Device and method for processing wafers

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for processing of substrates, especially wafers, with at least one pretreatment module, at least one aftertreatment module and at least one primary treatment module, and the pretreatment module and the aftertreatment module can be switched as a lock for the primary treatment module, and a corresponding method for processing of substrates, especially wafers.

Claims

1. A device for processing substrate pairs, wherein each substrate pair is comprised of first and second substrates, the device comprising, a first pretreatment module for pretreatment of the first substrate of the substrate pair before primary treatment in at least one primary treatment module, the first pretreatment module including a first pretreatment chamber which forms a first pretreatment space, and a first lock door moveable between an open state and a closed state, a second pretreatment module for pretreatment of the second substrate of the substrate pair before primary treatment in the at least one primary treatment module, the second pretreatment module including a second pretreatment chamber which forms a second pretreatment space, and a second lock door moveable between an open state and a closed state, said at least one primary treatment module for primary treatment of the substrate pair having a primary treatment chamber which forms a primary treatment space, wherein primary treatment of the substrate pair includes bringing the first and second substrates of the substrate pair into contact with each other and bonding the first and second substrates together while the first and second pretreatment modules are loaded with further substrates, said at least one primary treatment module including a heating apparatus for heating the primary treatment chamber to a temperature that is greater than 250 C. during bonding of the first and second substrates, a first primary lock door located between the first pretreatment chamber and the primary treatment chamber, said first primary lock door movable between an open state and a closed state and said first primary lock door forming a vacuum-tight connection between the primary treatment chamber and the first pretreatment chamber in the closed state, a second primary lock door located between the second pretreatment chamber and the primary treatment chamber, said second primary lock door moveable between an open state and a closed stated and said second primary lock door forming a vacuum-tight connection between the primary treatment chamber and the second pretreatment chamber in the closed state, at least one aftertreatment module for aftertreatment of the substrate pair, the at least one aftertreatment module having: an aftertreatment chamber which forms an aftertreatment space, and a third lock door movable between an open state and a closed state, a third primary lock door located between the primary treatment space and the aftertreatment space, said third primary lock door movable between an open state and a closed state and said third primary lock door forming a vacuum-tight connection between the primary treatment chamber and the aftertreatment chamber in the closed state, and a central control apparatus for controlling operation of one or more pressurization apparatus to independently control pressure in the first and second pretreatment spaces, the primary treatment space, and the aftertreatment space, and for controlling movement of the first lock door, the first primary lock door, the second lock door, the second primary lock door, the third lock door, and the third primary lock door, between the open state and the closed state.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first, second, and third primary lock doors are transfer valves.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device includes one or more additional pretreatment modules connected upstream to at least one of the first and second pretreatment modules as locks and/or one or more additional aftertreatment modules connected downstream of the at least one aftertreatment module as locks.

4. A device for processing substrate pairs, wherein each substrate pair is comprised of first and second substrates, the device comprising, first and second pretreatment modules, the first pretreatment module for pretreatment of the first substrate of the substrate pair before primary treatment in a primary treatment module having a primary treatment chamber which forms a primary treatment space, and the second pretreatment module for pretreatment of the second substrate of the substrate pair before primary treatment in the primary treatment module, wherein the first and the second substrates are respectively loaded into the primary treatment chamber via separate first and second primary lock doors, said primary treatment module for primary treatment of the substrate pair that includes bringing the first and second substrates of the substrate pair into contact with each other and bonding the first and second substrates together while the first and second pretreatment modules are loaded with further substrates, said primary treatment module including a heating apparatus for heating the primary treatment chamber to a temperature that is greater than 250 C. during bonding of the first and second substrates, said first primary lock door located between the first pretreatment chamber and the primary treatment chamber, said first primary lock door movable between an open state and a closed state and said first primary lock door forming a vacuum-tight connection between the primary treatment chamber and the first pretreatment chamber in the closed state, said second primary lock door located between the second pretreatment chamber and the primary treatment chamber, said second primary lock door moveable between an open state and a closed stated and said second primary lock door forming a vacuum-tight connection between the primary treatment chamber and the second pretreatment chamber in the closed state, at least one aftertreatment module for aftertreatment of the substrate pair, the at least one aftertreatment module having: an aftertreatment chamber which forms an aftertreatment space, and a third lock door movable between an open state and a closed state, a third primary lock door located between the primary treatment space and the aftertreatment space, said third primary lock door movable between an open state and a closed state and said third primary lock door forming a vacuum-tight connection between the primary treatment chamber and the aftertreatment chamber in the closed state, and a central control apparatus for controlling operation of one or more pressurization apparatus to independently control pressure in the first and second pretreatment spaces, the primary treatment space, and the aftertreatment space, and for controlling movement of the first lock door, the first primary lock door, the second lock door, the second primary lock door, the third lock door, and the third primary lock door, between the open state and the closed state.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device further comprises: a loading and unloading apparatus for loading and unloading of the first and second substrates into and out of the primary treatment chamber and/or the first pretreatment chamber and/or the second pretreatment chamber and/or the aftertreatment chamber.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the central control apparatus controls operation of a loading and unloading apparatus for loading and unloading the first and second substrates into and out of the pretreatment, primary treatment and aftertreatment chambers, wherein the primary treatment chamber is loaded from the first pretreatment chamber via the first primary lock door and the primary treatment chamber is unloaded into the aftertreatment chamber via the third primary lock door, at the same time and/or the first pretreatment chamber is loaded via the first lock door and the aftertreatment chamber is unloaded via the third lock door, at the same time.

7. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first, second, and third primary lock doors are inserted in a common channel located between the respectively adjacent pretreatment and aftertreatment chambers to form a seal therebetween.

8. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the loading and unloading apparatus comprises at least one robot arm.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said device includes a first pressurization apparatus connected to the first pretreatment chamber for pressurizing the first pretreatment space, a second pressurization apparatus connected to the second pretreatment space for pressurizing the second pretreatment space, a third pressurization apparatus connected to the primary treatment chamber for pressurizing the primary treatment space, and a fourth pressurization apparatus connected to the aftertreatment chamber, for pressurizing the aftertreatment space.

10. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and second substrates are wafers.

11. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first, second and third primary lock doors are transfer valves.

12. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the device includes one or more additional pretreatment modules connected upstream to at least one of the first and second pretreatment modules as locks and/or one or more additional aftertreatment modules connected downstream of the at least one aftertreatment module as locks.

13. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the device further comprises: a loading and unloading apparatus for loading and unloading of the first and second substrates into and out of the primary treatment chamber and/or the first pretreatment chamber and/or the second pretreatment chamber and/or the aftertreatment chamber.

14. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the central control apparatus controls operation of a loading and unloading apparatus for loading and unloading the first and second substrates into and out of the pretreatment, primary treatment and aftertreatment chambers, wherein the primary treatment chamber is loaded from the first pretreatment chamber via the first primary lock door and the primary treatment chamber is unloaded into the aftertreatment chamber via the third primary lock door, at the same time and/or the first pretreatment chamber is loaded via the first lock door and the aftertreatment chamber is unloaded via the third lock door, at the same time.

15. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first, second, and third primary lock doors are inserted in a common channel located between the respectively adjacent pretreatment and aftertreatment chambers to form a seal therebetween.

16. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the loading and unloading apparatus comprises at least one robot arm.

17. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said device includes a first pressurization apparatus connected to the first pretreatment chamber for pressurizing the first pretreatment space, a second pressurization apparatus connected to the second pretreatment space for pressurizing the second pretreatment space, a third pressurization apparatus connected to the primary treatment chamber for pressurizing the primary treatment space, and a fourth pressurization apparatus connected to the aftertreatment chamber, for pressurizing the aftertreatment space.

18. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first and second substrates are wafers.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1a shows a schematic plan view of a device as claimed in the invention with a pretreatment module, a primary treatment module and an aftertreatment module.

(2) FIG. 1b shows a schematic sectional view of the device of the invention according to cutting line A-A from FIG. 1a,

(3) FIG. 2a shows a schematic plan view of a second embodiment of the device as claimed in the invention with a pretreatment module, a primary treatment module and an aftertreatment module,

(4) FIG. 2b shows a schematic sectional view of the device of the invention according to cutting line A-A from FIG. 2a,

(5) FIG. 2c shows a schematic sectional view of the device of the invention according to cutting line B-B from FIG. 2a,

(6) FIG. 3 shows a pressure/temperature diagram of a method of the invention for processing of substrates and

(7) FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of the device of the invention with a pretreatment module, a primary treatment module and an aftertreatment module.

(8) FIG. 5 shows a detailed schematic plan view of the device illustrated in FIG. 1a, wherein a pressurization apparatus and a central control apparatus are shown.

(9) FIG. 6 shows a schematic plan view of an alternative embodiment of the device illustrated in FIG. 1a, wherein the device includes two pretreatment modules for respective pretreatment of first and second wafers or first and second wafer pairs.

(10) The same reference numbers for corresponding components are provided in the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(11) In the embodiment of a device 1 of the invention shown in FIG. 1 a pretreatment module 9, a primary treatment module 10 and an aftertreatment module 11 are arranged linearly in a row.

(12) The pretreatment module 9 is comprised of a pretreatment chamber 2 which can be exposed to a vacuum and which surrounds a pretreatment space 12. A pressurization apparatus 104 is connected to the pretreatment chamber 2 and can be controlled by a central control apparatus 102 in order to be able to control the pressure in the pretreatment space 12 with the pretreatment chamber 2 closed (see FIG. 5 which provides a detailed schematic plan view of device 1). Via a temperature exposure apparatus which is not shown, the pretreatment space 12 can be heated and/or cooled, the temperature exposure apparatus being controllable by the central control apparatus 102.

(13) To load the pretreatment module 9 with one (or more) wafers 15, according to FIG. 4 there is a first robot arm 16. The latter, controlled from the central control apparatus 102, can be routed through a first lock door 5 when the first lock door 5 is opened. Opening and closing of the first lock door 5 are likewise controlled by the central control apparatus 102.

(14) The first lock door 5 in the embodiment according to FIGS. 1a and 1b is located on a first face side 18 of the device 1. The first lock door 5 can be closed pressure-tight and has heat insulation so that the pretreatment space 12 in the closed state of the first lock door 5 can be pressurized.

(15) Furthermore, the pretreatment chamber 2 opposite the first lock door 5 jointly with a primary treatment chamber 3 of the primary treatment module 10 has a first primary lock door 6. The first primary lock door 6 is made functionally analogous to the first lock door 5. The primary treatment module 10 can be coupled pressure-tight on the first primary lock door 6 to the pretreatment modules 9, as a result of which a modular structure and a replacement of individual modules 9, 10, 11 of the device 1 can be implemented.

(16) By controlling the first lock door 5 and the first primary lock door 6 by means of the central control apparatus 102 the pretreatment module 9 can be used as a lock, specifically by the first lock door 5 being closed when the first lock door 6 is opened and vice versa.

(17) The primary treatment module 10 is comprised of the primary treatment chamber 3 which encloses or forms a primary treatment space 13.

(18) Opposite the first primary lock door 6 of the primary treatment chamber 3 there is a second primary lock door 7 which is included at least partially in the primary treatment chamber 3 and which is used to unload the wafer 15 from the primary treatment chamber 3 into an aftertreatment chamber 4. The second primary lock door 7 is formed at least partially by the aftertreatment chamber 4. The primary treatment space 13 can be sealed pressure-tight by the second primary lock door 7 from one aftertreatment space 14 of the aftertreatment chamber 4. Functionally the second primary lock door 7 corresponds to the first primary lock door 6, the first primary lock door 6 and the second primary lock door 7, controlled from the central control apparatus 102, forming a lock.

(19) The aftertreatment module 11 for aftertreatment of the wafer 15 after primary treatment in the primary treatment module 10 is comprised of the aftertreatment chamber 4 which forms the aftertreatment space 14. Furthermore the aftertreatment chamber 4 has a second lock door 8 which is located opposite the second primary lock door 7.

(20) The wafer 15 can be unloaded via the second lock door 8 and by means of a second robot arm 17 after aftertreatment out of the aftertreatment space 14 as soon as the second lock door 8 is opened.

(21) The aftertreatment module 11 can likewise act as a lock by the second primary lock door 7 being closed when the second lock door 8 is opened and vice versa.

(22) The second lock door 8 is located on a second face side 19 of the device 1 so that a linear movement of the wafer 15 takes place during the entire process sequence through the pretreatment module 9, the primary treatment module 10 and the aftertreatment module 11.

(23) The embodiment according to FIG. 2a differs by the angular arrangement of the modules 9, 10, 11 so that an altered device 1 results. Only the configuration of the primary treatment chamber 3 is altered, since the second primary lock door 7 is not located opposite the first primary lock door 6, but on one side wall of the primary treatment chamber 3.

(24) In another embodiment of the invention, in the embodiment according to FIGS. 1a and 1b an additional side module (not shown) analagous to the aftertreatment module 11 in FIG. 2a can be located laterally on the primary treatment module 10 in order to remove the damaged wafers which are detected during the process flow from the process sequence.

(25) A process sequence in the invention whose pressure and temperature behavior is shown in FIG. 3 proceeds as follows:

(26) The first primary lock door 6 and the second primary lock door 7 are closed. Afterwards the pressure in the primary treatment space 13 is lowered by a pressurization apparatus 104, for example a vacuum pump, especially to a pressure p.sub.min less than 10.sup.6 bar, preferably to a pressure less than 10.sup.9 bar. This ideally takes place only a single time during the processing of a plurality, especially more than 100, preferably more than 1000, even more preferably more than 10000 wafers or wafer pairs.

(27) Via the opened first lock door 5 a wafer 15 or wafer pair is loaded into the pretreatment chamber by means of the first robot arm 16 and is treated there. Pretreatment can be a dry and/or wet process step, for example wet cleaning, plasma treatment, etching, heating or the like. The pretreatment especially preferably comprises an especially optical and/or mechanical alignment apparatus.

(28) Before or after or during the pretreatment step the pretreatment space 12 can be evacuated via a separately activated pressurization apparatus 104.

(29) Before opening the first primary lock door 6, in any case the first lock door 5 is closed and the pretreatment space 12 is evacuated, especially to a pressure p.sub.V, during or shortly prior to the loading of the pretreatment chamber 3 of less than 10.sup.6 bar, preferably less than 10.sup.7 bar, so that the pretreatment module 9 acts as a lock for the primary treatment module 10.

(30) The wafer 15 is loaded by an internal transport system, for example a robot arm, through the first primary lock door 6 into the primary treatment chamber 3, 3.

(31) Then the first primary lock door 6 is closed. During the loading of the primary treatment chamber 3, 3 the second primary lock door 7 is continually closed. The pressure is preferably further lowered to p.sub.min less than 10.sup.6 bar, even more preferably 10.sup.9 bar.

(32) After closing the first primary lock door 6, another wafer 15 can be loaded into the pretreatment chamber 2. At the same time the primary treatment of the first wafer 15 takes place in the primary treatment module 10. This can be for example bonding, lacquering, imprinting, embossing and/or exposure.

(33) After the primary treatment of the wafer 15 in the primary treatment module 10, the wafer 15 is loaded into the aftertreatment module 11 by opening the second primary lock door 7, the second lock door 8 being closed. Before opening of the second primary lock door 7 the aftertreatment space 14 is exposed to a vacuum, especially a pressure p.sub.N of less than 10.sup.6, preferably less than 10.sup.7 by a pressurization apparatus 104 of the aftertreatment module 11 at least until the wafer 15 is loaded from the primary treatment module 10 into the aftertreatment module 11 and the second primary lock door 7 is closed again.

(34) Then aftertreatment of the wafer 15 takes place in the aftertreatment module 11, for example cooling and simultaneous raising of the pressure by the pressurization apparatus 104 of the aftertreatment module 11.

(35) After completion of the aftertreatment of the wafer 15 in the aftertreatment module 11, the wafer 15 is removed via the second lock door 8 and the second robot arm 17.

(36) Before each opening of the primary lock door 6 the pretreatment chamber 2, and before each opening of the primary lock door 7 the aftertreatment chamber 4 are exposed to a pressure p.sub.V or p.sub.N less than the atmospheric and/or ambient pressure p.sub.ATM outside the chambers 2, 3, 4 and/or decontaminated, especially flushed with inert gas.

(37) According to one especially advantageous embodiment of the above described invention, the wafer 15 is a wafer pair and a wafer pair is loaded into the device 1 in the above described manner by means of a holding device or handling apparatus for handling of the wafer pair, the pretreatment shown in the left-hand section in FIG. 3 comprising the steps heating, evacuation, gas flushing with reducing gas, a wet chemical treatment, a plasma treatment and/or argon bombardment.

(38) The primary treatment takes place in a vacuum which is higher compared to pretreatment, therefore at a lower pressure p.sub.min as is shown in FIG. 3 in the middle section. A controlled gas atmosphere, therefore an exactly set gas pressure and an exactly controlled mixing ratio of gases are set by the pressurization apparatus 104 of the primary treatment module 10. Then the wafer pair is brought into contact and bonded. Beforehand, the temperature which is necessary for the joining, especially T.sub.max, is set to be greater than 250 C., preferably T.sub.max greater than 400 C. During bonding, a force as uniform as possible is applied to the wafer pair and/or an electrical voltage is applied.

(39) The aftertreatment which is shown in FIG. 3 in the right-hand section, takes place in an nonoxidizing environment, in which cooling takes place and the pressure is raised to atmospheric pressure. Slow cooling prevents or avoids thermal stresses in the wafer pair which was bonded beforehand.

(40) The pretreatment of the wafer pair can take place according to an embodiment shown in FIG. 6. Device 1 includes a first pretreatment module 9a for pretreatment of the first wafer W.sub.1 or wafer pair and a second pretreatment module 9b for pretreatment of the second wafer W.sub.2 or wafer pair. The first and the second wafers W.sub.1, W.sub.2 can be loaded into the primary treatment chamber via separate lock doors.

(41) The chambers 2, 3, 4 are preferably made of stainless steel or aluminum.

(42) In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the first lock door 5 is not located on the face side 18 of the pretreatment chamber 2, but on the side wall. The second lock door 8 is not located on the face side 19, but on the side wall of the aftertreatment chamber 4.

(43) The process flow is shown by arrows in FIG. 4.

(44) The primary lock doors 6, 7 must accordingly have high pressure tightness up to p.sub.min and are preferably made as a transfer valve which is or can be inserted in a common channel between the respectively adjacent chambers 2, 3, 4, forming a seal. The opening diameter of the lock doors 5, 6, 7, 8 is more than 200 mm, especially more than 300 mm, preferably more than 450 mm.

REFERENCE NUMBER LIST

(45) 1, 1, 1 device 2, 2 pretreatment chamber 3, 3 primary treatment chamber 4, 4 aftertreatment chamber 5 first lock door 6 first primary lock door 7 second primary lock door 8 second lock door 9 pretreatment module 10 primary treatment module 11 aftertreatment module 12 pretreatment space 13 primary treatment space 14 aftertreatment space 15 wafer 16 first robot arm 17 second robot arm 18 first face side 19 second face side 102 central control apparatus 104 pressurization apparatus