# US 11,443,961 B2 · Semiconductor fabrication apparatus

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- Number: US 11,443,961 B2
- Document ID: US11443961B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/002,874
- Filed: 2020-08-26
- Published: 2021-03-04
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2019-08-30
- Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
- Inventors: Chih-Tsung Lee; Sheng-Chun Yang; Yun-Tzu Chiu; Chao-Hung Wan; Yi-Ming Lin; Chyi-Tsong Ni
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11443961B2

## CPC

- H10P 72/0402: {Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence)}
- B65G 47/90: Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials
- H10P 72/0454: {surrounding a central transfer chamber}
- H10P 72/0464: {characterised by the construction of the transfer chamber}
- H10P 72/7602: {the wafers being placed on a robot blade or gripped by a gripper for conveyance}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- B65G: TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS (packaging B65B; handling thin or filamentary materials, e.g. paper sheets or thread, B65H; cranes B66C; portable mobile or lifting or hauling appliances, e.g. hoists, B66D; devices for lifting or lowering goods for loading or unloading purposes, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/00; emptying bottles, jars, casks, barrels or similar containers, not otherwise provided for, B67C9/00; delivering or transferring liquids B67D; filling or discharging vessels for liquefied, solidified or compressed gases F17C; pipe-line systems for fluids F17D)

## Abstract

An apparatus for fabricating a semiconductor device has a housing defining a buffer chamber, a plurality of reactor ports formed in the housing for establishing interfaces with a plurality of process chambers that are to receive a wafer during a fabrication process to fabricate the semiconductor device, a wafer positioning robot positioned within the buffer chamber to transport the wafer between the plurality of process chambers through the plurality of reactor ports, a purge port formed in the housing for introducing a purge gas into the buffer chamber, a pump port formed in the housing for exhausting a portion of the purge gas from the buffer chamber, and a first flow enhancer that directs the purge gas flowing in an axial direction along a longitudinal axis of the purge port into the buffer chamber in a plurality of radial directions relative to the longitudinal axis.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus for fabricating a semiconductor device, the apparatus comprising:
a housing defining a buffer chamber;
a plurality of reactor ports formed in the housing for establishing interfaces with a plurality of process chambers that are to receive a wafer during a fabrication process to fabricate the semiconductor device;
a wafer positioning robot positioned, at least partially, within the buffer chamber to transport the wafer between the plurality of process chambers through the plurality of reactor ports;
a purge port formed in the housing for introducing a purge gas into the buffer chamber;
a pump port formed in the housing for exhausting a portion of the purge gas from the buffer chamber; and
a first flow enhancer that, when arranged adjacent to the purge port, directs the purge gas flowing in an axial direction along a longitudinal axis of the purge port into the buffer chamber in a plurality of radial directions relative to the longitudinal axis, wherein:
the first flow enhancer comprises a frame that supports a first cap at a first elevation vertically above the purge port, and
a portion of the frame of the first flow enhancer is configured to be partially received within the purge port.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a floor, and the purge port is formed in the floor of the housing.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the pump port is formed in the floor of the housing, and is arranged approximately one hundred eighty degrees (180°) about a center point of the floor from the purge port.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first cap comprises a circular footprint, and a ratio of a radius of the circular footprint of the first cap to a height of the frame is at least 1.0, and up to 4.0.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the purge port comprises an arcuate wall defining a circular aperture;
the first cap comprises a circular footprint; and
a ratio of a radius of the circular footprint of the first cap to a radius of the circular aperture of the purge port is at least 0.5, and up to 5.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frame supports a second cap at a second elevation vertically between the purge port and the first cap.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the second cap comprises a circular footprint, and a ratio of a radius of the circular footprint of the second cap to a height of the frame is at least 0.25, and up to 1.5.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:
the purge port comprises an arcuate wall defining a circular aperture;
the second cap comprises a circular footprint; and
a ratio of a radius of the circular footprint of the second cap, to a radius of the circular aperture of the purge port is at least 0.5, and up to 5.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:
the first cap comprises a circular footprint;
the second cap comprises a circular footprint; and
a ratio of a radius of the circular footprint of the first cap to a radius of the circular footprint of the second cap is at least 1.5, and up to 5.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first flow enhancer is concentrically arranged with the purge port.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a second flow enhancer that, when arranged adjacent to the pump port, directs a portion of the purge gas drawn into the pump port from the buffer chamber in a radial direction relative to a longitudinal axis of the pump port, before the portion of the purge gas drawn into the pump port travels in an axial direction along the longitudinal axis of the pump port.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frame comprises a base and a plurality of uprights extending between the base and the first cap.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the base is configured to be received within the purge port.

### Claim 14

An apparatus for fabricating a semiconductor device, the apparatus comprising:
a housing defining a buffer chamber;
a plurality of reactor ports formed in the housing for establishing interfaces with a plurality of process chambers that are to receive a wafer during a fabrication process to fabricate the semiconductor device;
a wafer positioning robot positioned, at least partially, within the buffer chamber to transport the wafer between the plurality of process chambers through the plurality of reactor ports;
a purge port formed in a floor of the housing for introducing a purge gas into the buffer chamber;
a pump port formed in the floor of the housing for exhausting a portion of the purge gas from the buffer chamber, wherein the pump port is arranged approximately one hundred eighty degrees (180°) about a center point of the floor from the purge port;
a first flow enhancer comprising a first frame that supports a first cap to direct an axial flow of the purge gas entering the buffer chamber along a longitudinal axis of the purge port to a plurality of radial directions; and
a second flow enhancer comprising a second frame that supports a second cap to direct a portion of the purge gas drawn into the pump port from the buffer chamber in a radial direction relative to a longitudinal axis of the pump port, before the portion of the purge gas drawn into the pump port travels in an axial direction along the longitudinal axis of the pump port.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:
the first frame supports the first cap at a first elevation within the buffer chamber above the purge port,
the second frame supports the second cap at a second elevation within the buffer chamber above the pump port, and
the first elevation is less than the second elevation.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first flow enhancer comprises a third cap that is supported by the first frame at a third elevation between the first elevation and an elevation of the floor of the housing.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first cap comprises a first planar surface that directs a first portion of the axial flow of the purge gas entering the buffer chamber in a first plurality of radial directions, and the third cap comprises a second planar surface that directs a second portion of the axial flow of the purge gas entering the buffer chamber in a second plurality of radial directions.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The apparatus of claim 17, wherein an area of the first planar surface is greater than an area of the second planar surface.

### Claim 19

A method of promoting uniform distribution of a purge gas in a buffer chamber, the method comprising:
establishing a flow of the purge gas into the buffer chamber in a first axial direction along a longitudinal axis of a purge port formed in a floor defining the buffer chamber;
directing, with a first flow enhancer, the purge gas entering the buffer chamber in the first axial direction to a plurality of radial directions extending generally away from the longitudinal axis of the purge port;
establishing a partial vacuum at a pump port formed in the floor defining the buffer chamber to draw a portion of the purge gas from the buffer chamber;
directing, with a second flow enhancer, the portion of the purge gas being drawn from the buffer chamber in a radial flow direction toward a longitudinal axis of the pump port; and
causing the portion of the purge gas directed in the radial flow direction to flow through the pump port in a second axial direction along the longitudinal axis of the pump port.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, comprising:
balancing an inlet flow rate of the purge gas being introduced into the buffer chamber through the purge port with an exhaust flow rate of the purge gas being exhausted from the buffer chamber through the pump port to establish a substantially uniform flow of the purge gas through the buffer chamber.