WO2014109528A1

WO2014109528A1 - Method for continuous processing of semiconductor wafer

Info

Publication number: WO2014109528A1
Application number: PCT/KR2014/000156
Authority: WO
Inventors: 이원구; 서현모; 안현환; 류수렬; 최우진
Original assignee: (주)에스티아이
Priority date: 2013-01-08
Filing date: 2014-01-07
Publication date: 2014-07-17
Also published as: CN104903992A; KR20140090011A; KR101491992B1; TWI531017B; TW201428867A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a reflow method for a semiconductor wafer, in which an apparatus, provided with a plurality of chambers and an outer body surrounding the exterior thereof, processes a wafer, the plurality of chambers comprising 1-5 chambers, and the method for continuous processing of a wafer comprising: a first step of injecting an inactive gas into a first chamber after loading a wafer therein and purging; a second step of transporting the wafer, for which the first step has been completed, to a second chamber, and then heating the wafer after injecting a process gas into the interior thereof; a third step of transporting the wafer, for which the second step has been completed, to a third chamber, and heating the wafer after injecting a process gas into the interior thereof; a forth step of transporting the wafer, for which the third step has been completed, to a forth chamber, and heating the wafer under the internal pressure below the atmospheric pressure; a fifth step of transporting the wafer, for which the fourth step has been completed, to a fifth chamber, and heating the wafer after injecting a process gas thereinfo; and a sixth step of transporting the wafer, for which the fifth step has been completed, to the first chamber and unloading the wafer to the outside after cooling, and loading a different wafer in the first chamber. The present invention simplifies the processing steps so as to allow reducing the number of stations in the reflow apparatus, thereby enhancing productivity by reducing the processing time, allowing the size of the reflow apparatus to be smaller and expenses to be reduced.

Description

Continuous processing method of semiconductor wafer

The present invention relates to a continuous processing method of a semiconductor wafer, and more particularly, to a continuous processing method of a semiconductor wafer capable of reducing the process step and preventing the rupture of the solder ball.

In general, solder protrusions are formed on semiconductor wafers for connection of wires, conductors, and the like. The reflow process, which is one of manufacturing processes of the solder part (bump), is a process of melting solder balls, solder creams, and the like to adhere to the wafer and to have an appropriate profile.

In the reflow process, it is possible to fabricate the solder part of the desired profile according to the specific temperature atmosphere, atmospheric conditions and processing time. In order to maintain such a temperature atmosphere or other conditions, the processing wafer is processed in a continuous process using an apparatus having a continuous chamber without taking the wafer out into the atmosphere.

As an example of such a reflow method, US Pat. No. 7,358,175 (hereinafter referred to as Prior Art 1) may be cited, and US Pat. No. 6,827,789 (hereinafter referred to as Prior Art 2) may be mentioned as an apparatus for implementing the same.

1 is a block diagram of the reflow apparatus described in the prior art 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, using a processing apparatus 10 including first to sixth stations # 1 to # 6, and a turntable 12 for rotating and transporting the wafer W to each station. The process proceeds.

The detailed description of the prior art and the like describe the processes carried out in each of the first to sixth stations # 1 to # 6. This is summarized as follows.

First, the wafer W is loaded into the sixth station # 6 and then purged inside the sixth station # 6 by nitrogen gas, and the turntable 12 rotates to move the wafer W to the first station (6). Move to # 1). At this time, the first station # 1 is supplied with nitrogen or formic acid vapor and nitrogen at atmospheric pressure, and the water, organic contaminants, and surface oxides on the wafer are removed by heating.

Then, the wafer W of the first station # 1 is moved to the second station # 2 by the turntable 12, and nitrogen or formic acid vapor and nitrogen are supplied at atmospheric pressure, and the wafer W is heated. ) Solder melts.

Then, the wafer W is transferred from the second station # 2 to the third station # 3 by the turntable 12, and then heated to a temperature of 200 to 400 ° C. in a pressure atmosphere of 1 torr or less. This eliminates voids in the solder on the phase.

Next, in the fourth station # 4, the wafer W is heated in a state in which a mixed gas of formic acid vapor and nitrogen or nitrogen is supplied in an atmospheric pressure atmosphere to form solder bumps, thereby reducing the roughness of the solder surface. .

Then, the wafer W transferred to the fifth station # 5 is supplied with nitrogen in an atmospheric pressure atmosphere and heated to control grain formation of solder bumps.

Then, the wafer W is transferred to the sixth station # 6, and the wafer W cools the solder bump in an atmospheric pressure atmosphere, and then the wafer W is unloaded to the outside.

As described above, the reflow method of the conventional wafer W is sequentially performed in all six steps, and there is a problem in that the productivity is relatively lowered when considering the time for transferring the wafer W in addition to the progress time of each process step.

In addition, as described above, the solder ruptures in the process of removing voids in the solder in a pressure atmosphere of 1 torr or less, which causes a problem that the surface is not uniformly recovered by the post-treatment at the fourth station # 4.

Meanwhile, FIG. 1 of the prior art 2 shows a total of six chambers including a loading chamber and an unloading chamber, and sequentially moves the loaded wafer to the next process chamber using a turntable, and finally unloads the wafer. It transfers to a chamber and is configured to unload the processed wafer by a robot.

The station of the prior art 1 and the chamber of the prior art 2 are used as the same meanings and are also the same in the following description.

In the prior art 2, the processing plate and the lower isolation chamber are configured to be movable up and down, and the process is performed by isolating the wafer transferred by the turntable.

The treatment plate is generally referred to as a susceptor, and includes a heater therein, and a structure for vacuum adsorption of the wafer is formed, which is a relatively heavy material, which requires a large amount of energy to move the device up and down, and increases the volume of the device. There was this.

In addition, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost is increased because the drive unit and the power transmission structure for moving the processing plate and the lower isolation chamber up and down are complicated.

In addition, in the prior art 2, since the wafer is always seated on the processing plate when each of the chambers is closed, the wafer is seated on the processing plate even when the process is completed in a specific chamber while the process is being performed in another chamber. There is a problem that can be caused by the continuous heating process defects.

In case of the prior art 2, when the processing plate and the lower isolation chamber are moved downward together, the wafer ring is lowered together with the wafer and seated on the turntable, so that the wafer is separated from the processing plate, and the wafer is processed while the process is being performed in another chamber. The contact plate may be prevented from contacting the treatment plate, thereby preventing a problem of a process failure caused by continuous heating from the treatment plate.

In this case, however, the wafer can no longer remain isolated and the wafer is exposed to the space outside the isolated chamber. Therefore, when the wafer is processed by a heating process and exposed to an external space until the process proceeds in the next chamber, there is a problem that a process defect may occur due to a drop in wafer temperature.

In addition, in the case of the prior art 2, a groove for accommodating the wafer support pin is formed on the upper surface of the processing plate, and when heat is applied to the wafer while the wafer is supported on the processing plate, the groove is transferred to the bottom surface of the wafer. Uneven heat can lead to process defects.

In addition, in the case of the prior art 2, the wafer cannot be maintained at a desired temperature while being transferred from one chamber to the next chamber, and thermal shock is applied to the wafer, thereby degrading quality.

An object of the present invention for solving the above problems is to provide a continuous processing method of a semiconductor wafer that can reduce the process step.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a continuous processing method of a semiconductor wafer that can prevent the solder from bursting during the void removal process, thereby improving the stability of the process.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a continuous processing method of a semiconductor wafer that can be separated from the susceptor and separated from the susceptor until the process in the other chamber is completed, the process is completed.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a continuous processing method for a semiconductor wafer which can ensure uniformity in processing by heating the process gas injected onto the wafer immediately before injecting the wafer.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a continuous processing method of a semiconductor wafer that can stably form the shape of the solder ball by simultaneously heating the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer in the solder ball forming step.

The continuous processing method of the semiconductor wafer of the present invention for achieving the above object is a continuous processing method of a semiconductor wafer for processing a wafer in an apparatus having a plurality of chambers, the outer body surrounding the outside of the chamber. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of chambers comprises first to fifth chambers, and the first step of injecting and purging the inert gas after loading the wafer into the first chamber; A second step of transferring the wafer having completed the first step to a second chamber, injecting a process gas into the second chamber, and then heating the wafer; A third step of transferring the wafer, in which the second step is completed, to a third chamber, injecting a process gas into the third chamber, and then heating the wafer; A fourth step of transferring the wafer, in which the third step is completed, to a fourth chamber, and heating the wafer when the inside of the fourth chamber is at a pressure below atmospheric pressure; A fifth step of transferring the wafer where the fourth step is completed to a fifth chamber, injecting a process gas into the fifth chamber, and then heating the wafer; And transferring the wafer, in which the fifth step is completed, to the first chamber, cooling the wafer, unloading it to the outside, and loading another wafer into the first chamber.

The process gas injected in the second to fifth steps may be composed of formic acid vapor and nitrogen.

The isolated process space inside the chamber and the connection space portion inside the outer body may be supplied with heated nitrogen in the process of transferring the wafer to minimize the temperature change of the wafer.

The heated nitrogen may be supplied at a temperature higher than the ambient temperature of the connection space part when the process is performed in a state where the chamber is isolated.

The pressure in the fourth step may be 100 to 760 torr.

The fourth step may be to process the wafer for a time of 1 to 300 seconds by supplying formic acid vapor using nitrogen as a delivery gas at a temperature of 100 to 500 ℃.

The fifth step may be to process the wafer for 1 to 300 seconds by supplying formic acid vapor using nitrogen as a delivery gas in an atmospheric pressure and a temperature atmosphere of 20 to 400 ℃.

The fourth and fifth steps may be heated by a heater provided in a susceptor for supporting the lower surface of the wafer, and simultaneously heated by an upper heater installed on the upper surface of the wafer, thereby uniformly heating the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer. It may be.

Formic acid injected into the wafer may be heated by the upper heater.

In the lower portion of the upper heater, a buffer space into which the formic acid is introduced is formed therein, and a shower head having a plurality of injection holes for uniformly injecting the formic acid onto the upper surface of the wafer is provided below the buffer space. The formic acid may be heated in the buffer space.

The inert gas injected into the first chamber in the first step may be injected in a heated state to evaporate moisture in the internal space.

The first to fifth chambers are fixed to support a wafer, a susceptor for applying heat to the wafer, and a lower housing fixed to the outside of the susceptor to form a process space isolated under the wafer. An upper housing moving up and down to form an isolated process space on the upper portion of the wafer, a hole provided between the upper housing and the lower housing and exposing an upper portion of the susceptor, wherein the wafer is formed between the plurality of chambers; A turntable which rotates to transfer the wafer and moves the wafer up and down in the upper part of the susceptor, and includes a seating ring inserted into the hole so as to be separated upwardly and seated on which the wafer is seated, and a lower end of the upper housing moves downward. The processing of the wafer is performed while forming a process space that is isolated between the upper and lower portions of the wafer. It may be done.

The wafer of the chamber in which the process is completed among the first to fifth chambers is completed in a process space in which the wafer is spaced apart from the upper surface of the susceptor in a process space isolated by the upper housing. May be waiting until

The lower housing provides a lower side of an isolated process space with the turntable in contact with an upper end thereof; The upper housing may have a lower end portion moving downward to provide an upper side of an isolated process space in contact with an upper portion of the turntable.

The lower housing provides a lower side of the isolated process space with the seating ring in contact with the upper end; The upper housing may have a lower end portion moved downward to provide an upper side of the isolated process space in contact with the upper portion of the seating ring.

The upper housing includes a fixed part fixed to an upper plate and a moving part moved up and down by a driving part under the fixed part; The isolated process space may be formed by moving the moving part downward by driving the driving part.

The upper housing may be formed in a bellows shape so that the lower end thereof is moved up and down by the driving unit to form the isolated process space.

The present invention, by simplifying the process step to reduce the number of chambers of the semiconductor continuous processing apparatus, it is possible to reduce the process time to improve productivity, reduce the size of the device and reduce the cost.

In addition, the present invention can effectively remove the organic contaminants, while preventing the burst of the solder ball, there is an effect that can improve the stability of the process.

In addition, the wafer in a specific chamber where the process is completed can be separated from the susceptor and maintained in isolation while the process in another chamber is completed, thereby preventing the wafer from further heating in the atmosphere, thereby increasing the reliability of the process. It is possible to improve the process reliability and further improve the process reliability by keeping the wafers isolated when waiting for the process in another chamber to complete.

In addition, the uniformity of the processing can be ensured by heating the process gas injected onto the wafer just before the injection onto the wafer, and the solder ball shape is stably formed by simultaneously heating the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer in the solder ball forming step. can do.

1 is a block diagram of a conventional reflow apparatus

2 is a configuration diagram of an apparatus to which a semiconductor wafer continuous processing method is applied according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the direction of A-A in FIG.

Figure 4 is a detailed cross-sectional configuration of the seating ring applied to the present invention

5 to 14 is a schematic cross-sectional configuration of the present invention shown in accordance with the movement and processing of the wafer

15 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a first process chamber according to another embodiment of the present invention;

16 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an apparatus for continuously processing a semiconductor wafer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

17 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the upper housing is raised in the state of FIG. 16.

18 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the turntable and the seating ring are raised in the state of FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is a plan view illustrating a wafer in a susceptor and a mounting ring provided in the continuous processing apparatus of FIG. 16. FIG.

Explanation of sign

100:

first chamber

110, 210, 310: susceptor

120,220,330: lower housing 130,230,330: upper housing

140,240,340: Lift pin 150,250,350: Exhaust vent

160,260,360: Showerhead 200: Second chamber

370: upper heater 300: third chamber

400: fourth chamber 500: fifth chamber

600: the outer body 610: lower plate

620: upper plate 700: turntable

710: Hole 720: seat ring

721: gas through hole 722: upper seat

723: lower seat 1100: susceptor

1200: lower housing 1300: upper housing

1202,1302: airtight member 1330: drive unit

1335: shaft 7000: turntable

7100; hole 7200: seating ring

7210: support pin

Hereinafter, a method of continuously processing a semiconductor wafer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is a block diagram of a reflow apparatus to which a semiconductor wafer continuous processing method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is applied.

Referring to FIG. 2, a semiconductor wafer continuous processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied includes first to

fifth chambers

100, 200, 300, 400, and 500, and includes first to fifth chambers based on the center of the outer body 600. The fifth chamber (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) is arranged in a circular shape, the turntable 700 for transferring the wafer (W) between the first to fifth chamber (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) It is configured to include).

Such a configuration can reduce the number of transfer steps of the wafer W as compared to the prior art of FIG. 1 and can improve productivity through the simplification of the process steps. In addition, since the size of the device can be reduced, the effect of reducing the manufacturing cost of the device can be expected.

Hereinafter, the structure and operation of the wafer reflow method will be described in more detail as an example of the semiconductor wafer continuous processing method of the present invention, which proceeds in the first to fifth chambers 100 to 500, respectively.

First, when the wafer W is loaded in the first chamber 100, the oxygen content remaining in the inside of the first chamber 100 is purged by introducing nitrogen as an inert gas into the first chamber 100 in an atmospheric pressure atmosphere.

In the first chamber 100, moisture particles generated by heating the formic acid vapor in the previous process are attached to the inner wall of the chamber due to the temperature difference between the inside and the outside of the chamber, and other process particles or foreign substances adhere to the moisture particles. Particles can form when attached to a wall.

In order to prevent such a problem, the nitrogen may prevent the generation of particles by evaporating the moisture particles on the inner wall of the chamber by using nitrogen heated to a temperature capable of vaporizing the moisture particles.

When the purge of the wafer W is completed, the wafer W is moved to the second chamber 200 by the turntable 700, and the inside of the second chamber 200 is at atmospheric pressure of 760torr and 100 to 400 ° C. The formic acid and nitrogen are supplied and treated for 1 to 300 seconds to remove moisture, organic contaminants and surface oxides present in the wafer (W).

Then, after the wafer W is transferred to the third chamber 300 by the turntable 700, formic acid vapor and nitrogen are supplied at a pressure of 760 torr and a temperature of 100 to 500 ° C., for a time of 1 to 300 seconds. During the process, the solder on the wafer melts.

In this case, the heated nitrogen may be supplied while the turntable 700 rotates to transfer the wafer W, thereby preventing the solder ball temperature of the wafer W from lowering, thereby stably maintaining the shape of the solder ball. .

Then, after the wafer W is transferred from the third chamber 300 to the fourth chamber 400 by the turntable 700, nitrogen and formic acid vapor at a pressure of 100 to 760 torr and a temperature of 100 to 500 ° C. It is supplied and treated for a time of 1 to 300 seconds.

By this treatment, voids in the solder ball can be removed. At this time, the pore removal may be performed at a pressure of 100 to 760 torr differently from the prior art, and the pore removal rate may be reduced as compared with the pore removal process performed at a pressure of 1 torr or less. However, when the vacuum process is performed to remove the voids, a problem may occur in that the solder balls are ruptured. In the present invention, although the removal rate of the voids is relatively low, the process may be performed under a pressure of 100 to 760torr for a stable process. Stability can be improved. In addition, in terms of pore removal rate, only a difference that does not affect the product quality occurs as compared with the case of proceeding at a pressure of 1 torr or less conventional.

When the wafer previously supplied from the fifth chamber 500 is being processed while the processing in the fourth chamber 400 is completed, the fourth chamber 400 is provided in the fourth chamber 400 to support the wafer W. The wafer W is lifted from the surface of the acceptor to be in a waiting state. The standby state is because a process abnormality may occur if the contactor is kept in contact with a susceptor having a heater therein even after the process is completed. In this standby state, the fourth chamber 400 maintains an isolated state, and the standby state may be applied to all chambers.

Subsequently, in the fifth chamber 500, the wafer W is treated at a pressure of 760 torr and a temperature of 20 to 400 ° C. for 1 to 300 seconds in a supply atmosphere of a mixed gas of formic acid vapor and nitrogen, and solder bumps. To form and relieve the surface roughness of the solder.

In addition to the heater provided in the susceptor for supporting the wafer W, the fourth chamber 400 and the fifth chamber 500 further include an upper heater 370 to be described later on the upper side to facilitate temperature control. It is possible to uniformly heat the top and bottom of the wafer to form a stable shape of the solder ball.

Subsequently, the wafer W transferred to the first chamber 100 is treated at a pressure of 760 torr and a temperature of 20 to 30 ° C. for 1 to 300 seconds in a supply atmosphere of air or nitrogen, so that the grains of the solder bumps Form and cool the grain. The cooled wafer W is unloaded to the outside in the first chamber 100.

That is, the first chamber 100 provides a space in which the loading and unloading of the wafer W can be performed together.

As described above, the present invention does not use a very low vacuum atmosphere to remove the voids in the solder, thereby improving the stability of the process and reducing the number of stations used to simplify the structure of the apparatus.

Hereinafter, an example of a semiconductor wafer continuous processing apparatus for implementing the above method will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 15.

Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the A-A direction in Figure 2, Figure 4 is a detailed cross-sectional configuration of the seating ring.

2 and 3, the outer body 600 is a disk-shaped lower plate 610, the disk-shaped upper plate 620 provided on the upper side of the lower plate 610, and the lower The edge of the plate 610 and the edge of the upper plate 620 is composed of a side housing 630 connected to the top and bottom.

Although not shown in the drawing, the upper plate 620 includes components such as piping for supplying a process gas at an upper position of each

chamber

100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and a side housing 630 in which the first chamber 100 is located. Openings may be formed in the robot arm to allow entry / retraction of the robot arm for loading or unloading the wafer.

The first to

fifth chambers

100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 are connected to the connection space 800, which is an inner space surrounded by the lower plate 610, the upper plate 620, and the side housing 630. A turntable 700 having a rotation axis in the center is provided.

The turntable 700 is formed with the same number of openings 710 of the chamber (100, 200, 300, 400, 500).

The hole 710 is provided with a seating ring 720 on which a wafer is seated. The seating ring 720 may be separated from the turntable 700 together with the wafer in a state where the wafer is seated by the vertical movement of the lift pin 240 to be described later.

In addition, the seating ring 720 is a stepped shape, as shown in Figure 4, the inner seating end 722 formed around the inner diameter portion so that the wafer (W) is seated, and the seating ring 720 is the turntable 700 It consists of an outer seating end 723 formed around the outer diameter portion so as to be seated in the hole 710 of the through, and through the up and down to allow gas to pass between the inner seating end 722 and the outer seating end 723 A gas through hole 721 is formed.

Therefore, the gas evenly injected from the shower heads 160 and 260 described later to the upper front surface of the wafer W is exhausted to the

exhaust ports

150 and 250 through the gas through hole 721. In this way, since the exhaust flow of the process gas is formed from the top to the bottom of the wafer W, less residue of the process gas is generated in the chamber.

The seating ring 720 is in contact with the wafer (W), the seating ring 720 is in contact with the turntable 700. The turntable 700 is exposed to the connection space portion 800 outside the chamber, so that the temperature of the connection space portion 800 is transferred to the wafer W through the turntable 700 and the seating ring 720, and at a process temperature. Will be affected. Therefore, in order to block heat from being transferred to the wafer W, the seating ring 720 preferably uses a non-metallic material.

In addition, the seating ring 720 may be a ceramic having heat resistance because it is exposed to a high process temperature, and any other non-metallic material having low heat resistance and low conductivity may be applied.

The first to

fifth chambers

100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 define an isolated space in which the wafer is processed, and components for setting a temperature and pressure for processing the wafer are provided for each chamber. Each chamber may be isolated from the connection space 800 during the process so that the wafer may be processed under different conditions for each chamber.

The first chamber 100 is for loading the wafer by an external robot, and unloading the wafer to the external robot from the wafer which has been processed in the fifth chamber 500. Referring to 3, the detailed configuration will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first chamber 100 includes a susceptor 110 for supporting a bottom surface of the wafer, and a lower housing installed outside the susceptor 110 and fixed to the lower plate 610. 120, an upper housing 130 provided on the upper side of the lower housing 120 and fixed to the upper plate 620, a lift pin 140 that moves up and down to support a bottom surface of the wafer, and the lower plate. An exhaust port 150 formed at 610 and communicating with an inner space of the lower housing 120, and a shower head 160 provided inside the upper housing 130 to process gas by spraying the wafer. It is configured to include.

The susceptor 110 is provided with a configuration for vacuum adsorption in order to fix the wafer on its upper surface, and cooling means for cooling the wafer before unloading the wafer having been processed in the fifth chamber 500 to the outside ( Not shown) may be provided. In addition, since the susceptor 110 is fixed on the lower plate 610 instead of being moved up and down, the structure is simplified since the connection line for vacuum suction and the connection line for wafer cooling means are fixed. .

The lower housing 120 has a cylindrical shape, and the inner space 120a is insulated from the connection space 800 during the process to form a lower side of the isolated process space, and the inner space 120a is The exhaust port 150 is connected to an exhaust passage (not shown).

The upper housing 130 has an inner space (130a) is insulated from the connection space portion 800 during the process to form an upper side of the isolated process space, the gas through hole of the seating ring (720) It communicates with the inner space 120a of the lower housing 130 through 721.

The upper housing 130 is formed in a cylindrical shape in order to maintain the isolated state of the wafer during the process and to communicate with the connection space 800 when moving to the next chamber, the upper plate 620 It is composed of a fixed part 131 fixed to the moving part 132 provided on the lower side of the fixing part 131 to move up and down.

The moving part 132 moves the moving part 132 downward by the driving part 133 so that the lower end of the moving part 132 is in contact with the upper part of the turntable 700. In order to maintain the airtightness of the surface in contact with the moving part 132 and the turntable 700, a lower end of the moving part 132 may be provided with an airtight member (not shown) made of a material such as rubber, silicon. In addition, an airtight member (not shown) may be provided to maintain airtightness on a surface where the fixing part 131 and the moving part 132 contact each other.

The lift pin 140 is provided to penetrate the susceptor 710 up and down, and supports a bottom surface of the wafer loaded by the robot to mount the wafer on the top surface of the susceptor 110. Vertical movement is possible.

In addition, when the wafer is unloaded, the bottom surface of the wafer seated on the seating ring 720 is supported and separated from the seating ring 720, and then moved up and down to take over to the robot.

The shower head 160 uniformly injects gas for cooling or heated nitrogen gas onto the upper surface of the wafer, and includes a buffer space 161 in which the inflowed gas is collected, and the wafer in the buffer space 161. A plurality of injection holes are formed on the bottom of the shower head 160 at regular intervals so that the gas is injected downward in the direction of W).

The connection space 800 is a space surrounding the outside of each of the

chambers

100, 200, 300, 400, and 500, and an exhaust port 810 for exhausting gas remaining in the connection space 800 is provided.

According to this configuration, it is not necessary to have a bellows-like configuration to move the susceptor 110 and the lower housing 120 up and down to form an isolated process space, thereby improving durability of the apparatus and reducing maintenance costs. can do.

The second chamber 200 is the same configuration as the first chamber 100, the susceptor 210, the lower housing 220, the upper housing 230, the lift pin 240, the exhaust port 250 and the shower head And 260.

The susceptor 210 is provided with a heater (not shown) for applying heat to the wafer, and the wafer is vacuum adsorbed on the upper surface of the susceptor 210 to be processed.

However, the lift pin 140 of the first chamber 100 directly supports the bottom of the wafer, but the lift pin 240 of the second chamber 200 supports the bottom of the seating ring 720 to seat the seat 720. ) And the wafer seated on the seating ring 720 can be moved up and down together. To this end, the lift pin 140 is positioned to move up and down on the outside of the susceptor 210.

Detailed configurations of the remaining lower housing 220, the upper housing 230, and the shower head 260 are the same as those of the first chamber 100, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, this configuration is the same configuration of the third to fifth chamber (300, 400, 500) of the other chamber.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the semiconductor wafer continuous processing apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described in detail according to the movement and processing of the wafer.

5 to 14 is a schematic cross-sectional configuration of the present invention shown in accordance with the movement and processing of the wafer.

First, referring to FIG. 5, a process in which the wafer W is loaded into the first chamber 100 by the robot 2 is illustrated. The turntable 700 is moved downward, so that the bottom surface of the turntable 700 is moved. The upper surface of the susceptor 110 is exposed to an upper portion of the lower housing 120 through the hole 710 of the turntable 700.

The lift pin 140 moves upward to support the bottom surface of the wafer W while the wafer W is placed on the upper surface of the arm Arm.

In the above description, the lift pin 140 moves upward in the state in which the robot 2 moves the wafer W in the correct position. However, the robot 2 moves in the standby state. It is also possible to transfer the wafer (W) to load the wafer (W) on the lift pin (140).

As described above, the first chamber 100 is a chamber in which the wafer W is loaded from the outside. As described later, the first chamber 100 moves the wafer W moved from the fifth chamber 500 to the outside. Used as an unloading chamber. That is, the first chamber 100 becomes a loading and unloading chamber in which the wafer W is loaded and unloaded.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the robot 2 retreats while the wafer W is placed on the lift pin 140 to move out of the loading and unloading chamber 100. At this time, the robot 2 moves downward to retreat while the wafer W is completely placed on the lift pin 140. On the contrary, the robot 2 may retreat in a state in which the lift pin 140 moves upward while the wafer W is seated without moving downward.

If the robot 2 and the lift pin 140 is a relative motion of the robot (2) when the retreat back to the wafer (W) to prevent the displacement of the wafer (W) as long as it is applicable regardless of the method Shows that it can.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the turntable 700 moves upward while the robot 2 is completely moved to move the bottom edge of the bottom surface of the wafer W into an inner seating end 722 of the seating ring 720. Settle on

In this state, when the lift pin 140 moves downward so that the bottom surface of the wafer W and the top of the lift pin 140 are spaced apart, the turntable 700 rotates and is seated on the seating ring 720 as shown in FIG. 8. In the state, the wafer W is moved to the second chamber 200.

That is, the turntable 700 is rotated while the turntable 700 moves upward, and the rotation angle is determined according to the number of chambers.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the turntable 700 moves downward to seat the wafer W on the susceptor 210 of the second chamber 200, and the turntable 700 moves further downward. The bottom surface is in contact with the upper end of the lower housing 220.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the driving unit 233 is driven to move the moving unit 232 downward so that the lower end of the moving unit 232 contacts the upper surface of the turntable 700.

Therefore, the inner space 230a surrounded by the upper housing 230 and the turntable 700 forms an upper side of an isolated process space, and the inner space 220a surrounded by the lower housing 220 and the turntable 700 is formed. The lower side of the isolated process space is formed, and necessary processing of the wafer W is performed in the isolated process space.

Process gas is supplied to the inner space 230a of the upper housing 230 through the shower head 260 to process the wafer W, and the susceptor 210 is vacuum-adsorbed on the wafer W. Heating to a specific temperature. After the process gas is processed on the wafer W, the internal space 220a of the lower housing 220 through the gas through hole 721 of the seating ring 720 inserted into the hole 710 of the turntable 700. After moving to the exhaust through the exhaust port 250.

In addition, in the case of the present invention, since the lift pin 240 does not penetrate the susceptor 210, there is no need to form a separate groove or hole for vertical movement of the lift pin 240 in the susceptor 210, Since the area of the susceptor 210 in contact with the wafer W is formed wide, the wafer W can be uniformly heated.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a state in which the wafer W waits when the process is not completed in the

other chambers

300, 400, and 500 while the process is completed in the second chamber 200. For example, when the process time of the second chamber 200 is 200 seconds and the process time of the third chamber 300 is 300 seconds, the wafer is waited for 100 seconds after the process in the second chamber 200 is completed. W) must be transferred to the third chamber 300.

That is, when the process time made in the third chamber 300 is longer than the process time made in the second chamber 200, the third chamber 300 may not be moved immediately to the third chamber 300. It may be understood that the process waits at 300 until the turntable 700 is in a rotatable state.

Since the wafer W is heated more than necessary when the wafer W is seated on the susceptor 210, the lift pin 240 is moved upward to move the lift ring 240 upward. At the same time, the wafer W seated on the seating ring 720 is lifted up, and the wafer W is separated from the susceptor 210 upward.

In addition, since the process is performed at a high temperature in the

process chambers

200, 300, 400, and 500 where the process is performed on the wafer W, the temperature inside the isolated process space becomes higher than the temperature of the connection space 800 outside the chamber. When the wafer W, which has been processed at a high temperature in the second chamber 200, is waiting, when the internal space 230a of the upper housing 230 communicates with the connection space 800, the connection space portion having a low temperature The thermal shock may be applied to the wafer W by being exposed to the 800.

Therefore, in the present invention, the process space surrounded by the upper housing 230, the turntable 700, and the lower housing 220 may be isolated from the connection space 800 even in the standby state of the wafer W. Therefore, the heated state of the wafer W can be maintained and the process quality of the wafer W can be improved.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the moving part 232 of the upper housing 230 moves upward to transfer the wafer W from the second chamber 200 to the third chamber 300.

Then, the turntable 700 is moved upward so that the seat ring 720 is inserted into the hole 710 of the turntable 700 together with the wafer W so that the outer seat end 723 of the seat ring 720 is moved. It is to be seated on the upper surface of the turntable (700).

Next, the lift pin 240 moves downward to space the bottom surface of the seating ring 720 from the top of the lift pin 240, and then the turntable 700 rotates to transfer the wafer to the third chamber 300. Done.

The subsequent mechanical process is repeated in the same manner as the operation after FIG. 8, which is an operation after the wafer W is transferred from the first chamber 100 to the second chamber 200. As described above, each of the second chamber 200, the third chamber 300, the fourth chamber 400, and the fifth chamber 500 is configured in the same manner so that the turntable 700 may be used to process the wafer W. In the downwardly moved state, the moving part 232 of the upper housing 230 is moved downward along the fixing part 231 to form an isolated process space, and the upper housing 230 is moved when the wafer W is moved. ) Moves upward to its original position, and the turntable 700 moves upward and rotates, and the operation of the third to fifth chambers 300 to 500 is omitted in order to avoid repeated explanation, It will be described that the wafer W moves to the first chamber 100 in the state.

Different processes may be performed in each of the second to fifth chambers 200 to 500, and an inert gas such as heated nitrogen is supplied to the connection space 800 where the wafer W moves to maintain the temperature of the wafer. In addition, the introduced process gas including the inert gas may be exhausted through the exhaust unit 810.

12 illustrates that the turntable 700 rotates in the state shown in FIG. 11 to transfer the wafer W to the first chamber 100, and then the turntable 700 moves downward to susceptor the wafer W. The state seated at 110 is shown. The actual operation is moved to the first chamber 100 in order to unload the wafer W, which has been processed in the fifth chamber 500, out of the continuous processing apparatus.

The wafer W may be naturally cooled in the state moved to the first chamber 100 without any processing, and then unloaded to the outside by the robot 2 to be described later. W) may be forced to cool.

Such a cooling process is also performed in an isolated state of the

process spaces

120a and 130a. To this end, the turntable 700 first moves downward so that the bottom thereof is in contact with the upper end of the lower housing 120.

Next, after the moving part 132 of the upper housing 130 moves downward to form an isolated process space, the shower head 160 sprays cooling gas onto the wafer W to form the wafer W. Alternatively, the wafer W is placed on the susceptor 110 in which the coolant is circulated, and left in the other chambers until the process is completed.

Then, as shown in FIG. 14, the lift pin 140 moves upward to release the wafer W from the susceptor 110, and then the robot 2 enters and supports the bottom surface of the wafer W. As shown in FIG. In this state, the wafer W is unloaded. Then, as described above, a new wafer is loaded into the first chamber 100 to perform the same process.

In the same manner as the loading process of the wafer W described above, relative movement is performed so that no interference occurs between the robot 2 and the lift pin 140. That is, the lift pin 140 moves downward or the robot 2 moves upward before the robot 2 detaches, and unloads to the outside in a state in which the bottom surface of the wafer W is supported.

As described above, the present invention is fixed without having to move the lower housing 120 to form a lower side of the process space, which is separated from the plurality of susceptors, which are heavy materials provided in each chamber, and move the turntable 700 up and down. By configuring it so that the mechanical configuration can be simplified and the load of the driving part can be reduced, thereby reducing the power consumption.

15 is a cross-sectional view of the third chamber 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 15, the upper heater 370 is further provided on the upper side of the upper plate 620 to effectively control the process temperature.

When the upper heater 370 is provided on the upper side of the wafer W as described above, the lower surface of the wafer W is heated by the heat transferred from the susceptor 310, and the heat is transferred to the heat transferred through the upper heater 370. Since the upper surface of the wafer W is also heated at the same time, the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W can be heated to a uniform temperature.

In particular, in the reflow process, the shape of the solder ball is very important, and the upper and lower parts of the solder ball can be uniformly heated by the heater provided in the susceptor 310 and the upper heater 370 of the upper side, thereby maintaining the shape of the solder ball. To be advantageous.

The upper heater 370 may be selectively added to the second to fifth chambers 200 to 500, and may be variably installed according to the type of wafer processing process to which the present invention is applied.

In addition, the residue of the process gas is stuck to the inner wall surface of the upper housing 230 in the inner space 230a of the upper housing 230. When the heating is performed using the upper heater 370, the residue of the process gas is the upper housing ( 230) It can be prevented to stick to the inner wall surface can reduce the generation of particles.

In addition, when the shower head 360 having the buffer space 361 is formed below the upper heater 370, the process gas introduced into the buffer space 361 is heated by the heat of the upper heater 370, so that the shower The temperature of the process gas supplied through the head 360 may be quickly increased, and the stability of the process may be further improved.

The formic acid vapor used in the reflow process is heated to a high temperature and then fed into the chamber. In this case, when the formic acid vapor is preheated and introduced into the chamber, the formic acid vaporizes when it reaches the wafer, resulting in a loss, thereby lowering uniformity of the process. In addition, by heating the heating jacket on the outer surface of the pipe provided on the outside of the reflow equipment to make the formic acid vapor at a high temperature, there is a problem that the formic acid vapor is stuck to the inner surface of the pipe.

Therefore, when the formic acid vapor is heated to the upper heater 370 while the formic acid is introduced into the buffer space 361 as in the present embodiment, it is heated just before being injected onto the wafer W, thereby preventing a loss due to vaporization of the formic acid. In addition, the problem that the formic acid vapor is stuck to the inner surface of the pipe can be prevented.

16 is a cross-sectional view showing a continuous processing apparatus of a semiconductor wafer according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the upper housing is raised in the state of FIG. 16, FIG. 18 is a turntable and a seating ring in the state of FIG. 19 is a plan view showing a state in which a wafer is seated in a susceptor and a mounting ring provided in the continuous processing apparatus of FIG. 16.

In the semiconductor wafer continuous processing apparatus of the present embodiment, the susceptor 1100 is fixedly installed to support the wafer W while the process is in progress, and is fixed to the outside of the susceptor 1100 so that the lower portion of the wafer W is fixed. A lower housing 1200 forming a process space 1200a isolated from the upper housing, an upper housing 1300 moving up and down to form an isolated process space 1300a on the upper portion of the wafer W, and the upper housing 1300. The turntable 7000 is provided between the lower housing 1200 and rotates to transfer the wafer W between a plurality of chambers and simultaneously moves the wafer W up and down on the susceptor 1100. It is composed of a seating ring 7200 is inserted into the hole 7100 of the turntable 7000 to be detached upwards to seat the wafer (W).

In the present embodiment, unlike the above-described embodiment, the upper housing 1300 is formed in a bellows shape, and the lower portion 1301 of the upper housing 1300 and the upper portion of the seating ring 7200 are simultaneously in contact with each other. The upper portion 1201 and the lower portion of the seating ring 7200 are in contact with each other, and there is a difference in that a support pin 7210 is formed inside the seating ring 7200 to support the bottom surface of the wafer W. .

The outer end 7201 of the seating ring 7200 is formed in a stepped shape with an upper part protruding, and the inner end 7001 of the turntable 7000 is formed in a stepped shape with a lower part protruding in the center direction. The outer end 7201 is engaged with the inner end 7001 and is seated to allow upward detachment.

The upper side of the upper plate 6200 is provided with a driving unit 1330 for providing a driving force to move the lower end 1301 of the upper housing 1300 up and down. A shaft 1335 that moves up and down is connected to the driving unit 1330, and a lower end 1301 of the upper housing 1300 is connected to a lower end of the shaft 1335.

The driving unit 1330 may be configured as a cylinder, and when the cylinder is driven, the lower end 1301 of the shaft 1335 and the upper housing 1300 may be moved up and down, and the lower end 1301 may be seated when moved downward. The upper side of the isolated process space 1300a can be formed by contacting the top of the ring 7200. In this case, the airtight member 1302 is interposed between the bottom surface of the lower end portion 1301 and the top surface of the seating ring 7200 to maintain airtightness.

Meanwhile, when the turntable 7000 moves downward, the upper end 1201 of the lower housing 1200 may contact the lower portion of the seating ring 7200 to form a lower side of the isolated process space 1200a. In this case, the airtight member 1202 is interposed between the top surface of the upper end portion 1201 and the bottom surface of the seating ring 7200 to maintain airtightness.

Inside the seating ring 7200, a plurality of support pins 7210 protruding toward the center of the seating ring 7200 to support the bottom surface of the wafer W. In FIG. 19, the number of the support pins 7210 is illustrated as three, but may be modified.

A groove 1110 having a slot shape is formed on the upper surface of the susceptor 1100 so that the support pin 7210 is inserted into the upper surface of the susceptor 1100, and the support pin 7210 is positioned inside the groove 1110. When moved in the direction, the bottom surface of the wafer W is supported by the support pins 7210 so that the wafers W move upward together.

The lower portion of the seating ring 7200 is provided with a ring-shaped baffle plate 6500 having holes 6510 uniformly formed along the circumference of the hole 6510 to uniformly pass the process gas, and the holes of the baffle plate 6500. The process gas passed through the 6510 is exhausted through the exhaust port 1500 provided in the lower portion of the process chamber.

The baffle plate 6500 is positioned at an outer circumference of the susceptor 1100, and an outer edge thereof is locked to the lower housing 1200.

While the process is in progress, as shown in FIG. 16, the upper housing 1300, the seating ring 7200, and the lower housing 1200 are in contact with each other, such that the upper space 1300a and the lower space 1200a of the wafer W are in contact with each other. ) Becomes isolated.

In this state, as shown in FIG. 17, when the driving unit 1330 is driven, the upper housing 1300 having a bellows shape together with the shaft 1335 is compressed and the lower end 1301 is moved upward.

Then, as shown in FIG. 18, when the turntable 7000 is moved upward, the seating ring 7200 and the wafer W move upward with the turntable 7000, and the wafer is moved from the upper surface of the susceptor 1100. (W) is spaced apart.

When the turntable 7000 is rotated in the state of FIG. 18, the wafer W is transferred to the next chamber, and then the necessary wafer W is processed.

As described above, the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are made within the scope of the claims and the detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings. It is possible to carry out by this and this also belongs to the present invention.

Industrial Applicability The present invention can simplify the steps of a process of continuously processing semiconductor wafers, thereby reducing the process time and improving the productivity by shortening the process time.

Claims

In the continuous processing method of a semiconductor wafer for processing a wafer in a device provided with a plurality of chambers, the outer body surrounding the outside of the chamber,

The plurality of chambers are composed of first to fifth chambers, the first step of loading the wafer into the first chamber and injecting an inert gas purge;

A second step of transferring the wafer having completed the first step to a second chamber, injecting a process gas into the second chamber, and then heating the wafer;

A third step of transferring the wafer, in which the second step is completed, to a third chamber, injecting a process gas into the third chamber, and then heating the wafer;

A fourth step of transferring the wafer, in which the third step is completed, to a fourth chamber, and heating the wafer when the inside of the fourth chamber is at a pressure below atmospheric pressure;

A fifth step of transferring the wafer where the fourth step is completed to a fifth chamber, injecting a process gas into the fifth chamber, and then heating the wafer;

And transferring the wafer, in which the fifth step is completed, to the first chamber, cooling the wafer, unloading it to the outside, and loading another wafer into the first chamber.
The method of claim 1,

The process gas injected in the second to fifth steps is formic acid vapor and nitrogen, the continuous processing method of a semiconductor wafer.
The method of claim 1,

The process chamber for processing semiconductor wafers, characterized in that the nitrogen is heated in the process of transferring the wafer to the isolated process space in the chamber and the connection space in the outer body to minimize the temperature change of the wafer.
The method of claim 3,

Wherein the heated nitrogen is supplied at a temperature higher than the ambient temperature of the connection space portion when the process is performed in a state where the chamber is isolated.
The method of claim 3,

Wherein the heated nitrogen is supplied at a temperature for heating the wafer in the second to fifth steps.
The method of claim 1,

And the pressure in the fourth step is 100 to 760 torr.
The method of claim 6,

The fourth step,

A method of continuous processing of a semiconductor wafer, wherein the wafer is processed for 1 to 300 seconds by supplying formic acid vapor using nitrogen as a delivery gas at a temperature of 100 to 500 ° C.
The method of claim 1,

The fifth step,

And processing the wafer for 1 to 300 seconds by supplying formic acid vapor using nitrogen as a delivery gas at an atmospheric pressure and a temperature atmosphere of 20 to 400 ° C.
The method of claim 1,

The fourth step and the fifth step,

Heated by a heater provided in the susceptor for supporting the lower surface of the wafer and at the same time by the upper heater installed on the wafer, the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer is uniformly heated, the continuous processing of the semiconductor wafer Way.
The method of claim 9,

The formic acid injected into the wafer is heated by the upper heater.
The method of claim 10,

In the lower portion of the upper heater, a buffer space into which the formic acid is introduced is formed therein, and a shower head having a plurality of injection holes for uniformly injecting the formic acid onto the upper surface of the wafer is provided below the buffer space. And the formic acid is heated in the buffer space.
The method of claim 1,

The inert gas injected into the first chamber in the first step is injected in a heated state to evaporate the moisture in the internal space.
The method of claim 1,

The first to fifth chambers are fixed to support a wafer, a susceptor for applying heat to the wafer, and a lower housing fixed to the outside of the susceptor to form a process space isolated under the wafer. An upper housing moving up and down to form an isolated process space on the upper portion of the wafer, a hole provided between the upper housing and the lower housing and exposing an upper portion of the susceptor, wherein the wafer is formed between the plurality of chambers; A turntable rotates to transfer the wafer and moves the wafer up and down in the upper part of the susceptor, and includes a seating ring inserted into the hole so that the wafer is separated upwardly and seated on the wafer.

And the lower surface of the upper housing moves downward to form a process space isolated between the upper and lower portions of the wafer to process the wafer.
The method of claim 13,

The wafer of the chamber in which the process is completed among the first to fifth chambers,

In the process space isolated by the upper housing, the wafer is spaced apart from the upper surface of the susceptor and waited until the process of the chamber in which the process is in progress is completed.
The method of claim 13,

The lower housing provides a lower side of an isolated process space with the turntable in contact with an upper end thereof;

And the upper housing has a lower end portion moving downward to provide an upper side of an isolated process space in contact with an upper portion of the turntable.
The method of claim 13,

The lower housing provides a lower side of the isolated process space with the seating ring in contact with the upper end;

The upper housing has a lower end portion moving downward to provide an upper side of an isolated process space in contact with an upper portion of the seating ring.
The method of claim 13,

The upper housing includes a fixed part fixed to an upper plate and a moving part moved up and down by a driving part under the fixed part;

And the moving part moves downward by driving the driving part to form the isolated process space.
The method of claim 13,

The upper housing has a bellows shape, and a lower end thereof is moved up and down by a driving unit to form the isolated process space.