KR100754370B1 - Neutral particle beam generating apparatus with increased neutral particle flux - Google Patents

Abstract

A neutral particle beam generating apparatus having improved neutral particle flux is provided to increase plasma density adjacent to a metal plate by applying a magnetic field in a plasma discharge space across the metal plate. A plasma(103) of a process gas is generated by plasma discharge in a plasma discharge space(101). A metal plate(106) is collided with plasma ions which are produced in the plasma discharge space, thereby converting the plasma ions into neutral ions. A plasma limiter(200) interferes with passage of the plasma ions and electrons, and a magnetron unit(500) applies magnetic field to the plasma discharge space and controls plasma distribution. The plasma discharge space is formed between the metal plate and the plasma plate.

Description

≪ Desc / Clms Page number 1 > NEUTRAL PARTICLE BEAM GENERATING APPARATUS WITH INCREASED NEUTRAL PARTICLE FLUX.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a preferred embodiment of a neutral particle beam generating apparatus according to the present invention.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing another preferred embodiment of the neutral particle beam generating apparatus according to the present invention.

3 is a cross-sectional view showing another preferred embodiment of the neutral particle beam generating apparatus according to the present invention.

4 is a perspective view showing a preferred combination of a plasma limiter and a colorimeter used in the neutral particle beam generating apparatus of the present invention.

5 is a perspective view showing a preferred arrangement of the magnetron unit used in the neutral particle beam generating apparatus of the present invention.

6 is a cross-sectional view showing a preferred embodiment of the plasma limiter used in the neutral particle beam generating apparatus of the present invention.

7 is a cross-sectional view showing another preferred embodiment of the neutral particle beam generating apparatus according to the present invention.

The present invention relates to a neutral particle beam generating apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a neutral particle beam generator for use in treating a substrate surface with a neutral particle beam.

Plasma is a group of positive ions and electrons with charged charges generated by a discharge and is widely used for surface treatment of substrates including plasma etching and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) in a semiconductor process have. However, a problem in performing surface treatment by plasma is that the plasma is a charged particle. For example, etching by plasma, which is charged particles, can cause damage to the substrate surface, including alteration of the etch profile, damage to circuitry formed on the substrate, and potential change of the substrate surface.

In order to solve the problem of the above-mentioned surface treatment by plasma, it is a surface treatment with neutral particles. There are two main methods for generating neutral particles from a plasma. One of them is the generation of neutral particles by charge exchange caused by the collision of plasma and gas particles, and the other is the generation of neutral particles due to the collision between the plasma ion and the metal plate. Examples of the former include Japanese Patent No. 2,606,551 and Japanese Patent No. 2,842,344. However, generation of neutral particles by charge exchange caused by collision of plasma and gas particles has a low conversion efficiency to neutral particles, and it is difficult to control the directionality of neutral particles and the frequency of collisions. For this reason, it is believed that a method of generating neutral particles by collision of a plasma ion with a metal plate is more preferable.

U.S. Patent No. 4,662,977 discloses a plasma gun that generates a plasma and directs the generated plasma in a certain direction. The plasma gun collides with the plasma to convert plasma ions into neutral particles, and induces the neutral particles toward the substrate A neutral particle surface generating device composed of a metal plate for producing a neutral particle surface. However, the above-mentioned neutral particle generating apparatus has an advantage that it can overcome the problem caused by the plasma, but the cross section of the neutral particle beam becomes narrow, which is unsuitable for processing a large substrate of about 8 inches or more.

WO 01/84611 filed by the present inventors discloses a neutral particle beam processing apparatus including a high frequency power source introduction portion for introducing a high frequency power source, a plasma generation portion, a neutral particle generation portion, and a processing portion on which an object to be processed is mounted. In the neutral particle beam generating apparatus, a high frequency power source is introduced from a high frequency power source introduction section, a process gas is converted into a plasma by using a high frequency power source introduced in the plasma generation section, a plasma generated in the neutral particle generation section is brought into contact with a metal plate Neutral particles are generated, and the substrate is processed using the generated neutral particles. The above-mentioned neutral particle beam processing apparatus is advantageous in that it can uniformly process the plasma distribution and can treat large-sized objects. As a modification to the above patent, WO 2004/036611 discloses a neutral particle beam generating apparatus in which an inclined hole or an inclined slit is formed in the metal plate to increase the number of collision to increase conversion efficiency to neutral particles. The sloped hole or sloped slit formed on the metal plate serves to prevent collision between the plasma and the metal plate, and also to prevent plasma and electrons not converted to neutral particles from reaching the substrate. These neutral particle beam generators have a plasma discharge space for ensuring uniform generation of plasma in a wide range, and the influence of plasma ions or electrons which are not converted into neutral particles is minimized, and the generated neutral particle beam It has an advantage of having high directionality. However, according to the neutral particle beam generating apparatus, a plasma sheath is generated in a hole or a slit formed in a metal plate, and generation of neutral particles is hindered. That is, when a sloped slit or a sloped hole-shaped metal plate is used, due to the influence of the sheath whose direction of the plasma ion incident on the metal plate is not perfect due to the negative bias applied to the metal plate, It has been found that a considerable amount of fine particles are not properly reached to the object to be treated after being converted into neutral particles.

In order to solve such a problem, WO 2005/053365 discloses a plasma discharge space for generating a plasma through a plasma discharge, a metal plate which collides with plasma ions to convert plasma ions into neutral particles, prevents the passage of plasma ions and electrons, And a neutral particle generated by the collision of the plasma ions is selectively passed, and the plasma discharge space is sandwiched between the metal plate and the plasma limiter. The neutral particle beam treatment apparatus described in WO 2005/053365 has the following advantages as the metal plate and the plasma limiter are disposed apart from each other with the plasma discharge space interposed therebetween: (1) the transition from the plasma ion to the neutral particle It is not disturbed by plasma ions or electrons. This simplifies the generation of neutral particles. (2) generation of neutral particles is improved, which improves the surface treatment efficiency.

The present inventors have been steadily researching new improvements to the device presented in WO 2005/053365. Through extensive research, the inventors have discovered new improvements that can significantly increase the neutral particle flux.

According to the present invention, there is provided a plasma processing apparatus comprising: a plasma discharge space for generating a plasma of a process gas by plasma discharge; a metal plate for colliding with plasma ions generated in the plasma discharge space to convert plasma ions into neutral particles; And a magnetron unit for applying a magnetic field to the plasma discharge space, wherein the plasma discharge space is sandwiched between the metal plate and the plasma limiter, and the magnetron unit is sandwiched between the metal plate and the plasma limiter, And a magnetic particle is applied across the metal plate to the plasma discharge space to control the plasma distribution.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a plasma discharge space is located at a lower portion of the metal plate, a plasma limiter is located at a lower portion of the plasma discharge space, and the magnetron unit is disposed at an upper portion of the metal plate. Device is provided.

According to a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, the arrangement of the magnetron unit is provided with a neutral particle beam generating apparatus having a race track structure composed of a central pole and a side pole surrounding the central pole.

According to another more preferred embodiment of the present invention, in order to further enhance the strength of the magnetic field applied to the plasma discharge space by the magnetron unit, the magnetron unit comprises a neutral particle beam generating unit, sealed by a cover formed by a magnetic shielding agent, Device is provided.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a neutral particle beam generating apparatus further comprising a bias voltage source for leading the plasma ions generated in the plasma discharge space to a metal plate.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a neutral particle beam generating apparatus further comprising a collimator for collimating the neutral particles passed through the plasma limiter.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a neutral particle beam generating apparatus further comprising a sputtering unit for supplying gaseous neutral atoms to the plasma discharge space.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a plasma processing apparatus comprising: a) a reaction chamber including an inner space and a gas inlet disposed on a side surface, wherein the inner space of the reaction chamber is a plasma discharge space, and a metal plate is disposed on the plasma discharge space , A magnetron unit is disposed on the metal plate, a process gas introduced into the plasma discharge space through the gas inlet is converted into plasma by a plasma discharge in the plasma discharge space, and the magnetron unit The region has a high plasma ion density, plasma ions are converted into neutral particles by collision of the metal plate with plasma ions; b) a plasma limiter located at the bottom of the reaction chamber which interferes with the passage of plasma ions and electrons and selectively passes only the neutral particles generated by the collision of the metal plate with the plasma ions, and c) There is provided a neutral particle beam generating apparatus including a processing chamber for receiving a substrate on which surface treatment is performed by the neutral particles.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plasma limiter further comprises a neutral particle beam generating device, further comprising a magnetic unit for applying a magnetic field or an electric unit for applying an electric field to change the traveling path of the plasma ion or electron, Is provided.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a neutral particle beam generating apparatus further comprising a collimator for coloring the neutral particles passed through the plasma limiter, between the plasma limiter and the treatment chamber.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plasma limiter has a hole or slit, and the colormator has a hole.

The present invention relates to a neutral particle beam generating apparatus having an increased neutral particle flux. A neutral particle beam generating apparatus according to the present invention includes a plasma discharge space for generating a plasma of a process gas by a plasma discharge, a metal plate for colliding plasma ions generated in the plasma discharge space to convert plasma ions into neutral particles, A plasma limiter which interrupts the passage of plasma ions and electrons not converted into neutral particles, and a magnetron unit which applies a magnetic field to the plasma discharge space.

In the plasma discharge space, the process gas introduced into the discharge space is converted into a plasma by plasma discharge. That is, in the plasma discharge space, a plasma, which is a group of plasma ions (or cations) and electrons, is generated. At this time, the plasma can be generated by various methods, such as a capacitively coupled plasma discharge, an inductively coupled plasma discharge, and a plasma wave using a plasma wave. A Helicon discharge and a microwave plasma discharge. Of these, an inductively coupled plasma discharge capable of forming a high-density plasma at a low operating pressure is preferable. Regarding the form of the antenna used for the inductively coupled plasma discharge, refer to Korean Patent Application Nos. 7010807/2000, 14578/1998, 35702/1999 and 43856/2001.

Plasma ions generated in the plasma discharge space collide with the metal plate and are converted into neutral particles. The metal plate refers to a plate having a metal that converts plasma ions into neutral particles by collision with plasma ions, or a surface of the plate coated with the metal. The surface of the metal plate that collides with the plasma ion can be more effectively protected by reducing the degree of trapping of the converted neutral particles between the valleys and the valleys of the rough surface. Examples of the heavy metal that may be used include tantalum (Ta), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), stainless steel or their alloys. Unlike WO 01/84611 and WO 2004/036611, the metal plate does not need to have a hole as a passage of neutral particles. The reason is that the metal plate collides with plasma ions to convert plasma ions into neutral particles, but does not act as a transmission path of generated neutral particles. The neutral particles generated by collision with the metal plate are incident on the plasma limiter facing the metal plate with the plasma discharge space interposed therebetween.

The plasma limiter interferes with the passage of plasma ions and electrons and selectively passes the neutral particles. Methods for excluding plasma ions and electrons from passing therethrough include passive limiting in which a hole or a slit is simply installed and an active or inactive state in which a magnetic field or an electric field is applied to the hole or slit to change a path of a charged plasma ion or electron And active limiting. The neutral particles having passed through the plasma limiter collide with the substrate to perform surface treatment including removal of organic substances existing on the surface of the substrate and removal of photoresist.

The orientation of the neutral particles needs to be properly controlled at the surface treatment. For example, when a certain pattern is to be formed on the surface of the substrate by the surface treatment, the directionality of the neutral particles has an important meaning. In this case, it is preferable to further include a collimator for collimating the traveling direction of the neutral particles between the plasma limiter and the processing chamber accommodating the substrate. A plurality of holes are formed in the colorimeter so as to have constant directionality.

The most important feature according to the present invention is that the neutral particle beam generating apparatus includes a magnetron unit for applying a magnetic field to the plasma discharge space across the metal plate. The magnetic field applied to the plasma discharge space by the magnetron unit forms a high plasma density in the vicinity of the metal plate. In particular, when the magnetron unit arrangement has a central pole and a side pole in a race track structure, the magnetic field applied by the magnetron unit is such that, at the bottom of the metal plate, . The electrons rotating along the race track collide with the surrounding neutral gas that has not been plasmatized to form plasma ions, which increases the density of the plasma ions in the vicinity of the metal plate. This significantly improves the neutral particle flux. More details will be described later.

The neutral particle beam generating apparatus according to the present invention can be used for various semiconductor processing including etching, ashing, oxide film formation and cleaning, and thin film growth required for manufacturing a solar cell or a display. In the present specification, the term "semiconductor processing" means that a semiconductor layer, an insulating layer, a conductive layer, or the like is formed in a predetermined pattern on an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal substrate, It should be understood that the term " process "

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 shows a preferred embodiment of a neutral particle beam generator according to the present invention, wherein the apparatus comprises a reaction chamber 100 with an open bottom, a plasma limiter located on the open lower surface of the reaction chamber 100, (200) and a process chamber (300) located below the plasma limiter (200). The inner space of the reaction chamber 100 is a plasma discharge space 101. An antenna 102 for introducing high frequency energy is disposed in the discharge space 101 and a gas inlet 104 is disposed on a side surface of the reaction chamber 100. The operation of the reaction chamber 100 is as follows. First, a process gas is introduced into the plasma discharge space 101 through the gas inlet 104. The process gas here experiences plasma discharge by the high frequency power supplied through the antenna 102, and as a result, it is converted to the plasma 103. The positive ions (plasma ions) in the generated plasma 103 are guided to the metal plate 106 located in the upper part of the plasma discharge space 101. The collision with the metal plate 106 transforms the plasma ions into neutral particles do.

At this time, the distribution of the plasma 103 generated in the plasma discharge space 101 is controlled by the magnetic field applied to the plasma discharge space 101 across the metal plate 106. To this end, a magnetron unit 500 is located on top of the metal plate 106. A preferred embodiment of the arrangement of the magnetron unit 500 is shown in FIG. 5, the magnetron unit 500 preferably has a center pole 501 and a side pole 502 surrounding the center pole 501 in an arrangement of a race track type . The center pole 501 has an N pole (or S pole) on the upper portion and an S pole (or N pole) on the lower portion thereof. The side pole 502 has an arrangement opposite to the center pole 501. The magnetic field applied across the metal plate 106 by the magnetron unit 500 having an array of race tracks limits the direction of movement of the electrons 103a. In other words, the electrons 103a inside the plasma discharge space 101 are caused to rotate along the race track. The electrons 103a rotating along the race track collide with the neutral gas 103c which has not been converted to the surrounding plasma, and ionizes the neutral gas. The generated plasma ions 103b are led to the metal plate 106 by a bias voltage. As a result, the magnetic field applied across the metal plate 106 increases the density of the plasma ions 103b in the vicinity of the metal plate 106 by capturing the electrons 103a into the race track. The intensity of the magnetic field applied by the magnetron unit 500 can be appropriately adjusted in consideration of the type and amount of the processing gas. A magnetic field having an intensity of usually 1000 - 5000 Gauss is applied. When a magnetic field of less than 1000 gauss is applied, the magnitude of the magnetic field in the discharge space is not sufficient and it is difficult to effectively restrain the electrons. If a magnetic field exceeding 5000 gauss is applied, fabrication costs may be increased unnecessarily, which may cause fabrication and assembly problems. The magnetron unit 500 is formed by a permanent magnet. The magnetron unit 500 further includes a cover 600 formed by a magnetic shielding material so as to further enhance the strength of a magnetic field applied to the plasma discharge space 101 across the metal plate 106 by the magnetron unit 500. [ ). The lid 600 may be made of a material having a high magnetic susceptibility. When the magnetic permeability is large, the magnetic field lines are collected to minimize the loss of the magnetic field lines exiting to the outside, thereby enhancing the size of the magnetic field in the discharge space. Generally, soft iron is generally used as a magnetic shielding agent.

The induction of the plasma ions 103b moving along the race track around the metal plate 106 to the metal plate 106 can be easily accomplished by applying a negative bias voltage to the metal plate 106. [ The bias voltage can be appropriately adjusted in consideration of the energy of the required neutral particle beam. A negative bias voltage of usually 10 - 100 V, preferably 30 - 50 V is applied. When a negative bias voltage is applied to the metal plate 106, the plasma ions 103b are incident perpendicularly or approximately perpendicular to the metal plate 106 and collide with the metal plate 106. It is preferable that the surface of the metal plate 106 which collides with the plasma ion 103b is polished in order to improve the neutral particle conversion efficiency due to collision with the metal plate 106 and to prevent energy damage due to collision. The neutral particles produced by the neutralization process (representative neutralization process: Auger neutralization, etc.) inside the metal plate after the metal plate 106 and the plasma ion 103b collide with each other are formed to extend across the plasma discharge space 101, (200).

The plasma limiter 200 has holes or slits 201 through which the neutral particles pass and the passage of the plasma ions and electrons by the holes or slits 201 So that only the neutral particles selectively pass through the plasma limiter 200 to reach the substrate 301 disposed in the processing chamber 300. At this time, the plasma limiter 200 may be formed of a dielectric material such as ceramic. The plasma limiter 200 formed by the ceramic dielectric absorbs the energy of the plasma ions or electrons when they collide with the side wall 202 of the plasma limiter 200 to minimize the influence of the plasma ions or electrons have. Meanwhile, the plasma limiter 200 may collide with neutral particles not having a predetermined directionality and absorb the energy of the neutral particles, thereby eliminating the influence of neutral particles having no constant directionality. Passive limiting of the plasma ions or electrons by the hole or slit 201 depends on the diameter and depth of the hole or slit 201, so that appropriate adjustment thereof is required.

Means 203 for applying a magnetic field or an electric field to the sidewalls 202 of the plasma limiter 200 may be additionally disposed to preclude plasma ions and electrons from passing through the plasma limiter 200. The magnetic field or electric field application means 203 changes the direction of movement of the plasma ions or electrons to preclude plasma ions or electrons from reaching the surface of the substrate, and such limiting is referred to as "active limiting ". 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a preferred embodiment of a plasma limiter used for active limiting. 6, the plasma limiter 200 includes a magnet 203a, which is located at the center and applies a magnetic field to the hole or slit 201, and a hole or slit, which is disposed on both sides of the magnet 203a. A conductive metal film 203b for applying an electric field to the slit 201 and an insulating film 204 for insulating the conductive metal film 203b. In order to prevent the loss of the magnetic field applied by the magnet 203a, a film (not shown) made of a shielding material may be attached to the lower portion of the magnet 203a. As the shielding agent, substances commonly used in the art can be employed. Soft iron is usually used. The conductive metal film 203b is connected to a power source (not shown) for supplying power, and the insulating film 204 may be formed of an insulator or may be formed by oxidizing the surface of the conductive metal film 203b. The conductive metal film 203b may be formed only in a part of the magnet 203a, and if necessary, an electric field may be formed by a film shielding the magnetic field. The intensity of the magnetic field is 1000 - 5000 gauss, and the electric field strength is 10 - 100 V.

The neutral particles excluding the interference of plasma ions and electrons by the "passive limiting" or "active limiting" perform surface treatment of the substrate 301 housed in the processing chamber 300. For example, the neutral particles are adsorbed on the substrate (e.g., wafer) 301 or collide with residual byproducts to remove the byproducts. At this time, since the neutral particles are not charged particles, the substrate 301 is not damaged. Reference numeral 302, which is not illustrated, is vertically movable up and down by the operation of an elevating member connected to an elevating member (not shown) as a loading table. The substrate 302 to be newly processed is taken in, (301) can be carried out. On the other hand, the stage 302 is horizontally moved by a motor (not shown), and a point where the neutral particles are introduced onto the wafer is localized, and a blind spot having a small amount of neutral particles introduced is present prevent. Reference numeral 303, which is not illustrated, is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) as a gas discharge port to maintain the treatment chamber 300 at a pressure of about 1 milliTorr (mTorr).

Selection of the process gas used in the neutral particle beam generating apparatus according to the present invention can be appropriately selected by those skilled in the art depending on the purpose of the treatment. For example, when removal of the resist on the substrate 301 and etching of the organic film are required, oxidative gas such as oxygen, ozone, air, steam or nitrogen oxide (N ₂ O) can be used. When silicon is etched, it is effective to use a fluorinated gas such as CF ₄ or a chlorine based gas. When the metal oxide is reduced, it is possible to use a reducing gas such as hydrogen or ammonia. For thin film growth, a gas containing constituent elements of a thin film to be grown is used. For example, in order to form an Si thin film, a gas containing Si such as SiH ₄ is used.

Although FIG. 1 illustrates the generation of plasma by inductively coupled plasma discharge, the in situ generation of plasma ions by discharge in the plasma discharge space, and the collision between the generated plasma ions and the metal plate A capacitive plasma discharge, a helicon discharge using a plasma wave, and a microwave plasma discharge can be widely employed. In place of applying the negative bias to the metal plate 106 in addition to various applications of the plasma discharge method, a positive bias may be applied to the side wall of the reaction chamber 100 to induce plasma ions to the metal plate 106 have. The application of the negative bias is to induce the positively charged plasma ions to the metal plate 106 by attraction and the application of the positive bias induces the plasma ions to the metal plate 106 by the repulsive force.

The neutral particle beam generating apparatus according to the present invention may further supply an additional gas to the processing chamber 300 in addition to the neutral particle beam of the processing gas to help surface cleaning by the neutral particles. These are described in detail in WO 2004/036611.

The neutral particle beam generating apparatus is illustrated to separately dispose the metal plate 106 on the upper part of the plasma discharge space 101. However, the inner upper surface 107 of the reaction chamber 100 may be made of a heavy metal material Or by coating with heavy metals. An example of such is shown in Fig. 2, a metal plate is not separately provided, and the inner upper surface of the reaction chamber 100 is coated with a heavy metal to serve as a metal plate 106. A negative bias voltage is applied to the metal plate 106 to generate plasma in the plasma discharge space 101 The generated plasma 103 collides with the metal plate 106 formed on the inner upper surface coated with the heavy metal to generate neutral particles. At this time, the upper surface is electrically insulated from the neighboring surfaces of the reaction chamber 100 by the insulator 107. Furthermore, an insulator (not shown) may be provided between the coated metal plate 106 and the inner wall to prevent the metal plate 106 coated by the magnetic field from being damaged. The reference numerals not shown are the same as those described in the neutral particle beam generating apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 shows another preferred embodiment of the neutral particle beam generating apparatus according to the present invention, wherein the apparatus comprises a reaction chamber 100 having an open bottom, an open bottom surface of the reaction chamber 100 A processing chamber 300 positioned below the plasma limiter 200 and a colorimeter 400 located between the plasma limiter 200 and the process chamber 300. The plasma limiter 200 includes a plurality of electrodes, Since the reaction chamber 100, the plasma limiter 200, and the process chamber 300 are the same as those of FIG. 1, the description thereof is omitted. The colorimeter 400 located between the plasma limiter 200 and the process chamber 300 enhances the directionality of the neutral particles by coloring the neutral particles passing through the plasma limiter 200. The colorimeter 400 has a plurality of holes 401. Neutral particles that collide with the sidewall 402 of the hole 401 more than once are absorbed by energy and can no longer perform their own functions. Accordingly, only the neutral particles passing vertically through the hole 401 among the neutral particles passing through the colorimeter 400 can be used for the surface treatment, and the directionality of the neutral particles is enhanced by the colorimeter 400.

4 is a perspective view showing a preferred combination of the plasma limiter and the colorimeter. 4, the plasma limiter 200 includes a slit 201 formed by a ceramic plate 204, and a slit 201 corresponding to the slit 201 of the plasma limiter 200, A hole 401 is formed. The slit 201 formed in the plasma limiter 200 enhances the penetration efficiency of the neutral particles and the plasma ions and electrons are blocked by the magnet 203 as the magnetic field applying means from passing through the slit 201. The holes 401 formed in the colorimeter 400 improve the directionality of the neutral particles. By the combination of these, interference of plasma ions and electrons is eliminated, and the neutral particles reach the substrate 301 with a certain directionality. The neutral particle beam having a constant directionality performs surface treatment of the substrate. For example, the directionally enhanced neutral particle beam can be applied to various semiconductor processes including bonding processes, etching processes, and asher processes. As another example, the directionally enhanced neutral particle beam may be usefully applied to pattern formation or lithography on the substrate 301. For example, a stencil mask with a magnification of 1 may be placed on the substrate 301 and used to remove the photoresist on the substrate 301 with the neutral particle beam. Alternatively, the apparatus can be used to directly remove the substrate material selectively only in a desired portion, without coating the substrate 301 with the photoresist, with a mask having a desired pattern disposed close to the substrate 301. [ In FIG. 4, the plasma limiter 200 and the colorimeter 400 are hexahedral. However, the plasma limiter 200 and the colorimeter 400 may be modified into various shapes including a cylindrical shape, an elliptical shape, and the like.

The neutral particle beam generating apparatus according to the present invention can generate a neutral particle beam of neutral atoms supplied from the sputtering unit by combination with a sputtering unit for supplying gaseous neutral atoms to the plasma discharge space. An example of such is shown in FIG. As shown in Fig. 7, a sputtering unit 700 is provided on the side wall of the reaction chamber 100. As shown in Fig. The sputtering unit 700 supplies vaporized neutral atoms to the plasma discharge space 101. A more detailed description of the generation of the neutral particle beam by the neutral atom 105 supplied by the sputtering unit 700 is as follows. First, the process gas is introduced into the plasma discharge space 101 through the gas inlet 104, where a plasma discharge is experienced, and a plasma 103, which is a combination of plasma ions and electrons, is generated. At this time, the distribution of the plasma 103 is controlled by the magnetic field applied by the magnetron unit 500. Specifically, the magnetic field applied across the metal plate 106 by the magnetron unit 500 having the racetrack array captures electrons (103a in Fig. 5) into the race track. See FIG. 5 for a detailed description thereof. At this time, gaseous neutral atoms 105 supplied by the sputtering unit 700 are also present in the plasma discharge space 101. The electrons (103a in FIG. 5) also collide with the gaseous neutral atoms 105 while rotating along the race track, and the cations 105a of the gaseous neutral atoms 105 supplied by the sputtering unit 700 . The cation 105a of the generated neutral atom 105a is guided to the metal plate 106 and generates a neutral particle beam by collision with the metal plate 106 with the aid of the bias voltage. The reference numerals not shown in Fig. 7 are the same as those described in Figs. 1 to 3.

The neutral particle beam generating apparatus shown in Fig. 7 is particularly suitable for generation of a neutral atomic beam in a solid state, and can be usefully applied to thin film growth, thin film formation, and pattern formation on the substrate 301. For example, by using a gas which does not affect the substrate such as argon and nitrogen as the process gas and supplying gaseous silicon atoms through the sputtering unit 700, A thin film formation or a pattern formation may be performed on the substrate 301. The sputtering unit 700 energizes the solid source to sputter neutral atoms. Specifically, the sputtering unit 700 is configured to sputter gaseous neutral atoms 105 into the plasma discharge space 101 by laser irradiation of a solid source, collision of accelerated particles with a solid source, or heating of a solid source. Sputtering. Various types of solid sources, such as solid carbon clusters, silicon films, metal films, etc., can be used to generate the gaseous neutral atoms 105. In addition, FIG. 1 specifically shows that only one sputtering unit 700 is disposed. However, this is exemplary. Usually, the sputtering unit 700 is disposed within a range of 1-6. In order to improve the uniformity of the distribution of the gaseous neutral atoms 105 in the plasma discharge space 101, it is preferable that a plurality of the sputtering units 700 are symmetrically disposed on the side walls of the reaction chamber 101 .

The neutron particle beam generating apparatus according to the present invention has a simpler structure and improved neutral particle flux than the conventional apparatus. For example, WO 01/84611 and WO 2004/036611 employ a complicated reflector structure to convert plasma ions to neutral particles and interference elimination by plasma ions and electrons, but the neutral particle beam generation The device does not require this structure at all. In addition, although the generation efficiency of the neutral particles due to the sheath is lowered, the present invention does not cause such a problem at all. A metal plate for converting the plasma ions generated in the plasma discharge space into neutral particles and a plasma limiter for selectively passing only the neutral particles and for eliminating the passage of plasma ions and electrons generated in the plasma discharge space, As a result, the conversion into neutral particles is simplified and interference with plasma ions and electrons is easily eliminated. Therefore, the conversion efficiency of neutral particles and the surface treatment efficiency are remarkably improved. Furthermore, the distribution of plasma ions is controlled by the magnetron unit, which improves neutral particle flux. A neutral particle flux of about 10 times greater than that achievable by the existing WO 2005/053365 is obtained.

Particularly, the neutral particle beam generating apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to various semiconductor processes as neutral particle flux is increased, and further can be applied to lithography and pattern formation on a substrate. The neutral particle beam generating apparatus having an improved neutral particle flux sufficiently enhances the effect that can be obtained by neutral particles in application to existing lithography and pattern formation.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. It is therefore to be understood that the embodiments described above are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (11)

A plasma discharge space for generating a plasma of the process gas by plasma discharge; a metal plate for colliding the plasma ions generated in the plasma discharge space to convert plasma ions into neutral particles; and a plasma plate for converting plasma ions and electrons And a magnetron unit for applying a magnetic field to the plasma discharge space, wherein the plasma discharge space is sandwiched between the metal plate and the plasma limiter, and the magnetron unit moves the metal plate in a transverse direction Characterized in that a magnetic field is applied to the plasma discharge space and a plasma distribution is controlled. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a plasma discharge space is located below the metal plate, a plasma limiter is located below the plasma discharge space, and the magnetron unit is located above the metal plate. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the magnetron unit has a racetrack arrangement comprising a central pole and a side pole surrounding the central pole. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the magnetron unit is sealed by a cover formed by a magnetic shielding material to further enhance the strength of the magnetic field applied to the plasma discharge space by the magnetron unit. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a colormator for coloring neutral particles that have passed through a plasma limiter. 2. The neutral particle beam generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a sputtering unit for supplying gaseous neutral atoms to the plasma discharge space. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the plasma limiter has a hole or slit, and the colormator has a hole. a) a reaction chamber including an inner space and a gas inlet disposed on the sidewall, wherein an inner space of the reaction chamber is a plasma discharge space, a metal plate is disposed on the plasma discharge space, and a magnetron unit And a processing gas introduced into the plasma discharge space through the gas inlet is converted into a plasma by a plasma discharge in the plasma discharge space and a magnetic field is applied to the plasma discharge space across the metal plate by the magnetron unit , The adjacent region of the metal plate has a high plasma ion density due to the magnetic field, plasma ions are converted into neutral particles by collision of the metal plate with plasma ions, b) a plasma limiter located at the bottom of the reaction chamber, which interrupts the passage of plasma ions and electrons, and selectively passes only the neutral particles produced by the collision of the metal plate with the plasma ions, and and c) a treatment chamber for receiving a substrate underneath the plasma limiter, the substrate being subjected to a surface treatment by the neutral particles. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the magnetron unit has a racetrack arrangement comprising a central pole and a side pole surrounding the central pole. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a collimator between the plasma limiter and the process chamber for coloring neutral particles that have passed through the plasma limiter. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus further comprises a sputtering unit in the sidewall of the reaction chamber for supplying gaseous neutral atoms to the plasma discharge space.

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