KR20230172069A - Method for mass measurement using a parallel structure mass measurement apparatus through air circulation - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mass measurement method using a parallel structure mass measurement device through air circulation.
According to this embodiment of the present invention, moving one first wafer among wafers loaded in a first load port with a chuck of a first chamber using a wafer transfer robot, the first wafer moved to the first chamber Moving a wafer to a second chamber after a first reference time, loading another second wafer loaded in the first load port into a chuck of a third chamber, and moving the first wafer to the second chamber measuring the mass of the first wafer by moving it to a measurement chamber after a first reference time, moving the second wafer moved to the third chamber to a fourth chamber after a first reference time, and measuring the mass of the first wafer It includes loading the first wafer moved to the second load port of an equipment front end module (EFEM) after a second reference time, and moving another wafer loaded in the first load port to the first chamber. .

Description

Mass measurement method using a parallel structure mass measurement device through air circulation {METHOD FOR MASS MEASUREMENT USING A PARALLEL STRUCTURE MASS MEASUREMENT APPARATUS THROUGH AIR CIRCULATION}

The present invention relates to a mass measurement method using a parallel structure mass measurement device through air circulation.

Hundreds of processes are required to produce a single semiconductor, and these processes are broadly divided into eight processes.

To summarize the eight processes of semiconductors, wafer manufacturing process, wafer oxidation process, photo lithography to draw semiconductor circuits on the wafer, etching to remove all parts except the required pattern, and deposition to build a thin film. There is a deposition process, a metal wiring process that connects metal lines along the semiconductor circuit pattern, and a testing and packaging process.

The above-mentioned etching process and deposition process are performed countless times, and when defects occur during these processes, it is difficult to specify the process causing the defective production, making it difficult to improve the process and improve yield.

In particular, in recent years, as high-speed operation and large-capacity storage capabilities of semiconductor devices have been required, semiconductor manufacturing technology has been developed to improve device integration, reliability, and response speed. Additionally, as the semiconductor trend has recently shifted from PC to mobile, thinner products are continuously being demanded. In response to such demands, the thickness of semiconductor packages continues to become thinner, and as chip thickness is becoming extremely thin, efforts are needed to reduce defects in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

The technology behind the present invention is disclosed in Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0105715 (published on September 18, 2019).

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a mass measurement method using a mass measurement device with a parallel structure through air circulation to increase the number of wafers measured per hour compared to existing mass measurement methods by using a plurality of chambers in parallel.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, moving one first wafer among wafers loaded in a first load port with a chuck of a first chamber using a wafer transfer robot, the first wafer moved to the first chamber moving the wafer to the second chamber after a first reference time, loading another second wafer loaded on the load port into a chuck of a third chamber, and moving the first wafer moved to the second chamber to the first wafer. Moving the second wafer to the measurement chamber after a reference time, moving the second wafer moved to the third chamber to the fourth chamber after a first reference time, and moving the first wafer to the measurement chamber to the second reference time Afterwards, the wafer is loaded into a second load port of an equipment front end module (EFEM), and another wafer loaded into the first load port is moved to the first chamber.

The chucks of the first and third chambers may include an air circulation line therein, and the air circulation line may include at least one air inlet line and an air outlet line.

The air circulation line may be formed at a location adjacent to a surface where the chuck, the first wafer, and the second wafer come into contact with each other.

The air circulation line may circulate air having the same temperature as the internal temperature of the measurement chamber.

The measurement chamber includes a mounting portion on which the wafer is mounted, a support portion connected to the inside of the measurement chamber and supporting the wafer, a fixing portion connected to the inside of the measuring chamber, and a moving portion that moves horizontally from the fixing portion. And it may include a centering portion provided on both sides of the support portion.

The support portion is disposed above the horizontal center line of the wafer seated on the holder, the centering portion is disposed below the horizontal center line, and an end of the moving portion has a tangent line of the portion in contact with the wafer. Can be formed in parallel.

The mounting portion may include a vertical member protruding from the upper side to the lower side of the measurement chamber and a horizontal member extending in the horizontal direction from the lower end of the vertical nonwoven.

The mounting portion may further include a protrusion that protrudes and curves upward from the horizontal portion.

According to the present invention having the above method and features, by using a plurality of stabilization chambers and a temperature change chamber, the mass of the wafer can be measured per hour compared to the existing method of measuring the mass of the wafer using a single stabilization chamber and a temperature change chamber. The number can be increased.

In addition, air having the same temperature as the measurement chamber circulates through the air circulation line formed toward the surface of the electrostatic chuck, allowing the wafer to be cooled to the same temperature as the measurement chamber and minimizing the generation of particles (dust). there is.

In addition, by speeding up the air flow in the air circulation line, the temperature of the upper surface of the measurement chamber and the electrostatic chuck can be matched to provide accurate wafer mass measurement.

1 is a flowchart for explaining a mass measurement method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining a mass measurement device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining electrostatic chucks of the first chamber and the third chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cross section of the electrostatic chuck of FIG. 3 cut in the L direction.
Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining the undercarriage structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining a measurement chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a diagram for explaining the mounting portion and centering portion of the measurement chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8 is a plan view for explaining a support part and a centering part for centering a wafer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Since the present invention can be subject to various changes and can have various forms, implementation examples (or embodiments) will be described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to a specific disclosed form, and should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

The terms used in this specification are merely used to describe specific implementation examples (sun, aspect, aspect) (or examples), and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, terms such as ~include~ or ~consist of~ are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but are not intended to indicate the presence of one or more other features. It should be understood that this does not exclude in advance the possibility of the existence or addition of elements, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and unless explicitly defined in the present application, should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal sense. No.

~First~, ~Second~, etc. described in this specification are only used to distinguish different components, and are not limited by the order of manufacture, and the names are used in the detailed description and claims of the invention. may not match.

Figure 1 is a flow chart for explaining a mass measurement method according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining a mass measurement device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 3 is a flow chart according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a drawing for explaining the electrostatic chuck of the first chamber and the third chamber. FIG. 4 is a drawing showing a cut surface of the electrostatic chuck of FIG. 3 cut in the L direction, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the undersuck structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a drawing for explanation, Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining a measuring chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 7 is a drawing for explaining a mounting part and a centering part of a measuring chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 8 is a plan view for explaining a support part and a centering part for centering a wafer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the mass measurement device 1 includes a first chamber 10, a second chamber 20, a third chamber 30, a fourth chamber 40, and a measurement chamber 50. ), a first load port 60, a second load port 70, and a wafer transfer robot 80. At this time, the first chamber 10, the third chamber 30, the second chamber 20, and the fourth chamber 40 each have substantially the same configuration and may provide the same operation. That is, the electrostatic chuck 11 and air circulation line 12 of the first chamber 10 and the electrostatic chuck 31 and air circulation line 32 of the third chamber 30 have the same shape and configuration, and The electrostatic chuck 21 of the second chamber 20 and the electrostatic chuck 41 of the fourth chamber 40 may have the same shape and configuration. In addition, although the present invention is described using four chambers, a plurality of chambers can be added according to design and changes. At this time, each chamber of the mass measurement device 1 is disconnected from the outside, and each door inside can be opened to provide smooth movement of the wafers W1 and W2.

Additionally, for convenience of invention, the wafer moved to the first chamber 10 will be referred to as the first wafer W1, and the wafer moved to the third chamber 30 will be referred to as the second wafer W2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the mass measurement method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes moving the first wafer W1 to the first chamber 10 (S110), and after a first reference time, the first chamber 10 moving to the second chamber 20 (S120), loading the second wafer (W2) in the third chamber 30 (S130), measuring the first wafer (W1) after the first reference time. Moving the second wafer (W2) to the chamber (S140), moving the second wafer (W2) to the fourth chamber (40) after the first reference time (S150), and moving the first wafer to the second load port after the second reference time It includes a step (S160) of loading the wafer in 70 and moving another wafer loaded in the first load port 60 to the first chamber 10.

The mass measurement device 1 uses the wafer transfer robot 80 to move the first wafer W1 loaded on the first load port 60 to the electrostatic chuck 11 of the first chamber 10. (S110). At this time, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the electrostatic chuck 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an air circulation line 12 formed to be biased on the surface. At this time, the air circulation line 12 includes at least one air inlet 121 and an air outlet 122. The air inlet 121 and the air outlet 122 may have the same size, and the diameter gradually increases from the air inlet 121 to the air outlet 122 in order to increase the air circulation speed in the air circulation line 12. It can be formed to be small. That is, as the diameter of the air circulation line gradually becomes smaller, the air drawn into the air circulation line is compressed and can proceed at a faster speed. When proceeding at a high speed, the wafer (W1, The temperature of W2) can be cooled quickly.

First, the mass measurement device 1 moves the first wafer W1 to the first chamber 10 using the wafer transfer robot 80 (S110). That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the wafer transfer robot 80 grips the first wafer W1 loaded on the first load port 60 and moves it to the first chamber 10 in the gripped state. At this time, the transfer robot 80 may be configured to correspond to the END EFFECTROR in order to grip the wafers W1 and W2.

Next, the mass measurement device 1 moves the first wafer W1 moved to the first chamber 10 to the second chamber 20 after the first reference time (S120). Here, the first reference time is a time for controlling the temperature of the first wafer W1 to be the same as the internal temperature of the measurement chamber 50, and is preferably 25 seconds to 40 seconds, and more preferably 30 seconds to 30 seconds. It could be 35 seconds. At this time, during the first reference time, air having the same temperature as the measurement chamber 50 moves along the air circulation line 12 of the electrostatic chuck 11 of the first chamber 10, lowering the temperature of the wafer W1. Or it can be raised. As air flows to the surface of the electrostatic chuck 11 in this way, the temperature of the wafer W1 can be raised or lowered without movement of air inside the first chamber 10, and the inside of the first chamber 10 Particles formed in can be suppressed.

At this time, the second chamber 20 is a stabilization chamber for stabilizing the temperature of the first wafer W1 moved from the first chamber 10. In this way, the second chamber 20 is formed with a plate 21, and as shown in FIG. 5, the plate 21 may include an undercut 22 that is depressed downward. This second chamber 20 may be an aluminum chamber, and may be plated with electroless nickel. In this way, the first wafer (W1) is introduced into the second chamber (20) to suppress the generation of static electricity and to maintain the characteristics of the wafers (W1, W2), such as dielectric constant, consistently, so that the wafer (W1) is measured in the measurement module 50, which will be described later. , Errors can be minimized when measuring the mass of W2).

Next, the mass measurement device 1 loads the second wafer W2 loaded on the first load port 60 onto the electrostatic chuck 31 of the third chamber using the wafer transfer robot 80 ( S130). The description of step S130 of the present invention will be omitted since it performs the same operation as step S110 except for the chamber in which the wafers W1 and W2 are located.

Next, the mass measurement device 1 moves the first wafer W1 moved to the second chamber 20 to the measurement chamber 50 after the first reference time to measure the mass of the first wafer W1. do.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the measurement chamber 50 includes a weight measurement unit 51, a case 501 into which wafers W1 and W2 are inserted into the ceiling of the measurement chamber 50, and a case 501 of the case 501. It may include a cover 502 opening at the top. In addition, the measurement chamber 50 is connected to the case 501 and the cover 502 to raise and lower the cover 502 with respect to the case 501, so that when the cover 502 is raised, the upper opening of the case 501 is opened. It may include a lifting means 503 that opens and covers the upper opening of the case 502 when the cover 502 is lowered. At this time, the inner space of the case 502 may form a receiving space when the upper opening is covered by the cover 53. Additionally, the elevating means 54 may include various components, and may, for example, include a motor and a lift shaft rotated by the motor. Here, the weight measuring unit 51 may be a micro balance load cell.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 , the measurement chamber 50 may include a mounting portion 52 on which the wafers W1 and W2 are mounted. The mounting portion 52 may include a vertical member 521 that protrudes downward from the bottom (lower surface) of the cover 503 and a horizontal member 522 extending in the horizontal direction from the bottom of the vertical member 521. That is, the wafers W1 and W2 can be placed on the horizontal member 522 by the wafer transfer robot 980. In addition, the measurement chamber 50 may include a support part 53 connected to the inside and supporting the wafers W1 and W2, and a fixing part 54 connected to the inside of the measuring chamber 50 and a fixing part ( 54) may include a centering unit 55 including a moving unit 55 that moves in the horizontal direction.

As described above, the mounting portion 52 is said to include a vertical member 521 and a horizontal member 522. The support portion 53 and the fixing portion 54 are installed on the mounting portion 52 to add structural stability. You can. For example, the above-described support portion 53 and the fixing portion 54 may be structurally stable as their lower portions are supported on the horizontal member 522 and their ends are supported on the vertical member 521 (see FIG. 7).

For example, the fixing member 521 may be a solenoid, and the moving part 55 may be an armature that reciprocates in the horizontal direction (left and right direction with respect to FIG. 6) according to the current direction of the solenoid. That is, at least part of the moving part 55 can be interpolated into the fixed part 54. The configuration of the centering part 55 has been described as an example and is not limited thereto, and of course, various configurations may replace or be additionally included in the above configuration.

Referring to FIG. 8, the support portion 53 is disposed on one side (above the center line W1 in FIG. 7) with respect to the center line R1 of the wafers W1 and W2 mounted on the mounting portion 52. It can be, and the centering part 55 can be provided on the other side opposite to the center line (R1) (the lower side with respect to the center line (R1) in FIG. 7). That is, the support part 53 and the mounting part 52 may be provided on both sides with respect to the center line (R1).

Additionally, a plurality of centering portions 56 may be provided, and may be provided on both sides of the support portion 53 . Referring to FIG. 8 , a plurality of centering portions 56 may be provided on both sides of the center line R1 and the intersection line R2 that intersects the center line R1 on a plane. The intersection line R2 may illustratively coincide with the longitudinal direction of the support portion 53 when viewed from a plan view.

Also, referring to FIG. 8, the end of the moving member 521 (the end in contact with the wafer W) moves in the wafers W1 and W2 (wafers W1 and W2 seated on the holder 52). The portion 55 may be parallel to the tangential direction of the contact portion.

Referring to FIGS. 6 to 8, the wafers W1 and W2 are placed on the mounting portion 52 by the wafer transfer robot 80, and centering rings are provided on both sides around the intersection line R2. Each moving unit 55 of the unit 56 may move toward the center line R1 by a preset distance.

When the fixing part 54 is a solenoid, the preset distance may be determined from the amount of current applied to the solenoid.

Through this, the wafers W1 and W2 seated on the mounting unit 52 are moved in a direction parallel to the center line R1, and at the same time, the end of the moving unit 55 is in contact with the wafers W1 and W2. The positions of the wafers W1 and W2 can be adjusted (calibrated) by moving the wafers W1 and W2 toward the support unit 53 in parallel with the direction.

At this time, referring to FIG. 7, the horizontal member 522 may include a protrusion 522a that protrudes and curves upward from the top, and the wafers W1 and W2 may be seated on the upper part of the protrusion 522a. . Since the protrusion 522a is curved upward and protrudes, the contact area between the protrusion 522a and the wafers W1 and W2 can be minimized, so that the wafers W1 and W2 can be easily moved by the centering portion 56. There is an advantage to being able to do it.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 9, as described above, the mounting portion 52 is provided on the cover 502, and the cover 502 is raised and lowered by the lifting means 503. Accordingly, the wafers W1 and W2 are also lifted up and down, and as the wafers W1 and W2 move downward, they are placed on the weight measuring unit 51 installed in the case 501 and their weight can be measured.

Additionally, it may include a sensor unit 58 that measures at least one of temperature, humidity, and pressure inside the measurement chamber 31 and generates condition information. The sensor unit 58 may include at least one of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and a pressure sensor. Each of the temperature sensor, humidity sensor, and pressure sensor may be a commonly used type in the relevant field.

The sensor unit 58 generates condition information when the cover 502 covers the upper opening of the case 501 by the lifting means 503 to form a receiving space, and at the same time, the wafers W1 and W2 The weight of the wafers W1 and W2 is measured by placing them on the weight measuring unit 51.

The compensation mass data is transmitted to the output device, and the output device can receive and output the compensation mass data.

Afterwards, the cover 502 is moved upward by the lifting means 503 to open the upper opening of the case 501, and the mounting portion 52 on which the wafers W1 and W2 are mounted is lifted upward, The wafer transfer robot 80 can grasp and withdraw the wafer placed on the mounting unit 52 and transfer it to a post-process.

Next, the mass measurement device 1 uses the wafer transfer robot 80 to move the second wafer W2 moved to the third chamber 30 to the fourth chamber 40 after the first reference time. (S150). Next, the mass measurement device 1 uses the wafer transfer robot 80 to load the first wafer W1 for which measurement has been completed in the measurement chamber 50 into the second load port 70 after a second reference time. Then, another wafer loaded on the first load port 60 is moved to the first chamber 10 (S160).

At this time, the second reference time is shorter than the first reference time and may preferably be between 20 and 25 seconds. Then, the mass measurement method according to the embodiment of the present invention can measure the mass of the wafers (W1, W2) by continuously repeating steps S110 to S160 described above, and the first chamber 10 to the fourth chamber ( Since the time to measure the mass in the measurement chamber 50 is shorter than the time to measure the mass in the measurement chamber 50, the mass of the wafers W1 and W2 can be measured continuously. In other words, in the case of existing wafer mass measurement equipment, the mass of 50 to 55 wafers could be measured per hour, whereas using the mass measurement method according to the embodiment of the present invention, the mass of 90 to 110 wafers could be measured per hour. can do.

The present invention described above with reference to the accompanying drawings is capable of various modifications and changes by those skilled in the art, and such modifications and changes not limited by the claims should be construed as being included in the scope of rights of the present invention.

1: Mass measurement device 10: First chamber
11: Electrostatic chuck 12: Air circulation line
121: air inlet 122: air outlet
20: second chamber 21: plate
22: Undercut 30: Third chamber
31: Electrostatic chuck 32: Air circulation line
321: air inlet 322: air outlet
40: fourth chamber 41: plate
42: Undercut 50: Measuring chamber
501: Case 502: Cover
503: lifting means 51: weight measuring unit
52: Mounting portion 521: Vertical member
522: horizontal member 522: protrusion
53: support part 54: fixing part
55: moving part 56: centering part
58: sensor unit 60: first load port
70: Second load port 80: Wafer transfer robot

Claims (8)

moving one first wafer among wafers loaded in the first load port using a chuck of the first chamber using a wafer transfer robot;
moving the first wafer moved to the first chamber to a second chamber after a first reference time;
loading another second wafer loaded on the first load port into a chuck of a third chamber;
measuring the mass of the first wafer by moving the first wafer moved to the second chamber to the measurement chamber after a first reference time;
moving the second wafer moved to the third chamber to the fourth chamber after a first reference time; and
A mass measurement method comprising: loading a first wafer moved to the measurement chamber into a second load port after a second reference time, and moving another wafer loaded into the first load port to the first chamber.
In claim 1,
The chucks of the first and third chambers include an air circulation line therein,
A mass measurement method wherein the air circulation line includes at least one air inlet line and an air outlet line.
In claim 2,
The air circulation line is
A mass measurement method formed at a location adjacent to a surface where the chuck and the first and second wafers come into contact with each other.
In claim 3,
A mass measurement method in which the air circulation line circulates air having the same temperature as the internal temperature of the measurement chamber.
In claim 1,
The measuring chamber is
A mounting portion on which the wafer is placed;
a support portion connected to the inside of the measurement chamber and supporting the wafer;
A fixing part connected to the inside of the measurement chamber;
A moving part that moves horizontally from the fixed part; and
A mass measurement method including a centering portion provided on both sides of the support portion.
In claim 5,
The support portion is disposed above the horizontal center line of the wafer seated on the holder, the centering portion is disposed below the horizontal center line, and an end of the moving portion has a tangent line of a portion in contact with the wafer. A mass measurement method formed in parallel.
In claim 6,
The mounting part,
a vertical member protruding from the upper side to the lower side of the measurement chamber; and
A mass measurement method comprising a horizontal member extending in the horizontal direction from the bottom of the vertical nonwoven.
In claim 7,
The mounting part,
A mass measurement method further comprising a protrusion curved and protruding upward from the horizontal portion.