CN117241454A - Plasma ignition verification in plasma assisted wafer process - Google Patents
Plasma ignition verification in plasma assisted wafer process Download PDFInfo
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- CN117241454A CN117241454A CN202310692031.7A CN202310692031A CN117241454A CN 117241454 A CN117241454 A CN 117241454A CN 202310692031 A CN202310692031 A CN 202310692031A CN 117241454 A CN117241454 A CN 117241454A
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- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 59
- 238000012795 verification Methods 0.000 title description 5
- 238000005259 measurement Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 10
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 8
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- 238000010304 firing Methods 0.000 claims description 15
- 238000012544 monitoring process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000000231 atomic layer deposition Methods 0.000 description 2
- 125000004122 cyclic group Chemical group 0.000 description 2
- 238000000151 deposition Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005530 etching Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000000623 plasma-assisted chemical vapour deposition Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000008021 deposition Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000977 initiatory effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000036470 plasma concentration Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000003672 processing method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000630 rising effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001228 spectrum Methods 0.000 description 1
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Abstract
An apparatus for semiconductor processing may be provided. The apparatus may include a reactor chamber configured to process a wafer, a plasma generator to generate a plasma in the chamber, a plasma control board provided with a power controller to control a plasma power in the reactor chamber, and a process controller operatively connected to the plasma control board and configured to set plasma parameters of the plasma in the reactor chamber. The plasma control board may include a plasma power measurement sensor and may be constructed and/or programmed to count the number of plasma pulses.
Description
Technical Field
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for treating a wafer with plasma, and more particularly to a method for controlling such a process based on the plasma ignition state.
Background
In an apparatus for treating a wafer with plasma, plasma ignition may fail despite the power being turned on. Monitoring the plasma discharge, i.e., the state of ignition, may be important because it may be difficult to obtain a film of a target quality during deposition when plasma ignition frequently fails.
In the case of a Plasma Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition (PEALD) apparatus, the plasma must be ignited several tens to several thousands of times during the process. Therefore, it may be necessary to verify whether the plasma ignition is normal. There may be a method of detecting plasma ignition, for example, U.S. patent No. 8790743 discloses a PLC recorder for monitoring the state of plasma ignition. The' 743 patent discloses that the PLC recorder monitors the plasma ignition, but ignition detection may become more difficult because the plasma pulse duration becomes shorter and shorter due to technological advances.
Thus, an alternative method may be provided to monitor plasma ignition.
Disclosure of Invention
According to an embodiment, an apparatus for semiconductor processing may be provided, the apparatus may include: a reactor chamber configured to process a wafer; a plasma generator provided to the reactor chamber to generate plasma in the chamber; a plasma control board operatively connected to the plasma generator and provided with a power controller to control plasma power in the reactor chamber; a process controller is operatively connected to the plasma control panel and configured to set plasma parameters of a plasma in the reaction chamber. The plasma control panel may include a plasma power measurement sensor and may be constructed and/or programmed to count the number of plasma pulses whose plasma power enters the plasma power active range when the plasma power rises through a plasma power low threshold and to count the number of plasma pulses whose plasma power enters the plasma power active range when the plasma power falls through a plasma power high threshold.
The plasma control board may be further configured to transmit the results of the plasma pulse count to the process controller.
The process controller may be configured to issue an alarm if the result of the plasma pulse count is below a predetermined range or above a predetermined range.
The process controller may be configured to adjust the plasma parameters.
According to another embodiment, a semiconductor processing method in an apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a reactor chamber configured to process a wafer; a plasma generator provided to the reactor chamber to generate plasma in the chamber; a plasma control board including a plasma power measurement sensor, and operatively connected to the plasma generator, and provided with a power controller to control plasma power in the reactor chamber; and a process controller operatively connected to the plasma control panel and configured to set plasma parameters of a plasma in the reaction chamber, the method comprising: setting plasma parameters according to recipe or operator input; sensing and counting a good number of pulses in the plasma power; it is determined whether the counted number of good pulses is within a predetermined range of values.
The method may further include issuing an alarm if it is determined that the resulting number of good firings is not within a predetermined acceptable range.
The method may further comprise: and adjusting plasma parameters.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing how plasma ignition monitoring may be performed.
Fig. 2 shows an example when plasma power is counted as a good ignition and when plasma power is considered to be erroneous and not counted, according to an embodiment.
Fig. 3 shows another example when plasma power is counted as a good ignition and when plasma power is considered to be erroneous and not counted, according to an embodiment.
Fig. 4 shows another example when plasma power is counted as a good ignition and when plasma power is considered to be erroneous and not counted, according to an embodiment.
Fig. 5 shows another example when plasma power is counted as a good ignition and when plasma power is considered to be erroneous and not counted, according to an embodiment.
Fig. 6 depicts a method of plasma ignition verification according to an embodiment.
Fig. 7 depicts an apparatus according to an embodiment.
Detailed Description
Plasma assisted wafer processes may include PEALD processes, cyclic PECVD processes, cyclic plasma assisted etching processes, and the like, in which plasma power is applied in pulses to complete desired processes, such as processes for depositing films or layers on a wafer, and processes for etching the same films or layers on a wafer.
In this specification, the plasma power may be plasma forward power. Plasma forward power means the power actually consumed in wafer processing.
Due to recent advances in semiconductor technology, more frequent plasma initiation may be required during wafer processing, such as PEALD and PECVD. To ensure wafer quality, plasma ignition may be monitored.
Figures 2-5 illustrate how embodiments may work with examples.
The difference between the value of the high threshold 21, 31, 42, 51 and the value of the low threshold 22, 32, 42, 52 may comprise the valid range 23, 33, 43, 53. Likewise, the values of the target plasma power 24, 34, 44, 54 represent standard plasma power levels that may be set to achieve a plasma assisted wafer process. The high and low thresholds 21, 31, 41, 51, 22, 32, 42, 52 and the target plasma power 24, 34, 44, 54 are parameters that may be set by the controller according to recipe or operator input.
In fig. 2 to 5, the x-axis is in units of time (s or ms) and the y-axis is in units of power (watts). The plasma power represented by "base power" in fig. 2 to 5 is typically zero (0), i.e., 0 watts. Over time, the plasma power may rise when a wafer process is required.
In fig. 2, the generated plasma power 25 is monitored. At A2, plasma power 25 is generated, but it does not rise past low threshold 22. This means that at A2 the plasma power should rise to within range 23. Thus, A2 may be considered to be a false plasma power, and it may not be counted as a good ignition. At B2, the plasma power 25 rises past the low threshold 22. This may be considered a good ignition and may be counted. When counted (i.e., good), then the number of good firings may be increased by 1. Initially, when the verification starts, the number of good firings may be set to 0 (zero). Example A2 of fig. 2 shows the case where the plasma power 25 does not rise above the low threshold 22 (below the effective range 23), which is considered to be a false plasma ignition.
In fig. 3, plasma power 35 is generated and monitored. At A3, the plasma power 35 rises past the low threshold 32. This may be considered "good" and may be counted. However, just prior to B3 and C3, the plasma power 35 should be below the low threshold 32 and should bounce upward within the plasma effective range 33 of B3 and C3. But in each case the plasma power 35 is not below the low threshold 32. Thus, B3 and C3 are considered to be false plasma ignition, and the falling and rising within the plasma effective range may not be counted as good ignition.
In fig. 4, the generated plasma power 45 is monitored. At A4 and C4, the plasma power 45 rises past the low threshold 42, which is considered good and counted. However, at B4 there is an unexpected plasma power drop, which is considered to be an error and is therefore not counted as a good ignition. It must be noted that even though B4 is considered to be an error, the wafer quality in this time window does not deteriorate because the plasma level remains within the effective range 43.
In fig. 5, the generated plasma power 55 is monitored. At A5, C5 and D5, the plasma power 55 rises past the low threshold 52, which is considered good and counted as good. At B5, the plasma power 55 drops past the high threshold 51, although strange, it is considered good and can be counted as good, since in this case (B5) the plasma power level enters the effective range 53.
The apparatus of the present disclosure is shown in fig. 7.
The process controller 71, which may be a personal computer or a console or a terminal or a mobile device, may set parameters such as the plasma power 24, 34, 44, 54, as well as the high 21, 31, 41, 51 and low 22, 32, 42, 52 thresholds. These parameters may be entered according to an operator or process recipe. The process controller 71 may also reset the number of good firings to 0 (zero). In the good case explained in the previous examples of fig. 2 to 5, the number of good ignitions may increase. The reactor chamber 73 may be the target of plasma ignition to be measured.
The plasma control board 72 may be used to count plasma pulses during the process. The plasma control board 72 is provided to the plasma generator 74, and further includes a plasma power measurement sensor 75 configured to sense the plasma power of the plasma generator 74. As previously mentioned, this is mainly due to advances in plasma assisted process technology that use shorter and more frequent plasma pulses, and therefore it is necessary to monitor the ignition of the short-step plasma closer to the reactor. The plasma power measurement sensor 75 may be an electric power meter or a power meter because the generated plasma may be measured in watts as shown in fig. 2 to 5.
The process controller 71 may also determine whether the number of good firings (which may be the result of the good firing count shown in fig. 2-5) is acceptable and issue an alarm when not acceptable. In this disclosure, alarm means not only that some sort of warning is to be displayed or issued, but also that any type of process is to be stopped or terminated.
The controller 71 may also reset the number of good firings to zero (0), set parameters (i.e., high threshold, low threshold, target plasma power, acceptable range of good firings for alerting) and send the parameters to the board 72. The controller 71 may also receive the good firing number results and determine if the resulting good firing number is within an acceptable range and issue an alarm if necessary. The plate 72, more specifically the plasma power measurement sensor 75, can monitor the plasma generator 74 and when conditions are met, the plate increases the number of good ignitions by 1.
The plasma power measurement sensor 75 may be a wattmeter that measures power in watts.
Fig. 6 depicts a plasma ignition verification method of the present invention.
The plasma controller 71 may set (61) parameters and send them to the plasma control board 72 (62). The plate 72 may monitor the plasma power and count for good ignition (63). When wafer processing is complete, the plate 72 may send the resulting good number of firings to the process controller 71 (64). The controller 71 may verify the resulting number of good firings and determine whether to verify it (65). If the controller 71 can determine that the good firing count is not within an acceptable range of good firing times, it can issue an alarm (66).
The controller 71 may adjust parameters to reflect the results of previous wafer plasma processes (67). The adjustment may be 1) to make the acceptable good ignition range wider or narrower, 2) to change the high threshold, low threshold, and/or target plasma power level. This adjustment can be applied to the next round of wafer processing to obtain better quality.
The adjustment of the parameters (67) and the sounding of the alarm (66) may be performed independently of each other.
Another embodiment of the present disclosure includes a non-transitory computer readable tangible medium that may be executed by a processor of a computer system such that the method explained above (fig. 6) may be executed by the processor of the computer system.
The present disclosure presents a method for maintaining wafer quality from a plasma assisted process. It can check whether the plasma ignition is normal. It is then determined whether the next process needs to be stopped. Therefore, it has advantages of preventing process failure and maintaining wafer quality by checking plasma ignition.
In the present disclosure, plasma power may be sensed with a wattmeter and measured in watts. However, the plasma may be measured and sensed in other ways than by temperature, density, spectrum and plasma potential. The principle of the principle other than the sensor 75 remains unchanged even if the unit of measurement changes.
For example, if a temperature is used instead of watts, the sensor 75 may be a thermometer and the plasma effective ranges 23, 33, 43, 53 may be measured in degrees celsius (°) or degrees fahrenheit (°). It should be noted that the principal principles of the present disclosure remain unchanged.
In addition, as ALD processes develop, the plasma turn-on time becomes shorter and shorter, and thus plasma turn-on detection is typically not possible on Windows OS PCs. Accordingly, the present disclosure has an advantage in that plasma ignition can be detected using a plasma control panel even if plasma time is short. Furthermore, even if the plasma is not turned on due to any problem, plasma ignition can be verified. This is because the number of good ignitions cannot be increased if there is no plasma power, and the too low or zero (0) value of good ignitions may not be within the acceptable range of good ignitions.
The above-described arrangements of apparatus and methods are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention and many other embodiments and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description, but instead should be determined with reference to the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.
Claims (8)
1. An apparatus for semiconductor processing, the apparatus comprising:
a reactor chamber configured to process a wafer;
a plasma generator provided to the reactor chamber to generate plasma in the chamber;
a plasma control board operatively connected to the plasma generator and provided with a power controller to control plasma power in the reactor chamber; and
a process controller operatively connected to the plasma control panel and configured to set plasma parameters of a plasma in the reaction chamber,
wherein the plasma control board comprises a plasma power measurement sensor and is constructed and/or programmed to count the number of plasma pulses whose plasma power enters the plasma power effective range when the plasma power rises through a plasma power low threshold and to count the number of plasma pulses whose plasma power enters the plasma power effective range when the plasma power falls through a plasma power high threshold.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plasma control board is further configured to transmit results of plasma pulse counts to the process controller.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the process controller is configured to issue an alarm if the result of the plasma pulse count is below a predetermined range or above a predetermined range.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the process controller is configured to adjust the plasma parameter.
5. A method of semiconductor processing in an apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a reactor chamber configured to process a wafer; a plasma generator provided to the reactor chamber to generate plasma in the chamber; a plasma control board including a plasma power measurement sensor, and operatively connected to the plasma generator, and provided with a power controller to control plasma power in the reactor chamber; and a process controller operatively connected to the plasma control panel and configured to set plasma parameters of a plasma in the reaction chamber, the method comprising:
setting plasma parameters according to recipe or operator input;
transmitting the parameters to the plasma control panel;
sensing and counting a good number of pulses in the plasma power;
receiving results from the plasma control panel; and
it is determined whether the number of good ignitions is within a predetermined acceptable range,
wherein the counting of the good pulse number is to count the number of plasma pulses whose plasma power enters the plasma power effective range when the plasma power rises through the plasma power low threshold value, and to count the number of plasma pulses whose plasma power enters the plasma power effective range when the plasma power falls through the plasma power high threshold value.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:
if it is determined that the number of good firings is not within the predetermined acceptable range, an alarm is issued.
7. The method of any of claims 5 to 6, further comprising:
and adjusting the plasma parameters.
8. A non-transitory computer readable tangible medium having stored thereon a set of instructions executable by a processor of a computer system to implement the method of any of claims 5 to 7.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US63/351,657 | 2022-06-13 | ||
| US202263358621P | 2022-07-06 | 2022-07-06 | |
| US63/358,621 | 2022-07-06 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN117241454A true CN117241454A (en) | 2023-12-15 |
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Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202310692031.7A Pending CN117241454A (en) | 2022-06-13 | 2023-06-12 | Plasma ignition verification in plasma assisted wafer process |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CN (1) | CN117241454A (en) |
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2023
- 2023-06-12 CN CN202310692031.7A patent/CN117241454A/en active Pending
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