KR20070016336A - Apparatus for processing a wafer - Google Patents

Abstract

A wafer processing apparatus capable of preventing breakage of a process chamber includes a process chamber accommodating the wafer for processing a wafer and having a cylindrical shape with an open bottom and a flange formed around a circumference of the open bottom; A fixing member and an annular member having a cylindrical shape that supports the process chamber and is open and closed to cover the flange of the process chamber and the manifold connected to the gas supply section which curved the processing process. A seal ring having a shape and disposed between the process chamber and the manifold, the seal ring having a stepped portion in close contact with the lower and outer surfaces of the flange. Thus, the use of a stable seal ring between the process chamber and the manifold effectively prevents damage to the process chamber.

Description

Wafer processing apparatus {Apparatus for processing a wafer}

1 is a block diagram for explaining a wafer processing apparatus according to the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view for describing the flange illustrated in FIG. 1.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a wafer processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a cross-sectional view for describing the flange illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view for describing a shape of the seal ring illustrated in FIG. 4.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

200: wafer processing apparatus 210: process chamber

212 outer tube 214 inner tube

220: manifold 230: boat

240: heater 250: vacuum providing unit

252: vacuum line 254: main valve

256: vacuum pump 260: gas providing unit

270: gas nozzle 280: flange

The present invention relates to a wafer processing apparatus, and more particularly, to a wafer processing apparatus for performing a processing process for manufacturing a semiconductor device on a semiconductor wafer.

Recently, the manufacturing technology of semiconductor devices has been developed to improve the degree of integration, reliability, response speed, etc. in order to meet various needs of consumers. Generally, a semiconductor device is manufactured by forming a predetermined film on a silicon wafer used as a semiconductor wafer, and forming the film in a pattern having electrical properties.

The deposition process for forming the film is divided into physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition. The chemical vapor deposition process is a process of forming a film on a semiconductor wafer by a chemical reaction of a gas provided into the process chamber, and classified into various process conditions such as temperature, pressure, and state of a reactive gas.

Among the chemical vapor deposition processes, a low pressure chemical vapor deposition (PLCVD) process has a low pressure of 200 to 700 mTorr when a film is formed on a semiconductor wafer, and simply reacts by using thermal energy. The advantages of the low pressure chemical vapor deposition process are good film uniformity and step coverage, good quality films can be formed on a large number of semiconductor wafers at one time, and are widely used for polycrystalline silicon layer, nitride film and oxide film deposition.

 The low pressure chemical vapor deposition apparatus is classified into a vertical type or a horizontal type according to the shape of the process chamber. Currently, the low pressure chemical vapor deposition apparatus of the vertical type has a merit that it takes up little space for installation. In the vertical low pressure chemical vapor deposition apparatus, when a source gas is introduced into a space in a high temperature vacuum atmosphere, the injected gases react with each other to form a reactant, and are simultaneously diffused in a vacuum space to be deposited as a film on a wafer in the process. To use.

As the vertical low pressure chemical vapor deposition apparatus, a vertical type furnace is installed in which a tube of quartz is installed in a space inside a heater wall and a wafer is placed in the tube to create a high temperature process environment. As the vertical type, a batch method in which a large amount of wafers are introduced into the process space at one time is used. In the semiconductor device manufacturing process, a thermal oxidation film is formed or a diffusion furnace for diffusing injected elements is used.

An example of such a vertical low pressure chemical vapor deposition apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,902,406 to Uchiyama, et.al.

1 is a block diagram for explaining a wafer processing apparatus according to the prior art.

Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional wafer processing apparatus 100 discharges the reaction chamber and unreacted gas generated during the progress of the deposition process and the process chamber 110 containing the semiconductor wafer W and the processor chamber 110. The vacuum supply unit 150 for adjusting the pressure inside. The processor chamber 110 includes a manifold 120 to which the reaction gas supply unit 160 is connected, an inner tube 114 and an outer tube 112 provided on the manifold 120. outer tube). A boat 130 supporting a plurality of semiconductor wafers W is provided in the inner tube 114, and the boat 130 is lifted up and down through the manifold 120 by an elevator (not shown). Is moved. Outside the outer tube 112 is provided with a heater 140 for maintaining the temperature inside the outer tube 112 and the inner tube 114 at a process temperature for performing the process of processing the wafer (W). . The vacuum supply unit 150 is connected to the manifold 120 through a vacuum line 152 connected to the manifold 120, a main valve 154 installed in the vacuum line 152, and the vacuum line 152. Included is a vacuum pump 156 connected.

The gas nozzle 170 is connected to the gas providing unit 160 and injects a reaction gas into the inner tube 114.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view for describing the flange illustrated in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, the flange 180 is formed along the circumference of the lower portion of the process chamber 110 to couple the process chamber 110 and the manifold 120. In this case, a fixing member 186 for fixing the coupling is disposed, and a sealing ring 182 is disposed between the process chamber 110 and the manifold 120. In addition, one side of the seal ring 182 includes an O-ring 184 for providing a seal between the process chamber 110 and the manifold 120.

Currently, the inner surface of the seal ring 182 in contact with the outer surface of the flange 180 has an inclination, and thus the flange 180 is not stably seated on the seal ring 182.

Generally, the flange including the process chamber is made of quartz and the manifold is made of metal such as stainless steel (SUS). Due to the difference in strength between the flange and the manifold, a process accident in which the flange is often broken occurs.

 As described above, when vibration or impact occurs at the connection portion between the flange and the manifold, an impact is transmitted or collides with the flange and the manifold, and as a result, a relatively weak manifold is often damaged. do.

When the manifold is damaged, the reaction gas is not normally supplied into the process chamber, so that the wafer is not really processed, and fragments of the flange may flow into the process chamber and the wafer may be damaged. Significant financial and time losses are incurred, including replacement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wafer processing apparatus capable of stably processing a semiconductor wafer and effectively preventing damage to a process tube.

In order to achieve the above object of the present invention, a wafer processing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, accommodates the wafer for the processing process for the wafer, the lower portion has an open cylindrical shape and the open lower A process chamber having a flange formed along a circumference thereof, and having a cylindrical shape that supports the process chamber and is opened up and down, and is arranged to cover the flange of the process chamber and the manifold connected to the gas supply section which has bent the processing process. A seal ring having an annular one shape with a fixing member for fixing to the manifold and disposed between the process chamber and the manifold, the seal ring having a step portion in close contact with the lower and outer surfaces of the flange; do.

At this time, the inner surface of the step portion in contact with the outer surface of the flange is substantially perpendicular. In addition, an upper surface of the manifold is formed with an annular groove into which the seal ring is inserted, disposed inside the seal ring in the groove and sealing between the process chamber and the manifold. It further includes an o-ring to provide.

According to the present invention, by providing a seal ring in which the flange of the process chamber can be stably seated, it is possible to effectively prevent the flange of the process tube from being broken by an external impact. As a result, the reaction gas can be stably supplied into the process chamber, and the semiconductor wafer can be processed precisely.

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

3 is a block diagram illustrating a wafer processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the wafer processing apparatus 200 includes a process chamber 210, a vacuum providing unit 250, a gas providing unit 260, a gas nozzle 270, and a flange 280.

Process chamber 210 includes an outer tube 212, an inner tube 214 and a manifold 220. The outer tube 212 and the inner tube 214 is formed of a quartz material, is provided to extend in the vertical direction at a predetermined interval.

The inner tube 214 is a cylindrical shape of the top and bottom open respectively. On the other hand, the outer tube 212 is formed in a sealed form to block the inflow of internal and external air. The process chamber 210 accommodates a boat 230 supporting a plurality of semiconductor wafers W in the inner tube 214, and the gas providing unit 260 and the vacuum providing unit 250 are connected to each other. And a manifold 210 for supporting the inner tube 214 and the outer tube 212.

The boat 230 has a cylindrical shape as a whole, and the diameter of the cylinder is smaller than the diameter of the inner tube 214. In addition, the boat 230 has a structure in which a plurality of slits are formed and has a frame shape through which the reaction gas can be freely ventilated. The boat 230 moves up and down the inner tube 214 through the manifold 220 in a state in which a plurality of wafers W are stacked in the plurality of slits in a horizontal direction.

Although not shown, an elevator may be provided below the boat 230. The elevator lowers the boat 230 for loading and unloading the semiconductor wafer W, and ascends the wafer 230 into the inner tube 214 to process the wafer. In addition, the lower portion of the boat 230 may be provided with a rotation drive (not shown) for rotating the boat 230 in the inner tube 214.

Outside the outer tube 212 is provided with a heater 240 for maintaining the temperature inside the outer tube 212 and the inner tube 214 at a process temperature for performing the process of processing the wafer (W). . The heater 240 is provided to form an outer wall around the outer tube 214 to heat the inside of the process chamber 210. A heating control device is connected to the heater 240 for electrical heating control. The process temperature of the process chamber 210 is set to 500 to 1000 占 폚 in the chemical vapor deposition process, and 800 to 1200 占 폚 in the oxidation process and the diffusion process.

The vacuum provider 250 includes a vacuum line 252 connected to the manifold 220, a main valve 254, and a vacuum pump 256. The main valve 254 regulates the pressure inside the process chamber 210 during the wafer processing process, and is closed during cleaning to prevent impurities from cleaning from flowing into the vacuum pump 256.

On the other hand, the vacuum line 252 is formed with a discharge port (not shown) for discharging impurities by cleaning. The outlet is closed during the wafer processing process and open during cleaning.

The discharge port is provided in the manifold 220 under the inner tube 214 and the outer tube 212 as well as the vacuum line 252 to discharge the reaction by-products and unreacted gas of the wafer processing process.

The gas provider 260 supplies the reaction gas for the wafer processing process to the process chamber 210. For example, in the process of forming a nitride film on the wafer W, the gas providing unit 260 provides dichlorosilane gas and ammonia gas to the process chamber 210. Each supply line connected to the gas supply unit 260 is provided with a flow rate controller (not shown) and an air valve (not shown), respectively, to control the flow rate.

The gas nozzle 270 supplies the reaction gas supplied from the gas supply unit 260 into the inner tube 214. The gas nozzle 270 penetrates through the manifold 220 to an inner side of the inner tube 214, and extends along an inner wall of the inner tube 214 to an upper end of the inner tube 214 in a vertical direction. Is extended. The gas nozzle 270 is formed of quartz material.

4 is a cross-sectional view for describing the flange illustrated in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 4, the flange 280 couples the process chamber 210 and the manifold 220. In this case, a fixing member 286 for fixing the coupling is disposed, and a seal ring 282 is disposed between the process chamber 210 and the manifold 220. The seal ring 282 is disposed between the process chamber 210 and the manifold 220, and has a step portion in close contact with the bottom surface and the outer surface of the flange 280. The inner side of the stepped portion which is in contact with the outer side of the flange 280 is substantially perpendicular.

The height of the surface where the lower surface of the process chamber 210 and the flange 280 contact is formed higher than the height of the surface of the process chamber 210 and the manifold 220.

In general, a flange including a process chamber is made of quartz, a manifold is made of a metal such as stainless steel (SUS), and a process accident in which the flange 280 is often broken due to a difference in strength between the flange and the manifold. Is being generated.

By applying the seal ring 282 having the shape of the stepped portion as described above, the flange 280 is stably seated on the seal ring 282. This may prevent a process accident in which the flange 280 is broken.

In addition, an upper surface of the manifold 220 is formed with an annular groove (not shown) into which the seal ring is inserted, and is disposed inside the seal ring at the groove so as to be connected to the process chamber 210. An o-ring 284 is included to provide a seal between the manifolds 220. The annular groove is for preventing rocking of the o-ring 284. The height of the groove portion is formed to be lower than the height of the seal ring 282 and the o-ring 284. This is because the flange 280 may be damaged by the stainless steel surface of the manifold 220 when the height of the groove is higher than the seal ring 282 and the o ring 284. The seal ring 282 is generally made of Teflon, and the o-ring 284 is made of an elastic material.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view for describing a shape of the seal ring illustrated in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 4, the seal ring is formed in an annular ring shape along an open lower circumference of the process chamber 210 to accommodate the flange 280 of the process chamber 210. The seal ring 282 has a step that is in close contact with the bottom surface and the outer surface of the flange 280 so that the flange 280 can be fixed stably, the step is substantially vertical.

Alternatively, the seal ring 282 may be formed to surround the lower surface, the upper surface and the outer surface of the flange 280.

As described above, damage to the process chamber can be effectively prevented by using a stable sealing portion between the process chamber and the manifold. Furthermore, the wafer can be processed stably.

As described above, although described with reference to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, those skilled in the art will be variously modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention described in the claims below. And can be changed.

Claims (4)

A process chamber accommodating the wafer for a machining process on the wafer, the process chamber having an open cylindrical shape at a lower part thereof and a flange formed along a circumference of the open lower part; A manifold supporting the process chamber and having a cylinder shape opened up and down and connected to the gas supply part which has bent the processing process; A fixing member arranged to cover a flange of the process chamber to secure the process chamber to the manifold; And A wafer having an annular shape and disposed between the process chamber and the manifold, the sealing ring having a step portion in close contact with the bottom and outer surfaces of the flange; Processing equipment. The wafer processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein an inner surface of the stepped portion in contact with an outer surface of the flange is substantially vertical. The wafer processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein an annular groove is formed in an upper surface of the manifold to insert the seal ring. 4. The wafer processing of claim 3 further comprising an O-ring disposed within said seal ring within said groove and for providing a seal between said process chamber and said manifold. Device.

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