Patent Description:
During the high temperature physical vapor deposition process, a carrying plate needs to be used to heat a wafer to a certain process temperature, and the carrying plate needs to have the capability to regulate the wafer temperature in a high temperature state, that is, the carrying plate not only can heat the wafer, but also can cool the wafer when needed. The cooling capacity requirements on the carrying plate differ for different processes (especially the high-temperature process), for example, there are processes that only require the carrying plate to heat the wafer, and there are processes that require the carrying plate to have a strong cooling capacity. In general, it is difficult to meet the needs of different processes using the same carrying plate.

Chinese patent application <CIT> discloses a heating plate, which is capable of moving up and down relative to a heating plate by adjusting a lifting structure; and International Patent application <CIT> discloses a thin wall structure, which is respectively connected to a heating body and a cooling pipeline for reducing efficiency of heat dissipation between the heating body and the cooling pipeline.

A first objective of the present application is to provide a wafer carrying mechanism to solve the technical problem that existing wafer carrying mechanisms have difficulty in meeting the needs of various high-temperature processes.

A wafer carrying mechanism provided by the present application is used for a semiconductor process apparatus, the wafer carrying mechanism is disposed in a process chamber of the semiconductor process apparatus, the wafer carrying mechanism includes a mounting support, a carrying plate, a heater, a cooling structure, and a distance adjusting assembly, wherein the carrying plate is disposed on the heater for carrying a wafer; the heater is disposed on the mounting support, and an accommodating space is formed between the heater and the mounting support; the cooling structure is located in the accommodating space for cooling the heater; and the distance adjusting assembly is separately connected to the mounting support and the cooling structure for adjusting a vertical distance between the cooling structure and the heater;.

Further, the first distance adjusting piece includes threaded rods, nuts, and washers, wherein there are a plurality of threaded rods, and the threaded rods are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the support plate; each threaded rod is vertically disposed, and an upper end of the threaded rod is fixedly connected to the cooling structure; first unthreaded holes are provided at positions corresponding to the threaded rods on the support plate, and the threaded rods penetrate through the first unthreaded holes;.

Further, the flange plate is provided with a central through hole, and a first connecting portion is provided on a hole wall of the central through hole; a portion of the support plate is located in the central through hole; a second connecting portion is provided on an outer peripheral wall of the support plate; the second connecting portion and the first connecting portion are disposed in a superimposing mode, and the second connecting portion is located under the first connecting portion;.

Further, a connecting wall extending in the direction of the heater is provided on the flange plate and at an edge of the flange plate, the connecting wall is fixedly connected to the heater, and the accommodating space is formed between an inner peripheral surface of the connecting wall, a lower surface of the heater and an upper surface of the flange plate.

Further, the wafer carrying mechanism further includes a pressing ring, and the pressing ring includes an annular body fixedly connected to the heater and surrounding the carrying plate, and pressing teeth disposed in the annular body and protruding relative to an inner peripheral surface of the annular body, wherein there are a plurality of pressing teeth, and the pressing teeth are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the annular body, at least a portion of each of the pressing teeth being elastically superimposed on the carrying plate for pressing the carrying plate against the heater.

Further, the vertical distance between the cooling structure and the heater is greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM>.

Further, the cooling structure includes a cooling screen, and a cooling plate connected to a bottom of the cooling screen, wherein the cooling plate is provided with a flow channel, the flow channel is used for delivering a cooling liquid, and a radial dimension of the cooling screen is greater than or equal to a radial dimension of the carrying plate.

Further, the heater includes a heater body, and a heating wire embedded in the heater body.

The benefits of the wafer carrying mechanism provided by the present application are as follows:
according to the wafer carrying mechanism, the vertical distance between the cooling structure and the heater is adjusted by means of the distance adjusting assembly separately connected to the mounting support and the cooling structure. Not only can the heat conduction efficiency of gas be adjusted to enable adjustment of the cooling capacity, thereby meeting the needs of different high-temperature processes, but also the cooling structure and the heater are made in a non-direct contact state, in this way, during use of the wafer carrying mechanism, the risk of shattering of the carrying plate by the heater due to sudden cooling of the cooling structure can be avoided, thus ensuring that the carrying plate can always be cooled at high temperature, and making the wafer carrying mechanism more advantageous in high-temperature processes.

A second objective of the present application is to provide a semiconductor process apparatus to solve the technical problem that existing semiconductor process apparatuses have difficulty in meeting the needs of different high-temperature processes.

The semiconductor process apparatus provided by the present application includes a process chamber and the aforementioned wafer carrying mechanism, the wafer carrying mechanism being disposed within the process chamber.

The benefits brought about by the semiconductor process apparatus provided by the present application are as follows:
by providing the aforementioned wafer carrying mechanism provided by the present application within the process chamber of the semiconductor process apparatus, the semiconductor process apparatus accordingly has all the advantages of the aforementioned wafer carrying mechanism, which are not described in any further detail herein.

To describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or in the prior art more clearly, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for describing the embodiments or the prior art. Apparently, the drawings in the following description are merely embodiments of the present application, and those of ordinary skill in the art may still derive other drawings from these drawings without creative efforts.

In order that the above objectives, features, and advantages of the present application will become more apparent, the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are intended only to explain the present application and are not intended to limit it.

<FIG> is a cross-sectional view of a structure of a wafer carrying mechanism according to an embodiment when a wafer is carried. As shown in <FIG>, the present embodiment provides a wafer carrying mechanism used for a semiconductor process apparatus, specifically, the wafer carrying mechanism is disposed in a process chamber of the semiconductor process apparatus, the wafer carrying mechanism includes a mounting support <NUM>, a carrying plate <NUM>, a heater <NUM>, a cooling structure <NUM>, and a distance adjusting assembly, wherein the carrying plate <NUM> is disposed on the heater <NUM> for carrying a wafer <NUM>, optionally, a lower surface of the carrying plate <NUM> is attached to an upper surface of the heater <NUM> to improve heat conduction efficiency of the heater <NUM>. The mounting support <NUM> is fixedly disposed in the process chamber, the heater <NUM> is disposed on the mounting support <NUM>, and an accommodating space is formed between the heater <NUM> and the mounting support <NUM>; the cooling structure <NUM> is located within the accommodating space for cooling the heater <NUM>.

During use of the wafer carrying mechanism, the heat generated by heating of the heater <NUM> can be transferred directly to the carrying plate <NUM> to provide the desired temperature of the wafer <NUM> under a current high-temperature process; the cooling structure <NUM> acts as a heat sink for the carrying plate <NUM>, however, the heater <NUM> is what the cooling structure <NUM> directly affects, that is, the carrying plate <NUM> is indirectly cooled by cooling the heater <NUM>. By changing the heating power of the heater <NUM>, a balance between the heating power of the heater <NUM> and the cooling power of the cooling structure <NUM> may be achieved, thereby enabling the wafer <NUM> disposed on the carrying plate <NUM> to be always maintained at a desired process temperature.

When it is required to cool the carrying plate <NUM>, only the heating power of the heater <NUM> needs to be reduced, the heater <NUM> is cooled by the cooling structure <NUM> such that the temperature of the heater <NUM> is reduced until the temperature of the heater <NUM> is lower than the temperature of the carrying plate <NUM>, at which point heat will be transferred from the carrying plate <NUM> to the heater <NUM>, and the heat of the heater <NUM> is further transferred to the cooling structure <NUM>, achieving indirect cooling of the carrying plate <NUM> by the cooling structure <NUM>.

The distance adjusting assembly is separately connected to the mounting support <NUM> and the cooling structure <NUM> for adjusting a vertical distance between the cooling structure <NUM> and the heater <NUM>. By adjusting the vertical distance between the cooling structure <NUM> and the heater <NUM> by means of the aforementioned distance adjusting assembly, the heat conduction efficiency of gas can be adjusted to enable adjustment of the cooling capacity, thereby meeting the needs of different high-temperature processes.

Furthermore, by adjusting the vertical distance between the cooling structure <NUM> and the heater <NUM> by means of the aforementioned distance adjusting assembly, the cooling structure <NUM> and the heater <NUM> may also be in a non-direct contact state, in this way, during use of the wafer carrying mechanism, the risk of shattering of the carrying plate <NUM> by the heater <NUM> due to sudden cooling of the cooling structure <NUM> can be avoided, thus ensuring that the carrying plate <NUM> can always be cooled at high temperature, and making the wafer carrying mechanism more advantageous in high-temperature processes.

From the formula for heat conduction <MAT>, where Q is the heat flow rate of heat conduction, λ is the heat conductivity of air, A is the heat conduction area, T1 is the temperature of the heater <NUM>, T2 is the temperature of the cooling structure <NUM>, and Δx is the vertical distance between the heater <NUM> and the cooling structure <NUM>, it can be seen that the smaller the vertical distance, the larger the heat flow rate Q of heat conduction; conversely, the larger the vertical distance, the smaller the heat flow rate Q of heat conduction, based on this, adjustment of the heat flow rate Q of heat conduction can be achieved by adjusting the aforementioned vertical distance, thereby achieving different heat conduction effects.

In some optional embodiments, the carrying plate <NUM> is an electrostatic chuck. The electrostatic chuck has relatively high wafer utilization, few particles, and uniform edge etching and deposition rates. Using the electrostatic chuck to carry the wafer <NUM> can avoid movement or misalignment of the wafer <NUM> during processing, and the electrostatic chuck can be electrically connected to a radio frequency power supply to provide radio frequency bias to the wafer <NUM>, and the surface temperature of the wafer <NUM> can also be controlled by using the aforementioned heater <NUM> and cooling structure <NUM>. Specifically, the carrying plate <NUM> may be fabricated from a dielectric material such as Al<NUM>O<NUM> ceramic, AlN ceramic, and the like, which contains therein a DC electrode electrically connected to a DC power supply, and an electrostatic adsorption force is generated to adsorb the wafer <NUM> by applying a DC voltage to the DC electrode.

With continued reference to <FIG>, in some optional embodiments, the heater <NUM> may include a heater body <NUM>, and a heating wire <NUM> embedded in the heater body <NUM>, wherein the heating wire <NUM> is in electrical connection with a power supply. During operation of the wafer carrying mechanism, the power supply energizes the heating wire <NUM>, the heating wire <NUM> generates and transfers heat to the heater body <NUM>, causing the temperature of the heater body <NUM> to rise, and the heater body <NUM> with rising temperature transfers heat to the carrying plate <NUM>, thereby achieving heating of the carrying plate <NUM>.

<FIG> is a top view of a structure of the connection between a pressing ring <NUM> and a carrying plate <NUM> of the wafer carrying mechanism according to an embodiment. <FIG> is an enlarged view of a partial structure of the connection between the pressing ring <NUM> and the carrying plate <NUM> of the wafer carrying mechanism according to an embodiment. With continued reference to <FIG>, in conjunction with <FIG> and <FIG>, in some optional embodiments, the wafer carrying mechanism further includes a pressing ring <NUM>, and the carrying plate <NUM> is disposed on the heater <NUM> by the pressing ring <NUM>. Specifically, the pressing ring <NUM> includes an annular body <NUM> fixedly connected to the heater <NUM> and surrounding the carrying plate <NUM>, and pressing teeth <NUM> disposed in the annular body <NUM> and protruding relative to an inner peripheral surface of the annular body <NUM>, wherein there are a plurality of pressing teeth <NUM>, and the pressing teeth <NUM> are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the annular body <NUM>, at least a portion of each of the pressing teeth <NUM> being elastically superimposed on the carrying plate <NUM> for pressing the carrying plate <NUM> against the heater <NUM>.

Providing of the pressing ring <NUM> enables the fixing of the carrying plate <NUM> on the heater <NUM>. Moreover, during operation of the wafer carrying mechanism, a difference in the amount of expansion exists between the carrying plate <NUM> and the heater <NUM> due to different coefficients of thermal expansion. As the heater body <NUM> has a greater coefficient of thermal expansion and a greater amount of expansion relative to the carrying plate <NUM>, the radial distance A between the pressing ring <NUM> and the carrying plate <NUM> may increase, to this end, by elastically superimposing at least a portion of each pressing tooth <NUM> on the carrying plate <NUM>, elastic deformation of the pressing tooth <NUM> can be utilized to adapt to the increased radial distance A. For example, as shown in <FIG>, due to existence of an inclination angle B of the pressing tooth <NUM> with respect to a horizontal plane, the inclination angle B causes the pressing tooth <NUM> to always apply elastic pressure to the carrying plate <NUM>, in this case, the pressing tooth <NUM> is able to always press the carrying plate <NUM> even if the radial distance A increases, thus avoiding misalignment of the carrying plate <NUM>.

In some optional embodiments, the thickness of the pressing teeth <NUM> is <NUM>. By such arrangement, on the one hand, it is able to guarantee that the pressing teeth <NUM> apply a sufficient pressing force to the carrying plate <NUM> and guarantee the reliability of fixing of the carrying plate <NUM>, and on the other hand, it is also able to avoid damage to the carrying plate <NUM> due to excessive pressing force.

With continued reference to <FIG>, in some optional embodiments, the annular body <NUM> of the pressing ring <NUM> is fixedly connected to the heater body <NUM> of the heater <NUM> by a plurality of fastening screws <NUM>. When it is required to maintain the pressing ring <NUM>, by such arrangement, the pressing ring <NUM> can be directly removed from the heater <NUM>, and the pressing ring <NUM> can be installed back after the maintenance is completed, which is convenient and efficient.

With continued reference to <FIG>, in some optional embodiments, the mounting support <NUM> includes a flange plate <NUM>, and a support plate <NUM>, wherein the flange plate <NUM> is connected to the heater <NUM>, and the aforementioned accommodating space is formed between the flange plate <NUM> and the heater <NUM>; the support plate <NUM> is connected to the flange plate <NUM>, and at least a portion of the support plate <NUM> is located in the aforementioned accommodating space and connected to the cooling structure <NUM> for supporting the cooling structure <NUM>. The distance adjusting assembly includes a first distance adjusting piece <NUM> and/or a second distance adjusting piece <NUM>, the cooling structure <NUM> is connected to the support plate <NUM> by the first distance adjusting piece <NUM>, and the first distance adjusting piece <NUM> is used for adjusting a vertical distance between the cooling structure <NUM> and the support plate <NUM>; and/or, the support plate <NUM> is connected to the flange plate <NUM> by the second distance adjusting piece <NUM>, and the second distance adjusting piece <NUM> is used for adjusting a vertical distance between the support plate <NUM> and the heater <NUM>.

In the wafer carrying mechanism, when the distance adjusting assembly includes only the first distance adjusting piece <NUM>, the first distance adjusting piece <NUM> can be utilized to adjust the vertical distance between the cooling structure <NUM> and the support plate <NUM> for the purpose of adjusting the vertical distance between the cooling structure <NUM> and the heater <NUM>; when the distance adjusting assembly includes only the second distance adjusting piece <NUM>, the second distance adjusting piece <NUM> can be utilized to adjust the vertical distance between the support plate <NUM> and the heater <NUM>. As a change in the position of the support plate <NUM> causes a consequent change in the position of the cooling structure <NUM> connected to the support plate <NUM>, the purpose of adjusting the vertical distance between the cooling structure <NUM> and the heater <NUM> is indirectly achieved; when the distance adjusting assembly includes both the first distance adjusting piece <NUM> and the second distance adjusting piece <NUM>, either the first distance adjusting piece <NUM> or the second distance adjusting piece <NUM> or both of the first distance adjusting piece <NUM> and the second distance adjusting piece <NUM> can be utilized for the purpose of adjusting the vertical distance between the cooling structure <NUM> and the heater <NUM>.

The wafer carrying mechanism may enable adjustment of the vertical distance between the cooling structure <NUM> and the heater <NUM> by selectively using the first distance adjusting piece <NUM> and/or the second distance adjusting piece <NUM>, moreover, connection to components in the process chamber can also be achieved by means of the flange plate <NUM>, thereby achieving fixing of the wafer carrying mechanism of the present embodiment in the process chamber.

<FIG> is a cross-sectional view of a partial structure of the wafer carrying mechanism according to an embodiment. <FIG> is a top view of a structure of a support plate <NUM> of the wafer carrying mechanism according to an embodiment. With continued reference to <FIG>, in conjunction with <FIG> and <FIG>, in some optional embodiments, the first distance adjusting piece <NUM> includes threaded rods <NUM>, nuts <NUM>, and washers <NUM>, wherein there are a plurality of threaded rods <NUM>, and the threaded rods <NUM> are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the support plate <NUM>; each threaded rod <NUM> is vertically disposed, and an upper end of the threaded rod <NUM> is fixedly connected to the cooling structure <NUM>; first unthreaded holes <NUM> are provided at positions corresponding to the threaded rods <NUM> on the support plate <NUM>, and the threaded rods <NUM> penetrate through the first unthreaded holes <NUM>; the washer <NUM> is provided on each threaded rod <NUM> in a sleeving mode and the washer <NUM> is located between the cooling structure <NUM> and the support plate <NUM> for adjusting the vertical distance between the cooling structure <NUM> and the support plate <NUM> by setting the number and/or thickness of the washer <NUM>. When the vertical distance between the cooling structure <NUM> and the heater <NUM> needs to be adjusted using the first distance adjusting piece <NUM>, the washers <NUM> of a suitable number and/or thickness may be stacked between the cooling structure <NUM> and the support plate <NUM> depending on the desired distance to bring the vertical distance to the desired distance. Optionally, to ensure levelness of the cooling structure <NUM>, the number and/or thickness of the washers <NUM> disposed on each threaded rod <NUM> in the sleeving mode is identical.

The number of the nuts <NUM> is the same as the number of the threaded rods <NUM>, and the nuts <NUM> are located below the support plate <NUM>; the nuts <NUM> are threadedly matched with the threaded rods <NUM> in one-to-one correspondence for fixedly connecting the cooling structure <NUM>, the support plate <NUM>, and the washers <NUM>.

According to the structural form of the aforementioned first distance adjusting piece <NUM>, the range of the vertical distance between the cooling structure <NUM> and the heater <NUM> can be achieved by changing the number and/or thickness of the washers <NUM> for ease of adjustment. Moreover, fixing of the cooling structure <NUM> on the support plate <NUM> is also achieved by means of the locking action of the nuts <NUM>, preventing displacement and misalignment of the cooling structure <NUM> during operation of the wafer carrying mechanism, and further ensuring cooling reliability of the cooling structure <NUM> for the carrying plate <NUM>. Of course, the first distance adjusting piece <NUM> of any other structure may be used to adjust the vertical distance between the support plate <NUM> and the cooling structure <NUM> in practical applications, and the present application is not particularly limited thereto.

Furthermore, there are a plurality of threaded rods <NUM>, and the threaded rods <NUM> are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the support plate <NUM>, by such arrangement, on the one hand, stability of the raising or lowering of the cooling structure <NUM> at various positions along the circumference can be guaranteed, avoiding deflection due to uneven local force on the cooling structure <NUM>, and on the other hand, reliability of the connection of the cooling structure <NUM> and the support plate <NUM> can be guaranteed. The number of the threaded rods <NUM> is for example <NUM>, and correspondingly, as shown in <FIG>, the number of the first unthreaded holes <NUM> is <NUM>. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the threaded rods <NUM> can also be provided in other numbers, such as four, six, or eight, etc.; the number of the nuts <NUM> and the number of the first unthreaded holes <NUM> are both the same as the number of the threaded rods <NUM>.

It is to be noted that in the present embodiment, the washer <NUM> is disposed on the threaded rod <NUM> in a sleeving mode. By such arrangement, it is able to limit the washer <NUM> using the threaded rod <NUM>, thereby ensuring stable support of the washer <NUM> to the cooling structure <NUM>. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and in practical applications, the washer <NUM> can be disposed anywhere between the cooling structure <NUM> and the support plate <NUM> instead of being disposed on the threaded rod <NUM> in a sleeving mode.

With continued reference to <FIG>, in some optional embodiments, the threaded rod <NUM> is integrated with the cooling structure <NUM>, specifically, the two are joined together by welding.

With continued reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, in some optional embodiments, the flange plate <NUM> has a central through hole 110a, and a first connecting portion <NUM> is provided on a hole wall of the central through hole 110a; a portion of the support plate <NUM> is located in the central through hole 110a, and a second connecting portion <NUM> is provided on an outer peripheral wall of the support plate <NUM>; the second connecting portion <NUM> and the first connecting portion <NUM> are disposed in a superimposing mode, and the second connecting portion <NUM> is located under the first connecting portion <NUM>; a plurality of threaded holes are provided on the first connecting portion <NUM> at intervals along the circumference of the support plate <NUM>, and a plurality of second unthreaded holes <NUM> are provided on the second connecting portion <NUM>; the number of the second unthreaded holes <NUM> is the same as the number of the threaded holes and the second unthreaded holes <NUM> and the threaded holes are provided in one-to-one correspondence; moreover, the second distance adjusting piece <NUM> includes screws; the number of the screws is the same as the number of the aforementioned threaded holes; and the screws pass through the second unthreaded holes <NUM> in one-to-one correspondence and are threadedly connected to the corresponding threaded holes.

When the vertical distance between the cooling structure <NUM> and the heater <NUM> needs to be adjusted using the second distance adjusting piece <NUM>, specifically, as shown in <FIG>, when it is required to increase the vertical distance between the cooling structure <NUM> and the heater <NUM>, the screw can be rotated to move the screw in a direction out of the threaded hole (i.e., downwards), at which point the support plate <NUM> moves downwards and always abuts against the head of the screw, thereby increasing the vertical distance between the cooling structure <NUM> and the heater <NUM>; when it is required to reduce the vertical distance between the cooling structure <NUM> and the heater <NUM>, the screw can be rotated to move the screw in a direction, opposite to the aforementioned rotating direction, of entering the screw hole, at which point the support plate <NUM> will move upwards under the support of the head of the screw to bring the cooling structure <NUM> near the heater <NUM>, thereby reducing the vertical distance between the cooling structure <NUM> and the heater <NUM>.

The second distance adjusting piece <NUM> is provided in a form that is simple in structure and easy to implement.

In some optional embodiments, there are a plurality of screws in the second distance adjusting piece <NUM>, and the screws are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the support plate <NUM>. By such arrangement, the support plate <NUM> can be smoothly raised or lowered at various positions along the circumference, avoiding deflection of the cooling structure <NUM> due to the uneven local force on the support plate <NUM>. For example, the number of the screws is <NUM>, and correspondingly, as shown in <FIG>, the number of second unthreaded holes <NUM> is <NUM>. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the screws can also be provided in other numbers, such as four, six or eight, etc.; the number of the threaded holes and the number of the second unthreaded holes <NUM> are both the same as the number of the threaded rods <NUM>.

Preferably, in the present embodiment, the vertical distance between the cooling structure <NUM> and the heater <NUM> is greater than or equal to <NUM> and less than or equal to <NUM>, that is, the distance adjusting assembly adjusts the distance between the cooling structure <NUM> and the heater <NUM> in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>. By such arrangement, the requirements of different high-temperature processes can be met, and the overall thickness of the wafer carrying mechanism can also be reduced, thereby facilitating a compact design of the wafer carrying mechanism of the present embodiment.

<FIG> is an enlarged view of a partial structure of the structure shown in <FIG>. With continued reference to <FIG>, in conjunction with <FIG>, in some optional embodiments, a connecting wall <NUM> extending in the direction of the heater <NUM> is provided on the flange plate <NUM> and at an edge of the flange plate <NUM>, and the connecting wall <NUM> is fixedly connected, for example by welding, to the heater <NUM>. The aforementioned accommodating space is formed between an inner peripheral surface of the connecting wall <NUM>, a lower surface of the heater <NUM> and an upper surface of the flange plate <NUM>. For example, the connecting wall <NUM> is welded with the heater body <NUM> of the heater <NUM>, that is, a side wall of the accommodating space is formed by the connecting wall <NUM>.

In a high-temperature state, a temperature difference is generated between the heater body <NUM> and the flange plate <NUM>, and an internal stress is generated by the difference in the amount of expansion ; and by providing the connecting wall <NUM> extending in the direction of the heater <NUM> at the outer periphery of the flange plate <NUM> and fixedly connecting the connecting wall <NUM> to the heater body <NUM>, the connecting wall <NUM> is relatively thin, which can deform in a high-temperature state to relieve the internal stress caused by the temperature difference. Moreover, reliable connection between the flange plate <NUM> and the heater body <NUM> derives from the manner that the connecting wall <NUM> is fixedly connected to the heater body <NUM>.

Specifically, in some optional embodiments, the thickness of the connecting wall <NUM> is <NUM> or less.

With continued reference to <FIG>, in some optional embodiments, the cooling structure <NUM> includes a cooling screen <NUM>, and a cooling plate <NUM> connected to a bottom of the cooling screen <NUM>, specifically, the cooling plate <NUM> is provided with a flow channel, the flow channel is used for delivering a cooling liquid, and a radial dimension of the cooling screen <NUM> is greater than or equal to a radial dimension of the carrying plate <NUM>.

In the wafer carrying mechanism, the range within the maximum outer diameter of the cooling screen <NUM> is an optimal cooling range, and the cooling screen <NUM> has high cooling efficiency within its maximum outer diameter and low cooling efficiency beyond the maximum outer diameter; by setting the radial dimension of the cooling screen <NUM> greater than or equal to the radial dimension of the carrying plate <NUM>, the cooling structure <NUM> is able to achieve overall cooling of the carrying plate <NUM>, which not only has high cooling efficiency but also has good cooling uniformity.

Specifically, the wafer carrying mechanism has a radiant heat flow rate Q, and the heat flow rate Q is calculated by the formula: Q = <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM>εA(T<NUM><NUM> - T<NUM><NUM>), where the energy flux density radiated from the surface of an absolute blackbody at a temperature of <NUM> is <NUM> W/m<NUM>, ε is the average emissivity, A is the radiant area, T1 is the temperature of the heater <NUM>, and T2 is the temperature of the cooling structure <NUM>. As can be seen, the greater the radiant area A, the greater the heat flow rate Q, and the greater the radiant heat transfer efficiency, and thus, increasing the cooling area of the cooling screen <NUM> may effectively increase the radiant heat transfer amount to achieve efficient cooling of the carrying plate <NUM>.

<FIG> is a partial structural view of the wafer carrying mechanism according to an embodiment. With continued reference to <FIG>, in conjunction with <FIG>, in some optional embodiments, the cooling structure <NUM> may further include cooling liquid tubes <NUM>, and the cooling liquid tubes <NUM> are in communication with the flow channel provided in the cooling plate <NUM> for inputting a cooling liquid into the flow channel.

With continued reference to <FIG>, in some optional embodiments, process holes <NUM> may also be provided on the cooling structure <NUM> to meet corresponding process needs. In addition, a middle portion of the support plate <NUM> may also be provided with a routing hole <NUM>, and the routing hole <NUM> enables passing of the cooling liquid tubes <NUM> and other cables of the wafer carrying mechanism, ensuring structural compactness and neat appearance of the wafer carrying mechanism.

In addition, the present embodiments also provide a semiconductor process apparatus, the semiconductor process apparatus includes a process chamber and the aforementioned wafer carrying mechanism, specifically, the wafer carrying mechanism is disposed within the process chamber.

By providing the aforementioned wafer carrying mechanism within the process chamber of the semiconductor process apparatus, the semiconductor process apparatus accordingly has all the advantages of the aforementioned wafer carrying mechanism, which are not described in any further detail herein.

Although the present application is disclosed above, the present application is not limited thereto. Various changes and modifications may be made by anyone skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present application, and the scope of the present application shall accordingly be defined by the claims.

Finally, it should also be noted that relational terms such as first and second and the like are used herein solely to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation without necessarily requiring or implying any actual relationship or order between such entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "includes" or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements not only includes those elements but also includes other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "includes an. " does not preclude the existence of another identical element in the process, method, article or apparatus including the element.

Descriptions of orientations such as "upper", "lower", and the like in the aforementioned embodiments are based on what is shown in the drawings.

Claim 1:
A wafer carrying mechanism, used for a semiconductor process apparatus, the wafer carrying mechanism being disposed in a process chamber of the semiconductor process apparatus, the wafer carrying mechanism comprising a mounting support (<NUM>), a carrying plate (<NUM>), a heater (<NUM>), and a cooling structure (<NUM>), wherein the mounting support (<NUM>) is fixedly disposed in the process chamber, the heater (<NUM>) is disposed on the mounting support (<NUM>), and an accommodating space is formed between the heater (<NUM>) and the mounting support (<NUM>); the cooling structure (<NUM>) is located in the accommodating space and is mounted to the mounting support (<NUM>) through a distance adjusting assembly, the distance adjusting assembly being used for adjusting a distance between the cooling structure (<NUM>) and the heater (<NUM>); and the carrying plate (<NUM>) is disposed on the heater (<NUM>) and is attached to the heater (<NUM>); characterized in that the mounting support (<NUM>) comprises a flange plate (<NUM>) and a support plate (<NUM>), the flange plate (<NUM>) is connected to the heater (<NUM>) and has a central through hole, and the support plate (<NUM>) is disposed at the central through hole and connected to the flange plate (<NUM>), and at least a portion of the support plate is located in the accommodating space and connected to the cooling structure for supporting the cooling structure; and the distance adjusting assembly comprises a first distance adjusting piece (<NUM>) and/or a second distance adjusting piece (<NUM>), the cooling structure (<NUM>) is mounted to the support plate (<NUM>) by the first distance adjusting piece (<NUM>), and/or, the support plate (<NUM>) is connected to the flange plate (<NUM>) by the second distance adjusting piece (<NUM>).