KR20070044310A - Semiconductor device manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

A semiconductor device manufacturing facility is provided. The semiconductor device manufacturing facility includes a load lock chamber in which a cassette having a slot with a plurality of wafers loaded therein is formed and an opening formed therein, and a cassette mounted to load the cassette into the load lock chamber, and the surface coated indexer prevents corrosion. And a drive connected with the indexer to load or unload the indexer into the load lock chamber through an opening.

Semiconductor Device Manufacturing Equipment, Cassette, Indexer

Description

Semiconductor device manufacturing equipment {Apparatus for fabricating semiconductor device}

1 is a perspective view of a semiconductor device manufacturing facility according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the operation of the semiconductor device manufacturing facility of FIG. 1.

3 is a perspective view of an indexer of a semiconductor device manufacturing facility according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawing)

100: semiconductor device manufacturing equipment 110: load lock chamber

112: first opening 114: second opening

116: first door 120: indexer

121: seating plate 122: seating groove

123: fixing projection 124: seating frame

125: support plate 126: fixing member

130: drive unit 132: rotation axis

134: indexer coupling unit 140: the elevator

200: cassette

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device manufacturing facility, and more particularly to a semiconductor device manufacturing facility that can be improved in process stability and improved productivity.

Etching methods of the etching process of removing the lower layer along the photoresist pattern formed on the wafer include wet etching and dry etching.

Here, dry etching is a method of removing a material by physical or chemical reaction by injecting a suitable gas into the process chamber, forming a plasma, and then colliding the ionized particles with the wafer surface.

Etching apparatus for performing the dry etching process is Plasma Etching (PE), Reactive Ion Etching (RIE), Magnetically Enhanced Reactive Ion Etching (MERIE), Electron-Cyclotron Resonance (ECR), DPS according to Radio Frequency (RF) electrode configuration (Decoupled Plasma Source), TCP (Transformer Coupled Plasma), etc. are classified in various ways.

In the dry etching process, the wafer is transferred to the load lock chamber while the wafer is stored in the cassette. Then, the transfer robot arm takes the wafer out of the cassette and transfers it to the process chamber. When the process is completed in the process chamber, the transfer robot arm transfers the wafer again to be stored in the cassette.

Here, the load lock chamber is exposed to the etching gas remaining in the process chamber when the wafer after the process is stored in the cassette again. That is, the etching gas remaining in the small amount on the wafer after the process is carried into the load lock chamber.

In the load lock chamber, a cassette is positioned, and an indexer for transferring the cassette is provided. Here, the indexer is generally composed of aluminum (Al). The etching gas remaining on the wafer may react with the aluminum indexer at atmospheric pressure of the load lock chamber. Thus, the indexer may corrode or deform.

If corrosion and deformation occur in the indexer, particles may occur and defects may occur. In addition, since the indexer is corroded or deformed, and the cassette is not stably seated on the indexer, the wafer accommodated in the cassette may fall or break, and the yield may be reduced.

On the other hand, as the wafer falls inside the load lock chamber, the load lock chamber may be damaged. Therefore, process progress may be delayed and process stability may fall and productivity may fall.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a semiconductor device manufacturing facility capable of increasing process stability and improving productivity.

The technical problem of the present invention is not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus including a load lock chamber in which a cassette having a slot in which a plurality of wafers is mounted and an opening is formed, and the cassette installed in the load lock chamber. And a drive unit for loading the cassette into the chamber, the indexer having a surface coated to prevent corrosion, and a drive unit connected to the indexer to load or unload the indexer into the load lock chamber through the opening.

Other specific details of the invention are included in the detailed description and drawings.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods for achieving them will be apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but will be implemented in various forms, and only the present embodiments are intended to complete the disclosure of the present invention, and the general knowledge in the art to which the present invention pertains. It is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

Hereinafter, a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. 1 is a perspective view of a semiconductor device manufacturing facility according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the operation of the semiconductor device manufacturing facility of FIG. 1. 3 is a perspective view of an indexer of a semiconductor device manufacturing facility according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 3, the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a load lock chamber 110, an indexer 120, and a driver 130.

The load lock chamber 110 is a place where a plurality of wafers W are stored before performing a semiconductor device manufacturing process, and a cassette 200 in which the plurality of wafers W is stored is located. The load lock chamber 110 is a closed space in an environment similar to the environment in which the semiconductor device manufacturing process is performed, and serves to prevent the space in which the semiconductor device manufacturing process is performed from being affected by the external environment. In addition, the load lock chamber 110 includes a first opening 112 connecting the load lock chamber 110 to the outside and a second opening 114 connecting the process chamber (not shown) where the semiconductor device manufacturing process is performed. Formed. The load lock chamber 110 may be in an atmospheric pressure (atm) state or may be in a vacuum state as the process proceeds.

In this case, the first opening 112 connecting the load lock chamber 110 to the outside may be opened or closed by the vertically moving first door 116. That is, the first door 116 slides up and down along the outer wall of the load lock chamber 110 to open and close the load lock chamber 110. In addition, the second opening 114 connecting the load lock chamber 110 to a process chamber (not shown) may be opened or closed by a second door (not shown). The indexer 120, the driver 130, and the elevator 140 are installed in the load lock chamber 110.

The indexer 120 includes a seating plate 121, a seating frame 124, a supporting plate 125, and a fixing member 126.

The seating plate 121 is a bottom plate of the indexer 120 on which the cassette 200 is mounted. The seating plate 121 and the mounting groove 122 on which the cassette 200 can be stably seated can be fixed to the indexer 120. It includes a fixing protrusion 123. Therefore, when the cassette 200 is seated in the seating groove 122, the fixing protrusion 123 is fixed so as not to move.

The mounting frame 124 supports the side surface of the cassette 200 in the indexer 120. The seating frame 124 is formed on both sides of the seating plate 121 of the indexer 120, and is formed in an outward direction at an angle greater than 90 ° along the shape of the cassette 200.

The support plate 125 supports the top surface of the cassette 200 in the indexer 120. The support plate 125 is formed on the opposite side where the indexer 120 is connected to the driving unit 130, and is formed in an outward direction at an angle greater than 90 ° along the shape of the cassette 200.

The fixing member 126 is a member connecting the indexer 120 and the driver 130. The indexer 120 may be connected to the driving unit by fixing with a screw (not shown), so that the indexer 120 may move by the driving unit 130.

The indexer 120 is a member that loads or unloads the cassette 200 into the load lock chamber 110 by mounting the cassette 200 having a plurality of wafers W therein. When the cassette 200 is mounted, the indexer 120 has one surface on which the cassette 200 is mounted to be perpendicular to the load lock chamber 110 and is exposed to the outside of the load lock chamber 110. In addition, a cassette fixing protrusion 123 may be formed at one surface of the indexer 120 on which the cassette 200 is mounted to fix the cassette 200 on the indexer 120. Therefore, when the indexer 120 is moved, the position of the cassette 200 may be prevented from being changed when the cassette 200 is loaded or unloaded into the load lock chamber 110. The indexer 120 is connected to the driving unit 130 located inside the load lock chamber 110 to be moved into or out of the load lock chamber 110.

The indexer 120 may be formed of, for example, aluminum (Al). In addition, a thin coating film is formed on the surface of the indexer 120. The coating film may be formed of a material that does not react with an etching gas such as Cl ₂ generated in the etching process, and may be formed of, for example, Teflon.

Aluminum, which is a constituent material of the indexer 120, may react with the etching gas remaining in the etching process, and thus the indexer 120 may be corroded or deformed. If a coating film is formed on the surface of the indexer 120 with Teflon or the like, aluminum and the etching gas, which are constituent materials of the indexer 120, may be prevented from reacting. Therefore, particles can be prevented from occurring due to corrosion or deformation of the indexer 120. In addition, since the indexer 120 is corroded or deformed and the cassette 200 is not stably seated on the indexer 120, the wafer W stored in the cassette 200 may be prevented from falling. Therefore, the yield can be high.

In addition, since the wafer W falls inside the load lock chamber 110, the load lock chamber 110 is damaged and the process progress is prevented from being delayed, thereby increasing process stability and improving productivity.

The driving unit 130 includes a rotation shaft 132 for rotating the indexer 120 at a predetermined angle and an indexer coupling part 134 coupled with the rotation shaft 132 and connected to the indexer 120. Therefore, the indexer 120 that has been exposed to the outside by the rotational movement of the rotating shaft 132 is loaded into the load lock chamber 110. In detail, the indexer 120 is loaded on the elevator 140 located in the load lock chamber 110 by rotating by 90 ° by the rotation shaft 132. Therefore, the wafers W in the cassette 200 mounted on the indexer 120 are positioned in the load lock chamber 110 in a state in which the wafers W are stacked in parallel with the lower surface of the load lock chamber 110.

Elevator 140 is located in the center of the load lock chamber 110, the cassette 200 is located. The elevator 140 is connected to a motor driving unit (not shown) so that the upper and lower sides of the elevator 140 can be adjusted to a suitable height when the cassette 200 or the wafer W are moved through the first opening 112 and the second opening 114. Can move

The cassette 200 is a device for preventing the wafers W from being contaminated when the wafers W are transported or stored in the semiconductor device manufacturing process. The cassette 200 is provided with a slot for horizontally mounting the wafers W, and the interval between the slots and the slots may be, for example, about 5 mm to 10 mm. In the slot, wafers W are mounted, for example, 25 wafers W may be mounted. The cassette 200 is mounted on the indexer 120 to be moved by the drive unit 130 into the load lock chamber 110 through the first opening 112 and positioned on the elevator 140. Then, the mobile robot arm (not shown) takes the wafers W out of the cassette 200 one by one and moves them to the process chamber to proceed with the process.

Hereinafter, a process of fabricating a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

First, the cassette 200 on which the wafer W is mounted is mounted on the indexer 120. Then, the cassette 200 is loaded into the load lock chamber 110 by the driving unit 130 and positioned above the elevator 140. When the cassette 200 is loaded into the load lock chamber 110, the inside of the load lock chamber 110, which was at atmospheric pressure, is formed in a vacuum state, and the second door 114 is opened. Subsequently, a transfer robot arm (not shown) enters into the load lock chamber 110. The transfer robot arm removes the wafers W stored in the cassette 200 one by one from the cassette 200 and transfers them to a process chamber (not shown). An etching process is performed in the process chamber (not shown). . That is, the etching gas is supplied into the process chamber (not shown), and the etching process is performed along the pattern on the wafer (W). Here, as the etching gas, for example, O ₂ , Cl ₂ , BCl ₃ may be used.

Subsequently, when the etching process is completed, the transfer robot arm (not shown) unloads the wafer W into the cassette 200 again. When the etching process of all the wafers W stored in one cassette 200 is completed, the second door 114 of the load lock chamber 110 is closed, and the vacuum inside the load lock chamber 110 is closed. It will be released and put into atmospheric pressure. The cassette 200 is then unloaded and a new cassette 200 loaded.

When the wafer W finishes the etching process and is unloaded into the cassette 200, the etching gas remains on the surface of the wafer W. Aluminum, which is a constituent material of the indexer 120 on which the cassette 200 is seated, may react with the etching gas remaining in the etching process, and thus the indexer 120 may be corroded or deformed.

If a coating film is formed on the surface of the indexer 120 with Teflon or the like, aluminum and the etching gas, which are constituent materials of the indexer 120, may be prevented from reacting. Therefore, particles can be prevented from occurring due to corrosion or deformation of the indexer 120. In addition, since the indexer 120 is corroded or deformed and the cassette 200 is not stably seated on the indexer 120, the wafer W stored in the cassette 200 may be prevented from falling. Therefore, the yield can be high.

In addition, since the wafer W falls inside the load lock chamber 110, the load lock chamber 110 is damaged and the process progress is prevented from being delayed, thereby increasing process stability and improving productivity.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may implement the present invention in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features thereof. I can understand that. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive.

According to the semiconductor device manufacturing equipment as described above has one or more of the following effects.

First, the wafer can be prevented from being broken or damaged when moving the cassette within the local port, so that the yield can be increased.

Secondly, it is possible to prevent damage to the local port due to cracking or dropping of the wafer and to prevent work delays, thereby increasing process stability and improving productivity.

Claims (3)

A load lock chamber in which a cassette having a slot in which a plurality of wafers are mounted is loaded and in which an opening is formed; Mounting the cassette to load the cassette into the load lock chamber, the indexer having a surface coated to prevent corrosion; And And a drive unit connected to the indexer to load or unload the indexer to the load lock chamber through the opening. The method of claim 1, The indexer is a semiconductor device manufacturing facility is coated with Teflon. The method of claim 1, And a door configured to move vertically in the load lock chamber to open and close the opening.

Images