KR20240025301A - Atomic layer depositing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is an atomic layer deposition apparatus capable of uniformly depositing an atomic layer on the outer or inner surface of an object having a three-dimensional shape, comprising: a stage having a rotation support for rotating the atomic layer deposition object; and a head for depositing an atomic layer on the rotating object, wherein the head deposits an atomic layer by spraying gas in a lateral direction on either an inner surface or an outer surface of the deposition object rotating on the rotation supporter. Includes nozzle block.

Description

Atomic layer deposition device {ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITING APPARATUS}

The present invention relates to an atomic layer deposition apparatus, and more specifically, to an atomic layer deposition apparatus capable of depositing an atomic layer on the surface of an object having a 3D shape.

Semiconductor technology is being developed with the goals of miniaturization, higher speed, and lower power consumption.

As a result, Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) technology, a technology for depositing thin films at the atomic layer level, was developed as a semiconductor manufacturing process technology. This atomic layer deposition technology is an essential deposition technology for manufacturing nano-level semiconductor devices. It is attracting attention as a technology.

This atomic layer deposition is expanding to other fields in the semiconductor manufacturing process, but the atomic layer deposition device is optimized for depositing atomic layers on a planar substrate, allowing atomic layer deposition on three-dimensional objects rather than planar objects. is not easy.

Patent Publication No. 10-2009-0054930

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an atomic layer deposition apparatus capable of performing atomic layer deposition on a three-dimensional object.

In order to solve the above problems, a stage provided with a rotation support for rotating the atomic layer deposition object according to an embodiment of the present invention; and a head for depositing an atomic layer on the rotating object, wherein the head deposits an atomic layer by spraying gas in a lateral direction on either an inner surface or an outer surface of the deposition object rotating on the rotation supporter. Includes nozzle block.

In addition, in an embodiment, the head includes a gas distribution block that distributes the input gas to the x-axis and y-axis; and a nozzle block provided below the gas distribution block to spray gas to an object, wherein the nozzle block is detachably coupled to the gas distribution block.

In another embodiment, the nozzle block is inserted into a hollow portion formed in the object and includes a first gas injection layer that deposits an atomic layer on the inner surface of the hollow portion of the object rotating on the rotation supporter.

In addition, in an embodiment, the nozzle block includes a first gas injection layer protruding into a cylindrical shape, and the first gas injection layer is configured to spray an inert gas, a first source gas, an inert gas, and a second gas along the circumference of the cylinder. Gas injection holes that spray the source gas in an outward direction are sequentially provided.

Additionally, in an embodiment, the nozzle block is provided with a first gas spray layer having a hollow portion into which an object can be inserted, and the first gas spray layer is configured to allow an object rotating on the rotation support member to be inserted into the hollow portion. In the positioned state, an atomic layer is deposited on the outer surface of the object.

In addition, in an embodiment, the nozzle block is provided with a first gas injection layer that is formed in a cylindrical shape and has a hollow into which an object can be inserted, and the first gas injection layer is located at the center of the hollow along the circumference of the hollow. Gas injection holes for spraying an inert gas, a first source gas, an inert gas, and a second source gas are sequentially provided toward.

According to the present invention, the first gas spray layer 500 deposits the atomic layer by spraying gas in the side direction rather than the top surface of the object, so that the atomic layer is deposited on the entire inner or outer surface of the object having a 3D three-dimensional shape. can be deposited uniformly.

According to the present invention, a gas spray layer through which different gases are sprayed depending on the angle is placed on an object, and then the object can be rotated on a stage to deposit an atomic layer in a space division method.

According to the present invention, the nozzle block 120 is structured to be detachably coupled to the gas distribution block 110, so that the nozzle block 120 has a gas spray layer 150 corresponding to the deposition site of the object. ) can be used by combining it with the gas distribution block 110.

1 is a diagram for explaining an atomic layer deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining the process chamber shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a first gas injection layer for depositing an atomic layer on the inner surface of an object having a hollow nozzle block shown in FIG. 2A.
FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a vertical cross-section of the first gas injection layer shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a cross section in the A-A' direction of the first gas injection layer shown in FIG. 3.
FIGS. 6A to 6C are diagrams for explaining the driving process of the head shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a second gas injection layer for depositing an atomic layer on the outer surface of the object shown in FIG. 2B.
FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a cross section in the A-A' direction of the second gas injection layer shown in FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 is a view for explaining a vertical cross-section of the second gas injection layer shown in FIG. 7.
FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method of driving the atomic layer deposition apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

Hereinafter, the atomic layer deposition apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

The atomic layer deposition device of the present invention is for depositing an atomic layer on an object having a three-dimensional shape such as automobile parts, fine-structured precision mechanical parts, RF modules, small electronic parts, and MEMS devices, and is used to deposit an atomic layer on the outside of the object. It includes a structure for depositing an atomic layer on the inner surface of a hollow part formed on the surface or object.

In addition, the atomic layer deposition apparatus of the present invention does not spray gases on the object while changing the type over time, but sprays each gas on a different surface of the object while rotating the object placed on the stage. The atomic layer is deposited using a space-division deposition method by sequentially spraying gases.

Hereinafter, the atomic layer deposition apparatus will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

1 is a diagram for explaining an atomic layer deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the atomic layer deposition apparatus 10 includes a load chamber 20, an unload chamber 30, a process chamber 40, and a control unit 50.

The load chamber 20 is a chamber where an object requiring atomic layer deposition waits, and is provided in plural numbers. The object located in the load chamber 20 is transferred to the process chamber 40 by a robot arm (not shown).

The unload chamber 30 is a chamber in which the object on which atomic layer deposition has been completed is discharged from the process chamber 40 and waits, and is provided in plurality to correspond to the number of load chambers 20. The object in the process chamber 40 is transferred to the unload chamber 30 by a robot arm (not shown).

The process chamber 40 is a chamber for depositing an atomic layer on an object and includes a head 100 that sprays gas to form an atomic layer and a stage 200 that supports the object.

The load chamber 20 and the unload chamber 30 may be provided in plural numbers to prevent loss time from occurring in the process time of the process chamber 40.

The control unit 50 controls the overall process flow and the operation of each of the load chamber 20, the unload chamber 30, and the process chamber 40, and the specific control method of the control unit 50 will be described later.

The stage 200 performs the function of supporting the object during the processing process.

The stage 200 supports an object and includes at least one rotation support unit 210 that rotates the object during processing.

The stage 200 may be equipped to rotate on its own.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method of driving the atomic layer deposition apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

10(a), (b). Referring to (c), the control unit 50 controls the load chamber 20, the unload chamber 30, and the process chamber 40 so that process processing for the object can be continuously performed within the process chamber 40. do.

As shown in (a) of FIG. 10, when sample 1, which is an object, is located in the process chamber 50, which is a process area, the control unit 50 preloads at least one of sample 2 and sample 3 into the load chamber 20. .

When sample 2 and sample 3 are loaded in the load chamber 20, when sample 1 is processed in the process chamber 40 and discharged to the unload chamber 30, sample 2 is loaded in the load chamber 20 (b). ) is immediately loaded into the process chamber 40, and as shown in (c) of FIG. 10, when sample 2 is processed and discharged to the unload chamber 30, sample 3 is loaded into the process chamber 40. You can eliminate loss time by loading it immediately.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining the process chamber shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B , the process chamber 40 is a chamber in which a process of depositing an atomic layer on an object is performed, and the process chamber 40 includes a head 100 and a stage 200.

The head 100 has a multi-layer structure including a gas distribution block 110 and a nozzle block 120 detachably coupled to the lower part of the gas distribution block 110.

The gas distribution block 110 uniformly distributes the plurality of injected gases in the plane directions of the X and Y axes and provides them to the nozzle block 120.

The gas distribution block 110 is provided at the lower part of the input layer 111 and the input layer 111 to receive gases, and distributes the gases input to the input layer 111 in either the x-axis or y-axis direction (horizontal direction). A first dispersion layer 112, which disperses gases in one first axis direction, is provided below the first dispersion layer 112, and distributes the gases dispersed in the first axis direction from the first dispersion layer 112 into a first dispersion layer 112. A second dispersion layer 113 that disperses in the second axis direction perpendicular to the axial direction, provides the gases dispersed in the second dispersion layer 113 to the nozzle block 120, and a connection layer of the nozzle block 120 ( 121) includes an output layer 114 that is detachably fastened.

The input layer 111 receives input through separate pipes for each type of gas required for atomic layer deposition, and provides the gases input to the first dispersion layer 112.

Each of the first dispersion layer 112 and the second dispersion layer 113 may be provided as a plurality of layers to uniformly disperse gases.

Accordingly, the nozzle block 120 can form a uniform atomic layer film on the outer surface or inner surface of the object using gases uniformly dispersed in the horizontal x-axis and y-axis directions.

Meanwhile, the nozzle block 120 and the gas distribution block 110 can be detachably coupled to each other by the fastening means 1212. The user selects either the nozzle block 120 on which the first gas injection layer 500 is formed or the nozzle block 120 on which the second gas injection layer 600 is formed, depending on the atomic layer deposition site and size of the object. It can be used by combining it with the gas distribution block 110.

The gas distribution block 110 and the nozzle block 120 are coupled and fixed by fastening means 1212, and a coupling screw may be used as the fastening means 1212. In addition, the fastening means 1212 may use a fitting method or other various fastening methods.

The nozzle block 120 has a connection layer 121 that receives gas from the output layer 114 and provides it to the first or second gas spray layers 500 and 600, and directs gas from the connection layer 121 to the object. It includes a first or second gas injection layer (500, 600) for spraying.

The connection layer 121 functions to provide the gas provided from the gas distribution layer 110 to the first gas injection layer 500 or the second gas injection layer 600.

At the lower end of the output layer 114 in the gas distribution block 110, a first gas connection part 1141 is provided for each type of gas to provide gas from the second distribution layer 113 to the nozzle block 120, and the connection layer ( 121) is provided with a second gas connection part 1211 coupled to the first gas connection part 1141 at a position corresponding to the first gas connection part 1141. By coupling the first gas connection part 1141 to the second gas connection part 1211, a passage through which gas is provided can be formed between the gas distribution block 110 and the nozzle block 120.

At this time, in order to prevent loss of gas and pressure at the joint between the first and second gas connection parts (1141, 1211), at least one of the first and second gas connection parts (1141, 1211) is provided with an O-ring made of a chemical-resistant rubber material. It can be provided.

The gas spray layers 500 and 600 include a first gas spray layer 500 that is inserted into the hollow of the object and deposits an atomic layer on the inner wall of the object, and a hollow is formed in the center, and after placing the object in the hollow, the first gas spray layer 500 deposits an atomic layer on the inner wall of the object. It may be provided as one of the second gas injection layers 600 that deposit an atomic layer on the outer wall.

That is, select one of the nozzle blocks 120 provided with the first gas spray layer 500 or the second gas spray layer 600 according to the atomic layer target area and size of the atomic layer deposition target to create a gas distribution block ( 110) and can be used for atomic layer deposition.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the first gas spray layer for depositing an atomic layer on the inner surface of an object with a hollow nozzle block shown in FIG. 2A, and FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the first gas spray layer shown in FIG. 3. is a diagram for explaining a vertical cross-section, and FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a cross-section in the A-A' direction of the first gas injection layer shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 3, the first gas spray layer 500 for depositing an atomic layer on the inner surface of the hollow part of an object having a hollow part has a gas delivery path 520 through which gas is transmitted downward on the Z axis on the outer side. A plurality of gas injection holes 530 are provided along the circumference, and the inner surface of the gas delivery path corresponding to the interface between the gas delivery path 520 and the hollow portion is provided with a plurality of gas injection holes 530 for spraying gas in the horizontal direction, which is the side direction of the object. do. In addition, a gas exhaust port 540 for sucking in and exhausting gas is provided between the gas delivery paths 520 along the circumference of the first gas injection layer.

Referring to FIG. 4, the gas injection holes include gas injection holes (530a, 530c, 530e, 530g) through which inert gas is injected, gas injection holes (530b, 530f) through which s1 gas is injected, and gas injection holes (530b, 530f) through which s2 gas is injected. It includes injection holes 530d and 530h, and is provided with a gas exhaust port 540 disposed between each of the gas injection holes 530a, 530b, 530c, 530d, 530e, 530f, 530g, and 530h to perform exhaust.

S1 gas and S2 gas can be appropriately selected depending on the atomic layer component to be deposited on the object. For example, when trying to form an Al ₂ O ₃ atomic layer thin film on an object, TMA (trimethyl-aluminium), TMDAA (Hexakis(dimethylamino)dialuminum) can be used as the S1 gas, and H2O can be used as the S2 gas. A combination of the known s1 gas and s2 gas can be used for atomic layer deposition of various materials such as TiO2 thin film, ZnO thin film, and ZrO2 thin film.

Referring to FIG. 5, the gas delivery path 520 may have a cross-sectional area that narrows downward for spraying gas. Accordingly, the gas injection pressure emitted from the gas injection hole 530 located upward on the gas delivery path 520 and the gas injection pressure ejected from the gas injection hole 530 located downward on the gas delivery path 520 are the same. By aligning it properly, it is possible to form a uniform atomic layer along the Z-axis direction on the outer surface of the object.

Although not shown in the drawing, the diameter of the gas injection hole 530 located above is made larger than the diameter of the gas injection hole 530 located below on the gas delivery path 520, so that the gas injection hole 530 located above The amount of gas sprayed from can be adjusted to be equal to the amount of gas sprayed from the gas spray hole 530 located below.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are diagrams for explaining the driving process of the head shown in FIG. 3.

The atomic layer deposition process of an object having an inner wall of SF1 to SF6 centered on a hollow space is explained as follows.

As shown in Figure 6a, the first and fifth surfaces (SF1, SF5) of the inner surfaces of the rotating object pass in front of the gas injection hole 530 that sprays the first source gas, and the first and fifth surfaces of the object are rotated. The first source gas (G1) is coated on the surface of the object on the five sides (SF1, SF5) (light blue part).

Meanwhile, other surfaces (SF2, SF3, SF4, SF6, SF7, SF8) except the first and fifth surfaces (SF1, SF5) of the object are inert and sprayed on the surface of the object until the first source gas is coated. The gas or second source gas is removed by spraying an inert gas and sucking it into the gas exhaust port 540.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6B, the first and fifth surfaces (SF1, SF5) of the rotating object pass in front of the gas injection hole 530 that sprays the second source gas, and the first and fifth surfaces of the object are The first source gas attached to the surfaces SF1 and SF5 chemically bonds with the second source gas, and an atomic layer is deposited (orange portion).

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6C, an atomic layer is deposited on the entire inner surface of the object while it is rotating, and the atomic layer can be deposited in multiple layers depending on the rotation speed and rotation angle of the object.

In addition, N2 as an inert gas is sprayed between each step of FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C to clean the remaining gas, and the gas or impurities removed from the substrate are sucked in and exhausted through the gas exhaust port 540.

The control unit 50 can control the rotation speed and rotation angle of the object in order to deposit an atomic layer of a desired thickness. When the target thickness of the atomic layer is 1 nm and the thickness of one atomic layer deposition is 0.1 nm, the control unit 50 can control the rotation number, rotation angle, and rotation speed of the object to deposit 10 atomic layers.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the second gas injection layer for depositing an atomic layer on the outer surface of the object shown in FIG. 2B, and FIG. 8 is a view showing the A-A' direction of the second gas injection layer shown in FIG. 7. It is a drawing for explaining a cross section of a , and FIG. 9 is a drawing for explaining a vertical cross section of the second gas injection layer shown in FIG. 7.

Referring to FIG. 7, the second gas spray layer 600 for depositing an atomic layer on the outer surface of an object is formed with a hollow part 610 in the center into which an object can be inserted, and the outer part of the hollow part 610 is formed. On the side, a plurality of gas delivery paths 620 through which gas is transmitted downward on the Z axis are provided along the circumference of the outer side, and a hollow portion is provided on the inner surface of the gas delivery path corresponding to the boundary between the gas delivery path 620 and the hollow portion. A plurality of gas injection holes 630 are provided to inject gas in a horizontal direction toward 610. In addition, gas exhaust ports 640 for sucking in and exhausting gas are provided between the gas delivery paths 620 along the circumference of the second gas injection layer 600.

The hollow portion 610 is a portion into which an object is inserted, and may be formed with an appropriate diameter in consideration of the size of the object on which the atomic layer is to be deposited.

Referring to FIG. 8, the gas injection hole 630 includes gas injection holes 630a, 630c, 630e, and 630g through which inert gas is injected, gas injection holes 630b and 630f through which s1 gas is injected, and s2 gas. A gas exhaust port 640 includes gas injection holes 630d and 630h, and is disposed between the gas injection holes 630a, 630b, 630c, 630d, 630e, 630f, 630g, and 630h to perform exhaust. It is provided.

Referring to FIG. 9, the gas delivery path 620 may have a cross-sectional area that narrows downward for spraying gas. Accordingly, the gas injection pressure emitted from the gas injection hole 630 located above on the gas delivery path 620 and the gas injection pressure ejected from the gas injection hole 630 located below on the gas delivery path 620 are the same. By aligning it properly, it is possible to form a uniform atomic layer along the Z-axis direction on the outer surface of the object.

Since the atomic layer deposition process of the second gas injection layer 600 is similar to that described in FIGS. 6A to 6C, detailed description is omitted.

According to the present invention, the first gas spray layer 500 deposits the atomic layer by spraying gas in the side direction rather than the top surface of the object, so that the atomic layer is deposited on the entire inner or outer surface of the object having a 3D three-dimensional shape. can be deposited uniformly.

According to the present invention, a gas spray layer through which different gases are sprayed depending on the angle is placed on an object, and then the object can be rotated on a stage to deposit an atomic layer in a space division method.

According to the present invention, the nozzle block 120 is structured to be detachably coupled to the gas distribution block 110, so that the nozzle block 120 has a gas spray layer 150 corresponding to the deposition site of the object. ) can be used by combining it with the gas distribution block 110.

10: Atomic layer deposition device 20: Load chamber
30: unload chamber 40: process chamber
50: Control unit 100: Head
110: gas distribution block 111: input layer
112: first dispersion layer 113: second dispersion layer
114: output layer 120: nozzle block
121: connection layer 200: stage
500: first gas injection layer 600: second gas injection layer
610: hollow 520, 620: gas delivery path
530, 630: gas injection hole 540, 640: gas exhaust port

Claims (6)

A stage having a rotation support for rotating the atomic layer deposition object; and
It includes a head for depositing an atomic layer on the rotating object,
The head is,
An atomic layer deposition apparatus comprising a nozzle block for depositing an atomic layer by spraying gas in a lateral direction on either the inner surface or the outer surface of the deposition object rotating on the rotation supporter. According to paragraph 1,
The head is,
Gas distribution block that distributes input gas to the x-axis and y-axis
It includes a nozzle block provided below the gas distribution block for spraying gas to an object,
The atomic layer deposition apparatus is characterized in that the nozzle block is detachably coupled to the gas distribution block. According to paragraph 1,
The nozzle block is,
An atomic layer deposition apparatus comprising a first gas injection layer that is inserted into a hollow portion formed in an object and deposits an atomic layer on the inner surface of the hollow portion of the object rotating on the rotation supporter. According to paragraph 1,
The nozzle block includes a first gas injection layer protruding in a cylindrical shape,
The first gas injection layer is an atomic layer deposition device characterized in that gas injection holes for spraying an inert gas, a first source gas, an inert gas, and a second source gas in an outward direction are sequentially provided along the circumference of the cylindrical shape. . According to paragraph 1,
The nozzle block is,
It has a first gas injection layer having a hollow portion into which an object can be inserted,
The first gas injection layer is,
An atomic layer deposition apparatus, characterized in that an atomic layer is deposited on the outer surface of an object rotating on the rotation supporter while the object is positioned in the hollow portion. According to paragraph 1,
The nozzle block has a first gas injection layer that is formed in a cylindrical shape and has a hollow into which an object can be inserted,
The first gas injection layer is an atomic layer characterized in that gas injection holes for spraying an inert gas, a first source gas, an inert gas, and a second source gas are sequentially provided along the circumference of the hollow toward the center of the hollow. deposition equipment.