US-20260125798-A1 - HIGH-THROUGHPUT PECVD SYSTEM APPLICABLE TO COATING MULTIPLE FILM LAYERS AND COATING PROCESS THEREOF

Abstract

A high-throughput PECVD system applicable to coating multiple film layers and a coating process thereof are provided. The PECVD system includes a wafer inlet preheating chamber, a one-stop coating module and a cooling wafer outlet chamber connected in sequence through gate valves. The wafer inlet preheating chamber includes a wafer inlet-outlet stacking chamber and a heating plate, and the cooling wafer outlet chamber includes the wafer inlet-outlet stacking chamber and a cooling plate. The one-stop coating module includes an isolation chamber and several process chambers for coating different film layers, where the isolation chamber is provided between two adjacent process chambers through the gate valves; and each process chamber includes several deposition chambers that communicate with each other and can operate independently. The wafer inlet-outlet stacking chamber and the isolation chamber are both provided therein with a stack lifting mechanism.

Inventors

• Yusheng Yang
• Hongqing Shan
• Yijun Liu
• Lixian GUO

Assignees

• GOLD STONE (FUJIAN) ENERGY COMPANY LIMITED

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20250225

Priority Date

20241107

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A high-throughput PECVD system applicable to coating multiple film layers, comprising a wafer inlet preheating chamber, a one-stop coating module and a cooling wafer outlet chamber which are connected in sequence through gate valves, wherein the wafer inlet preheating chamber comprises a wafer inlet-outlet stacking chamber and a heating plate, and the cooling wafer outlet chamber comprises the wafer inlet-outlet stacking chamber and a cooling plate; the one-stop coating module comprises an isolation chamber and several process chambers for coating different film layers, wherein the isolation chamber is provided between two adjacent process chambers through the gate valves; and each process chamber comprises several deposition chambers that communicate with each other and are capable of operating independently; and the wafer inlet-outlet stacking chamber and the isolation chamber are both provided therein with a stack lifting mechanism.
2. 2 . The high-throughput PECVD system applicable to coating multiple film layers according to claim 1 , wherein two kinds of the process chambers are provided, which are an i-layer coating process chamber and a p-layer coating process chamber, respectively.
3. 3 . The high-throughput PECVD system applicable to coating multiple film layers according to claim 1 , wherein the number of deposition chambers of the i-layer coating process chamber and the number of deposition chambers of the p-layer coating process chamber are equal.
4. 4 . The high-throughput PECVD system applicable to coating multiple film layers according to claim 3 , wherein the number of deposition chambers of the i-layer coating process chamber and the number of deposition chambers of the p-layer coating process chamber are both four.
5. 5 . The high-throughput PECVD system applicable to coating multiple film layers according to claim 1 , wherein the one-stop coating module further comprises several evacuation pump sets, wherein one evacuation pump set communicates with one or more deposition chambers in the same process chamber.
6. 6 . The high-throughput PECVD system applicable to coating multiple film layers according to claim 1 , wherein the wafer inlet-outlet stacking chamber comprises a chamber body, a carrier-plate transmission mechanism, a stack lifting mechanism and a vacuum generator, wherein the carrier-plate transmission mechanism is provided at two sides of the chamber body; the stack lifting mechanism is provided in the wafer inlet preheating chamber in a vertically movable manner, the stack lifting mechanism is provided with several support spacers for placing the carrier plates, the support spacers are each provided with a heating plate or a cooling plate in a bottom, and the support spacers, the heating plates and the cooling plates are provided with avoidance regions for avoiding the carrier-plate transmission mechanism; when the stack lifting mechanism is lowered to a lowest point, the carrier-plate transmission mechanism is located above an uppermost support spacer, and when the stack lifting mechanism is lifted to a highest point, the carrier-plate transmission mechanism is located below a lowermost support spacer; and the vacuum generator is provided outside the chamber body.
7. 7 . The high-throughput PECVD system applicable to coating multiple film layers according to claim 6 , wherein the carrier-plate transmission mechanism comprises transmission wheels and a transmission driving member, wherein the transmission wheels are rotatably provided at two sides of the chamber body, the carrier plate is placed on the transmission wheels, and the transmission driving member is fixed outside the chamber body, and is in power connection with the transmission wheels for driving the transmission wheels to rotate.
8. 8 . The high-throughput PECVD system applicable to coating multiple film layers according to claim 6 , wherein the stack lifting mechanism comprises a lifting driving unit, a guide rod set and a carrier-plate storage frame, wherein the guide rod set has one end fixed to an upper end or a lower end of the chamber body, and the other end passing through the carrier-plate storage frame; the lifting driving unit is connected to the carrier-plate storage frame, for driving the carrier-plate storage frame to move up and down along the guide rod set; and the support spacer is located in the carrier-plate storage frame.
9. 9 . The high-throughput PECVD system applicable to coating multiple film layers according to claim 6 , wherein the wafer inlet-outlet stacking chamber further comprises a chamber body bracket, wherein the chamber body is fixed above the chamber body bracket, and the vacuum generator has one end communicating with a bottom of the chamber body, and the other end communicating with outside.
10. 10 . The high-throughput PECVD system applicable to coating multiple film layers according to claim 6 , wherein the stack lifting mechanism further comprises a pull-up rod set, wherein lower ends of the pull-up rod set are respectively connected to an upper end surface of the carrier-plate storage frame at multiple points, and upper ends are connected to the lifting driving unit.
11. 11 . The high-throughput PECVD system applicable to coating multiple film layers according to claim 6 , wherein the isolation chamber is the wafer inlet-outlet stacking chamber.
12. 12 . A coating process, using the high-throughput PECVD system applicable to coating multiple film layers according to claim 1 , comprising steps of: S 1 , feeding and preheating: placing silicon wafers on all the carrier plates, stacking the silicon wafers into multiple layers; and conveying the carrier plates in batches onto the stack lifting mechanism of the wafer inlet preheating chamber for preheating; S 2 , coating: conveying the preheated multi-layer carrier plates in batches into a first process chamber, coating a first film layer on the carrier plates in a one-step deposition mode; then conveying the multi-layer carrier plates in batches into the isolation chamber, after performing gas washing and vacuumizing, conveying the multi-layer carrier plates in batches into a second process chamber, coating a second film layer on the carrier plates in the one-step deposition mode, and coating several films similarly until completing the coating process; and S 3 , cooling and discharging: conveying the coated carrier plates in batches onto the stack lifting mechanism of the cooling wafer outlet chamber for cooling, and after the cooling, conveying the carrier plates to an unloader to remove the silicon wafers.
13. 13 . The coating process according to claim 12 , wherein in the step S 1 , the silicon wafers are firstly placed on all the carrier plates through a loader, and stacked into multiple layers, the gate valve leading to the wafer inlet preheating chamber is opened, the multi-layer carrier plates are conveyed onto the stack lifting mechanism of the wafer inlet preheating chamber, the gate valve is closed, then gas washing and vacuumizing are performed on the wafer inlet preheating chamber until a vacuum degree and a process gas are consistent with those in the first process chamber, and at the same time, the silicon wafers on the carrier plates are heated.
14. 14 . The coating process according to claim 13 , wherein in the step S 2 , the gate valve leading to the process chamber is firstly opened, and the heated multi-layer carrier plates are conveyed layer by layer continuously to a lower part of each deposition chamber of the first process chamber by the stack lifting mechanism; the gate valve is closed, gas washing and vacuum breaking are performed on the wafer inlet preheating chamber, to remove the process gas and break the vacuum to room pressure, at the same time, each carrier plate in the first process chamber is lifted into corresponding deposition chamber to coat the first film layer, and at the same time, gas washing and vacuumizing are performed on the isolation chamber, until a vacuum degree and a process gas in the isolation chamber are consistent with those in the first process chamber; after the first film layer is coated, the gate valve leading to the isolation chamber and the gate valve leading to the first process chamber are opened, each layer of the carrier plates after coating the first film layer is stacked onto the stack lifting mechanism in the isolation chamber by the stack lifting mechanism, at the same time, the carrier plates on the wafer inlet preheating chamber are conveyed on the first process chamber; the gate valves are closed, gas washing and vacuumizing are performed on the isolation chamber, until the vacuum degree and the process gas in the isolation chamber are consistent with those in the second process chamber; and at the same time, deposition electroplating is performed on the first process chamber; and the gate valve leading to the second process chamber is opened, the multi-layer carrier plates in the isolation chamber are conveyed layer by layer continuously to a lower part of each deposition chamber of the second process chamber by the stack lifting mechanism; the gate valve is closed, gas washing and vacuumizing are performed on the isolation chamber, until the vacuum degree and the process gas in the isolation chamber are consistent with those in the first process chamber, and at the same time, each layer of the carrier plates in the second process chamber is lifted into corresponding deposition chamber to coat a second film layer, and several films are coated similarly until the process of the coating is completed.
15. 15 . The coating process according to claim 14 , wherein in the step S 3 , gas washing and vacuumizing are firstly performed on the cooling wafer outlet chamber until a vacuum degree and a process gas are consistent with those in an endmost process chamber, then the gate valve leading to the cooling wafer outlet chamber is opened, each layer of the carrier plates after coating the film layer is stacked onto the stack lifting mechanism in the cooling wafer outlet chamber by the stack lifting mechanism; the gate valve is closed, gas washing is performed on the cooling wafer outlet chamber to remove the process gas, and cooling and vacuum breaking are performed to room pressure; then the gate valve leading to the unloader is opened, the multi-layer carrier plates are conveyed in batches onto the unloader, the gate valve is closed, gas washing and vacuumizing are performed on the cooling wafer outlet chamber until the vacuum degree and the process gas are consistent with those in the endmost process chamber, and at the same time, the silicon wafers are removed through the unloader.
16. 16 . The coating process according to claim 12 , wherein two kinds of the process chambers are provided, which are an i-layer coating process chamber and a p-layer coating process chamber, respectively.
17. 17 . The coating process according to claim 12 , wherein the number of deposition chambers of the i-layer coating process chamber and the number of deposition chambers of the p-layer coating process chamber are equal.
18. 18 . The coating process according to claim 17 , wherein the number of deposition chambers of the i-layer coating process chamber and the number of deposition chambers of the p-layer coating process chamber are both four.
19. 19 . The coating process according to claim 12 , wherein the one-stop coating module further comprises several evacuation pump sets, wherein one evacuation pump set communicates with one or more deposition chambers in the same process chamber.
20. 20 . The coating process according to claim 12 , wherein the one-stop coating module further comprises several evacuation pump sets, wherein the wafer inlet-outlet stacking chamber comprises a chamber body, a carrier-plate transmission mechanism, a stack lifting mechanism and a vacuum generator, wherein the carrier-plate transmission mechanism is provided at two sides of the chamber body; the stack lifting mechanism is provided in the wafer inlet preheating chamber in a vertically movable manner, the stack lifting mechanism is provided with several support spacers for placing the carrier plates, the support spacers are each provided with a heating plate or a cooling plate in a bottom, and the support spacers, the heating plates and the cooling plates are provided with avoidance regions for avoiding the carrier-plate transmission mechanism; when the stack lifting mechanism is lowered to a lowest point, the carrier-plate transmission mechanism is located above an uppermost support spacer, and when the stack lifting mechanism is lifted to a highest point, the carrier-plate transmission mechanism is located below a lowermost support spacer; and the vacuum generator is provided outside the chamber body.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 2024115782664, filed 7 Nov. 2024. The contents of the above application is all incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to the field of photovoltaic devices, and particularly to a high-throughput PECVD system applicable to coating multiple film layers and a coating process thereof. BACKGROUND ART The conventional plate-type PECVD equipment reduces equipment cycle and improves throughput of a single machine through a multi-stop deposition technique of a plurality of deposition chambers in series. Although this technique is a feasible cost-reducing technical route, with further research, shortcomings of the multi-stop deposition technique are found: the increase in the number of deposition chambers forces process deposition to be evenly divided by the cycle, thus affecting integrity of an amorphous/microcrystalline composite film layer deposition process of a certain functional layer and narrowing a process window. As shown in FIG. 5, the multi-stop deposition technique is used, that is, a silicon wafer is coated through multiple deposition chambers in a superimposed manner. As each chamber has a different process formula, in order to ensure stable connection (transition), each deposition chamber needs to be separately provided with a pump set 700 and a gate valve 600. Moreover, the multi-stop deposition technique has a fast feeding cycle, which results in a short time for assisting front and rear feeding and discharging. In order to ensure matching of operation cycle, a wafer inlet chamber 100, a preheating chamber 200, a process chamber 300, a cooling chamber 400, and a wafer outlet chamber 500 need to be provided in sequence in layout. As one chamber occupies a large area, more chambers not only increase the equipment cost, but also increase the occupied plant cost. Moreover, with use of the multi-stop deposition, when transferring a carrier plate in the process chamber, the gate valve 600 also needs to be opened and closed, which increases time for assisting deposition, and affects the throughput. SUMMARY The present disclosure aims at providing a high-throughput PECVD system applicable to coating multiple film layers and a coating process thereof, which not only can shorten a length of a production line, save equipment and occupied land costs, but also improve throughput and efficiency. In order to achieve the above objective, the present disclosure uses the following technical solutions. The present disclosure discloses a high-throughput PECVD system applicable to coating multiple film layers, including a wafer inlet preheating chamber, a one-stop coating module and a cooling wafer outlet chamber which are connected in sequence through gate valves, where the wafer inlet preheating chamber includes a wafer inlet-outlet stacking chamber and a heating plate, and the cooling wafer outlet chamber includes the wafer inlet-outlet stacking chamber and a cooling plate;the one-stop coating module includes an isolation chamber and several process chambers for coating different film layers, where the isolation chamber is provided between two adjacent process chambers through the gate valves; and each process chamber includes several deposition chambers that communicate with each other and are capable of operating independently; andthe wafer inlet-outlet stacking chamber and the isolation chamber are both provided therein with a stack lifting mechanism. Further, two kinds of the process chambers are provided, namely, an i-layer coating process chamber and a p-layer coating process chamber, respectively. Further, the number of deposition chambers of the i-layer coating process chamber and the number of deposition chambers of the p-layer coating process chamber are equal. Further, the number of deposition chambers of the i-layer coating process chamber and the number of deposition chambers of the p-layer coating process chamber are both four. Further, the one-stop coating module further includes several evacuation pump sets, where one evacuation pump set communicates with one or more deposition chambers in the same process chamber. Further, the wafer inlet-outlet stacking chamber includes a chamber body, a carrier-plate transmission mechanism, a stack lifting mechanism and a vacuum generator, where the carrier-plate transmission mechanism is provided at two sides of the chamber body; the stack lifting mechanism is provided in the wafer inlet preheating chamber in a vertically movable manner, the stack lifting mechanism is provided with several support spacers for placing the carrier plates, the support spacers are each provided with a heating plate or a cooling plate in a bottom, and the support spacers, the heating plates and the cooling plates are provided with avoidance regions for avoiding the carrier-plate transmissi