KR20210103278A - Apparatus for processing substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus comprises: a susceptor on which a substrate is placed; a showerhead positioned above the susceptor and supplying a process gas toward the susceptor; first and second support members installed on the showerhead to support one side and the other side of the showerhead with respect to the center of the showerhead, respectively; and a first driving unit connected to the first support member to adjust the distance between one side of the showerhead and the susceptor.

Description

Substrate processing apparatus {APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING SUBSTRATE}

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, and more particularly, to a substrate processing apparatus capable of adjusting a distance between a showerhead and a susceptor.

In general, a process of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes a plurality of processes including a thin film deposition process, which is a process of forming a thin film of a predetermined material to form a circuit pattern on the surface of a substrate such as a silicon wafer.

The thin film deposition process is a process of introducing a substrate into the chamber, supplying a process gas to the inside of the chamber through a showerhead installed on the substrate, and depositing it on the surface of the substrate.

At this time, the thickness of the deposited thin film should have uniformity above a certain level regardless of the part of the substrate, but the actually deposited thin film may have uniformity less than a certain level due to deviation depending on the part of the substrate, and the cause is the process Non-uniform supply of gas, temperature deviation of the substrate, asymmetry of the internal space of the chamber, and the like may be mentioned.

Therefore, when the uniformity is less than a certain level, a technique capable of correcting the deviation is required.

Korean Patent Publication No. 2012-0009596 (2012.02.02.)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of improving uniformity.

Other objects of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus includes a susceptor on which a substrate is placed; a showerhead positioned above the susceptor and supplying a process gas toward the susceptor; first and second support members installed on the showerhead to support one side and the other side of the showerhead with respect to the center of the showerhead, respectively; and a first driving unit connected to the first support member to adjust a distance between one side of the shower head and the susceptor.

The substrate processing apparatus may include: a first slide fastened to a lower end of the first support member in a ball joint manner and movable in a radial direction of the shower head; And it is installed on one side of the shower head coupled to the first slide, may further include a first guide capable of guiding the movement of the first slide.

The substrate processing apparatus may include: a second slide fastened to a lower end of the second support member in a ball joint manner and movable in a radial direction of the shower head; A second guide installed on the other side of the showerhead and coupled to the second slide may further include a second guide capable of guiding the movement of the second slide.

In the substrate processing apparatus, the first guide is rotatable with respect to the showerhead.

The substrate processing apparatus may include: a chamber providing a process space in which the susceptor and the showerhead are installed; And it may further include a bellows installed between the ceiling surface of the chamber and the shower head to limit the movement of the process gas to the upper portion of the shower head.

The shower head may include a plurality of supply holes for supplying the process gas; In addition, a supply port communicating with the supply holes to receive the process gas may be provided, and the supply holes may have inner injection holes and outer injection holes arranged with respect to the center of the shower head.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus, a susceptor on which a substrate is placed; a showerhead positioned above the susceptor and supplying a process gas toward the susceptor; first to third support members installed on the showerhead to support first to third points of the showerhead that are isometrically disposed with respect to the center of the showerhead; a first driving unit connected to the first support member to adjust a distance between the first point of the showerhead and the susceptor; a first slide fastened to a lower end of the first support member in a ball-joint manner and movable along a radial direction of the shower head; and a first guide installed on one side of the showerhead, coupled to the first slide, and capable of guiding the movement of the first slide.

The substrate processing apparatus may include: a chamber providing a process space in which the susceptor and the showerhead are installed; And it may further include a bellows installed between the ceiling surface of the chamber and the shower head to limit the movement of the process gas to the upper portion of the shower head.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus, a susceptor on which a substrate is placed; an inner shower head positioned on the susceptor and supplying a first process gas to the center of the susceptor; an outer shower head positioned above the susceptor and supplying a second process gas to an edge of the susceptor; First to third inner support members installed on the inner side of the shower head to support the first to third points of the inner shower head isometrically arranged with respect to the center of the inner shower head, respectively; a first inner driving unit connected to the first inner support member to adjust the distance between the first point of the inner shower head and the susceptor; a first inner slide fastened to the lower end of the first inner support member in a ball joint manner and movable along the radial direction of the inner shower head; a first inner guide installed on one side of the inner shower head and coupled to the first inner slide, capable of guiding the movement of the first inner slide; First to third outer support members installed on the upper portion of the outer shower head to support the first to third points of the outer shower head isometrically arranged with respect to the center of the outer shower head; a first outside driving unit connected to the first outside support member to adjust the distance between the first point of the outside shower head and the susceptor; a first outer slide fastened to the lower end of the first outer support member in a ball-joint manner and movable along the radial direction of the outer shower head; And it is installed on one side of the outer shower head is coupled to the first outer slide, and includes a first outer guide capable of guiding the movement of the first outer slide.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus, a susceptor on which a substrate is placed; first to third showerheads positioned above the susceptor and supplying process gases to first to third regions of the susceptor that are isometrically arranged with respect to the center of the susceptor; first to third support members installed on the first showerhead to support the first to third points of the first showerhead that are isometrically disposed with respect to the center of the first showerhead, respectively; a first driving unit connected to the first support member to adjust a distance between a first point of the first showerhead and the susceptor; a first slide fastened to a lower end of the first support member in a ball-joint manner and movable along a radial direction of the shower head; and a first guide installed on one side of the first showerhead, coupled to the first slide, and capable of guiding the movement of the first slide.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the uniformity of the process can be improved by adjusting the distance between the showerhead and the susceptor to change the supply amount or supply direction of the process gas, the supply pressure, and the like.

1 is a view schematically showing a conventional substrate processing apparatus.
2 and 3 are diagrams schematically illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view showing the slide and guide, the support member and the driving unit shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 .
5 is a view showing the slide and guide, the support member and the driving unit shown in FIG. 4 .
FIG. 6 is a view showing the operation of the showerhead shown in FIG. 2 .
7 is a view schematically showing a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a view schematically showing a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying Figures 1 to 8. Embodiments of the present invention may be modified in various forms, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described below. These examples are provided to explain the present invention in more detail to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. Accordingly, the shape of each element shown in the drawings may be exaggerated to emphasize a clearer description.

1 is a view schematically showing a conventional substrate processing apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1 , a susceptor is installed in the chamber and supported by a support shaft penetrating the lower portion of the chamber, and a substrate to be processed (not shown) is placed on the susceptor. The showerhead is located above the susceptor, and supply holes formed in the showerhead supply the process gas toward the susceptor (or the substrate to be processed). The process gas moves downward toward the susceptor and forms a thin film on the surface of the substrate. The unreacted gas and reaction by-products flow along the edge of the susceptor and move to the exhaust port installed under the susceptor, and an exhaust pump (not shown) is installed in the exhaust port to forcibly discharge unreacted gas and the like.

In this case, the spraying surface of the showerhead is disposed substantially parallel to the upper surface of the susceptor, and the showerhead and the susceptor are spaced apart from each other at regular intervals. Therefore, the process gas is theoretically supplied to the target substrate at a constant supply amount and constant supply pressure, regardless of the portion of the target substrate, but there may be deviations in the actual supply amount and supply pressure.

In addition, a heater is installed inside the susceptor to uniformly heat the target substrate to a theoretically constant temperature, but in actual processing the substrate may have a heating deviation depending on the region.

In addition, although not shown in FIG. 1 , the chamber has a passage through which the substrate to be processed can move in and out, and the passage is formed on one side wall of the chamber. Therefore, the inner space of the chamber cannot achieve complete symmetry with respect to the center of the susceptor.

In conclusion, the above factors act as factors that hinder the uniform process on the target substrate, which causes the thin film formed on the target substrate to have a thickness deviation depending on the region, resulting in the uniformity being less than a certain level. can bring

2 and 3 are diagrams schematically illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2 , the chamber provides a process space formed therein, and a susceptor and a showerhead, which will be described later, are installed in the process space. As described above, the chamber has a passage (not shown) formed in the sidewall, and the substrate S to be processed moves to the process space through the passage and is placed on the susceptor.

In addition, the chamber has an exhaust port formed at a lower portion, and may discharge unreacted gas and reaction by-products in the process space through an exhaust pump connected to the exhaust port. The unreacted gas and reaction by-products may flow along the edge of the susceptor and be discharged through the exhaust port.

2, the showerhead is installed on the upper portion of the susceptor, and has a width greater than the width of the susceptor (based on the cross-section). The showerhead has a supply port and a plurality of supply holes (not shown), and the process gas moves into the showerhead through the supply port and then is supplied to the susceptor through the supply holes.

The supply holes communicate with the supply port, and may be divided into inner supply holes and outer supply holes, and intermediate supply holes disposed between the inner supply holes and the outer supply holes based on the center of the shower head. That is, the inner supply holes are disposed at positions corresponding to the center of the substrate (or susceptor) to inject the process gas into the center of the substrate, and the outer supply holes are arranged at positions corresponding to the edges of the substrate (or susceptor). to inject the process gas to the edge of the substrate, and the intermediate supply holes are disposed at positions corresponding to the middle (between the center and the edge) of the substrate (or susceptor) to inject the process gas to the middle of the substrate.

2 and 3, the shower head is supported through a plurality of supporting members, and the driving motor (or driving unit) moves the supporting member in the vertical direction (or the longitudinal direction of the supporting member) to form a susceptor and The distance between the showerheads can be adjusted.

Specifically, FIG. 4 is a view showing the slide and guide, support member and driving unit shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , and FIG. 5 is a view showing the slide and guide, support member and driving unit shown in FIG. 4 .

The first to third guides are respectively installed at the first to third points (①②③) of the upper surface of the showerhead, and the first to third points (①②③) are equiangular (for example, 120 degrees) can be arranged. The first to third points may be arranged on concentric circles with respect to the center of the showerhead. The first to third slides are respectively coupled to the first to third guides, and as shown in FIG. 4 , the first to third guides have the first to third slides in the radial direction (X1, X2, It guides you to move to X3). 5, since the lower end of the support member is fastened to the slide in a ball joint manner, the support member can rotate in the θ direction and the Φ direction.

FIG. 6 is a view showing the operation of the showerhead shown in FIG. 2 . The X-direction (X1, X2, X3) movement of the first to third slides and the θ-direction/Φ-direction rotation of the support member provide degrees of freedom due to the Y-direction movement of the support member. Hereinafter, the operation of the shower head will be described with reference to FIG. 6 .

As described above, due to various factors, the thin film formed on the substrate to be processed has a thickness deviation depending on the region, and when the uniformity does not reach a certain level, it is necessary to improve the uniformity by correcting this, and Uniformity can be improved by tilting the showerhead (tilting) or bringing it closer to the susceptor by adjusting the distance between the scepters.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , in a state in which the showerhead is supported through the first to third support members, the spraying surface (the surface opposite to the susceptor) of the first showerhead is the susceptor's It may be disposed parallel to the upper surface (or substrate) (refer to FIG. 2 ). As a result of measuring the thickness of the thin film after performing the process (eg, thin film deposition process) in such a state, when the thickness of the thin film is reduced in the portion of the substrate corresponding to the first point (①) of the showerhead, the second 1 By moving the support member, the distance between the first point of the showerhead and the susceptor can be adjusted to be close, and through this, the thickness of the thin film can be increased by increasing the supply amount of process gas to the portion of the substrate corresponding to the first point. can

At this time, as shown in FIG. 6 , when the first support member descends and the second and third support members rise, the shower head is tilted, and not only the angle between the first support member and the shower head, but also the second and The angle formed by the third support member and the shower head is different, and the first to third support members may be rotated in the θ direction/Φ direction. Also, as the first support member moves, the first to third slides may move in the X direction along the first to third guides. That is, the X-direction movement of the first to third guides as well as the θ-direction/Φ-direction rotation of the support member corresponds to the follow-up according to the movement of the first to third support members.

On the other hand, at least one of the first to third guides may be installed to be rotatable around the first to third points (①②③), and in this case, the first to third guides move in the moving direction of the first to third slides. can be switched in a direction other than the radial direction (X direction). That is, the degree of freedom of the first to third slides can be greatly increased through the rotation of the first to third guides. However, when the first to third guides are rotatable at the same time, the moving directions of the first to third slides are aligned in one direction, and the first to third slides are moved by the weight of the showerhead so that the showerhead moves to one side. Since it may be tilted, some of the first to third slides need to remain non-rotatable. On the other hand, by increasing the friction force between the first to third slides and the first to third guides, the showerhead is tilted to one side. can solve the problem

Conversely, when the thickness of the thin film is excessive at the portion of the substrate corresponding to the first point of the showerhead, the first support member is raised and the second and third support members are lowered to form a gap between the first point of the showerhead and the susceptor. It is possible to increase the distance, thereby reducing the thickness of the thin film by reducing the supply amount of the process gas to the portion of the substrate corresponding to the first point.

Meanwhile, although the case where the first to third support members move has been described, only the first support member can move while the second and third support members are stopped, and in this case, the first to third support members move in the θ direction. It can rotate in the /Φ direction, and the first to third slides can move along the first to third guides in a radial direction or in a direction different from the radial direction.

In addition, although it has been described that three guides are installed at the first to third points in this embodiment, 3 at less than 3 or 4 or more points arranged at an equal angle with respect to the center of the showerhead and arranged on a concentric circle Less than or more than four guides may be installed, and the showerhead may be tilted in various arrangements while the showerhead is supported through less than three or more than four support members.

The bellows may be installed between the ceiling surface of the chamber and the showerhead, and blocks the process space from the outside to prevent the reaction gas in the process space from leaking to the outside and prevent the slide and guide from being exposed to the reaction gas.

7 is a view schematically showing a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. 7, the shower head may include an inner shower head for supplying a process gas to the center of the susceptor, and an outer shower head for supplying a process gas to the edge of the susceptor, as described above. , it is possible to tilt the inner shower head/outer shower head or approach/separate the susceptor from each other through the support member/drive unit/slide/guide.

8 is a view schematically showing a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8 , the showerhead includes a first showerhead supplying a process gas to a first region of the susceptor, a second showerhead supplying a process gas to a second region of the susceptor, and a second showerhead of the susceptor. A third showerhead for supplying a process gas to the three regions may be provided, and as described above, the first to third showerheads are tilted through the support member/drive unit/slide/guide, respectively, or approach the susceptor/ can be separated.

Although the present invention has been described in detail through preferred embodiments, other types of embodiments are also possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the claims set forth below are not limited to the preferred embodiments.

Claims (10)

a susceptor on which the substrate is placed;
a showerhead positioned above the susceptor and supplying a process gas toward the susceptor;
first and second support members installed on the showerhead to support one side and the other side of the showerhead with respect to the center of the showerhead, respectively; and
and a first driving unit connected to the first support member to adjust a distance between one side of the showerhead and the susceptor. According to claim 1,
The substrate processing apparatus,
a first slide fastened to a lower end of the first support member in a ball-joint manner and movable along a radial direction of the shower head; and
The substrate processing apparatus further comprising a first guide installed on one side of the showerhead, coupled to the first slide, and capable of guiding the movement of the first slide. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The substrate processing apparatus,
a second slide fastened to a lower end of the second support member in a ball-joint manner and movable along a radial direction of the shower head; and
and a second guide installed on the other side of the showerhead, coupled to the second slide, and capable of guiding the movement of the second slide. 3. The method of claim 2,
and the first guide is rotatable with respect to the showerhead. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The substrate processing apparatus,
a chamber providing a process space in which the susceptor and the showerhead are installed; and
and a bellows installed between the ceiling surface of the chamber and the showerhead to limit movement of the process gas to an upper portion of the showerhead. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The shower head is
a plurality of supply holes for supplying the process gas; and
and a supply port communicating with the supply holes to receive the process gas,
The supply holes have inner and outer injection holes arranged with respect to the center of the shower head, the substrate processing apparatus. a susceptor on which the substrate is placed;
a showerhead positioned above the susceptor and supplying a process gas toward the susceptor;
first to third support members installed on the showerhead to support first to third points of the showerhead that are isometrically disposed with respect to the center of the showerhead;
a first driving unit connected to the first support member to adjust a distance between the first point of the showerhead and the susceptor;
a first slide fastened to a lower end of the first support member in a ball-joint manner and movable along a radial direction of the shower head; and
and a first guide installed on one side of the showerhead, coupled to the first slide, and capable of guiding the movement of the first slide. 8. The method of claim 7,
The substrate processing apparatus,
a chamber providing a process space in which the susceptor and the showerhead are installed; and
and a bellows installed between the ceiling surface of the chamber and the showerhead to limit movement of the process gas to an upper portion of the showerhead. a susceptor on which the substrate is placed;
an inner shower head positioned on the susceptor and supplying a first process gas to the center of the susceptor;
an outer shower head positioned above the susceptor and supplying a second process gas to an edge of the susceptor;
First to third inner support members installed on the inner side of the shower head to support the first to third points of the inner shower head isometrically arranged with respect to the center of the inner shower head, respectively;
a first inner driving unit connected to the first inner support member to adjust the distance between the first point of the inner shower head and the susceptor;
a first inner slide fastened to the lower end of the first inner support member in a ball joint manner and movable along the radial direction of the inner shower head;
a first inner guide installed on one side of the inner shower head and coupled to the first inner slide, capable of guiding the movement of the first inner slide;
First to third outer support members installed on the upper portion of the outer shower head to support the first to third points of the outer shower head isometrically arranged with respect to the center of the outer shower head;
a first outside driving unit connected to the first outside support member to adjust the distance between the first point of the outside shower head and the susceptor;
a first outer slide fastened to the lower end of the first outer support member in a ball-joint manner and movable along the radial direction of the outer shower head; and
and a first outer guide installed on one side of the outer shower head and coupled to the first outer slide, and capable of guiding the movement of the first outer slide. a susceptor on which the substrate is placed;
first to third showerheads positioned above the susceptor and supplying process gases to first to third regions of the susceptor that are isometrically arranged with respect to the center of the susceptor;
first to third support members installed on the first showerhead to support the first to third points of the first showerhead that are isometrically disposed with respect to the center of the first showerhead, respectively;
a first driving unit connected to the first support member to adjust a distance between a first point of the first showerhead and the susceptor;
a first slide fastened to a lower end of the first support member in a ball-joint manner and movable along a radial direction of the shower head; and
and a first guide installed on one side of the first showerhead, coupled to the first slide, and capable of guiding the movement of the first slide.

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