CN116926507A

CN116926507A - Air inlet device and substrate processing equipment

Info

Publication number: CN116926507A
Application number: CN202210361686.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 谢振南; 郑振宇
Original assignee: Advanced Micro Fabrication Equipment Inc Shanghai
Current assignee: Advanced Micro Fabrication Equipment Inc Shanghai
Priority date: 2022-04-07
Filing date: 2022-04-07
Publication date: 2023-10-24
Also published as: TW202341374A; TWI828538B

Abstract

The invention provides an air inlet device, which is used for substrate processing equipment, wherein the substrate processing equipment comprises a reaction cavity, the air inlet device is positioned above the reaction cavity, a cooling fluid channel and a plurality of process gas input pipelines which are respectively communicated with a plurality of external process gas sources are arranged in the air inlet device, and a plurality of process gas output channels are arranged in the air inlet device; the process gas input pipeline supplies process gas to the reaction cavity through at least one corresponding process gas output channel; the cooling fluid channels are disposed about the process gas input line and the plurality of process gas output channels are circumferentially arranged about the cooling fluid channels, the cooling fluid channels controlling the temperature of the process gas input line and the process gas output channels. The invention also provides substrate processing equipment. The cooling fluid channel can effectively cool the process gas input pipeline and the process gas output channel, thereby avoiding the generation of particle pollutants caused by the deposition of the process gas and greatly improving the wafer yield.

Description

Air inlet device and substrate processing equipment

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of semiconductor equipment, in particular to an air inlet device and substrate processing equipment.

Background

CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition ) refers to a process in which reactive materials react chemically on the surface of a substrate under gaseous conditions to form a thin film, and CVD equipment is equipment for performing chemical vapor deposition on the surface of the substrate. MOCVD (Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition metal organic chemical vapor deposition) equipment, as a typical CVD equipment, is capable of providing conditions of a desired temperature, pressure, chemical gas composition, etc. when a crystal structure for luminescence, such as GaN (gallium nitride), is grown on a surface of a substrate, such as a sapphire substrate sheet.

The MOCVD treatment equipment comprises a reaction cavity, a tray for placing wafers is arranged in the reaction cavity, a plurality of heaters are arranged below the tray, and the tray uniformly transfers heat radiated by the heaters to the wafers. An air inlet device is arranged above the tray, and a plurality of guide fins are fixedly arranged on the outer side wall of the air inlet device. The process gas enters the air inlet device through the air inlet pipeline, enters the guide fins from the air outlet holes on the side wall of the air inlet device, and finally is guided into the reaction cavity through the guide fins.

In the process, the tray drives the wafer to rotate at a high speed, so that different kinds of process gases reaching the upper surface of the tray are fully mixed under the drive of the tray rotating at the high speed. The process gases react and deposit at a specific temperature to form a crystalline structure of the desired material on the surface of the substrate W, the substrate temperature determining the rate of material deposition on the substrate W.

However, the heat of the heater is radiated to the entire reaction chamber at the same time. Although the air inlet device is made of stainless steel materials and is internally provided with a cooling fluid channel, the guide fins are far away from the cooling fluid channel, so that heat of the guide fins is difficult to absorb by the cooling fluid channel; meanwhile, the thin sheet structure of the guide fin causes poor heat conduction performance and large heated radiation area. On the other hand, a sealing ring is arranged between the guide fin and the air inlet device, and the sealing ring also can influence the heat transfer between the guide fin and the air inlet device. The bottom surface of the air inlet device is also fixedly provided with a guide plate, and the fixing surface of the guide plate has larger heat resistance, so that the guide plate is cooled by the cooling fluid channel with poorer effect.

For the above reasons, the guide fins and the guide plates have a high temperature in the process, and the process gas is easily deposited on the guide fins and the guide plates. Over time, the deposits on the guide fins and guide plates flake off and cause particle contamination of the reaction chamber. These particle contaminations can cause defects on the wafer surface, affecting the yield of the wafer.

How to provide an air inlet device, which can reduce the deposition of process gas on the surface of the air inlet device and reduce the particle pollution in a reaction cavity, is a problem of concern in the industry.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide an air inlet device and substrate processing equipment, wherein the arrangement of the air inlet device and a cooling channel is changed, so that process gas can be conveyed to the inner layer of a reaction cavity without additionally arranging guide fins outside the air inlet device, and the process gas is ensured to pass through the surface of a wafer as horizontally as possible. Meanwhile, the temperature of the process gas input pipeline and the process gas output channel in the air inlet device is controlled through the cooling fluid channel in the air inlet device, so that the process gas is further prevented from depositing in the air inlet device and on the surface of the air inlet device.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an air inlet device for a substrate processing apparatus, the substrate processing apparatus comprises a reaction chamber, the air inlet device is located above the reaction chamber, a cooling fluid channel and a plurality of process gas input pipelines respectively connected with a plurality of external process gas sources are arranged in the air inlet device, and a plurality of process gas output channels are arranged in the air inlet device; the process gas input pipeline supplies process gas to the reaction cavity through at least one corresponding process gas output channel; the cooling fluid channels are arranged around the process gas input pipeline, a plurality of process gas output channels are circumferentially arranged around the cooling fluid channels, and the cooling fluid channels control the temperature of the process gas input pipeline and the process gas output channels.

Optionally, a plurality of buffer cavities which are not communicated with each other are arranged in the air inlet device; the plurality of buffer cavities are respectively in gas circuit communication with the plurality of process gas input pipelines; the flow rate of the process gas flowing into the corresponding process gas output channel is slowed down by the buffer chamber.

Optionally, a plurality of gas distribution cavities which are not communicated with each other are further arranged in the gas inlet device, and the plurality of gas distribution cavities are respectively connected and arranged between the plurality of buffer cavities and the corresponding process gas output channels in a gas path manner; the process gas flowing from the buffer chamber into the corresponding gas distribution chamber is homogenized by a plurality of gas homogenizing holes communicating the buffer chamber with the corresponding gas distribution chamber.

Optionally, the buffer cavity has an annular structure, and the plurality of buffer cavities are concentrically arranged; the gas distribution chamber has an annular structure disposed below the corresponding buffer chamber, and a plurality of gas distribution chambers are concentrically arranged.

Optionally, the process gas output channels are uniformly or non-uniformly distributed on the periphery of the corresponding gas distribution cavity along the circumferential direction of the gas distribution cavity; the process gas output channel is provided with a straight line structure, and the length direction of the process gas output channel is the radial direction of the gas distribution cavity; process gas output channels corresponding to the same gas distribution chamber are located at the same height; the process gas output channels corresponding to the different gas distribution chambers are located at different heights.

Optionally, the process gas output channels of the outer ring gas distribution chamber are higher than the process gas output channels of the adjacent inner ring gas distribution chamber.

Optionally, the first end gas path of the process gas output channel is communicated with a corresponding process gas input pipeline; the second end gas circuit of the process gas output channel is communicated with the inside of the reaction cavity; the cross-sectional area of the process gas output channel increases from the first end of the process gas output channel to the second end of the process gas output channel.

Optionally, the number of corresponding process gas output channels for each gas distribution chamber is the same or different.

Optionally, the first end gas path of the process gas input pipeline is communicated with a corresponding process gas source; the second end of the process gas input pipeline is positioned in the air inlet device and is communicated with the buffer cavity through a process gas injection port air circuit above the corresponding buffer cavity; the projections of the process gas injection ports and the gas homogenizing holes corresponding to the same buffer cavity on the horizontal plane are not overlapped.

Optionally, the air intake device comprises a lower section; the lower section includes a mounting plate; the plurality of process gas injection ports are formed in the mounting plate and communicate the top surface and the bottom surface of the mounting plate.

Optionally, the lower section further comprises a lower section first member and a lower section second member; the top surface and the bottom surface of the first lower section component are respectively welded with the bottom surface of the mounting plate and the top surface of the second lower section component; the plurality of buffer cavities are formed on the upper surface of the first member of the lower section, and the top of the buffer cavities is plugged through the bottom surface of the mounting plate; the plurality of gas distribution cavities are formed on the top surface of the second member of the lower section, and the top of the gas distribution cavities is blocked by the bottom surface of the first member of the lower section; the air homogenizing holes are formed on the lower surface of the first component of the lower section and are communicated with the corresponding buffer cavity and the gas distribution cavity.

Optionally, the first lower section member and the second lower section member are made of pure nickel.

Optionally, the air intake device further comprises an upper section; the bottom surface of the upper section is welded with the top surface of the mounting plate; the top surface of the upper section extends outwards to form an annular supporting seat; the outer side wall of the upper section is provided with an annular groove concentric therewith.

Optionally, a cleaning gas input pipeline communicated with the annular groove is further arranged in the upper section and used for inputting cleaning gas into the reaction cavity.

Optionally, the cooling fluid channel comprises a first cooling cavity and a second cooling cavity in communication with an external cooling fluid source; the first cooling cavity is disposed inside the upper section; the second cooling cavity is arranged in the lower section, and the buffer cavity and the gas distribution cavity are arranged around the periphery of the second cooling cavity; heat is conducted away from the upper and lower sections through the first and second cooling chambers.

Optionally, the cooling fluid channel further comprises a third cooling cavity disposed inside the lower section; the third cooling chamber is communicated with an external cooling fluid source and is positioned below the second cooling chamber, the buffer chamber, the gas distribution chamber and the process gas output channel.

Optionally, a purge gas inlet pipe is further provided in the air inlet device, and extends vertically downward from the center of the top surface of the air inlet device to the center of the bottom surface of the air inlet device.

Optionally, the air inlet device comprises five gas distribution cavities, namely a first gas distribution cavity, a second gas distribution cavity and a third gas distribution cavity, which are sequentially arranged from outside to inside; the process gas in the first, second and fourth gas distribution chambers is hydride; the process gas in the third and fifth distribution chambers is organic metal process gas.

The invention also provides a substrate processing apparatus comprising a reaction chamber, the reaction chamber comprising a chamber top cover, the chamber top cover having a mounting hole centrally disposed therein, the substrate processing apparatus comprising:

an air intake device according to the present invention; the air inlet device penetrates through the mounting hole and is fixedly mounted on the chamber top cover;

the tray is arranged in the reaction cavity and positioned below the air inlet device and is used for bearing wafers to be processed; the central area of the tray opposite to the air inlet device is provided with a first through hole so as to reduce the heat radiated by the tray to the air inlet device.

Optionally, a gap is formed between the outer side wall of the air inlet device and the inner wall of the mounting hole; the cleaning gas in the annular groove enters the reaction cavity through the gap.

Optionally, an annular protruding part concentric with the first through hole is arranged on the inner wall of the first through hole; an upper pressing plate and a lower pressing plate are respectively arranged above and below the protruding part in the first through hole; the convex part is clamped by the upper pressing plate and the lower pressing plate, so that the upper pressing plate, the lower pressing plate and the tray are integrally and fixedly connected.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the beneficial effects that:

1) According to the air inlet device and the substrate processing equipment, the process gas output channel is arranged in the air inlet device, so that the process gas can be conveyed into the reaction cavity without additionally arranging the guide fins outside the air inlet device, and the process gas can be ensured to pass through the surface of the wafer as horizontally as possible; the invention solves the problem that the process gas is easy to deposit on the guide fins to generate particle pollutants, and greatly improves the wafer yield;

2) The heat conduction efficiency between the cooling fluid channel and each part of the air inlet device is high, so that the cooling fluid channel can effectively absorb the heat of the process gas in the process gas input pipeline (arranged in the upper section) and the process gas output channel (arranged in the lower section) and prevent the process gas from depositing in the inner part and the outer surface of the air inlet device;

3) According to the invention, the flow rate of the process gas flowing into the corresponding gas distribution cavity is slowed down through the buffer cavity, and the process gas flowing into the corresponding gas distribution cavity from the buffer cavity is homogenized through the air homogenizing holes arranged between the buffer cavity and the corresponding gas distribution cavity, so that the uniformity of the process gas distribution in the reaction cavity is ensured; the buffer cavity and the corresponding gas distribution cavity are arranged up and down, so that the diameter of the air inlet device is prevented from being increased, the size of the mounting hole of the top cover of the cavity is not required to be changed, and the economic cost is greatly saved;

4) In the present invention, the cross-sectional area of the process gas output channel increases along the first end of the process gas output channel to the second end of the process gas output channel; the method can avoid the process gas from flowing out of the gas distribution cavity too fast, ensure the process gas to be uniform, and ensure the speed of the process gas flowing into the reaction cavity to meet the actual requirement;

5) In the invention, the process gas output channels corresponding to the same gas distribution cavity are positioned at the same height, and the process gas output channels corresponding to different gas distribution cavities are positioned at different heights; therefore, the air inlet device can input various process gases into the reaction cavity in a layered manner, and meets the actual process requirements;

6) The lower section of the air inlet device is made of pure nickel, a welding mode is adopted between the upper section and the lower section of the air inlet device, so that high thermal resistance is avoided, and the heat conduction efficiency between the parts of the air inlet device is improved;

7) According to the air inlet device, the annular groove communicated with the cleaning gas source air path is formed in the outer side wall of the upper section, so that sediment between the upper section and the chamber top cover can be cleaned;

8) In the invention, the first through hole is formed in the central area of the tray opposite to the air inlet device, so that the heat radiated by the tray to the air inlet device can be reduced, and the deposition of process gas on the air inlet device is further reduced.

Drawings

For a clearer description of the technical solutions of the present invention, the drawings that are needed in the description will be briefly introduced below, it being obvious that the drawings in the following description are one embodiment of the present invention, and that, without inventive effort, other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art from these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a substrate processing apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an air intake device;

FIG. 3A is a view A-A of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3B is an enlarged partial schematic view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a substrate processing apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an air intake device in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an air intake device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7A is a view B-B of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7B is a view of C-C of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an air intake device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a schematic view of the tray structure of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The following description of the embodiments of the present invention will be made clearly and completely with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which it is apparent that the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a substrate processing apparatus for a deposition process having a reaction chamber 100 in which a substrate W may be processed in a single wafer or multiple wafers. The reaction chamber 100 includes a chamber top cover 101 and a chamber body 102. The chamber top cover 101 covers the chamber main body 102, and the chamber top cover 101 and the chamber main body 102 together enclose an airtight internal processing space. The chamber lid 101 is typically made of a metal material (e.g., stainless steel), and the chamber lid 101 is cooled during a process by a cooling chamber 103 (a cooler in communication with the outside through a pipe) in the chamber lid 101. Although the chamber body 102 is shown as cylindrical, it may be other shapes, such as square, hexagonal, octagonal, or any other suitable shape. The center of the chamber top cover 101 is provided with a mounting hole 104, and the bottom surface of the chamber top cover 101 is also fixedly provided with a supporting ring 105 surrounding the mounting hole 104. The outer edge of the support ring 105 is provided with a step. An annular heat-insulating cover plate 106 is arranged around the supporting ring 105, an inverted step matched with the step is arranged on the inner edge of the heat-insulating cover plate 106, and the heat-insulating cover plate 106 is fixed on the lower surface of the chamber top cover 101 through the matching of the step and the inverted step. The insulating cover plate 106 serves to insulate the heat radiated into the chamber top cover 101 from the inside of the reaction chamber. The material of the insulating cover 106 may be graphite.

Also disposed within the reaction chamber 100 are an air inlet means 107 (typically a stainless steel material that is corrosion resistant and has good thermal conductivity), an air outlet means 108, and a tray 109 (typically a graphite material).

As shown in fig. 1, the tray 109 is disposed below the chamber top cover and opposite the air inlet 107. A reaction area is formed between the air inlet device 107 and the tray 109. Process gas is introduced into the reaction region from the gas inlet means 107 to process the substrates W placed on the tray 109. A plurality of heating elements 120 are typically provided below the tray. By heating the tray 109 by the heating element 120, the tray 109 in turn transfers the thermal energy provided by the heating element 120 to the substrate W, and the process gases react and deposit on the substrate W at a specific temperature that determines the rate of deposition of the material on the substrate W. In some substrate processing apparatuses, a drive shaft (not shown) is fixedly connected to the bottom of the tray, and the bottom of the drive shaft extends vertically downward through the bottom wall of the chamber body 102 and is located outside the substrate processing apparatus. The driving shaft tray drives the wafer W to rotate at a high speed, so that different kinds of process gases reaching the upper surface of the tray are fully mixed under the driving of the tray rotating at the high speed. Wherein the drive shaft may be driven by an external motor or cylinder. The exhaust 108 is used to exhaust gases (including both exhaust gases generated by the reaction and some of the process gases that are not available for reaction) from the reaction chamber 100.

As shown in fig. 1, a mounting hole 104 is formed in the bottom of the air inlet device 107 and located in the reaction chamber 100, and an annular supporting seat 1073 is formed on the top of the air inlet device 107, and the supporting seat 1073 is supported by the top surface of the chamber top cover 101. The fixed mounting of the air intake device 107 to the chamber lid 101 is typically also achieved by sequentially threading the support base 1073 and the chamber lid 101 using connecting members (e.g., bolts). The gas inlet device 107 is in gas path communication with an external process gas supply device (not shown) for delivering process gas (including reaction gas and carrier gas) into the reaction chamber 100.

As shown in fig. 1, a cooling fluid input pipe 114 and a cooling fluid output pipe 115 are further provided in the air intake device 107, and are used for providing cooling fluid for the interior of the air intake device to cool the air intake device 107. A purge gas input line 113 is also provided in the gas inlet 107 for inputting a purge gas into the reaction chamber.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, a plurality of first annular gas distribution chambers 1071 are arranged in the air inlet device 107 at intervals in the vertical direction, and the annular gas distribution chambers 1071 are in gas circuit communication with the gas supply device through corresponding process gas input pipelines 111 in the air inlet device 107. The process gases within the first plurality of annular gas distribution chambers 1071 may be the same or different. The outer side wall of the gas inlet device 107 is provided with a plurality of second annular gas distribution chambers 1072 which are distributed at intervals in the vertical direction. The plurality of second annular gas distribution chambers 1072 are in communication with the plurality of first annular gas distribution chambers 1071, respectively. The second annular gas distribution chamber 1072 surrounds the outer perimeter of the corresponding first annular gas distribution chamber 1071. As shown in fig. 3A, the second annular gas distribution chambers 1072 corresponding to the first annular gas distribution chambers 1071 are in gas path communication with each other through the plurality of gas homogenizing holes 1074 between the second annular gas distribution chambers 1072 and the corresponding first annular gas distribution chambers 1071, and the process gas in the second annular gas distribution chambers 1072 has better uniformity or consistency.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, a plurality of guide fins 130 are fixedly installed on the outer side wall of the air inlet device 107, and are used for guiding the process gases in the plurality of second annular gas distribution chambers 1072 into the reaction chamber 100, so that the process gases pass through the surface of the wafer as horizontally as possible, and uniformity of the deposited film on the surface of the wafer is ensured. The guide fin 130 includes a first guide portion 1301 and a second guide portion 1302.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the first guide portion 1301 has a thin sheet structure. The plurality of first flow guides 1301 are concentric with the gas inlet device 107 and respectively enclose the plurality of second annular gas distribution chambers 1072. As shown in fig. 3B, a first gap 1303 is provided between the outer periphery of the bottom surface of the second annular gas distribution chamber and the corresponding first flow guiding portion 1301. The top of the first guide 1301 is fixedly mounted to the outer sidewall of the air inlet device 107 by guide fin fixing members (e.g., screws, not shown). A sealing ring 1304 is also provided between the first baffle 1301 and the gas inlet 107 to prevent leakage of process gases. The second flow guiding part 1302 has an annular structure, which is fixedly disposed at the bottom periphery of the first flow guiding part 1301 and is located below the second annular gas distribution chamber 1072 surrounded by the first flow guiding part 1301. The second guide portions 1302 corresponding to the outer ring first guide portions 1301 are higher than the second guide portions 1302 corresponding to the adjacent inner ring first guide portions 1301.

As shown in fig. 3B, a first gas channel 1305 is formed between adjacent first guide portions 1301, and a second gas channel 1306 is formed between adjacent second guide portions 1302. Except for the lowermost second annular gas distribution chamber 1072, the process gas within each second annular gas distribution chamber 1072 eventually flows into the reaction chamber from the corresponding first gap 1303, first gas passage 1305, second gas passage 1306.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, a baffle 140 is also fixedly disposed on the bottom surface of the air inlet device 107. The process gas in the second annular gas distribution chamber 1072 at the bottom is introduced into the reaction chamber through the guide fins 130 and the guide plates at the bottom.

The defects of the air inlet device are that: heat in the reaction chamber is inevitably radiated to the guide fins 130 and the guide plates 140. The thin sheet structure of the guide fins 130 also causes a large heated area, and is prone to excessive temperatures, so that the process gas is prone to deposit on the guide fin surfaces. The first guide portion 1301 of the guide fin 130 and the second guide portion 1302 of the air inlet device 107 have small contact area and low heat conduction efficiency when heat is transferred. On the other hand, the sealing ring 1304 is also provided to further reduce the thermal conductivity between the guide fins 130 and the air intake 107. Further, the baffle 140 is usually fixed on the bottom surface of the air intake device by bolts, and there is a large thermal resistance on the installation surface of the baffle 140, so that the process gas is easy to deposit on the surface of the baffle. Over time, the deposits flake off and cause particulate contamination of the reaction chamber 100. These particle contaminations can cause defects on the wafer surface, affecting the yield of the wafer W.

The present invention provides an air inlet device 207 for a substrate processing apparatus comprising a reaction chamber 200. As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the gas inlet device 207 is located above the reaction chamber 200 and includes an upper section 217 and a lower section 227. The upper section 217 is penetrated through the mounting hole 204 of the chamber top cover 201, the top surface of the upper section 217 extends outwards to form an annular supporting seat 2073, and the supporting seat 2073 is positioned above the chamber top cover 201 and fixedly connected with the chamber top cover 201. To accommodate thermal expansion and contraction of upper section 217, a gap is typically provided between the outer side wall of upper section 217 and the inner wall of mounting hole 204. The lower section 227 is located within the reaction chamber.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the gas inlet device is provided with a cooling fluid passage 260, a plurality of process gas input lines 211 respectively communicating with a plurality of external process gas sources, a plurality of process gas injection ports 2075, a plurality of buffer chambers 2071 not communicating with each other, a plurality of gas distribution chambers 2072 not communicating with each other, and a plurality of process gas output passages 2076.

An external cooler (also referred to as a cooling fluid source, not shown) supplies cooling fluid to the cooling fluid channel 260 through the cooling fluid input pipe 214 and recovers the cooling fluid in the cooling fluid channel 260 to the external cooler through the cooling fluid output pipe 215. The cooling fluid in the present invention may be water or a coolant. As shown in fig. 4 and 5, a cooling fluid passage 260 is provided around the plurality of process gas input lines 211. A plurality of said process gas output channels 2076 are provided in the lower section and are arranged circumferentially around the cooling fluid channel. The process gas inlet line 211 and the process gas outlet line 2076 are temperature controlled by the cooling fluid path 260.

The cooling fluid channel 260 in this embodiment comprises two cooling cavities, a first cooling cavity 261 arranged inside the upper section and a second cooling cavity 262 arranged inside the lower section, respectively, as shown in fig. 4, 5. In the present embodiment, the first cooling chamber 261 communicates with the second cooling chamber 262. In other embodiments, the first cooling chamber 261 and the second cooling chamber 262 may not be in communication, and two cooling fluid input pipes 214 (respectively supplying cooling fluid to the two cooling chambers) and two cooling fluid output pipes 215 (respectively recovering cooling fluid in the two cooling chambers) may be disposed in the air intake device.

In another embodiment, as shown in fig. 6, the cooling fluid channel 260 further comprises a third cooling cavity 263 disposed inside the lower section. The third cooling chamber 263 is located below the second cooling chamber 262 and the process gas output channel 2076. The third cooling chamber 263 prevents the bottom surface of the gas inlet 207 from being too high in temperature, thereby reducing deposition of process gas on the bottom surface of the gas inlet. In the present embodiment, the third cooling chamber 263 communicates with the second cooling chamber 262. In other embodiments, the third cooling cavity 263 may also be disconnected from the second cooling cavity 262, and cooling fluid may be provided to the third cooling cavity 263 through separate cooling fluid input and output conduits 214, 215.

In another preferred embodiment, as shown in fig. 4 and 5, an auxiliary cooling fluid passage 240 is also provided in the side wall of the upper section 217 in communication with an external cooler. The auxiliary cooling fluid channel 240 and the cooling fluid channel 260 cooperate to conduct heat away from the air intake device 207, and further improve heat conduction efficiency of the air intake device 207.

In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 4 and 5, the lower section 227 includes a mounting plate 2271, a lower section first member 2272, and a lower section second member 2273, which are welded in this order from top to bottom and are concentrically arranged, and the top surface of the mounting plate 2271 is welded to the bottom surface of the upper section 217. In a preferred embodiment, the mounting plate 2271, the lower section first member 2272, and the lower section second member 2273 are made of a pure nickel material that has a high thermal conductivity, a low thermal emissivity, and is corrosion resistant. By means of welding, the thermal resistance between the parts of the air inlet device can be reduced.

In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 4 and 5, the mounting plate 2271 and the lower-stage first member 2272 are provided with second and third through holes 2621 and 2622, respectively, corresponding to the positions of the first cooling chamber 261. The top surface of the lower section second member 2273 is open with a first blind hole 2623 corresponding to the position of the first cooling chamber 261. The second cooling chamber 262 is formed by the second through hole 2621, the third through hole 2622, and the first blind hole 2623.

In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 4 and 5, the plurality of process gas inlets 2075 are formed in the mounting plate and communicate the top and bottom surfaces of the mounting plate 2271. As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the buffer chamber 2071 has a ring structure formed at the top surface of the lower section first member 2272 and surrounding the outer circumference of the second cooling chamber 262. The buffer chamber top is blocked by the bottom surface of mounting plate 2271. In a preferred embodiment, the plurality of buffer cavities 2071 are concentric with the lower section first member 2272. The plurality of process gas injection ports 2075 are respectively connected to the plurality of buffer chambers 2071.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, one process gas input line 211 corresponds to one process gas injection port 2075. A first end of the process gas input line 211 communicates with a corresponding process gas source; a second end of the process gas input line 211 is disposed in the upper section and communicates with a corresponding buffer chamber 2071 through a corresponding process gas injection port 2075. The high flow rate gas in the process gas input line is buffered by the buffer chamber 2071 and the process gas is primarily homogenized in the buffer zone, thereby slowing down the flow rate of the process gas injected from the corresponding process gas input line 211. In the embodiment of the present invention, the air inlet device 207 includes five buffer chambers 2071 sequentially arranged from outside to inside, which are respectively the first to fifth buffer chambers. In other embodiments, the plurality of buffer cavities 2071 may also be arranged in sequence from top to bottom.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the gas distribution chamber 2072 has a ring structure formed at the top surface of the lower section second member 2273 and surrounding the outer circumference of the second cooling chamber 262. The top of the gas distribution chamber 2072 is closed off by the bottom surface of the lower section first member 2272. The plurality of gas distribution chambers 2072 communicate with the plurality of buffer chambers 2071, respectively. In a preferred embodiment, the plurality of gas distribution cavities 2072 are concentric with the lower section second member 2273. In this embodiment, the gas inlet device 207 includes five gas distribution chambers 2072, which are sequentially arranged from the outside to the inside, and are respectively the first to the fifth gas distribution chambers. The ith gas distribution cavity is positioned right below the ith buffer cavity and communicated with the ith buffer cavity, and i is E [1,5]. In other embodiments, the plurality of gas distribution chambers 2072 may also be arranged in a top-to-bottom sequence. The process gas in the first, second and fourth gas distribution chambers is hydride; the process gas in the third and fifth distribution chambers is organic metal process gas.

As shown in fig. 4, 5 and 7A, a plurality of air homogenizing holes 2074 are also formed in the bottom surface of the lower first member 2272. The corresponding buffer chamber 2071 and the gas distribution chamber 2072 are communicated through the gas equalizing holes 2074, and the process gas flowing from the buffer chamber 2071 into the corresponding gas distribution chamber 2072 is homogenized. The projections of the process gas inlet 2075 and the gas homogenizing hole 2074 corresponding to the same buffer chamber 2071 do not overlap with each other in the horizontal plane. This prevents the process gas in the process gas inlet line from directly entering the gas distribution chamber 2072 through the gas distribution holes 2074 directly below the process gas injection ports, resulting in uneven distribution of the process gas in the gas distribution chamber 2072.

The process gas output passages 2076 are uniformly or non-uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction of the gas distribution chamber 2072 at the outer circumference of the corresponding gas distribution chamber 2072. As shown in fig. 4, 5, and 7B, a first end of the process gas output channel 2076 communicates with the corresponding gas distribution chamber 2072 and a second end of the process gas output channel 2076 communicates with the interior of the reaction chamber. The process gas input line 211 sequentially supplies a process gas into the reaction chamber through the corresponding process gas injection port 2075, buffer chamber 2071, gas distribution chamber 2072, and a plurality of process gas output channels 2076.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of process gas output passages 2076 are uniformly distributed at the outer circumference of each of the gas distribution chambers 2072, and the number of the corresponding process gas output passages 2076 of each of the gas distribution chambers 2072 is the same or different. By controlling the number of process gas output channels 2076 corresponding to each gas distribution chamber 2072, control of the flow rate of process gas flowing from the gas distribution chamber 2072 into the reaction chamber is achieved.

In a preferred embodiment, as shown in fig. 4, 5, and 7B, the process gas output channel 2076 has a horizontal in-line configuration with a length in a radial direction of the gas distribution chamber 2072. Therefore, the process gas can pass through the surface of the wafer as horizontally as possible and is uniformly distributed on the surface of the wafer, and the uniformity of the deposited film on the surface of the wafer is effectively improved. In the present invention, the process gas output passages 2076 of the outer ring gas distribution chamber 2072 are higher than the process gas output passages 2076 of the adjacent inner ring gas distribution chamber 2072. The present invention can inject a plurality of process gases into the reaction chamber in layers in a vertical height, prevent the plurality of process gases from reacting in advance between reaching the surface of the wafer W, and increase the heat transfer area of the cooling fluid passage 260 and the process gas output passage 2076 located at the lower section.

In this embodiment, the cross-sectional area of the process gas output channel 2076 increases from the first end of the process gas output channel 2076 to the second end of the process gas output channel 2076. Thus, the process gas can be prevented from flowing out of the gas distribution chamber 2072 too fast, the process gas can be ensured to be uniform, and the speed of the process gas flowing into the reaction chamber can meet the actual requirement.

The invention sets the process gas output channel 2076 in the air inlet device 207, which can convey the process gas into the reaction cavity without setting the guide fin 130 and the guide plate 140 outside the air inlet device, and ensure the process gas to pass through the wafer surface as horizontally as possible. The invention solves the problem that the process gas is easy to deposit on the guide fins 130 and the guide plates 140 to generate particle pollutants, and greatly improves the wafer yield.

According to the invention, the material of the air inlet device 207 and the connection mode among all the parts of the air inlet device are changed, so that the heat conductivity of all the parts of the air inlet device is improved, and no large thermal resistance exists among all the parts. The auxiliary cooling fluid passage 240 inside the gas inlet apparatus of the present invention is thus capable of effectively controlling the temperature of the various components of the gas inlet apparatus 207, as well as the process gas inlet line 211, the buffer chamber 2071, the gas distribution chamber 2072, and the process gas outlet passage 2076 inside the gas inlet apparatus, to prevent deposition of process gas inside and outside the gas inlet apparatus 207.

The buffer cavity 2071 and the corresponding gas distribution cavity 2072 are arranged up and down, so that the diameter of the gas inlet device 207 is prevented from being increased, the size of the mounting hole of the chamber top cover 201 is not required to be changed, and the economic cost is greatly saved.

In a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the outer side wall of upper section 217 is provided with an annular groove 2171 concentric with upper section 217. A cleaning gas inlet line 212 is also provided in the upper section in communication with the annular recess 2171 for introducing cleaning gas into the reaction chamber. The cleaning gas may also clean deposits on the outer sidewall of the upper section 217, the inner sidewall of the mounting hole 204.

In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, a purge gas input line 213 is also provided in the gas inlet means, extending vertically downward from the center of the top surface of the upper section 217 to the center of the bottom surface of the lower section 227 for inputting a purge gas into the reaction chamber.

The invention also provides substrate processing equipment, as shown in fig. 4, comprising a reaction chamber, wherein the reaction chamber comprises a chamber top cover 201, a mounting hole 204 is dug in the center of the chamber top cover, and the substrate processing device comprises an air inlet device 207 and a tray 209.

The air inlet device 207 is inserted through the mounting hole 204 and fixedly mounted on the chamber top cover 201.

The tray 209 is disposed in the reaction chamber and below the air inlet device, and is used for carrying the wafer W to be processed. As shown in fig. 9, a first through hole 2091 is formed in a central region of the tray opposite to the gas inlet 207 to reduce heat radiated from the tray to the gas inlet 207, and further reduce deposition of process gas on the gas inlet 207.

The inner wall of the first through hole 2091 is provided with an annular protrusion 2092 concentric with the first through hole 2091; an upper platen 2093 and a lower platen 2094 (both of which are made of a material having a low heat radiation coefficient) are respectively disposed above and below the protruding portion 2092 in the first through hole; the protruding portions are clamped by the upper and lower pressing plates 2093, 2094, and the tray 209 are integrally and fixedly connected to each other. The lower platen is driven by an external driving device (not shown), so that the upper platen 2093, the lower platen 2094, and the tray 209 are integrally rotated around the central axis of the lower platen.

While the invention has been described with reference to certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and substitutions of equivalents may be made and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the invention is subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An air inlet device is used for substrate processing equipment, the substrate processing equipment comprises a reaction cavity, the air inlet device is positioned above the reaction cavity, a cooling fluid channel and a plurality of process gas input pipelines which are respectively communicated with a plurality of external process gas sources are arranged in the air inlet device, and the air inlet device is characterized in that a plurality of process gas output channels are formed in the air inlet device; the process gas input pipeline supplies process gas to the reaction cavity through at least one corresponding process gas output channel; the cooling fluid channels are arranged around the process gas input pipeline, a plurality of process gas output channels are circumferentially arranged around the cooling fluid channels, and the cooling fluid channels control the temperature of the process gas input pipeline and the process gas output channels.

2. The air inlet device as set forth in claim 1, wherein a plurality of buffer chambers which are not communicated with each other are provided inside the air inlet device; the plurality of buffer cavities are respectively in gas circuit communication with the plurality of process gas input pipelines; the flow rate of the process gas flowing into the corresponding process gas output channel is slowed down by the buffer chamber.

3. The gas inlet device according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of gas distribution cavities which are not communicated with each other are further arranged in the gas inlet device, and the plurality of gas distribution cavities are respectively connected and arranged between the plurality of buffer cavities and the corresponding process gas output channels in a gas path manner; the process gas flowing from the buffer chamber into the corresponding gas distribution chamber is homogenized by a plurality of gas homogenizing holes communicating the buffer chamber with the corresponding gas distribution chamber.

4. An air inlet device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the buffer chamber has an annular configuration, and a plurality of buffer chambers are arranged concentrically; the gas distribution chamber has an annular structure disposed below the corresponding buffer chamber, and a plurality of gas distribution chambers are concentrically arranged.

5. The gas inlet apparatus of claim 4, wherein the process gas output passages are uniformly or non-uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction of the gas distribution chamber at the outer periphery of the corresponding gas distribution chamber; the process gas output channel is provided with a straight line structure, and the length direction of the process gas output channel is the radial direction of the gas distribution cavity; process gas output channels corresponding to the same gas distribution chamber are located at the same height; the process gas output channels corresponding to the different gas distribution chambers are located at different heights.

6. The gas inlet apparatus of claim 4 wherein the process gas output passage of the outer ring gas distribution chamber is higher than the process gas output passage of an adjacent inner ring gas distribution chamber.

7. The gas inlet apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first end gas circuit of the process gas output channel is in communication with a corresponding process gas input line; the second end gas circuit of the process gas output channel is communicated with the inside of the reaction cavity; the cross-sectional area of the process gas output channel increases from the first end of the process gas output channel to the second end of the process gas output channel.

8. A gas inlet arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the number of corresponding process gas outlet channels of each gas distribution chamber is the same or different.

9. The gas inlet apparatus of claim 4 wherein the first end gas circuit of the process gas inlet conduit is in communication with a corresponding source of process gas; the second end of the process gas input pipeline is positioned in the air inlet device and is communicated with the buffer cavity through a process gas injection port air circuit above the corresponding buffer cavity; the projections of the process gas injection ports and the gas homogenizing holes corresponding to the same buffer cavity on the horizontal plane are not overlapped.

10. The air intake apparatus of claim 9, wherein the air intake apparatus comprises a lower section; the lower section includes a mounting plate; the plurality of process gas injection ports are formed in the mounting plate and communicate the top surface and the bottom surface of the mounting plate.

11. The air intake apparatus of claim 10, wherein the lower section further comprises a lower section first member and a lower section second member; the top surface and the bottom surface of the first lower section component are respectively welded with the bottom surface of the mounting plate and the top surface of the second lower section component; the plurality of buffer cavities are formed on the upper surface of the first member of the lower section, and the top of the buffer cavities is plugged through the bottom surface of the mounting plate; the plurality of gas distribution cavities are formed on the top surface of the second member of the lower section, and the top of the gas distribution cavities is blocked by the bottom surface of the first member of the lower section; the air homogenizing holes are formed on the lower surface of the first component of the lower section and are communicated with the corresponding buffer cavity and the gas distribution cavity.

12. The air intake apparatus of claim 11, wherein the lower section first member and the lower section second member are pure nickel.

13. The air intake apparatus of claim 10, wherein the air intake apparatus further comprises an upper section; the bottom surface of the upper section is welded with the top surface of the mounting plate; the top surface of the upper section extends outwards to form an annular supporting seat; the outer side wall of the upper section is provided with an annular groove concentric therewith.

14. The gas inlet device of claim 13, wherein a cleaning gas inlet line is further provided in the upper section in communication with the annular groove for introducing a cleaning gas into the reaction chamber.

15. The air intake apparatus of claim 13, wherein the cooling fluid passage comprises a first cooling chamber and a second cooling chamber in communication with an external cooling fluid source; the first cooling cavity is disposed inside the upper section; the second cooling cavity is arranged in the lower section, and the buffer cavity and the gas distribution cavity are arranged around the periphery of the second cooling cavity; heat is conducted away from the upper and lower sections through the first and second cooling chambers.

16. The air intake apparatus of claim 15, wherein the cooling fluid passage further comprises a third cooling cavity disposed inside the lower section; the third cooling chamber is communicated with an external cooling fluid source and is positioned below the second cooling chamber, the buffer chamber, the gas distribution chamber and the process gas output channel.

17. The gas inlet device of claim 1, wherein a purge gas inlet line is further provided in the gas inlet device that extends vertically downward from a top center of the gas inlet device to a bottom center of the gas inlet device.

18. The gas inlet device according to claim 4, wherein the gas inlet device comprises five gas distribution chambers, namely a first gas distribution chamber, a second gas distribution chamber and a third gas distribution chamber, which are sequentially arranged from outside to inside; the process gas in the first, second and fourth gas distribution chambers is hydride; the process gas in the third and fifth distribution chambers is organic metal process gas.

19. A substrate processing apparatus comprising a reaction chamber comprising a chamber top having a mounting hole centrally bored therein, the substrate processing device comprising:

an air intake device according to any one of claims 1 to 18; the air inlet device penetrates through the mounting hole and is fixedly mounted on the chamber top cover;

20. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein a space is provided between an outer sidewall of the air inlet device and an inner wall of the mounting hole; the cleaning gas in the annular groove enters the reaction cavity through the gap.

21. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein an inner wall of the first through hole is provided with an annular projection concentric with the first through hole; an upper pressing plate and a lower pressing plate are respectively arranged above and below the protruding part in the first through hole; the convex part is clamped by the upper pressing plate and the lower pressing plate, so that the upper pressing plate, the lower pressing plate and the tray are integrally and fixedly connected.