centered before the guide support part 152 starts to move downward, or the guide support part 152 is centered before it moves to the second position. During the downward movement of the guide support part 152, the centering of the wafer 500 can be accelerated.

At this time, the guide support part 152 is driven to move from the first position to the second position so that the wafer 500 is transferred to the support mechanism 130. The second position can be the position where the guide support block is located in the installation gap. The second position here is not specifically limited in this article. At the second position, as long as the second support surface 1522 is lower than the first support surface, it can be.

The wafer 500 that has been initially calibrated by the guide and centering mechanism 150 is transferred to the carrier mechanism 130 for the next step of calibration.

In this solution, when the deviation of the wafer 500 is large, the guide slope 1521 can center the wafer 500 to preliminarily calibrate the position of the wafer 500, so that the wafer 500 can be carried on the supporting mechanism 130 with a smaller deviation. The wafer calibration device in this application can tolerate a larger deviation range. In addition, the wafer 500 is carried on the supporting mechanism 130 with a smaller deviation, so that the wafer 500 is not easy to fall from the supporting mechanism 130. Therefore, this solution improves the compatibility and safety of the wafer calibration device.

In another optional embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17 , after step S300, the calibration method may further include:

S400, control the lifting assembly 151 to drive the guide support part 152 to continue to descend to a second position lower than the film picking position of the robot 410.

The second position setting mentioned above is sufficient to move the guide support portion 152 downward to a position that does not affect the robot 410 from clamping the wafer 500.

S500, control the rotating mechanism 120 to drive the carrying mechanism 130 to rotate the wafer 500, and control the detection mechanism 140 to detect the position and contour shape of the wafer 500 during the rotation process.

S600, based on the position and outline of the wafer detected by the detection mechanism 140, obtain the position deviation of the wafer 500 to adjust the coordinates of the wafer picking position of the robot 410.

According to the position deviation of the obtained wafer, the wafer picking position data of the robot 410 is adjusted to compensate for the position deviation of the wafer 500.

S700, control the robot 410 to move to the wafer picking position corresponding to the adjusted coordinates, and control the robot 410 to move the wafer picking position to the gripping position, so that the wafer 500 is transferred from the first carrying surface to the robot 410.

The rotating mechanism 120 drives the wafer 500 to rotate through the carrying mechanism 130, and the detection mechanism 140 detects the position and contour shape of the wafer 500. According to the detection information of the detection mechanism 140, the wafer picking position of the robot 410 is adjusted to compensate for the position deviation of the wafer 500.

In this solution, the detection mechanism 140 can obtain the position and contour shape of the entire wafer 500 during the rotation of the wafer 500. The detection mechanism 140 does not need to cover the entire wafer 500, so the detection mechanism 140 does not need a large detection range, which makes the detection easier and more accurate.

The above content summarizes the features of several embodiments so that those skilled in the art can better understand the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art should understand that they can easily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures for implementing the same purpose and/or achieving the same advantages of the embodiments described herein. Those skilled in the art should also understand that such equivalent structures do not deviate from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and that they can make various changes, substitutions and modifications in this article without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

100: Wafer calibration chamber

101: Chamber body

110: Install the base

120: Rotating mechanism

130:Carrying mechanism

131: Base body

132: Top needle

140: Testing agency

141: Launcher

142: Received

150: Guiding centering mechanism

152: Guide carrier

200: Wafer loading chamber

300: Processing chamber

400: Transmission chamber

410: Robotic Arm

500: Wafer

1511: Driving source

1512: Elevator

1513:Support rod

1514:Mounting plate

1515: Screw transmission mechanism

1516: coupling

1517a: First detection switch

1517b: Second detection switch

1518a: First limit switch

1518b: Second limit switch

1519: Switch trigger

1521: Guide ramp

1522: Second bearing surface

F1: Gravity of the wafer

F2: The support force perpendicular to the guiding bevel provided by the guiding bevel to the wafer

F3: Vertical upward force

F4: Component force pointing to the center of the guide bearing part

L1: Projection length of the second bearing surface

L2: Projection length of the guiding slope

L3: The distance from the edge of the second bearing surface to the installation point of the guide bearing block

R1: The radius of the minimum inscribed circle between the second bearing surface and the center of the guide bearing part

R2: Radius of the wafer

R3: The radius of the maximum inscribed circle between the second bearing surface and the center of the guide bearing part

R4: The radius of the inscribed circle between the intersection of the guiding slope and the second bearing surface and the center point of the guiding bearing part

R5: The radius of the inscribed circle between the installation point of the guide bearing block and the center point of the guide bearing part

The present disclosure is best understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, in accordance with standard practice in the industry, the various components are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of the various components may be arbitrarily increased or decreased for clarity of discussion.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the wafer calibration device disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a top view of the wafer calibration device disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 are schematic diagrams of the transmission of wafers in the wafer calibration device disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 6 to FIG. 14 are schematic diagrams of part of the structure of the wafer calibration device disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the semiconductor process equipment disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 16 and FIG. 17 are flow charts of the calibration method disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention.

101: Chamber body

110: Install the base

120: Rotating mechanism

130:Carrying mechanism

131: Base body

132: Top needle

140: Testing agency

141: Launcher

142: Received

152: Guide carrier

1511: Driving source

1512: Elevator

1513:Support rod

Claims (11)

A wafer alignment device includes a supporting mechanism and a guide centering mechanism; the supporting mechanism has a first supporting surface, and the first supporting surface is used to support a wafer; the guide centering mechanism includes a lifting assembly and a guide supporting part, the lifting assembly is connected to the guide supporting part, and is used to drive the guide supporting part to rise and fall, so that the guide supporting part is at a first position or a second position, and the guide supporting part is arranged around the supporting mechanism; the guide supporting part has a The guiding support part comprises a guiding inclined surface and a second support surface parallel to the first support surface, wherein the guiding inclined surface is used to guide the wafer into the second support surface and realize centering in the process; when the guiding support part is in the first position, the second support surface is higher than the first support surface; when the guiding support part is in the second position, the second support surface is lower than the first support surface; wherein the guiding support part comprises at least three guiding support blocks, and the at least three guiding support blocks are arranged along the periphery of the support mechanism The at least three guide bearing blocks are spaced apart from each other, and each of the at least three guide bearing blocks has the guide inclined surface and the second bearing surface; wherein the lifting assembly further comprises a plurality of mounting plates, each of which is disposed at an end of the support rod away from the lifting platform, the guide bearing block is mounted on the mounting plate, the mounting plate is provided with a plurality of slots or a plurality of threaded holes along the radial direction of the bearing mechanism, and the guide bearing block is mounted on the mounting plate through the plurality of slots or the plurality of threaded holes along the radial direction of the bearing mechanism. The lifting assembly further comprises a lifting platform, a first detection switch, a second detection switch and a switch trigger, the switch trigger is arranged on the lifting platform, and the first detection switch and the second detection switch are both fixedly arranged below the supporting mechanism; when the switch trigger triggers the first detection switch, the guide supporting part is in the first position; when the switch trigger triggers the second detection switch, the guide supporting part is in the second position. The wafer calibration device as described in claim 1, wherein the lifting assembly includes a driving source and a plurality of supporting rods, the driving source is connected to the lifting platform, the plurality of supporting rods are arranged on the lifting platform at intervals, and each of the supporting rods is connected to one of the guide support blocks. The wafer calibration device as described in claim 1, wherein the lifting assembly further includes a first limit switch and a second limit switch, the first detection switch and the second detection switch are fixedly arranged between the first limit switch and the second limit switch, the switch trigger can trigger the first limit switch or the second limit switch, and the first limit switch and the second limit switch are used to limit the travel of the guide carrier. The wafer alignment device as described in claim 1, wherein the angle between the guiding slope and the second supporting surface is greater than or equal to 120° and less than or equal to 150°. The wafer calibration device as described in claim 2, wherein the wafer calibration device further comprises a mounting base, the supporting mechanism comprises a base body and a plurality of ejector pins, the plurality of ejector pins are arranged at intervals on the base body, and the top ends of the plurality of ejector pins form the first supporting surface; the mounting base is arranged around the base body, and the lifting assembly is located below the mounting base; the mounting base comprises at least three fan-shaped plates, which are arranged in sequence along the circumference of the base body, and a mounting gap is provided between adjacent fan-shaped plates, and the support rod passes through the corresponding mounting gap to be connected to the corresponding guide bearing block; when the guide bearing portion is in the second position, each guide bearing block is located in the corresponding mounting gap. The wafer calibration device as described in claim 5, wherein the wafer calibration device further includes a rotating mechanism and a detecting mechanism, wherein the driving end of the rotating mechanism is connected to the rotation of the base body and is used to drive the base body to rotate around its central axis; the detecting mechanism is arranged on the mounting base, and the detecting mechanism is used to detect the position and contour shape of the wafer during the rotation of the wafer. The wafer calibration device as described in claim 6, wherein the detection mechanism includes a transmitter and a receiver, the transmitter and the receiver are arranged opposite to each other, wherein the upper surface of one of the fan-shaped plates is provided with a receiving groove, and one of the transmitter and the receiver is arranged in the receiving groove; when the first bearing surface carries the wafer, the edge of the wafer is located between the transmitter and the receiver, the transmitter is used to transmit a signal to the receiver during the rotation of the wafer, and the receiver is used to receive the signal emitted by the transmitter that is not blocked by the wafer, and obtain the position and contour shape of the wafer according to the signal. A wafer calibration chamber, comprising the wafer calibration device described in any one of claims 1 to 7, the wafer calibration chamber further comprising a chamber body, the guide support portion and the support mechanism are both disposed in the chamber body, and the lifting assembly is disposed below the chamber body. A semiconductor process equipment comprises a wafer loading chamber, a process chamber, a transfer chamber and the wafer calibration chamber described in claim 8, wherein a robot is arranged in the transfer chamber, and the robot is used to transfer the wafer in the wafer loading chamber to the wafer calibration chamber for calibration, and transfer the calibrated wafer to the process chamber. A wafer calibration method is applied to the semiconductor process equipment described in claim 9, wherein the calibration method comprises: controlling a robot carrying a wafer to move to a wafer transfer position in the wafer calibration chamber; controlling the robot to descend so that the wafer is transferred to a guide slope of a guide support portion located at a first position, the guide slope is used to guide the wafer into the second support surface and realize centering in this process; controlling the lifting assembly to drive the guide support portion to move downward from the first position so that the wafer is transferred from the second support surface to the first support surface. According to the calibration method described in claim 10, after the wafer is transferred from the second supporting surface to the first supporting surface, it also includes: controlling the lifting assembly to drive the guide supporting part to continue to descend to the second position below the wafer picking position of the robot; controlling the rotating mechanism to drive the supporting mechanism to drive the wafer to rotate, and controlling the detection mechanism to detect the position and contour shape of the wafer during the rotation process; obtaining the position deviation of the wafer according to the position and contour shape of the wafer detected by the detection mechanism to adjust the coordinates of the wafer picking position of the robot; controlling the robot to move to the wafer picking position corresponding to the adjusted coordinates, and controlling the robot to rise from the wafer picking position to the gripping position, so that the wafer is transferred from the first supporting surface to the robot.