Electrostatic chuck and electrostatic chuck control method
Technical Field
The invention relates to the technical field of semiconductors, in particular to an electrostatic chuck and an electrostatic chuck control method.
Background
In the semiconductor manufacturing process, stable fixing of the wafer is a key to ensure processing accuracy and quality. The electrostatic Chuck (Electrostatic Chuck, E-Chuck) is used as a non-mechanical fixing device, and the wafer is adsorbed on the surface of the Chuck through electrostatic attraction, so that particle pollution and wafer damage possibly caused by mechanical clamping are avoided.
The electrostatic chuck is generally designed in bipolar mode, i.e. an electric field is generated by positive and negative electrodes, and opposite charges are induced on the surface of the wafer, so as to realize electrostatic adsorption fixation. The electrostatic chuck electrode configuration is often fixed, typically designed according to wafer dimensions, with typical wafer diameters of 150mm, 200mm, 300mm, etc.
However, with the development of technology, the wafer size is more and more diversified, and the conventional electrostatic chuck lacks adaptability, for example, more electrodes are required to ensure uniform electric field distribution when a 300mm wafer is fixed, and too many electrodes will cause too strong electric field or energy waste when a 200mm wafer is fixed, while for a large-sized wafer, a higher voltage is required to generate enough electrostatic force, but at the same time, the risk of dielectric breakdown or arc discharge between electrodes is increased, and if dielectric breakdown or arc discharge occurs, the service life and reliability of the chuck will be greatly affected. In the prior art, when the wafer size is switched, the sucker is often required to be replaced and related hardware is often required to be adjusted, so that the equipment cost and the operation complexity are increased.
Disclosure of Invention
Aiming at the defects of the prior art, the invention aims to provide the electrostatic chuck and the electrostatic chuck control method, and the flexible adaptation to wafers with different sizes can be realized by arranging the electrodes in different areas, the stability and the reliability of adsorbing various wafers are improved by the sensor array and the forced discharge switch, residual charges are neutralized, and the service life of the electrostatic chuck is ensured. The invention aims to solve the technical problems that an electrostatic chuck is difficult to adapt to wafers with various sizes and has the risk of dielectric layer breakdown or inter-electrode arc discharge in the prior art.
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is achieved by the following technical scheme:
The utility model provides an electrostatic chuck, includes sucking disc main part and dielectric layer, the one side of sucking disc main part is connected the dielectric layer, the sucking disc main part is towards the one end of dielectric layer sets up first region, second region, third region and fourth region, the second region encircles the outside reason setting of first region, the third region encircles the outside reason setting of second region, the fourth region encircles the outside reason setting of third region, set up first electrode unit group in the first region, set up second electrode unit group in the second region, set up third electrode unit group in the third region, set up fourth electrode unit group in the fourth region, first electrode unit group second electrode unit group third electrode unit group and fourth electrode unit group all electric connection power and forced discharge switch, the sucking disc main part is dorsad set up the sensor array in the one end of dielectric layer, the sensor array is used for monitoring whether electric field on the dielectric layer is even.
Compared with the prior art, the invention has the advantages that the first area, the second area, the third area and the fourth area are arranged, a plurality of areas are surrounded layer by layer to adapt to various wafer sizes, electrode unit groups are arranged for each area in a targeted manner, different electric fields are generated for wafers with different sizes, electrostatic force with adaptive size is generated for the wafers with different sizes, stable adsorption and fixation of the wafers are formed, the forced discharge switch is arranged, residual charges are released, when the wafers with larger sizes are required to be adsorbed, even if larger voltage is provided, the phenomenon of dielectric layer breakdown or inter-electrode arc discharge can be prevented by timely releasing the residual charges, and by arranging the sensor array, whether the electric field is uniform or not is monitored when the wafers are adsorbed, the voltage adjustment is beneficial to be timely made, and the adsorption of the wafers is ensured to be stable enough.
Further, the first electrode unit group comprises a first positive electrode unit and a first negative electrode unit, the second electrode unit group comprises a second positive electrode unit and a second negative electrode unit, the third electrode unit group comprises two third positive electrode units and two third negative electrode units, and the fourth electrode unit group comprises three fourth positive electrode units and three fourth negative electrode units.
Further, the first region is circular, and the second region, the third region and the fourth region are annular concentric with the first region.
Still further, the one end of forced discharge switch is connected the ground connection, the output relay is connected to the other end of forced discharge switch, the output relay is dorsad forced discharge switch's one end is connected the radio frequency filter, the radio frequency filter dorsad output relay's one end is connected the output, the output is used for connecting first electrode unit group, second electrode unit group, third electrode unit group and fourth electrode unit group.
Still further, one end of the power supply is connected to the ground terminal, the other end of the power supply is connected to one end of the forced discharge switch away from the ground terminal, and the power supply is used for applying a forward voltage or a reverse voltage.
Still further, the first positive electrode unit and the first negative electrode unit are symmetrically arranged along the circle center of the circle, the second positive electrode unit and the second negative electrode unit are symmetrically arranged along the circle center of the circle, the third positive electrode unit and the third negative electrode unit are symmetrically arranged along the circle center of the circle, and the fourth positive electrode unit and the fourth negative electrode unit are symmetrically arranged along the circle center of the circle.
Still further, the sucker main body comprises a positive electrode part and a negative electrode part which are oppositely arranged, wherein the first positive electrode unit, the second positive electrode unit, the two third positive electrode units and the three fourth positive electrode units are all positioned in the positive electrode part, and the first negative electrode unit, the second negative electrode unit, the two third negative electrode units and the three fourth negative electrode units are all positioned in the negative electrode part.
Still further, the sensor array includes a first sensor group, a second sensor group, a third sensor group, and a fourth sensor group, the first sensor group corresponds to the first area position, the first sensor group includes two first sensors, the second sensor group corresponds to the second area position, the second sensor group includes two second sensors, the third sensor group corresponds to the third area position, the third sensor group includes four third sensors, the fourth sensor group corresponds to the fourth area position, and the fourth sensor group includes six fourth sensors.
Still further, the projection of the third sensor in the third area is located between two adjacent third positive electrode units, two adjacent third negative electrode units or between two adjacent third positive electrode units and third negative electrode units, and the projection of the fourth sensor in the fourth area is located between two adjacent fourth positive electrode units, two adjacent fourth negative electrode units or between two adjacent fourth positive electrode units and fourth negative electrode units.
An electrostatic chuck control method applied to the electrostatic chuck according to the technical scheme comprises the following steps:
Placing a wafer on the surface of an electrostatic chuck, wherein the electrostatic chuck comprises a chuck main body and a dielectric layer connected with the chuck main body, the dielectric layer is abutted against the wafer, and a first area, a second area, a third area and a fourth area are arranged at one end of the chuck main body, which faces the dielectric layer;
According to the diameter of the wafer, selecting an adsorption electrode unit group from a first electrode unit group in the first area, a second electrode unit group in the second area, a third electrode unit group in the third area and a fourth electrode unit group in the fourth area, and starting the adsorption electrode unit group through a power supply to adsorb the wafer for processing;
Judging whether the electric field on the dielectric layer is uniform or not through a sensor array in one end of the sucker main body, which is opposite to the dielectric layer, if the electric field on the dielectric layer is uniform, processing the wafer, and if the electric field on the dielectric layer is non-uniform, adjusting the power supply until the electric field on the dielectric layer is uniform;
And after the processing is finished, the power supply is turned off, and the forced discharge switch is turned on to eliminate residual charges, so that the wafer is separated.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of an electrostatic chuck according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
fig. 2 is a schematic view of a part of the structure of an electrostatic chuck according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the structure of a chuck body in an electrostatic chuck according to a first embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the mechanism of the power supply and the forced discharge switch in the electrostatic chuck according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
Description of main reference numerals:
100. The sucker comprises a sucker body, 101, a positive electrode part, 102, a negative electrode part, 110, a first area, 111, a first positive electrode unit, 112, a first negative electrode unit, 120, a second area, 121, a second positive electrode unit, 122, a second negative electrode unit, 130, a third area, 131, a third positive electrode unit, 132, a third negative electrode unit, 140, a fourth area, 141, a fourth positive electrode unit, 142, a fourth negative electrode unit, 200, a dielectric layer, 310, a power supply, 320, a forced discharge switch, 330, a grounding end, 340, an output relay, 350, a radio frequency filter, 360, an output end, 400, a sensor array, 410, a first sensor, 420, a second sensor, 430, a third sensor, 440, a fourth sensor, 500 and a wafer.
The invention will be further described in the following detailed description in conjunction with the above-described figures.
Detailed Description
In order that the invention may be readily understood, a more complete description of the invention will be rendered by reference to the appended drawings. Several embodiments of the invention are presented in the figures. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete.
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "mounted" on another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and the like are used herein for illustrative purposes only.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used herein in the description of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and/or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Referring to fig. 1 to 4, an electrostatic chuck according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a chuck body 100 and a dielectric layer 200, wherein one surface of the chuck body 100 is connected to the dielectric layer 200, a first region 110, a second region 120, a third region 130 and a fourth region 140 are disposed at one end of the chuck body 100 facing the dielectric layer 200, the second region 120 is disposed around an outer edge of the first region 110, the third region 130 is disposed around an outer edge of the second region 120, the fourth region 140 is disposed around an outer edge of the third region 130, the first region 110 is circular, the second region 120, the third region 130 and the fourth region 140 are circular and concentric with the first region 110, a first electrode unit group is disposed in the first region 110, a second electrode unit group is disposed in the second region 120, a third electrode unit group is disposed in the third region 130, and a fourth electrode unit group is disposed in the fourth region 140. Preferably, the diameter of the first region 110 is adapted to a wafer with a diameter of 150mm, the outer diameter of the second region 120 is adapted to a wafer with a diameter of 200mm, the outer diameter of the third region 130 is adapted to a wafer with a diameter of 300mm, the outer diameter of the fourth region 140 is adapted to a wafer with a diameter of 450mm, the sucker body 100 is made of a ceramic material with high thermal conductivity, specifically, aluminum nitride, so as to provide good thermal conduction and electrical insulation performance, the first electrode unit group can be used for fixing a wafer with a diameter of 150mm, the second electrode unit group and the first electrode unit group can be used for fixing a wafer with a diameter of 200mm, the third electrode unit group, the second electrode unit group and the first electrode unit group can be used for fixing a wafer with a diameter of 300mm, the fourth electrode unit group, the third electrode unit group, the second electrode unit group and the first electrode unit group can be used for fixing a wafer with a diameter of 450mm, the second electrode unit group and the first electrode unit group can be used for fixing a wafer with a dielectric layer of 450mm, the dielectric layer of 200mm is designed to reduce the dielectric constant, the dielectric layer of 200mm is formed by using a dielectric layer of 200mm, the dielectric layer of the dielectric chuck is designed to have a dielectric constant of 200mm, the dielectric layer is reduced, the dielectric constant of the dielectric layer is reduced, and the dielectric layer is formed between the dielectric layer is formed to have a dielectric layer is reduced to have a thickness of 200mm, and the dielectric constant is reduced, and the dielectric layer is reduced is an thickness is reduced.
The first electrode unit group includes a first positive electrode unit 111 and a first negative electrode unit 112, the second electrode unit group includes a second positive electrode unit 121 and a second negative electrode unit 122, the third electrode unit group includes two third positive electrode units 131 and two third negative electrode units 132, the fourth electrode unit group includes three fourth positive electrode units 141 and three fourth negative electrode units 142, the first positive electrode unit 111 and the first negative electrode unit 112 are symmetrically arranged along the circular center, the second positive electrode unit 121 and the second negative electrode unit 122 are symmetrically arranged along the circular center, the third positive electrode unit 131 and the third negative electrode unit 132 are symmetrically arranged along the circular center, the fourth positive electrode unit 141 and the fourth negative electrode unit 142 are symmetrically arranged along the circular center, the sucker main body 100 includes a positive electrode part 101 and a negative electrode part 102 which are oppositely arranged, and the first positive electrode unit 111, the second positive electrode unit 121, the two third positive electrode unit 131 and the three third negative electrode unit 131 are both positioned in the first positive electrode unit 101 and the second negative electrode unit 132 and the third negative electrode unit 132 are respectively positioned in the fourth positive electrode unit 132 and the third negative electrode unit 102. Preferably, a voltage of 500V to 1000V is applied to the positive electrode unit and the negative electrode unit, an electric field is formed between the positive electrode portion 101 and the negative electrode portion 102, and opposite charges are induced on the surface of the wafer, so that the wafer is adsorbed on the surface of the chuck, specifically, for example, a wafer with a diameter of 300mm is processed, 800V voltage is applied to the electrode units in the first region 110, the second region 120 and the third region 130, an adsorption force of 100kPa is formed on the wafer, it is understood that the symmetry of the center of the positive electrode unit and the center of the circle of the negative electrode unit is beneficial to generating a uniform adsorption force, the electrode units in different regions are started, the electrostatic chuck can adapt to wafers with various sizes, the number of electrodes is set for each region according to the size of the wafer, and voltages with different sizes are applied, so that an electrostatic force with size adaptation is beneficial to the wafer, and stable adsorption and fixation can be performed on wafers with different sizes.
The first electrode unit set, the second electrode unit set, the third electrode unit set and the fourth electrode unit set are all electrically connected with the power supply 310 and the forced discharge switch 320, one end of the forced discharge switch 320 is connected with the grounding end 330, the other end of the forced discharge switch 320 is connected with the output relay 340, one end of the output relay 340, which is opposite to the forced discharge switch 320, is connected with the radio-frequency filter 350, one end of the radio-frequency filter 350, which is opposite to the output relay 340, is connected with the output end 360, the output end 360 is used for connecting the first electrode unit set, the second electrode unit set, the third electrode unit set and the fourth electrode unit set, one end of the power supply 320 is connected with the grounding end 330, the other end of the power supply 310 is connected with one end of the forced discharge switch 320, which is far away from the grounding end 330, and the power supply 310 is used for applying forward voltage or reverse voltage. Preferably, the forward voltage of the power supply 310 is 500V-1000V, the reverse voltage is specifically a reverse pulse voltage, the reverse pulse voltage frequency is 50Hz, the reverse pulse voltage is 200V, the reverse voltage is beneficial to rapidly eliminating residual charges, the forced discharge switch 320 can forcedly ground charges, is beneficial to rapidly eliminating residual charges on the electrostatic chuck and the wafer, can ensure the safety of operators, can prevent the wafer from being difficult to separate from the electrostatic chuck due to the influence of the residual charges, the output relay 340 is used for cutting off or connecting the voltage output between the power supply 310 and the chuck electrode, when the output relay 340 is opened, the voltage drop of the electrostatic chuck during the process of transferring the wafer to the next process can be prevented, the stability of wafer fixing is beneficial to ensuring, the radio frequency filter 350 is used for filtering high-frequency noise, ensuring the stability and the purity of the output voltage, preventing noise interference, maintaining the stability of wafer fixing, and is beneficial to improving the accuracy of wafer processing. It will be appreciated that when a larger size wafer is required to be adsorbed, even if a larger voltage is provided to generate a larger electrostatic force, the occurrence of the dielectric breakdown or inter-electrode arcing phenomenon can be prevented by timely discharging the residual charge.
The sucker main body 100 is disposed in one end facing away from the dielectric layer 200, the sensor array 400 is configured to monitor whether an electric field on the dielectric layer 200 is uniform, the sensor array 400 includes a first sensor group, a second sensor group, a third sensor group and a fourth sensor group, the first sensor group corresponds to the first area 110, the first sensor group includes two first sensors 410, the second sensor group corresponds to the second area 120, the second sensor group includes two second sensors 420, the third sensor group corresponds to the third area 130, the third sensor group includes four third sensors 430, the fourth sensor group corresponds to the fourth area 140, the fourth sensor group includes six fourth sensors 440, the third sensor group corresponds to the fourth positive electrode unit 142, the third sensor group is located between the fourth positive electrode unit and the fourth projection unit 132, the fourth projection unit 142, and the adjacent unit 142 are located between the fourth projection unit 132 and the adjacent unit 132. Preferably, the sensor array 400 is embedded in the chuck body 100, and is used for monitoring the electric field distribution in real time to obtain the wafer adsorption state, and the output of the power supply 310 can be adjusted according to the feedback of the sensor array 400, so that a uniform and stable adsorption force can be applied to the wafer, the projection of the first sensor 410 in the first area 110 is adjacent to the first positive electrode unit 111 or the first negative electrode unit 112, and the projection of the second sensor 420 in the second area 120 is adjacent to the second positive electrode unit 121 or the second negative electrode unit 122.
A second embodiment of the present invention provides an electrostatic chuck control method applied to the electrostatic chuck as described in the first embodiment, including the steps of:
S10, placing a wafer on the surface of an electrostatic chuck, wherein the electrostatic chuck comprises a chuck main body and a dielectric layer connected with the chuck main body, the dielectric layer is abutted against the wafer, and a first area, a second area, a third area and a fourth area are arranged at one end of the chuck main body, which faces the dielectric layer;
Preferably, referring to fig. 1, the wafer 500 is adsorbed on the surface of the dielectric layer 200.
Step S20, selecting an adsorption electrode unit group from a first electrode unit group in the first area, a second electrode unit group in the second area, a third electrode unit group in the third area and a fourth electrode unit group in the fourth area according to the diameter of the wafer, and starting the adsorption electrode unit group through a power supply to adsorb the wafer for processing;
Preferably, if the diameter of the wafer 500 is 150mm, the first electrode unit group is the adsorption electrode unit group, the first positive electrode unit group is started to adsorb the wafer 500, if the diameter of the wafer 500 is 200mm, the adsorption electrode unit group is composed of the first electrode unit group and the second electrode unit group, if the diameter of the wafer 500 is 300mm, the adsorption electrode unit group is composed of the first electrode unit group, the second electrode unit group and the third electrode unit group, and if the diameter of the wafer 500 is 450mm, the adsorption electrode unit group is composed of the first electrode unit group, the second electrode unit group, the third electrode unit group and the fourth electrode unit group.
Further, taking the wafer 500 with the adsorption diameter of 300mm as an example, the main voltage is a forward voltage, and the power supply 310 applies 800V forward voltage to the first positive electrode unit 111, the first negative electrode unit 112, the second positive electrode unit 121, the second negative electrode unit 122, the two third positive electrode units 131 in the third region 130, and the two third negative electrode units 132 in the third region 130, so as to form an adsorption force of 100 kPa.
Step S30, judging whether the electric field on the dielectric layer is uniform or not through a sensor array in one end of the sucker main body, which is opposite to the dielectric layer, if the electric field on the dielectric layer is uniform, processing the wafer, and if the electric field on the dielectric layer is non-uniform, adjusting the power supply until the electric field on the dielectric layer is uniform;
Preferably, if the electric field uniformity error is less than 5%, the electric field is determined to be uniform, which is beneficial to applying stable and uniform adsorption force to the wafer 500, and ensuring the accuracy of the wafer processing process.
And S40, turning off the power supply after the processing is completed, and turning on a forced discharge switch to eliminate residual charges so as to separate the wafer.
Preferably, turning off the power supply 310 is beneficial to quick charge dissipation, and besides turning off the power supply 310, the power supply 310 may be further caused to apply a reverse voltage, where the frequency of the reverse voltage is 50Hz, the magnitude of the reverse voltage is 200V, and the detachment time of the wafer 500 is 1 to 2 seconds.
In the description of the present specification, a description referring to terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "examples," "specific examples," or "some examples," etc., means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments or examples. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.
The foregoing examples illustrate only a few embodiments of the invention and are described in detail herein without thereby limiting the scope of the invention. It should be noted that it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that several variations and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, which are all within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of protection of the present invention is to be determined by the appended claims.