CN112820617B

CN112820617B - Plasma processing apparatus

Info

Publication number: CN112820617B
Application number: CN202010853870.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 蔡熙星; 金亨源; 郑熙锡
Original assignee: GigaLane Co Ltd
Current assignee: GigaLane Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-11-18
Filing date: 2020-08-21
Publication date: 2021-12-07
Anticipated expiration: 2040-08-21
Also published as: TW202121489A; CN112820617A; TWI737526B; KR102114891B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus. Specifically, the present invention provides a plasma processing apparatus comprising: a chamber including a formation region constituting a region where plasma is formed, a processing region constituting a region where a substrate is processed by the plasma, and an exhaust region constituting a region where the plasma is exhausted; a chuck having a mounting portion for mounting the substrate; a guide member that guides the plasma formed in the formation region to the processing region and includes a lower end portion having a predetermined diameter; and a container having a diameter larger than that of a lower end portion of the guide member and including a container wall extending in an up-down direction, wherein the lower end of the container is in close contact with the chuck when the substrate is mounted on the mounting portion.

Description

Plasma processing apparatus

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus.

Background

A plasma processing apparatus for performing a work by using plasma can be used in a process of processing a substrate. The substrate processing process includes etching, vapor deposition, and the like, and the present invention describes a process of processing a substrate based on etching. The etching may include at least one of physical etching and chemical etching. The apparatus for processing a substrate using such a plasma supplies a process gas into a chamber, and causes the process gas to react with a high-frequency current, thereby converting the process gas into a plasma state. Such a plasma can etch the substrate.

On the other hand, during plasma etching of the substrate, the flow velocity of plasma may be different between the edge portion and the central portion of the substrate. In general, plasma flow velocity is faster at the edge portion of the substrate; the plasma flow velocity is slow in the center of the substrate. Due to such a difference in the flow velocity of the plasma, the edge portion of the substrate is more plasma-processed than the central portion of the substrate, so that the Etching Rate (Etching Rate) of the edge portion of the substrate is higher than that of the central portion of the substrate. Due to such a difference in etching rate between the edge portion and the central portion of the substrate, the substrate may be etched unevenly.

Therefore, in order to prevent the substrate from being etched unevenly, a plasma processing apparatus capable of reducing an etching rate difference between the edge portion and the central portion of the substrate is required.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

The embodiments of the present invention have been made in view of the above-described background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a plasma processing apparatus in which a difference in etching rate between a center portion and an edge portion of a substrate is reduced by slowing down a plasma flow rate at the edge portion of the substrate.

Technical scheme

According to an aspect of the present invention, there may be provided a plasma processing apparatus including: a chamber including a formation region constituting a region where plasma is formed, a processing region constituting a region where a substrate is processed by the plasma, and an exhaust region constituting a region where the plasma is exhausted; a chuck having a mounting portion for mounting the substrate; a guide member that guides the plasma formed in the formation region to the processing region and includes a lower end portion having a predetermined diameter; and a container having a diameter larger than that of a lower end portion of the guide member and including a container wall extending in an up-down direction, wherein the lower end of the container is in close contact with the chuck when the substrate is mounted on the mounting portion.

Further, the guide member may include a tapered portion having a shape in which a diameter becomes narrower toward a lower side, and the diameter of the container wall may be smaller than a diameter of an outer peripheral surface of an upper end portion of the tapered portion and larger than a diameter of an outer peripheral surface of a lower end portion of the tapered portion.

Further, a plasma processing apparatus may be provided, wherein the vessel is configured such that a distance from the chuck to an upper end portion of the vessel is greater than a distance from the chuck to a lower end portion of the guide member, thereby changing a flow direction of the plasma passing through the guide member.

Further, there may be provided a plasma processing apparatus, further comprising: and a partition plate having a plurality of partition plate through holes formed therein for dispersing a flow of the plasma flowing to the outside of the chamber after the substrate is processed, wherein the partition plate is disposed below the chamber.

Further, a plasma processing apparatus may be provided, wherein the chuck includes a chuck body, a recess portion is formed at an edge portion of the chuck body at a lower height than an inner side portion of the chuck body, and a focus ring is seated in the recess portion.

Further, a plasma processing apparatus may be provided, wherein the container wall of the container is disposed in a region in a vertical direction of an upper side of the focus ring.

Further, a plasma processing apparatus may be provided, wherein the vessel is configured such that a distance between an imaginary line extending in an up-down direction from an outer edge of the focus ring and the vessel wall is greater than a distance between an imaginary line extending in an up-down direction from an inner edge of the focus ring and the vessel wall.

Further, a plasma processing apparatus may be provided in which the container wall is configured such that a horizontal distance from a lower end portion of the guide member to an upper end portion of the container wall is greater than a vertical distance from the lower end portion of the guide member to the upper end portion of the container wall.

Further, a plasma processing apparatus may be provided, wherein the container wall has a ring shape, the focus ring has a ring shape, and a diameter of an inner peripheral surface of the focus ring is formed smaller than a diameter of the inner peripheral surface of the container wall.

Further, there may be provided a plasma processing apparatus, further comprising: and an elevating module capable of elevating the vessel with respect to the chuck, wherein the elevating module is driven to elevate the vessel in order to mount or dismount the substrate on or from the mounting portion, and to lower the vessel in order to perform plasma processing on the substrate mounted on the mounting portion.

Further, the plasma processing apparatus may be provided wherein the partition plate is supported by the vessel to be lifted together with the vessel.

Further, a plasma processing apparatus may be provided, wherein the lifting module is lifted and lowered in such a manner as to be selectively engaged with the container in order to lift and lower the container.

Further, the plasma processing apparatus may be provided, wherein the lifting module includes a fitting portion inserted into a hole formed in the container to lift the container.

In addition, the plasma processing apparatus may further include a support rod having a step with the engagement portion, wherein the lifting module is configured to lift and lower the container in a state where the step between the support rod and the engagement portion is locked to the container.

Further, there may be provided a plasma processing apparatus, wherein the container further comprises: an engaging member connected to a lower end of the container wall and having a ring shape with an outer radius larger than that of the container wall; and a shield ring supported by the engagement member to be lifted together with the engagement member and covering an edge of the substrate mounted on the mounting portion.

In addition, the plasma processing apparatus may be configured such that the engagement member has an engagement bracket portion formed to protrude outward from an outer peripheral surface thereof, a first through hole is formed in the engagement bracket portion, the shield ring has a shield bracket portion formed to protrude outward from an outer peripheral surface thereof, a second through hole is formed in the shield bracket portion, and the engagement member and the shield ring are arranged such that the first through hole and the second through hole are positioned to correspond to each other.

Further, the container may further include a connection member that is coupled to the engagement bracket portion with the shield bracket portion interposed therebetween and has a third through hole, and the first through hole, the second through hole, and the third through hole may be arranged such that center points thereof are located on the same vertical line.

Further, a plasma processing apparatus may be provided, wherein the lifting module includes: a support bar; a fitting part formed at one side of the support bar; a support ring supporting the support bar and surrounding the chuck; and a driving unit for supplying a driving force for lifting the support ring, wherein the diameter of the third through hole is larger than the engaging portion and smaller than the support rod, and the lifting module is lifted and lowered in a state where the support rod is engaged with the third through hole to lift and lower the container.

Further, a plasma processing apparatus may be provided, wherein the lifting module includes: a support bar; a fitting part formed at one side of the support bar; a support ring supporting the support bar and surrounding the chuck; and a driving unit that supplies a driving force for raising and lowering the support ring, wherein a part of an outer peripheral surface of the engagement unit is raised and lowered in a state of being engaged with at least one of the first through hole, the second through hole, and the third through hole, thereby raising and lowering the container.

Further, there may be provided a plasma processing apparatus comprising: a container having a diameter larger than that of a lower end portion of the guide member; and an elevating module capable of elevating the vessel relative to the chuck, wherein the elevating module lowers the vessel to bring a lower end of the vessel into close contact with the chuck when the substrate is mounted on the mounting portion of the chuck.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the embodiments of the present invention, since the speed of the plasma flow at the edge portion of the substrate is slowed down, the etching rate at the edge portion of the substrate is lowered, and thus there is an effect of reducing the difference in etching rate between the center portion and the edge portion of the substrate.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention including a section of a container and a lifting module taken along B-B' of fig. 4.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the plasma processing apparatus including a section of the container and the lifting module taken along B-B' of fig. 4 when the container of fig. 1 is lowered.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a plasma flow PF.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the container and lifting module of fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the container of fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion a of fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view illustrating a portion a when the support bar of fig. 2 is raised.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion a showing the container wall of fig. 2 in a state where the engagement member is integrated into one member.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of a portion corresponding to the portion a in fig. 2 in the plasma processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, in which the engagement portion is inserted into the through hole and brought into contact with the through hole.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged view of a portion corresponding to the portion a in fig. 2 in another plasma processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which a fitting portion is inserted into a through hole and brought into contact with the through hole.

Fig. 11 is a bottom view of the container of fig. 4.

Reference numerals

1: plasma processing apparatus, 10: substrate, 20: chuck, 30: container assembly, 100: chamber, 110: formation region, 120: treatment area, 130: discharge area, 140: chamber door, 200: chuck body, 210: mounting portion, 220: recess, 300: pump, 400: separator, 410: separator through-hole, 500: focus ring, 510: focus ring upper surface, 600: a container, 610: container wall, 611: container upper surface, 620: engagement member, 621: engagement leg portion, 621 a: first through hole, 621 b: engagement groove, 630: shield ring, 631: shield bracket portion, 631 a: second through-hole, 640: connecting member, 641 a: third through hole, 700: lifting module, 710: support rod, 711: fitting section, 720: support ring, 730: drive unit, 800: guide member, 810: guide portion, 820: a tapered portion.

Detailed Description

Specific embodiments for embodying the idea of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Meanwhile, when it is judged that a detailed description of a related known structure or function may make the gist of the present invention unclear in describing the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Further, when a component is referred to as being "connected," "supported," "supplied," "flowed" or "coupled" to another component, it is to be understood that the component may be connected, supported, supplied, flowed or coupled to the other component, but another component may be present therebetween.

The terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, singular references include plural references.

Also, terms including ordinal numbers such as first, second, third, etc., may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited by such terms. These terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one constituent element from another constituent element.

The meaning of "comprising … …" as used in this specification is to specify the presence of stated features, regions, integers, steps, actions, elements, and/or components, but does not preclude the presence or addition of other specified features, regions, integers, steps, actions, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

In addition, it should be noted that in the present specification, the upper side, the lower side, and the like are described with reference to the drawings in the drawings, and may be expressed differently when the direction of the object is changed. On the other hand, the up-down direction in the present specification may be the up-down direction in fig. 1.

The specific structure of the plasma processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Hereinafter, referring to fig. 1 and 2, a plasma processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may receive a process gas from the outside and convert the process gas into a plasma state. Further, the substrate 10 may be processed with plasma to form a fine pattern on the substrate 10. Such a plasma processing apparatus 1 may include a chuck 20, a vessel assembly 30, a chamber 100, a pump 300, a partition 400, and a guide member 800. The chamber 100 may include a chamber door 140 that provides access to the substrate 10. In addition, the chuck 20 may include a chuck body 200 and a focus ring 500, and the container assembly 30 may include a container 600 and a lift module 700.

On the other hand, the chamber 100 may provide a space in which the process gas is converted into a plasma state by reacting with the high frequency current. In addition, the chamber 100 may provide a space for processing plasma on the substrate 10. A formation region 110 constituting a space where plasma can be formed, a processing region 120 constituting a space where plasma can be processed on the substrate 10, and a discharge region 130 constituting a space where plasma having processed the substrate 10 is discharged to a pump 300 to be described later can be formed inside such a chamber 100. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a Plasma Flow (hereinafter referred to as PF) as a Flow of Plasma flowing from the formation region 110 to the discharge region 130 through the treatment region 120 may be formed inside the chamber 100. Further, the plasma may flow along the plasma flow PF from the interior of the chamber 100 to a pump 300 arranged outside the chamber 100.

Referring to fig. 3, the formation region 110 may be a region where plasma is formed by converting a process gas supplied from the outside of the chamber 100 into plasma by a high frequency current. Such a formation region 110 may be an upper side region of the inside of the chamber 100, and may be an upper side region of the guide member 800 to be described later.

The processing region 120 may be a region where the plasma processes the substrate 10 moving from the formation region 110 to etch the substrate 10. Further, the processing region 120 may be a region adjacent to the substrate 10 when the substrate 10 is mounted on a mounting part 210 to be described later, and may be a region located lower than the formation region 110. Such plasma in the processing region 120 may include byproducts generated after processing the substrate 10.

The discharge region 130 may be a region where the plasma processed the substrate 10 in the processing region 120 is discharged to the outside. Further, the exhaust region 130 may be a region surrounding the processing region 120. Such a discharge region 130 may communicate with an exhaust passage (not shown) of the pump 300 disposed outside the chamber 100. The exhaust region 130 may provide a space for exhausting the plasma, which processes the substrate 10, to a space outside the chamber 100.

On the other hand, the chamber 100 may include a chamber door 140 that provides a passage for carrying out the substrate 10. Such a chamber door 140 may provide a passage for carrying in and out the substrate 10 from the outside of the chamber 100 to the inside of the chamber 100 or carrying out the substrate 10 from the inside of the chamber 100 to the outside of the chamber 100. The chamber door 140 may be provided on one side of the chamber 100 so as to be openable and closable.

The chuck 20 may support the substrate 10 and position the substrate 10 in the processing region 120. Such a chuck 20 may include a chuck body 200 and a focus ring 500.

Chuck body 200 may support focus ring 500. The chuck body 200 may include a mounting portion 210 constituting a portion on which the substrate 10 is mounted. The seating portion 210 may provide a portion supporting the substrate 10, and may be provided at an upper inner side of the chuck body 200, in other words, a region corresponding to the processing region 120. The substrate 10 carried into the interior of the chamber 100 through the chamber door 140 may be seated on the seating part 210.

In addition, a recess 220 for seating the focus ring 500 may be formed at an edge portion of the chuck body 200. The focus ring 500 may be inserted into the recess 220. Such a recess 220 may be formed at a lower height than the upper surface of the inner side (the processing region 120 side) of the chuck body 200. In other words, the recess 220 may be formed at the edge of the chuck body 200 at a lower height than the seating portion 210. Further, a level difference may be formed between the recess 220 and the seating portion 210 by a height difference between the recess 220 and the seating portion 210.

The focus ring 500 may provide a portion for receiving the container 600. Such a focus ring 500 may be seated in the recess 220. Further, the focus ring 500 may have a ring shape, for example.

Such a focus ring 500 may have a focus ring upper surface 510 that can be selectively contacted with the container 600. Such a width of the focus ring upper surface 510 may be formed to be greater than that of the container upper surface 611. Here, the width may be a distance between the inner side edge and the outer side edge. Further, as shown in fig. 2, when the vessel 600 is lowered toward the chuck 20, the lower end portion of the vessel 600 may be seated on the focus ring upper surface 510, thereby allowing close contact between the lower end of the vessel 600 and the chuck 20. In other words, by bringing the lower end of the container 600 into close contact with the focus ring 500 inserted into the recess 220, plasma can be prevented from flowing between the lower end of the container 600 and the focus ring 500, and plasma can be prevented from etching the upper surface 510 of the focus ring. In addition, the plasma, which is not passed between the rear surface of the substrate 10 seated on the seating part 210 and the upper surface of the seating part 210 and between the lower end of the container 600 and the focus ring upper surface 510, may stay at the processing region 120 to process the substrate 10. Further, the plasma of the processing region 120 flows across the vessel upper surface 611 to the exhaust region 130.

The pump 300 may exhaust the plasma inside the chamber 100 to the outside of the chamber 100. By such a pump 300, a plasma flow PF, in which plasma can flow along the formation region 110, the treatment region 120, and the exhaust region 130, can be formed inside the chamber 100. Further, the exhaust passage of the pump 300 may communicate with the exhaust region 130. The plasma in the discharge region 130 may be discharged to the outside by the pump 300 through the partition 400 provided in the discharge region 130.

The baffle 400 may disperse the flow of plasma flowing from the processing region 120 toward the outside of the chamber 100 after processing the substrate 10. The partition 400 may be disposed below the container 600. Such a separator 400 may be a plate having a ring shape. The partition 400 may be fixedly installed in the chamber 100, but may be supported by the container 600 and lifted together with the container 600.

The separator 400 may be provided with a separator through-hole 410. A plurality of barrier through holes 410 may be formed in the barrier 400, and the plurality of barrier through holes 410 may disperse the flow of plasma toward the pump 300. Therefore, the plasma flowing from the processing region 120 to the discharge region 130 can be dispersedly flowed through the plurality of partition through holes 410. Such a through hole 410 may have a slit shape extending in a radial direction from the center of the separator 400.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, the container 600 may reduce an etching rate of plasma passing through the edge portion of the substrate 10 and may change a flow direction of the plasma passing through the guide member 800. In other words, the container 600 may surround and cover the seating portion 210 extending to a prescribed height from the upper surface of the chuck 20. At least a part of the container 600 may be formed as a cylindrical cover member surrounding the seating portion 210 to change a flow direction of the plasma.

In order to mount the substrate 10 on the mounting part 210 of the chamber 100, the container 600 may be lifted and lowered by the lifting module 700. In other words, as shown in fig. 1, when the substrate 10 is carried into the chamber 100, the container 600 may be raised to be spaced apart from the chuck body 200. When the container 600 is lifted, the substrate 10 carried into the chamber 100 may be placed on the mounting portion 210 through the partitioned space. Further, as shown in fig. 2, when the substrate 10 is mounted on the seating portion 210, the container 600 is lowered toward the substrate 10 such that the lower end portion of the container 600 is seated on the focus ring upper surface 510, so that the lower end of the container 600 can be closely attached to the chuck body 200. Thus, the plasma can be prevented from flowing between the lower end of the vessel 600 and the upper surface of the chuck 20. The plasma that fails to pass through the processing region 120 between the lower end of the vessel 600 and the upper surface of the chuck 20 flows across the vessel upper surface 611 toward the exhaust region 130.

The container 600 may include a container wall 610, a docking member 620, a shield ring 630, and a connection member 640. Here, the shadow ring 630 and/or the coupling part 640 may be included or removed according to a plasma processing environment.

Referring to fig. 1, 3 through 6, the container wall 610 may reduce an etching rate of plasma passing through the edge portion of the substrate 10. In other words, in the case of plasma passing through the edge portion of the substrate 10, the flow direction may be changed from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction (up-down direction) by the container wall 610, and the flow velocity may be reduced by the container wall 610.

Further, the container wall 610 may be, for example, ring-shaped, and the diameter of the inner circumferential surface of the container wall 610 may be formed larger than the diameter of the inner circumferential surface of the focus ring 500. That is, the vessel wall 610 may be located in a region extending in a vertical direction from the focus ring 500 to the upper side. Such a container wall 610 may have a container upper surface 611 provided at an upper end. The width of the vessel upper surface 611 (t 1 of fig. 6) may be formed smaller than the width of the focus ring upper surface 510 (t 2 of fig. 6). The upper surface 611 of the container may be located higher than a virtual surface I (see fig. 1) that passes through a center point of a region S (see fig. 1) where the substrate 10 supplied when the container 600 is lifted is carried in and out.

Further, when the vessel 600 is mounted to the chuck 20, the vessel wall 610 may be configured such that a horizontal distance (L1 of fig. 6) from the lower end of the guide member 800 to the upper end of the vessel wall 610 is greater than a vertical distance (L2 of fig. 6) from the lower end of the guide member 800 to the upper end of the vessel wall 610.

The container wall 610 extends in the vertical direction, and the inner circumferential surface is formed in a circular shape having a predetermined diameter. The diameter of the inner circumferential surface of the container wall 610 may be larger than the diameter of the inner circumferential surface of the lower end portion of the guide member 800 to prevent interference with the guide member 800.

The distance (d 1 in fig. 6) between the imaginary line extending in the vertical direction from the outer edge of the focus ring 500 and the outer peripheral surface of the container wall 610 in the container 600 is larger than the distance (d 2 in fig. 6) between the imaginary line extending in the vertical direction from the inner edge of the focus ring 500 and the inner peripheral surface of the container wall 610. In other words, the vessel 600 is configured such that the vessel wall 610 is more contiguous with the inside edge of the focus ring 500 than the outside edge of the focus ring 500.

On the other hand, referring to fig. 3 to 6, the container 600 may be configured such that the distance between the virtual line extending leftward and rightward from the focus ring upper surface 510 and the container upper surface 611 (h 2 of fig. 6) is greater than the distance between the virtual line extending leftward and rightward from the focus ring upper surface 510 and the guide 810 (h 1 of fig. 6). In other words, the vessel 600 may be configured such that a distance from the chuck 20 to an upper end of the vessel 600 is greater than a distance from the chuck 20 to a lower end of the guide member 800, thereby changing a flow direction of the plasma passing through the guide member 800. Further, the diameter of the container 600 may be larger than that of the lower end portion of the guide member 800.

The engagement member 620 may connect the container wall 610 and the shadow ring 630. Such a coupling member 620 may have a ring shape having a prescribed width. In addition, a docking member 620 may be attached to the bottom surface of the container wall 610. An engagement leg portion 621 capable of being coupled to the coupling part 640 may be formed at the engagement part 620.

The engagement leg portion 621 may provide a portion where the engagement member 620 is combined with the connection member 640 to be described later. Such a coupling leg portion 621 may be formed to protrude from an outer circumferential surface of the coupling member 620. Further, a plurality of engaging leg portions 621 may be formed, and the plurality of engaging leg portions 621 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction of an outer circumferential surface of the engaging member 620. A first through hole 621a into which a fitting portion 711 to be described later can be inserted may be formed in the engagement leg portion 621. Referring to fig. 11, the engagement leg 621 may be formed with an engagement groove 621b into which the shielding leg 631 can be inserted. In other words, the coupling member 620 may be coupled with the shield ring 630 by inserting and seating the shield leg portion 631 inside the coupling groove 621b formed at the lower surface of the coupling leg portion 621.

The shadow ring 630 may cover an edge of the substrate 10 mounted on the seating portion 210. Such a shield ring 630 may support the coupling part 620 mounted thereon, and may be lifted and lowered together with the lifting and lowering of the coupling part 620. In addition, the shadow ring 630 may prevent plasma from flowing between the shadow ring 630 and the focus ring 500. In other words, as illustrated in fig. 3, 5 and 6, the shadow ring 630 is closely attached to the focus ring 500 when being lowered by the lift module 700, thereby preventing plasma from flowing between the shadow ring 630 and the focus ring 500. A shield bracket portion 631 provided to support a portion of the connection member 640 may be formed at such a shield ring 630.

The shadow bracket portion 631 may provide a portion of the shadow ring 630 supported to the connection member 640. Such a shield bracket portion 631 may be formed to protrude from an outer circumferential surface of the shield ring 630. Further, a plurality of shield leg portions 631 may be formed, and the plurality of shield leg portions 631 may be formed on outer circumferential surfaces of the shield ring 630 different from each other. A second through hole 631a into which the engagement portion 711 can be inserted may be formed in the shielding bracket 631. The diameter of such a second through hole 631a may be formed to be the same as the diameter of the first through hole 621 a.

The connection part 640 may prevent the shield ring 630 from being detached from the coupling part 620. In other words, the connection part 640 may be combined with the engagement leg part 621 via the shield leg part 631 to maintain the shield ring 630 within the engagement part 620. A plurality of such coupling parts 640 may be provided to couple the plurality of engagement leg parts 621 and the plurality of shielding leg parts 631. The coupling member 640 may have a third through hole 641a into which the fitting portion 711 can be inserted. The diameter of the third through hole 641a may be larger than the diameter of the fitting portion 711 and smaller than the diameter of the support rod 710. The diameter of the third through hole 641a may be the same as the diameters of the first through hole 621a and the second through hole 631 a.

The engaging member 620, the shield ring 630, and the connecting member 640 may be disposed such that at least 2 or more of the first through hole 621a, the second through hole 631a, and the third through hole 641a are located at positions corresponding to each other. For example, the engagement member 620 and the shield ring 630 may be disposed such that the first through hole 621a and the second through hole 631a are located at positions corresponding to each other. The engagement member 620, the shield ring 630, and the connection member 640 may be arranged such that a center point of any one of the first through hole 621a, the second through hole 631a, and the third through hole 641a is located on the same vertical line as at least 2 center points of the other.

On the other hand, referring again to fig. 4, the lifting module 700 may lift the container 600 in order to mount the substrate 10 on the seating portion 210 or remove the substrate 10 from the seating portion 210, or may lower the container 600 in order to process the substrate mounted on the seating portion 210. In other words, the lifting module 700 may lift the container 600 in order to mount the substrate 10 on the seating portion 210 or remove the substrate 10 from the seating portion 210, and may be driven to lower the container 600 before plasma is processed so that the container 600 fixes the substrate 10 mounted on the seating portion 210. In addition, the lifting module 700 may be fixed to the container 600 in order to lift the container 600, or may be lifted and lowered in such a manner as to be selectively engaged with the container 600.

Such a lifting module 700 may include a support bar 710, a fitting part 711, a support ring 720, and a driving part 730.

Referring to fig. 4, 6, and 7, the support rod 710 may support the container 600. A plurality of such support bars 710 may be provided, and a plurality of support bars 710 may support a plurality of connection members 640. In addition, the support rod 710 may be connected to the support ring 720 and may be lifted or lowered as the support ring 720 is lifted or lowered. At this time, the upper end of the supporting rod 710 may have a step with the lower end of the engaging part 711, and the lifting module 700 may be lifted and lowered in a state where the step between the supporting rod 710 and the engaging part 711 is locked to the connecting member 640, thereby lifting and lowering the container 600. For example, the diameter of the support rod 710 may be larger than the diameter of the fitting part 711, and the diameter of the support rod 710 may be larger than the diameter of the third through hole 641 a. Therefore, when the engagement portion 711 is inserted into the third through hole 641a to move the support rod 710 up and down, the coupling member 640 engages with the step between the support rod 710 and the engagement portion 711 to move the container 600 up and down.

Referring to fig. 4, 7 and 9, the engagement portion 711 is provided at an end of the support rod 710. Further, a plurality of engaging portions 711 may be provided, and the plurality of engaging portions 711 may have a shape protruding upward from the upper end portions of the plurality of support bars 710. Such an engaging portion 711 can move in a direction of being inserted into at least one of the

holes

621a, 631a, 641a formed in the container 600, so as to raise and lower the container 600. For example, the engagement portion 711 may be inserted only into the second through hole 631a and the third through hole 641a when the support lever 710 is not moved up and down, and may be inserted into the first through hole 621a disposed above the second through hole 631a and the third through hole 641a when the support lever 710 is moved up and down.

The fitting part 711 may have a pillar shape. Further, a step may be formed between the fitting part 711 and the support rod 710 by a difference between a diameter of a lower end of the fitting part 711 and a diameter of an upper end of the support rod 710, and the support rod 710 may be lifted up to contact with a lower surface of the connection member 640 by the step between the fitting part 711 and the support rod 710. Therefore, when the supporting rod 710 is raised, the step difference between the engaging portion 711 and the supporting rod 710 is engaged with the coupling member 640, so that the container 600 can be lifted and lowered together with the supporting rod 710.

The diameter of the upper end of the fitting portion 711 may be formed smaller than the diameters of the

holes

621a, 631a, 641a and smaller than the diameter of the support rod 710. For example, the diameter of the upper end portion of the engagement portion 711 may be smaller than the diameters of the first through hole 621a, the second through hole 631a, and the third through hole 641 a. As a more detailed example, at least a portion of the fitting part 711 may have a tapered shape having a smaller diameter as it extends to the upper end. Therefore, when the supporting rod 710 is raised, the engagement portion 711 may be inserted into the first through hole 621a without being locked to the third through hole 641 a.

The support ring 720 may provide a space into which the chuck body 200 can be inserted inside. For example, the support ring 720 may be in the shape of a ring in which a cavity is formed in a manner of surrounding the circumferential surface of the chuck body 200. In addition, the support ring 720 may support the lower end of the support rod 710 and may be connected with the driving part 730.

The driving part 730 may provide a driving force for lifting and lowering the container 600. In other words, the driving unit 730 may move the container 600 supported by the support bar 710 up and down by moving up and down the support bar 710 and the support ring 720. For example, the driving part 730 may be a piston type driver.

Referring again to fig. 3, the guide member 800 may guide the plasma formed in the formation region 110 in such a manner that the plasma flows toward the process region 120. Such a guide member 800 may include a guide portion 810 and a tapered portion 820.

The guide 810 may extend downward from a lower end of the tapered portion 820. The guide 810 may guide the plasma passing through the taper 820 toward the processing region. The outer circumferential surface of the lower end portion of such a guide 810 may have a diameter smaller than that of the container 600 and may have a circular shape.

The taper 820 may direct the plasma formed at the formation region 110 toward the processing region 120. Such a tapered portion 820 may have a shape with a narrower diameter toward a lower side to concentrate plasma to increase the density of plasma. Further, the diameter of the upper end of the tapered portion 820 may be larger than the diameter of the container 600, and the diameter of the lower end of the tapered portion 820 may be smaller than the diameter of the container 600. The tapered portion 820 may be disposed at an upper side of the guide portion 810.

Next, the operation and effect of the plasma processing apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration will be described.

Referring to fig. 1 to 8, a user may drive the lift module 700 to lift the container 600 to load the substrate 10 into the chamber 100. At this time, the step difference between the engaging part 711 and the support rod 710 is engaged with the coupling member 640, so that the container 600 can be lifted up by the lifting module 700. When the container 600 is raised, the substrate 10 may be seated on the seating portion 210 of the chuck body 200. When the substrate 10 is seated on the seating part 210, the lifting module 700 may be driven to lower the container 600.

While the container 600 is lowered by the driving part 730, the step difference between the engaging part 711 and the support rod 710 may be lowered in a state of being engaged with the coupling part 640 so that the container 600 is mounted on the focus ring 500. Further, when the container 600 is mounted on the focus ring 500, the driving part 730 may further lower the fitting part 711 to a predetermined distance or less so that the engagement between the step difference between the fitting part 711 and the support rod 710 and the coupling part 640 can be released. At this time, the engagement portion 711 may be lowered so as not to be completely removed from the

holes

621a, 631a, and 641a formed in the container 600. For example, the driving unit 730 may lower the fitting portion 711 by a predetermined distance or less so that one end of the fitting portion 711 is not separated from the second through hole 631a and the third through hole 641 a.

In this way, the engagement portion 711 can be raised or lowered so as not to be separated from the

holes

621a, 631a, 641a formed in the container 600, thereby guiding the movement of the container 600 and preventing misalignment. The engagement portion 711 can maintain the alignment by preventing the position of the container 600 with respect to the substrate 10 from being changed so as to process the plasma at a predetermined position. In addition, when the container 600 is lowered, the shadow ring 630 is seated on the edge of the substrate 10 and the focus ring upper surface 510, so that plasma can be prevented from flowing between the shadow ring 630 and the edge of the substrate 10 and between the shadow ring 630 and the focus ring 500. In addition, when the container 600 is seated on the focus ring upper surface 510, the support rod 710 does not support the container 600, and the lower end of the container 600 can be more stably brought into close contact with the focus ring upper surface 510 by the load of the container 600.

On the other hand, the user may supply the process gas to the chamber 100 from the outside and apply the high frequency current. In the formation region 110, the process gas may be converted into a plasma state by reacting with the high frequency current. Such plasma may flow along the movement path D toward the processing region 120 to process the substrate 10. The plasma processing the substrate 10 may flow across the upper surface 611 of the container toward the partition 400. The plasma may be dispersed into a plurality of flows through the barrier through-holes 410 of the barrier 400 and flow toward the discharge region 130. The plasma flow PF flowing along the formation region 110, the treatment region 120, and the exhaust region 130 may be guided by the pump 300 to be exhausted to the outside of the chamber 100.

In such a plasma processing apparatus 1, the speed of the plasma current at the edge portion of the substrate 10 is reduced, so that the etching rate at the edge portion of the substrate 10 is reduced, and thus the difference in etching rate between the center portion and the edge portion of the substrate 10 is reduced.

On the other hand, in the present specification, although the container wall 610 and the engaging member 620 are described as two members different from each other, this is only exemplary, and as shown in fig. 8, the container wall 610 and the engaging member 620 may be combined into one member.

On the other hand, in addition to such a configuration, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to fig. 9 and 10. In describing the second embodiment, differences from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described, and the same description and reference numerals will be given to corresponding parts in the above-described embodiment.

According to the second embodiment of the present invention, the surfaces of the container 600 in which the

holes

621a, 631a, 641a are formed are in contact with the circumferential surface of the fitting part 711, so that the container 600 can be supported to the lifting module 700. In this case, the lifting module 700 may be configured such that the upper end of the support bar 710 does not contact the container 600. In addition, in order to contact between the surfaces of the

holes

621a, 631a, and 641a in the container 600 and the peripheral surface of the engagement portion 711, any one of the

holes

621a, 631a, and 641a and the engagement portion 711 may have a tapered shape in which the diameter decreases from the lower end portion toward the upper end portion.

For example, as shown in fig. 9, the fitting portion 711 may have a tapered shape whose diameter decreases from the lower end portion toward the upper end portion. In this case, at least one of the

holes

621a, 631a, 641a formed in the container 600 may have a diameter smaller than a diameter of a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the fitting portion 711.

For another example, as shown in fig. 10, at least one of the

holes

621a, 631a, 641a formed in the container 600 may have a tapered shape in which the diameter decreases from the lower end portion toward the upper end portion. In this case, the diameter of the fitting portion 711 may be constant while extending in the up-down direction.

According to the above example, when the plurality of engaging portions 711 raise the container 600, the plurality of engaging portions 711 pass through the

holes

621a, 631a, 641a formed in the container 600 at different heights from each other due to a difference in length of the support bar 710, a load of the container 600, an inclination of the support ring 720, or the like, so that the container 600 may not be horizontally raised. In other words, the container 600 may be tilted and lifted in a state of being supported by the fitting part 711 having a different deviation in the vertical direction.

Such a constant height difference between the plurality of engaging portions 711 may occur due to a difference in length of the support bar 710, inclination of the support ring 720, or the like, in addition to a difference in length of the engaging portions 711. Therefore, the plurality of engaging portions 711 may be formed such that a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the engaging portions 711 contacts and engages with at least one of the

holes

621a, 631a, and 641a formed in the container 600, so as to be able to horizontally support the container 600 to be lifted and lowered when the driving portion 730 is lifted. For example, a part of the outer circumferential surfaces of the plurality of engaging portions 711 may be formed to contact and engage with the first through hole 621a formed in the container 600.

Here, the engagement portion 711 comes into contact with and engages with the first through-hole 621a, and includes a case where a part of the outer peripheral surface of the engagement portion 711 comes into contact with and engages with the edge of the first through-hole 621a as shown in fig. 9, and a case where a part of the outer peripheral surface of the engagement portion 711 comes into contact with and engages with the inner peripheral surface of the first through-hole 621a as shown in fig. 10.

Therefore, when the container 600 is raised, a part of the outer peripheral surface of any one of the plurality of engagement portions 711 can be brought into contact with and engaged with the first through hole 621a first. When the driving unit 730 continues to rise in a state where a part of the outer peripheral surface of one of the engaging portions 711 is engaged with the first through hole 621a, a part of the outer peripheral surface of the remaining engaging portion 711 of the plurality of engaging portions 711 may be sequentially engaged with the first through hole 621 a. In this way, even if one of the engaging portions 711 engages with the first through-hole 621a first, the remaining engaging portions 711 of the engaging portions 711 engage with the first through-hole 621a in sequence, and thus the container 600 can be raised and lowered by the same height difference. In addition, when a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the fitting portion 711 is engaged with the first through hole 621a in contact therewith, the supporting bar 710 may be spaced apart from the connecting member 640 by a predetermined distance. Therefore, even if the step difference between the fitting part 711 and the support bar 710 is not engaged with the connection member 640, a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the fitting part 711 is engaged with the first through hole 621a, whereby the container 600 can be lifted and lowered by the driving part 730.

More specifically, the engagement portion 711 may be raised inward of at least a part of the

holes

621a, 631a, and 641a formed in the container 600, and may engage with at least one of the

holes

621a, 631a, and 641a formed in the container 600. As a more detailed example, when the engagement portion 711 is formed inside the

holes

621a, 631a, 641a of the container 600 by the driving portion 730, as shown in fig. 9 and 10, a part of the outer peripheral surface of any one of the plurality of engagement portions 711 may be engaged with the first through hole 621a first. Further, the driving unit 730 may continue to be raised in a state where a part of the outer peripheral surface of one of the engaging portions 711 is engaged with the first through hole 621a first, and thereby a part of the outer peripheral surface of the remaining engaging portion 711 of the plurality of engaging portions 711 may be sequentially engaged with the first through hole 621 a. In this way, the step difference between the engagement portion 711 and the support bar 710 is not engaged with the connection member 640, but a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the engagement portion 711 is engaged with the first through hole 621a, so that the container 600 can be lifted and lowered with the same deviation even though the plurality of engagement portions 711 have different heights from each other.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in terms of specific embodiments, this is merely exemplary and the present invention is not limited thereto, and the present invention should be construed as having the widest scope based on the basic idea disclosed in the present specification. One of ordinary skill in the art may combine/substitute the disclosed embodiments to implement a pattern of shapes not shown, but again without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, a person having ordinary skill in the art can easily modify or change the disclosed embodiments based on the present description, and such modifications or changes are also within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A plasma processing apparatus, comprising:

a chamber including a formation region where plasma is formed, a processing region where a substrate is processed by the plasma, and an exhaust region where the plasma is exhausted;

a chuck having a mounting portion for mounting the substrate;

a guide member that guides the plasma formed in the formation region to the processing region and includes a lower end portion having a predetermined diameter; and

a container having a diameter larger than that of a lower end portion of the guide member and including a container wall extending in an up-down direction,

when the base plate is carried on the placing part, the lower end of the container is tightly attached to the chuck,

the vessel is configured such that a distance from the chuck to an upper end portion of the vessel is greater than a distance from the chuck to a lower end portion of the guide member, thereby changing a flow direction of the plasma passing through the guide member.

2. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1,

the guide member includes a tapered portion having a shape in which the diameter is narrower toward the lower side,

the diameter of the container wall is smaller than the diameter of the outer peripheral surface of the upper end portion of the tapered portion and larger than the diameter of the outer peripheral surface of the lower end portion of the tapered portion.

3. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a baffle plate having a plurality of baffle plate through holes formed therein for dispersing a flow of the plasma flowing toward an outside of the chamber after the substrate is processed,

the partition is disposed below the container.

4. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1,

the chuck comprises a chuck body and a focusing ring,

a concave part is formed on the edge part of the chuck body at a height lower than the inner side part of the chuck body,

the focus ring is seated in the recess.

5. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 4,

the vessel wall of the vessel is arranged in a region in the vertical direction of the upper side of the focus ring.

6. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 4,

the container wall has the shape of a ring,

the focus ring has a shape of a ring,

the diameter of the inner circumferential surface of the focus ring is formed smaller than the diameter of the inner circumferential surface of the container wall.

7. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a lifting module capable of lifting the vessel relative to the chuck,

the lifting module is driven to lift the container in order to mount or dismount the substrate on or from the mounting portion, and to lower the container in order to perform plasma processing on the substrate mounted on the mounting portion.

8. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 7,

the partition plate is supported by the container and ascends and descends together with the container.

9. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 7,

the lifting module is configured to selectively engage the container for lifting the container.

10. A plasma processing apparatus, comprising:

a chuck including a mounting portion for mounting the substrate and a focus ring;

a vessel having a predetermined diameter in such a manner as to change a flow direction of the plasma, and including a vessel wall extending in an up-down direction,

the container is configured such that a distance between an imaginary line extending in an up-down direction from an outer edge of the focus ring and the container wall is greater than a distance between an imaginary line extending in an up-down direction from an inner edge of the focus ring and the container wall.

11. A plasma processing apparatus, comprising:

a chuck having a mounting portion for mounting the substrate;

the container wall is configured such that a horizontal distance from a lower end of the guide member to an upper end of the container wall is greater than a vertical distance from the lower end of the guide member to the upper end of the container wall.

12. A plasma processing apparatus, comprising:

a chuck having a mounting portion for mounting the substrate;

a container having a predetermined diameter so as to change a flow direction of the plasma; and

a lifting module capable of lifting the vessel relative to the chuck,

the lifting module is driven to lift the container for mounting or removing the substrate on or from the mounting portion and to lower the container for performing plasma processing on the substrate mounted on the mounting portion,

the lifting module includes an engaging portion inserted into a hole formed in the container to lift the container.

13. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 12,

the lifting module also comprises a supporting rod, the supporting rod and the fitting part form a section difference,

the lifting module lifts and lowers the container in a state where the support rod and the engaging portion are locked to the container by a step difference.

14. A plasma processing apparatus is characterized in that,

a chuck having a mounting portion for mounting the substrate;

a vessel having a predetermined diameter so as to change a flow direction of the plasma, and including a vessel wall extending in an up-down direction; and

a lifting module capable of lifting the vessel relative to the chuck,

the container further comprises:

an engaging member connected to a lower end of the container wall and having a ring shape with an outer radius larger than that of the container wall; and

and a shield ring supported by the engagement member to be lifted together with the engagement member and covering an edge of the substrate mounted on the mounting portion.

15. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 14,

the engaging member has an engaging leg portion formed to protrude outward from an outer peripheral surface thereof, the engaging leg portion having a first through hole formed therein,

the shielding ring is provided with a shielding bracket part which is formed by projecting from the outer peripheral surface to the outside, a second through hole is formed in the shielding bracket part,

the engaging member and the shield ring are disposed such that the first through hole and the second through hole are located at positions corresponding to each other.

16. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 15,

the container further includes a connecting member coupled to the engaging bracket portion via the shielding bracket portion and having a third through hole,

the first through hole, the second through hole, and the third through hole are arranged such that their respective center points are located on the same vertical line.

17. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 16,

the lifting module comprises:

a support bar;

a fitting part formed at one side of the support bar;

a support ring supporting the support bar and surrounding the chuck; and

a driving part providing a driving force for lifting the support ring,

the diameter of the third through hole is formed to be larger than the fitting part and smaller than the support rod,

the lifting module lifts and lowers the container in a state where the support rod is locked to the third through hole.

18. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 16,

the lifting module comprises:

a support bar;

a fitting part formed at one side of the support bar;

a support ring supporting the support bar and surrounding the chuck; and

a driving part providing a driving force for lifting the support ring,

the container is lifted and lowered by lifting and lowering a part of the outer peripheral surface of the engagement portion in a state of being engaged with at least one of the first through-hole, the second through-hole, and the third through-hole.

19. A container assembly, comprising:

a container having a diameter larger than that of a lower end portion of the guide member; and

a lifting module capable of lifting the vessel relative to the chuck,

the lifting module lowers the container when the substrate is mounted on the mounting portion of the chuck to make the lower end of the container and the chuck tightly contact with each other,

20. A container assembly, comprising:

a lifting module capable of lifting the vessel relative to a chuck including a focus ring,

21. A container assembly, comprising:

a container having a diameter larger than that of the lower end portion of the guide member and including a container wall extending in an up-down direction; and

a lifting module capable of lifting the vessel relative to the chuck,

22. A container assembly, comprising:

a lifting module capable of lifting the vessel relative to the chuck,

23. A container assembly, comprising:

a lifting module capable of lifting the vessel relative to the chuck,

the container further comprises: