US 12,283,515 B2
Method and device to reduce epitaxial defects due to contact stress upon a semicondcutor wafer
Sih-Jie Liu, Hsinchu County (TW); Che-Fu Chiu, New Taipei (TW); Bau-Ming Wang, Kaohsiung (TW); Chun-Feng Nieh, Hsinchu (TW); Huicheng Chang, Tainan (TW); and Yee-Chia Yeo, Hsinchu (TW)
Assigned to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, Hsinchu (TW)
Filed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, Hsinchu (TW)
Filed on Aug. 24, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/000,701.
Prior Publication US 2022/0059394 A1, Feb. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. H01L 21/687 (2006.01); C23C 16/458 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/68742 (2013.01) [C23C 16/4586 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
9. A semiconductor wafer processing system comprising:
an articulated robot arm having a first end and a second end;
a transfer blade located at the first end of the articulated robot arm; and
a semiconductor processing unit operation comprising a semiconductor wafer support device, the semiconductor wafer support device comprising:
lift pins configured to contact a backside surface of a semiconductor wafer, at least one of the lift pins comprising:
a supporting pillar configured to support the semiconductor wafer, the supporting pillar comprising a first end and a second end, wherein a tip having an oblate spheroid or ellipsoid shape is disposed on the second end; and
a stress-reducing element connected to the supporting pillar to reduce contact stress between the lift pins and the semiconductor wafer, wherein the stress-reducing element comprises at least one stress reduction feature comprising:
an elastic cover comprising a first part configured to cover the tip disposed at the second end and a second part configured to cover a portion of the supporting pillar that extends from the second end, wherein the elastic modulus of the material of the elastic cover varies in a first direction along the extension of the supporting pillar, and a first elastic modulus of a material of the first part of the elastic cover is greater than a second elastic modulus of a material of the second part of the elastic cover, wherein the first direction along the extension of the supporting pillar is perpendicular to a second direction along the thickness of the supporting pillar.