Background technology
Along with dwindling of device critical size, the control that wafer surface is stained becomes more and more crucial.If introduced pollutant sources such as particle in process of production, just may cause the open circuit of circuit or open circuit, thereby in semiconductor technology was made, how avoiding the pollution in the technology manufacturing was the problem that must pay close attention to.Along with the raising of automation degree of equipment in producing, tailing off alternately of personnel and product brings the emphasis of particle to be put into above the particle that production equipment produced more in preventing to produce.After the equipment long-term work, can accumulate some attachments on its inner each assembly, this attachment, especially come off, transfer on the wafer possibly near reative cell (chamber) inner surface of reaction gas inlet and the attachment that is positioned at places such as the gas diverter accumulation of reactor top, thereby cause the particle of wafer is stained, make the rate of finished products of producing reduce.
In various production equipments, the particle contamination problems of chemical vapour deposition (CVD) (CVD, Chemical Vapor Deposition) equipment is one of emphasis of paying close attention to, and this is determined by its operation principle.Chemical vapor depsotition equipment is typically used in films such as forming silica, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, carborundum; during deposition; containing of feeding gaseous state forms the required atom of film or the chemical substance of molecule in reative cell; this chemical substance hybrid concurrency in reative cell is given birth to and is reacted, and finally assembles forming the solid film and the gaseous products of wishing formation in wafer surface.In this film formation process,, must also can accumulate attachment in the inner wall surface of reative cell except wafer surface forms film.Therefore, after deposition repeatedly, when the attachment on the inwall is thicker,, settling chamber and wafer is caused stain, form the defective on the wafer, the rate of finished products of reduction product easily because of attachment comes off.Fig. 1 causes the abnormal device profile map of etching result for staining because of particle in the explanation prior art, as shown in Figure 1, when the film on the substrate 101 102 is carried out etching, does not have a defective if wafer surface is smooth, the neat in edge of etching perforate 103, and figure is complete; But if there is particle 104 in wafer surface, then can cause the edge deformation of etching perforate 105 serious, and the distortion of corrosion figure shape at the moment can cause device performance to descend, rate of finished products reduces.
For this reason, aborning, usually all can operate one period scheduled time or reative cell internal contamination behind certain predetermined extent at reative cell, reative cell is carried out cleaning on the throne, feeding can be removed the part attachment with the gas that attachment reacts, with the pollution abatement program.In addition, because of cleaning method on the throne can not thoroughly be removed attachment in the reative cell, after longer a period of time of running, still need carry out wet-cleaned to eliminate attachment comparatively up hill and dale to reative cell.And after wet-cleaned, generally need reative cell is carried out a warming-up program (season process), so that the reative cell internal environment recovers stable, just can enter normal production then and use.In two kinds of cleaning methods, the effect of cleaning on the throne is limited, but less to the influence of producing; The wet-cleaned cleaning performance is better, but required time is longer, can cause utilization rate of equipment and installations and production efficiency to reduce, and wishes under the situation of guaranteed product quality, can reduce the number of times of wet-cleaned as far as possible.And find in the practice that board does not also reach the wet-cleaned opportunity of expectation in operation, but,, when putting into production once more, also can fall to having a large amount of particles on the surface of wafer even only there is one hour because of maintenance or after scheduling of production time-out production a period of time.And after utilizing test piece to carry out repeatedly cleaning on the throne and warming-up, this particle contamination phenomenon still can not disappear, and only reative cell being cleaned completely, behind the warming-up, could formally putting into production once more, causes the reduction of utilization rate of equipment and installations and production efficiency.
Application number is that 02143321.6 Chinese patent application discloses a kind of method that reduces the reative cell impurity content, this method is after carrying out regular cleaning to reative cell, the material that utilization is different from fabrication schedule forms layer protective layer at the inner surface of reative cell, this protective layer plays buffer action between manufacturing program and reative cell inner surface, can reduce the granule foreign number that reacts and produce because of manufacturing program and reative cell inner surface; Then, carry out one time fabrication schedule, finish the warming-up operation, enter formal production run again.But, the disclosed method of this application just is applied to reative cell clean after, prevention be interaction between fabrication schedule and reative cell inner surface, its range of application is narrower.And after running a period of time, the particle issues that is occurred in the time of also should not carrying out wet-cleaned does not propose corresponding solution to this method yet for foregoing equipment.
Summary of the invention
The invention provides a kind of process that reduces particle in reaction chamber,, reduced the amounts of particles that comes off in the reative cell, improved the particle contamination problems that existing reative cell occurs in the production operation by in the inner one deck adhesion barrier layer that forms of reative cell.
A kind of process that reduces particle in reaction chamber provided by the invention comprises step:
At least the wafer that adheres to barrier material is contained on a slice surface to be imported in the described reative cell;
Described reative cell is heated and vacuumizes processing;
Described wafer is carried out plasma treatment;
Take out described wafer.
Wherein, described adhesion barrier material is any in copper, aluminium, titanium, silver, the gold copper-base alloy.
Wherein, the temperature of described reative cell heating is between 250 to 500 ℃; The described pressure of handling the realization response chamber that vacuumizes maintains between 2 to 5Torr.
Wherein, the gas that feeds during described plasma treatment is any one or two kinds of combination in ammonia, the helium argon gas.
Wherein, feed the ammonia of flow between 500 to 1000sccm during described plasma treatment, and the helium of flow between 1000 to 2000sccm.
In addition, can also be before importing described wafer into described reative cell, one step of increase is carried out the processing of cleaning on the throne or wet-cleaned to reative cell.
Wherein, the temperature of described clean on the throne is between 250 to 500 ℃; Chamber pressure is between 2 to 5Torr.And fed nitrogen fluoride and argon gas in described clean process on the throne, and the flow of described nitrogen fluoride is between 2000 to 5000sccm; The flow of described argon gas is between 3000 to 8000sccm.
Wherein, described reative cell can be the plasma cvd reactor chamber.
Compared with prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:
The process of minimizing particle in reaction chamber of the present invention is utilized Ionized gas that the wafer that adheres to barrier material is contained on the surface and is handled, and makes this kind material on this wafer fly upward to the reative cell inner surface and forms one deck adhesion barrier layer.Utilize the stronger adhesiveness of this layer on the one hand, granule foreign in the reative cell can be sticked on the reaction chamber wall, on the other hand, can also utilize this layer that the granule foreign that produces in the production process is isolated is blocked under this layer, stop from two aspects that reative cell is endocorpuscular to come off, effectively reduce the quantity of particle contamination.Reative cell after the inventive method is handled in the production operation, is produced the comparatively serious problem of particle in reaction chamber pollution that occurs because of equipment suspends, and has clear improvement.
Process of the present invention is easy to realize that need not to carry out extra wet-cleaned work, the equipment after process of the present invention is handled can directly put into production use, and is guaranteeing to have improved usage ratio of equipment and production efficiency under the prerequisite of the rate of manufacturing a finished product.
Embodiment
For above-mentioned purpose of the present invention, feature and advantage can be become apparent more, the specific embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with accompanying drawing.
Processing method of the present invention can be widely applied in many application, and should not be construed as the processing that only is only applicable to chemical vapor deposition reaction chamber, and to the problem of miscellaneous equipment minimizing particle contamination aspect, method of the present invention can be suitable for too.By preferred embodiment processing method of the present invention is specified, the present invention is not limited to this specific embodiment certainly, and the known general replacement of one of ordinary skilled in the art is encompassed in protection scope of the present invention far and away.
The first embodiment of the present invention is the processing that the plasma cvd reactor chamber that is used for growing silicon carbide (SiC) film is reduced particle contamination.Fig. 2 is the structural representation of apparatus for plasma chemical vapor deposition, as shown in Figure 2, this equipment mainly comprises: reative cell 201, radio-frequency power supply 202, gas supply device 207, vacuum system 208, the upper and lower electrode 203 and 204 that links to each other with radio-frequency power supply 202, brace table 205, and gas ionization chamber 206 and gas diverter 210.In this equipment growing film process, earlier wafer is placed on the brace table 205, the processing that utilizes 208 pairs of systems of heating system (not shown) and vacuum system to heat and vacuumize, then, by gas supply device 207 reacting gas is fed gas ionization chamber 206 again and carry out ionize process, again the gas after the ionization is charged in the reative cell 201 through gas diverter 210, under the effect of the upper and lower electrode 203 that links to each other with radio- frequency power supply 202 and 204, be implemented in deposition formation carborundum films on the wafer surface.In this film deposition process, inner wall surface at reative cell must also can accumulate certain attachment, after repeatedly depositing, when the attachment in the reative cell is thicker, easily come off and transfer on the wafer, cause particle to stain to reative cell and wafer, form the defective on the wafer, reduce the rate of finished products of product.
Except that because of the thicker particle contamination that causes of attachment in the reative cell, in process of production, this equipment is because of safeguarding or scheduling of production at every turn, suspend and produce a period of time, even have only one hour, when it puts into production once more, all can fall to having a large amount of particles on the surface of wafer.By the particle that comes off on the wafer surface is carried out observation analysis, find that the particle that is come off is bigger, and how in the form of sheets, component includes silicon, carbon and some metallics.Think, this metallics is relevant with the reative cell inner surface, when equipment suspends use, reaction chamber temperature reduces, when coming into operation once more, after heating, its temperature is gone up once more, this is the process of heating and cooling repeatedly, and the feasible reative cell inner surface that is positioned under the plasma is as the attachment on gas diverter surface and the adhesiveness variation between gas diverter.When equipment was devoted oneself to work once more, though the attachment thickness in the reative cell does not also reach the standard that need carry out wet-cleaned, this attachment also easily came off under the bombardment in plasma, forms particle contamination on wafer.And the particle contamination phenomenon that this causes because of attachment adhesiveness variation, even still can not disappear behind cleaning on the throne and the test piece warming-up carrying out repeatedly, only reative cell is cleaned completely, behind the warming-up, the use of could resuming production again of this equipment.The wet clean step that this is extra has caused usage ratio of equipment and production efficiency to reduce.For improving this problem, in the present embodiment, pollute for reducing particle in reaction chamber, after equipment suspends production, increased by one and gone on foot the technological operation that forms adhesion barrier layer.
Fig. 3 is the flow chart of the process of minimizing particle in reaction chamber of the present invention, below in conjunction with Fig. 3 the first embodiment of the present invention is elaborated.
After equipment suspend to be produced, when the serious phenomenon of particle contamination having occurred, need reduce the processing of particle in reaction chamber to the reative cell of equipment.At first, can carry out clean on the throne (S301) to reative cell.In the present embodiment, reative cell is used to deposit the SiC film, and the attachment in it mainly is SiC, for this reason, during its cleaning on the throne, the process conditions of employing can for: reative cell is heated between 250 to 500 ℃, as is 300 ℃, 350 ℃ or 400 ℃ etc.; And reative cell vacuumized processing, its operating pressure is maintained between 2 to 5Torr, as be 3Torr, 4Torr etc.; Feed nitrogen fluoride (NF to the gas ionization chamber
3) gas and argon gas (Ar), utilize the SiC attachment that accumulates in the F ion remaval reative cell that produces after its ionization, reach the purpose of chamber cleaning.Wherein, the flow of the nitrogen fluoride of feeding can be between 2000 to 5000sccm, as are 3000sccm, 4000sccm etc.; The flow of described argon gas can be between 3000 to 8000sccm, as are 5000sccm, 6000sccm or 7000sccm etc.The clean on the throne in this step can be removed the scum silica frost of attachment in the reative cell, but for the attachment that adheres in the reative cell, even the adhesiveness of itself and reative cell inner surface variation still can't be removed it.That is, only pass through cleaning on the throne, can not eliminate the particle of foregoing flaking.
For eliminate this sheet-like particle thing without wet-cleaned, in the present embodiment, behind the chamber cleaning on the throne, in reative cell, imported a slice at least into, as two or four etc., the wafer (S302) that adheres to barrier material is contained on the surface.This adhesion barrier material both can play good adhesive attraction to the particle (mainly being SiC) that produces in the production process of back, can play barrier effect to coming off of existing attachment in the reative cell again, its material can adopt copper product for copper, aluminium, titanium, silver, gold etc. in the present embodiment.The making of this kind band copper wafer is very simple, and the equipment growth layer of copper metal of wafer being put into the copper product that is used for growing gets final product, and should the surface is that the wafer of copper product can be repeatedly used.
This surface is after the wafer of copper product imports in the reative cell, the preparation (S303) that reative cell is heated and vacuumizes.In the present embodiment, reative cell can be heated between 250 to 500 ℃, as be 300 ℃, 350 ℃ or 400 ℃ etc.; And, the reative cell operating pressure is maintained between 2 to 5Torr, as be 3Torr, 4Torr etc. through vacuumizing processing.
Then, gas is fed the gas ionization chamber, again the gas after the ionization is fed in the reative cell, wafer is carried out plasma treatment (S304).The gas that this step feeds can be in argon gas, helium, the ammonia etc. one or more, specifically select for use which kind of gas to determine according to this equipment growing film technology, in present embodiment, the gas of feeding is ammonia (NH used when carrying out preliminary treatment before the ordinary production technology
3) and helium (He).Wherein, the NH of feeding
3Flow can be between 500 to 1000sccm, as be 600sccm, 700sccm or 800sccm etc.; The flow of described He gas as is 1200sccm, 1500sccm or 1800sccm etc. between 1000 to 2000sccm.
Through this step plasma treatment step, the copper metal of wafer surface can be splash, fly upward to the inwall of reative cell, especially with the pairing position of wafer position on, as gas diverter, and form the skim adhesion barrier layer thereon.This adhesion barrier layer can reduce the granule number in the reative cell from many aspects: first, it is stronger with intergranular adhesiveness, and the SiC particle that is produced in the back can being produced sticks on this layer preferably, difficult drop-off, and minimizing is at the granule number that reacts inner suspension; Second, the adhesive of itself and reaction chamber wall is also stronger, can adhere to preferably on the inwall of reative cell, can not come off; Three, because of the adhesive of himself, the attachment that is positioned at the original adhesiveness variation of its lower floor can be blocked in it down, effectively prevent the flaking of former attachment.
After this step plasma treatment, wafer is taken out (S305).To observing through the wafer after the plasma treatment, can find that its surface state is different, wafer surface reflectivity after test obtains handling will be higher than the wafer surface reflectivity before handling, proof is in plasma treatment procedure, the copper natural oxidizing layer of this wafer surface is removed, just confirmed that also wafer surface copper metal reduces really in plasma treatment procedure, and flown upward in the reative cell.
So far, reduce the processing step of particle in reaction chamber and finish, can will use in the formal production of equipment input.Fig. 4 utilizes process of the present invention to handle granule number test result on the wafer of front and back, as shown in Figure 4, ordinate is a granule number on the wafer that records among the figure, abscissa is a wafer number, 401 zones shown in the figure are granule number test results on the wafer of producing before utilizing the inventive method to handle, can see that the comparatively serious wafer ratio of particle contamination does not obviously meet technological requirement about more than 50%.402 zones shown in the figure are when producing after utilizing the inventive method to handle again, and granule number test result on the wafer can be seen, the serious wafer number of particle contamination obviously reduces, and the particle contamination phenomenon of wafer has had obvious improvement.
In addition, in order to verify that process of the present invention has long holding time to the particle contamination that reduces reative cell, reative cell after the present invention handles is left unused one hour again (if for the reative cell of handling without the inventive method, more serious particle contamination can appear in this moment), and then granule number on the wafer when testing it and putting into production, found that granule number is still less on wafer this moment, kept particle in reaction chamber to pollute lighter characteristic.
In the present embodiment, the cleaning on the throne that beginning is carried out not is necessary, if directly enter the present embodiment subsequent process steps, also can reach the purpose that reduces particle in reaction chamber, especially when the reative cell of equipment has not just been grown through the time of wet clean process without this step.
In the present embodiment, used clean air and plasma processing gas are decided by the film type of this equipment growth, if the film of being grown is other materials such as silica, silicon nitride, used clean air and plasma processing gas also can change thereupon, this kind replacement should be well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, does not repeat them here.
In the present embodiment, the PROCESS FOR TREATMENT of minimizing particle in reaction chamber of the present invention is carried out after the equipment break-off, in other embodiments of the invention, can also after carrying out wet-cleaned, carry out PROCESS FOR TREATMENT step of the present invention at every turn, utilize the granule number of adhesion barrier layer of the present invention, also can reduce the particle contamination degree on the wafer the good adhesion minimizing reative cell inner suspension of the particle of generation in producing.
In the present embodiment, be example, in reative cell, form one deck adhesion barrier layer with the method for plasma bombardment with the plasma cvd reactor chamber; In other embodiments of the invention, can also utilize method of the present invention that other reative cells are carried out alignment processing, as the high-density plasma CVD reative cell, pulse plasma chemical vapour deposition (CVD) (PACVD) or physical vapour deposition (PVD) reative cell etc. only need to adopt similar approach to form one deck adhesion barrier layer on the reative cell inner surface and get final product.
Though the present invention with preferred embodiment openly as above; but it is not to be used for limiting the present invention; any those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention; can make possible change and modification, so protection scope of the present invention should be as the criterion with the scope that claim of the present invention was defined.