KR101095687B1 - Showerhead of atomic layer deposition apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An atomic layer depositing device of an eight branch structure is provided to jet a deposition gas to eight branches, thereby increasing a deposition speed. CONSTITUTION: A gas jet housing(130) forms the top of a process chamber. A plurality of shower heads jets a deposition gas onto a substrate. A gas supply unit(140) provides a deposition gas to the shower heads. A gas distributing unit(310) is installed on the upper center of the gas jet housing. A deposition gas is excited onto one side of a gas jet module by an electrode unit(411).

Description

Atomic layer deposition apparatus having an eight branch structure {SHOWERHEAD OF ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION APPARATUS}

The present invention is to provide an atomic layer deposition apparatus for injecting the deposition gas into the eight quarter in the semi-batch type atomic layer deposition apparatus to form a thin film on a plurality of substrates at the same time.

In general, a method of depositing a thin film having a predetermined thickness on a substrate such as a semiconductor substrate or glass includes physical vapor deposition (PVD) using physical collision, such as sputtering, and chemical reaction using a chemical reaction. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and the like. Recently, as the design rules of semiconductor devices are drastically fined, thin films of fine patterns are required, and the step height of regions where thin films are formed is also very large. Due to this trend, the use of atomic layer deposition (ALD), which is capable of forming a very uniform pattern of atomic layer thickness very uniformly and has excellent step coverage, has been increasing.

ALD is similar to the general chemical vapor deposition method in that it uses chemical reactions between gas molecules. However, in contrast to conventional CVD in which multiple gas molecules are simultaneously injected into a chamber to deposit the reaction product generated on the substrate, ALD injects a gas containing one source material into the chamber to chemisorb the heated substrate. There is a difference in that a product by chemical reaction between the source materials is deposited on the substrate surface by injecting a gas containing another source material into the chamber. These ALDs are widely attracting attention because they have the advantage of being able to deposit pure thin films having excellent step coverage characteristics and low impurity contents.

A semi-batch type is disclosed in which a deposition process is performed simultaneously on a plurality of substrates to improve throughput in an atomic layer deposition apparatus. In general, the semi-batch type atomic layer deposition apparatus has a region in which different kinds of deposition gases are injected, and the substrate is sequentially passed through each region by the high speed rotation of the gas injection unit or the susceptor. Chemical reactions occur between and the reaction products are deposited.

According to embodiments of the present invention to provide an atomic layer deposition apparatus capable of increasing the deposition rate.

The gas injection module of the atomic layer deposition apparatus according to the embodiments of the present invention described above may increase the deposition rate by injecting deposition gas into eight quarters, a housing forming an appearance, and a lower portion facing the substrate from the housing. A plurality of shower heads disposed radially in each of the plurality of shower heads, the plurality of shower holes provided along the circumferences of the shower heads, and a top exhaust unit configured to suck and discharge the exhaust gas and an upper portion of the housing; And a gas distribution unit for providing a flow path for providing the respective deposition gases to the shower head. Here, the gas distribution unit is formed to simultaneously provide the deposition gas to the shower head for injecting the same type of deposition gas among the plurality of shower head.

According to one aspect, the showerhead has eight showerheads having a fan shape radially disposed, a first showerhead for providing a precursor gas, a second showerhead for providing a reactant gas, and the first and second showerheads. And a third showerhead disposed between the showerheads to provide purge gas. The gas distribution unit may include a first gas flow path connecting the first shower head, a second gas flow path connecting the second shower head, and a circular third gas flow path connecting the third shower head. Can be configured. Here, the first gas flow path and the second gas flow path cross each other by 90 °, and the first to third gas flow paths are formed to be spaced apart at regular intervals along the height direction of the gas distribution unit.

According to one aspect, provided in the central portion of the gas injection housing having a center purge to connect the third shower head to each other and to provide a purge gas to the substrate, the center purge portion for connecting the third shower head It can have a cross form. For example, the gas distribution unit is connected to simultaneously provide purge gas to the center purge unit.

According to one aspect, the tower exhaust portion is formed so as to surround the first shower head and the second shower head, respectively, the exhaust gas sucked from the first shower head side and the exhaust gas sucked from the second shower head side It can be formed to be discharged separately.

On the other hand, the atomic layer deposition apparatus according to the embodiments of the present invention described above, a susceptor provided in the process chamber, a plurality of substrates are rotatably mounted on the process chamber, the susceptor is provided above the susceptor It comprises a gas injection module for providing the deposition gas to the substrate. Here, the gas injection module, a plurality of shower heads provided along the periphery of each of the shower head, the housing forming the appearance, the plurality of shower heads disposed radially in the lower portion facing the substrate from the housing to provide the deposition gas, respectively It includes an exhaust hole, the tower exhaust for sucking and exhausting the exhaust gas and a gas distribution unit is provided on the housing to provide a flow path for providing each of the deposition gas to the shower head.

According to one aspect, the gas injection module comprises a first showerhead for providing a precursor gas and a second showerhead for providing a reactance gas and a third showerhead for providing a purge gas, the eight showerheads being radial It may be provided as. The gas distribution unit may include a first gas passage connecting the first shower head, a second gas passage connecting the second shower head, and a circular third gas passage connecting the third shower head. The first gas flow path and the second gas flow path may cross each other by 90 °, and the first to third gas flow paths may be formed to be spaced apart from each other along a height direction of the gas distribution unit.

As described above, according to the embodiments of the present invention, the deposition rate may be increased by spraying the deposition gas into the eight quarters.

In addition, deposition on the susceptor center portion can be prevented, and in addition, gas congestion can be prevented.

1 is a perspective view of an atomic layer deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a gas injection module in the atomic layer deposition apparatus of FIG. 1.
3 is a perspective view of a gas distribution unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing only a gas supply flow path.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2.
5 is a block diagram illustrating an operation of a gas injection module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to or limited by the embodiments. In describing the present invention, a detailed description of well-known functions or constructions may be omitted for clarity of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the atomic layer deposition apparatus 100 and the gas injection module 103 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. For reference, FIG. 1 is a plan view for explaining the gas injection module 103 in the atomic layer deposition apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is an enlarged view illustrating a central portion of the gas injection module 103 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, an atomic layer deposition apparatus (ALD) 100 includes a gas injection module 103 for providing a plurality of different deposition gases to a plurality of substrates 10.

For reference, the atomic layer deposition apparatus 100 described in the present embodiments is a semi-batch type in which deposition is performed simultaneously on a plurality of substrates 10 in order to improve throughput and quality. batch type) can be used. In the atomic layer deposition apparatus 100, a plurality of substrates 10 are disposed in the process chamber 101 parallel to the gas injection module 103 on the susceptor 102, and the susceptor 102 rotates. Accordingly, a predetermined thin film is deposited as the substrate 10 passes through an area in which different types of gases injected from the gas injection module 103 are injected while revolving with respect to the gas injection module 103. Here, the detailed technical configuration of the process chamber 101 and the susceptor 102, etc. constituting the atomic layer deposition apparatus 100 can be understood from known techniques and are not the gist of the present invention, and thus detailed descriptions and illustrations are omitted. Only the main components are briefly described.

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, the substrate 10 to be deposited may be a silicon wafer. However, the substrate 10 of the present invention is not limited to the silicon wafer, and the substrate 10 includes glass used for a flat panel display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a plasma display panel (PDP). The transparent substrate 10 may be. In addition, the shape and size of the substrate 10 is not limited by the drawings, and may have substantially various shapes and sizes, such as a circle and a rectangle.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the term 'source gas' is a gas containing a source material for depositing a predetermined thin film, and a precursor gas S containing a constituent element constituting the thin film. ) And a reactant gas (R) which chemically reacts with the precursor gas (S) to form a thin film according to a predetermined reaction product, and the precursor gas (S) and reactance gas (R). It may include a purge gas (P) for removing unreacted gas and residual gas.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the term 'hole' may include not only a hole having a circular cross section but also a hole or a slit having a polygonal cross section.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, one kind of precursor gas S and one kind of reactance gas R are provided, and a purge gas P is provided between the precursor gas S and the reactance gas R. It will be described taking an atomic layer deposition apparatus 100 for depositing a thin film by providing an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the gas injection module 103 may provide at least two or more kinds of precursor gases to deposit a multicomponent thin film including two or more elements. In addition, at least one of the first and second shower heads 131 and 133 may have a dual structure so as to alternately provide two or more kinds of deposition gases.

Referring to the drawings, the gas injection module 103 is formed to inject two or more different deposition gases, and to provide a predetermined amount of deposition gas for the same time for the substrate 10 to revolve. The gas injection module 103 has a gas injection housing 130 forming an appearance and forming an upper portion of the process chamber 101, and a surface facing the substrate 10 from the gas injection housing 130, that is, the lower surface. A plurality of injection holes 135a (refer to FIG. 4) are formed therein, and a plurality of shower heads 131, 133, and 135 are provided to inject deposition gas onto the substrate 10. In addition, a gas supply source 140 for providing a deposition gas is connected to one side of the gas injection module 103, and a gas distribution unit 310 for distributing the deposition gas to a plurality of shower heads 131, 133, and 135 is provided. It is provided.

The gas injection module 103 includes a plurality of shower heads 131, 133, and 135 which spray different kinds of deposition gases, respectively, and each shower head 131, 133, and 135 is a rotational direction of the substrate 10. Are disposed radially along. Here, the gas injection module 103 is formed such that the plurality of shower heads 131, 133, 135 have the same area to each other so as to uniformly provide the deposition gas to the substrate 10. The 131, 133, and 135 have a fan shape divided at the same angle with respect to the center of the gas injection housing 130, and eight shower heads 131, 133, and 135 may be provided. However, the present invention is not limited by the drawings, and the shape and size of the shower heads 131, 133, and 135 may be changed in various ways.

In addition, one side of the gas injection module 103 is connected to the gas supply unit 140 for providing deposition gas to each shower head (131, 133, 135), the gas supply unit 140, respectively, the precursor gas (S) , The reactance gas R, and the supply sources 141, 143, and 145 for supplying the purge gas P.

In the present embodiment, the shower head provided with the precursor gas S in the gas injection module 103 is referred to as the first shower head 131, and the shower head provided with the reactant gas R is referred to as the second shower head 133. And a showerhead provided between the first and second showerheads 131 and 133 and provided with the purge gas P is called a third showerhead 135.

The gas distribution unit 310 is provided at an upper center portion of the gas injection housing 130, and a flow path is formed to simultaneously provide the deposition gas to the shower heads 131, 133, and 135 to which the same deposition gas is injected. . In addition, the gas distribution unit 310 serves to provide the same deposition gas to the corresponding shower heads 131, 133, and 135 in the same amount. In addition, the gas distribution unit 310 may serve as a valve for selectively providing the deposition gas.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the gas distribution unit 310 may include first gas flow paths 311, 313, and 315 for supplying the precursor gas S to two first shower heads 131. And second gas flow passages 313 for supplying reactance gas R to the two second shower heads 133 are respectively formed along the radial direction of the gas injection module 103 and intersect at right angles to each other by 90 °. . However, since the precursor gas and the second gas flow paths 311 and 313 are formed to be spaced apart at regular intervals up and down, the flow paths 311 and 313 do not overlap each other. In addition, the third gas flow passages 315 for providing the purge gas P to the four third shower heads 135 are connected to be simultaneously connected to the third shower heads 135 separated from each other by 90 °. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, an injection hole connected to the third shower head 135 at a 90 ° interval in the circular channel may be formed. In addition, since the precursor gas and the second gas flow passages 311 and 313 are formed to be spaced apart by a predetermined interval up and down, the third gas flow passages 315 do not overlap each other.

However, the present invention is not limited by the drawings, and the gas distribution unit 310 and the flow paths 311, 313, and 315 may simultaneously use the same type of deposition gas without overlapping the flow paths 311, 313, and 315. If the shape and location that can be provided to the showerhead (131, 133, 135) can be changed in various ways.

In the gas injection module 103, a plurality of exhaust holes 151 are formed along the boundaries of the shower heads 131, 133, and 135 to discharge the exhaust gas from the inside of the process chamber 101 through the upper portion of the substrate 10. Top exhaust unit 150 is provided.

The tower exhaust unit 150 includes a plurality of exhaust holes 151 formed around the first shower head 131 and the second shower head 133. The tower exhaust unit 150 inhales and discharges exhaust gas. Exhaust exhaust unit 160 is connected. In addition, the tower exhaust part 150 is formed with a center exhaust hole 153 for discharging the exhaust gas from the central portion of the gas injection module 103.

Meanwhile, the tower exhaust unit 150 is an area in which the exhaust gas and the reactant gas R sucked in a region where the precursor gas S is injected (hereinafter referred to as a 'precursor region') are injected (hereinafter, 'reactance'). Since the exhaust gas sucked in the “area” includes unreacted precursor gas S and reactance gas R, particles may be formed by reacting with each other during the exhaust process. In the present exemplary embodiment, in order to prevent particles generated by reacting the precursor gas S and the reactance gas R included in the exhaust gas in the process of discharging the exhaust gas as described above, the top exhaust unit 150 is free. Exhaust exhaust portions 160 are provided with separate discharge lines 161 and 163 to separate and discharge exhaust gases sucked in the cursor region and the reactance region through independent flow paths.

In detail, the top exhaust part 150 has a substantially 'V' or 'U' shape surrounding the first and second showerheads 131 and 133, and the vertex portions are disposed to face each other. The exhaust hole 151 formed to surround the first shower head 131 to discharge the exhaust gas from the precursor region is connected to the first discharge line 161 and surrounds the second shower head 133. The exhaust hole 151, which is formed so that the exhaust gas is discharged from the reactance region, is connected to the second discharge line 163. The discharge lines 161 and 163 may be flow paths that are independent of each other, and may be connected to vacuum pumps, respectively.

Meanwhile, the top exhaust part 150 of the present invention is not limited by the drawings, and the shape, size, and number of the exhaust holes 151 may be changed in various ways. In addition, the top exhaust unit 150 may have exhaust holes having different sizes according to the displacement, or may arrange the exhaust holes at different intervals.

Meanwhile, in the atomic layer deposition process, the substrate 10 revolves with respect to the gas injection module 103 at a constant speed. The substrate 10 is affected by the centrifugal force due to the revolving of the substrate 10 and the susceptor 102. Vortex and stagnation of exhaust gas may occur in the central portion of the gas injection module 103 at the top. In the present embodiment, the central portion of the gas injection module 103 refers to a region near the center of the gas injection module 103. When the substrate 10 is seated on the susceptor 102, the substrate 10 The area corresponding to this unsecured area is referred to.

In the present embodiment, a center purge unit 170 is provided to prevent stagnation of the deposition gas in the central portion of the gas injection module 103. The center purge unit 170 prevents eddy current and stagnation of the exhaust gas by injecting the purge gas P into the center portion of the gas injection module 103.

The center purge unit 170 has a plurality of purge holes 172 formed in the center portion of the gas injection module 103 and crosses connecting four third shower heads 135 that spray the purge gas P (十字).

In addition, the center purge unit 170 may prevent a sudden change in gas flow at the boundary area between the center purge unit 170 and the third shower head 135 and may deposit the gas between the injection hole 130a and the purge hole 172. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of holes are formed in the center purge part 170 in the third shower head 135 region to reduce the penetration of the PSA. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the purge hole formed in the center portion of the gas injection module 103 in the center purge unit 170 is formed in the region of the 'first purge hole 172' and the third shower head 135. The purge hole is referred to as a 'second purge hole 174'. The first purge hole 172 group is referred to as a 'main area 171', and the second purge hole 174 group is referred to as an 'extension area 173'.

Here, the center purge part 170 may have holes having the same size as the first purge hole 172 and the second purge hole 174 at regular intervals. However, in the present embodiment, the first and second purge holes 172 may be effectively prevented from infiltrating gas into the central portion of the gas injection module 130 and also effectively prevents gas from penetrating into the precursor region and the reactance region. 174 may be formed differently in size.

In addition, the center purge unit 170 is formed such that the first and second purge holes 172 and 174 have different sizes from the injection holes 130a formed in the third shower head 135. Of course, the size of the first and / or second purge holes 172 and 174 may be the same as the size of the injection hole 130a formed in the third shower head 135.

By forming the center purge part 170, the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the substrate 10 and the susceptor 102 may effectively eliminate the gas infiltration and stagnation in the central portion of the gas injection module 103. .

Here, the present invention is not limited by the drawings, and the shape of the center purge unit 170 and the size and shape of the purge holes 172 and 174 may be changed in various ways.

The gas injection module 103 provides a reactant gas R as a plasma, and an electrode unit 411 is provided at one side of the gas injection module 103 to excite the deposition gas into a plasma state. The electrode unit 411 is provided on a flow path through which the reactance gas R is supplied from the gas supply source 140 to convert the reactance gas into a plasma.

In addition, since the gas injection module 103 includes two second shower heads 133 that provide the reactance gas R, two electrode units are used to simultaneously generate plasma to the two second shower heads 133. A 411 is provided, and a matcher 413 is provided to control the plasma to be generated at the same time by applying power to the electrode portion 411.

Referring to FIG. 5, the reactance gas R provided from the supply source 143 supplying the reactance gas R may be converted into a plasma while passing through the electrode part 411, and introduced into the gas distribution unit 310. The second shower heads 133 are respectively supplied through the distribution unit 310 and then sprayed onto the substrate 10. Here, when the reactant gas R flows into the electrode unit 411, the matcher 413 applies power to the electrode unit 411, and simultaneously supplies power of the same size to the two electrode units 411. The same plasma may be generated in the two second showerheads 133.

Meanwhile, the present embodiment has been described using two electrode units 411 as an example, but the gas injection module 103 according to the present invention converts the reactance gas R into plasma through one electrode unit 411. It is also possible to provide to the second shower head 133 through the gas distribution unit 310. In addition, in the present embodiment, it has been described that the reactant gas R that has been plasma-formed while passing through the electrode unit 411 is provided to the gas distribution unit 310, but the gas distribution unit 310 and the second shower head 133 are provided. It is also possible to be provided with the electrode part 411 in between. That is, the reactant gas R may be introduced into the electrode unit 411 in the same amount provided through the gas distribution unit 310 to be plasma-formed, and then provided to the second shower head 133. Even in this case, only the order of the gas distribution unit 310 and the electrode unit 411 has been changed and operates in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment.

According to the present exemplary embodiment, since two electrode parts 411 and a matcher 413 are provided, the two second shower heads 133 may generate plasma having a uniform and the same size, and the two second shower heads ( It is possible to prevent the plasma from being generated in one of the second showerheads 133 of 133.

According to the present exemplary embodiment, since the substrate 10 passes through the first and second showerheads 131 and 133 twice each while rotating about the gas injection module 103, the precursor is formed on the substrate 10. The gas S and the reactance gas R are provided twice each to form substantially two monoatomic layers. Therefore, the deposition process can be shortened by increasing the gas injection branch as in the present embodiment.

In addition, according to the present exemplary embodiment, the top exhaust unit 150 exhausts the exhaust hole 151 effectively separating the precursor region and the reactance region from each other, and exhausts the exhaust gas through independent discharge lines 161 and 163. As the exhaust gases are mixed with each other in the process of discharging the gas, the precursor gas and the reactance gas included in the exhaust gas react with each other to effectively prevent particles from being generated.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should not be limited to the above-described embodiments, and all the things that are equivalent to or equivalent to the scope of the claims as well as the claims to be described later belong to the scope of the present invention.

10: substrate 100: atomic layer deposition apparatus
101: process chamber 102: susceptor
103: gas injection module 130: housing
135a: injection holes 131, 133, 135: shower head
140, 141, 143, 145: gas supply source 150: tower exhaust
152: exhaust hole 154: center exhaust hole
160, 161, 163: exhaust exhaust 165: exhaust exhaust duct
170: center purge part 170a: purge hole
310: gas distribution unit 311: first gas flow path
313: second gas flow path 315: third gas flow path
410: electrode 413: matcher

Claims (8)

In the gas injection module of the atomic layer deposition apparatus for providing a plurality of different deposition gas to a plurality of substrates to form a thin film,
A housing forming an appearance;
And eight shower heads including a first showerhead for providing a precursor gas and a second showerhead for providing a reactance gas and a third showerhead for providing a purge gas in a lower portion of the housing toward the substrate. head;
A tower exhaust unit including a plurality of exhaust holes provided along the circumferences of the shower heads, and configured to suck and exhaust the exhaust gas; And
A gas distribution unit including a first gas flow path connecting the first shower head, a second gas flow path connecting the second shower head, and a third gas flow path connecting the third shower head;
Gas injection module of the atomic layer deposition apparatus comprising a.
delete The method of claim 1,
The first gas flow path and the second gas flow path are formed to cross each other by 90 °,
The gas injection module of the atomic layer deposition apparatus of the first to third gas flow paths are spaced apart at regular intervals along the height direction of the gas distribution unit.
The method of claim 1,
A center purge unit provided at a central portion of the gas injection housing to connect the third shower heads to each other and to provide a purge gas to the substrate;
The gas purge module of the atomic layer deposition apparatus has a cross form connecting the third shower head to the third shower head.
The method of claim 4, wherein
And the gas distribution unit is connected to provide the purge gas to the center purge at the same time.
The method of claim 1,
The tower exhaust part is formed to surround the first shower head and the second shower head, respectively, and separates exhaust gas sucked from the first shower head and exhaust gas sucked from the second shower head. Gas injection module of the atomic layer deposition apparatus formed.
An atomic layer deposition apparatus for forming a thin film by providing a deposition gas comprising a precursor gas, a reactance gas and a purge gas to a plurality of substrates,
Process chambers;
A susceptor provided inside the process chamber and rotatably provided with a plurality of substrates mounted thereon;
A gas injection module provided on the susceptor to provide the deposition gas to the substrate;
Including,
The gas injection module,
A housing forming an appearance;
And eight shower heads including a first showerhead for providing a precursor gas and a second showerhead for providing a reactance gas and a third showerhead for providing a purge gas in a lower portion of the housing toward the substrate. head;
A tower exhaust unit including a plurality of exhaust holes provided along the circumferences of the shower heads, and configured to suck and exhaust the exhaust gas; And
A gas distribution unit including a first gas flow path connecting the first shower head, a second gas flow path connecting the second shower head, and a third gas flow path connecting the third shower head;
Atomic layer deposition apparatus comprising a.
The method of claim 7, wherein
The first gas flow path and the second gas flow path are formed to cross each other by 90 °,
The first to third gas flow paths are formed in the atomic layer deposition apparatus spaced apart at regular intervals along the height direction of the gas distribution unit.

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