CN-122028677-A - Semiconductor process equipment and exhaust method thereof

CN122028677ACN 122028677 ACN122028677 ACN 122028677ACN-122028677-A

Abstract

The invention discloses semiconductor process equipment and an exhaust method thereof. The device comprises a process cavity, a process cup arranged in the cavity, a main exhaust system and an auxiliary exhaust system. The main exhaust outlet of the main exhaust system is arranged at the lower part or the bottom of the process cup and is used for exhausting the gas in the process cup to form main air flow for protecting the substrate. The device is also provided with an auxiliary exhaust system independent of the main exhaust system, and an auxiliary exhaust outlet of the auxiliary exhaust system is arranged in the process cavity and is positioned in the outer area of the process cup. The auxiliary exhaust system is specially used for exhausting the gas in the outer area of the process cup, so that the dead zone of the gas flow, which is easy to form at the corner of the cavity and near the movement mechanism in the traditional single exhaust design, can be eliminated. The invention solves the problem of pollutant accumulation in the air flow dead zone through the partition cooperative work of the main air exhaust system and the auxiliary air exhaust system, improves the overall cleanliness of the process cavity, and reduces the pollution risk of the substrate.

Inventors

LIANG BINGBING
MA JIE

Assignees

宁波润华全芯微电子设备有限公司

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20251229

Claims (12)

1. A semiconductor processing apparatus, comprising: The process chamber is internally provided with a process cup for bearing a substrate; The main exhaust system is arranged at the lower part or the bottom of the process cup and is used for exhausting the gas in the process cup; And And the auxiliary exhaust system is independent of the main exhaust system, and an auxiliary exhaust outlet of the auxiliary exhaust system is arranged in the process cavity and positioned in the outer area of the process cup and is used for exhausting the gas in the outer area of the process cup so as to eliminate the dead zone of the gas flow in the process cavity.
2. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller that independently or cooperatively controls the respective exhaust flows of the primary exhaust system and the secondary exhaust system based on currently performed process steps.
3. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller simultaneously turns on the main exhaust system and the auxiliary exhaust system to achieve a maximum total exhaust volume while performing the process step that generates a substantial amount of gas; and/or And continuously operating the auxiliary exhaust system at a lower flow rate when the equipment is in a standby state so as to continuously clean the air flow dead zone.
4. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said auxiliary exhaust system is further configured to pump said process chamber in conjunction with said main exhaust system to provide a superimposed total exhaust volume exceeding an upper capacity limit of said main exhaust system when said main exhaust system has insufficient exhaust capacity to meet process requirements.
5. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 1 or 4, wherein the outer region of the process cup is a chamber region around the process cup below an upper surface of the process cup; The auxiliary exhaust port is disposed at a corner of the chamber region or near a movement mechanism disposed in the chamber region.
6. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a blower system disposed above the process chamber for generating a top-down flow of clean gas that flows primarily through the process cup and exits through the main exhaust port to form a main gas flow that protects the substrate.
7. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the main exhaust system comprises at least two main exhaust vents symmetrically distributed about a circumference of the process cup, or, The effective sectional area of the auxiliary air outlet is smaller than that of the main air outlet, or, The exhaust capacity of the auxiliary exhaust system is smaller than one fourth of the exhaust capacity of the main exhaust system.
8. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: A system exhaust system independent of the main exhaust system and the auxiliary exhaust system, wherein an exhaust opening of the system exhaust system is arranged in an equipment area outside the process cavity, or, The exhaust port of the system exhaust system is arranged in a region close to the chemical supply pipeline or the chemical container and is used for exhausting chemical vapor which may leak.
9. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said apparatus comprises at least two of said process chambers, each of said process chambers being configured with a separate set of said primary exhaust system and said secondary exhaust system.
10. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller dynamically varies the exhaust flow ratio between the main exhaust system and the auxiliary exhaust system according to different process steps in a single substrate processing flow.
11. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary exhaust port comprises a slit opening or a multi-hole manifold extending along at least a portion of the perimeter of the process cup outer region to form a linear or planar exhaust area to uniformly eliminate the dead zone of the gas flow, or wherein the main exhaust system and the auxiliary exhaust system have separate exhaust lines and flow control valves and are connected to the same factory exhaust manifold.
12. A method of exhausting air for a semiconductor processing apparatus, the apparatus comprising a process chamber provided with a process cup, the method comprising: Exhausting the gas in the process cup through a main exhaust outlet arranged at the lower part or the bottom of the process cup so as to form main clean air flow for protecting the substrate in the process cup; And And exhausting the gas in the outer area of the process cup through an auxiliary exhaust outlet which is independent of the exhausting process, is arranged in the process cavity and is positioned in the outer area of the process cup, so as to eliminate the dead zone of the gas flow in the process cavity.

Description

Semiconductor process equipment and exhaust method thereof Technical Field The invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, in particular to semiconductor process equipment with an optimized exhaust system and an exhaust method thereof. Background In the semiconductor manufacturing process, especially the process flows of wet etching, cleaning and the like, the cleanliness of the process environment is a key for influencing the yield of the product. Tiny particles or chemical gases generated during the process may reattach to the substrate surface if not timely discharged, forming defects. Therefore, the design of the exhaust system of the semiconductor process equipment is of great importance. Existing wet process equipment typically provides an exhaust port at the bottom or below the sides of the process chamber to create a negative pressure exhaust. Inside the process chamber, a process cup is included for carrying the substrate. In order to protect the substrate, an air supply system is arranged above the cavity to generate a clean air flow from top to bottom. The air outlet of the main air exhaust system is generally arranged below the process cup and is matched with the upper air supply to form a definite main air flow path so as to take away pollutants in the substrate processing area. However, such a single exhaust design, with the protective process cup as the core, tends to create a non-uniform airflow field within the chamber. Other structures besides the process cup, such as a swing arm and a movement mechanism thereof, exist in the process cavity. The process cup typically protrudes from the bottom surface of the chamber, and a chamber region is formed around it below its upper surface. Since the main gas flow is guided into the process cup and discharged from the main exhaust port, these regions located outside the process cup, particularly the corners of the chamber and the vicinity of the complicated moving mechanism, have extremely low gas flow velocity, forming a so-called dead zone of gas flow. The splashed droplets, produced particles and chemical vapors during the process are easily accumulated in these dead zones of the gas flow and become a source of pollution. When the equipment runs or the cavity door is opened and closed to cause air flow disturbance, accumulated pollutants possibly break away from dead areas and are caught in main air flow, and finally secondary pollution to the substrate is caused. Disclosure of Invention In order to overcome the defects in the prior art, the invention provides semiconductor process equipment and an exhaust method thereof. The technical scheme of the invention provides semiconductor process equipment, which comprises a process cavity, a main exhaust system and an auxiliary exhaust system, wherein a process cup for bearing a substrate is arranged in the process cavity, the main exhaust system is arranged at the lower part or the bottom of the process cup and is used for exhausting gas in the process cup, and the auxiliary exhaust system is independent of the main exhaust system and is arranged in the process cavity and is positioned in the outer area of the process cup and is used for exhausting gas in the outer area of the process cup so as to eliminate a dead zone of gas flow in the process cavity. Preferably, the apparatus further comprises a controller which controls the respective exhaust flows of the primary and secondary exhaust systems independently or cooperatively according to the currently performed process steps. Preferably, the controller simultaneously turns on the main exhaust system and the auxiliary exhaust system to achieve a maximum total exhaust volume while performing process steps that produce a significant amount of gas, and/or continuously operates the auxiliary exhaust system at a lower flow rate to continuously purge the dead zone of the air flow while the device is in a standby state. Preferably, the auxiliary exhaust system is further configured to pump the process chamber together with the main exhaust system when the main exhaust system has insufficient exhaust capacity to meet the process requirement, so as to provide a total exhaust air volume that exceeds the upper limit of the main exhaust system capacity in a superimposed manner. Preferably, the outer area of the process cup is a chamber area lower than the upper surface of the process cup around the process cup, and the auxiliary exhaust outlet is arranged at a corner of the chamber area or near a movement mechanism arranged in the chamber area. Preferably, the apparatus further comprises an air supply system disposed above the process chamber for generating a top-down clean air flow that flows primarily through the process cup and is exhausted through the main exhaust port to form a main air flow that protects the substrate. Preferably, the main exhaust system comprises at least two main exhaust outlets which are symmetrica