KR101129038B1

KR101129038B1 - In line type substrate processing apparatus

Info

Publication number: KR101129038B1
Application number: KR1020100038603A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 김수웅; 이경호; 정순빈
Original assignee: 주식회사 테라세미콘
Priority date: 2010-04-26
Filing date: 2010-04-26
Publication date: 2012-03-27
Also published as: WO2011136525A3; TW201203374A; KR20110119098A; CN102859722A; WO2011136525A2; JP2013530514A

Abstract

In the present invention, an inline substrate processing apparatus is disclosed. In-line substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention comprises a first chamber 100 for preheating the substrate 10; A second chamber 200 for plasma-processing the substrate 10 preheated in the first chamber 100; And a third chamber 300 for cooling the substrate 10 subjected to plasma treatment in the second chamber 200. The first chamber 100, the second chamber 200, and the third chamber 300 are arranged in a row in order, and the first chamber 100 includes a first heater 110 for preheating the substrate 10. ; And a first transfer part configured to load the substrate 10 into the first chamber 100 or unload the substrate 10 that has been preheated from the first chamber 100 while supporting the substrate 10. The second chamber 200 includes a first plasma electrode 250 for generating a plasma; A second heater 210 for heating the substrate; And a second transfer part for loading the substrate 10 into the second chamber 200 or unloading the substrate 10 on which the plasma processing is completed from the second chamber 200 while supporting the substrate 10. The third chamber 300 includes a second plasma electrode 350 for generating a plasma; And a third transfer part which loads the substrate into the third chamber 300 or unloads the substrate 10 from the third chamber 300 while supporting the substrate 10.

Description

In-line Substrate Processing Equipment {IN LINE TYPE SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS}

The present invention relates to an inline substrate processing apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to an inline substrate processing apparatus capable of improving the productivity of a plasma processing process for a substrate.

As the depletion of existing fossil energy resources such as petroleum and coal is predicted, and interest in the environment is increasing, technologies related to solar cells having unlimited / no pollution among the alternative energy that can solve this problem are attracting attention.

As such, the solar cells that can receive light and convert them into electrical energy can be divided into bulk (single crystalline and poly crystalline) solar cells, and thin films (amorphous and poly crystalline). Solar cells, compound thin film solar cells such as CdTe or CIS (CuInSe ₂ ), group III-V solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells, and organic solar cells.

On the other hand, most of the general-purpose solar cells are using silicon as the material of the light absorbing layer, in this case, to improve the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the solar cell by hydrogen plasma treatment of silicon atoms dangling bond (dangling bond) A method for passivating has been proposed.

In order to hydrogen-process silicon, it is necessary to heat silicon above predetermined temperature. To this end, conventionally, the silicon is heated using a heater installed outside or inside the chamber that performs the plasma process, but recently, the silicon is heated by using a cluster method in order to save time consumed by heating the silicon. have.

The cluster method is a method in which a plurality of chambers are provided and the plasma processing process is divided into various processes, and then individual processes are performed in each chamber. 1 shows an apparatus 4 for implementing such a cluster scheme. Referring to FIG. 1, the clustering method is mainly performed by loading and unloading a substrate into each chamber 42 using a substrate transfer part 40 positioned at a center after arranging a plurality of chambers 42 in a circular shape.

However, according to the conventional cluster method, not only a lot of cost is required to construct the above equipment, but also a problem that productivity is slightly reduced because the centrally located substrate transfer unit 40 takes unnecessary time to transfer the substrate. there was.

In order to solve this problem, a batch type plasma processing method of hydrogen plasma processing a plurality of silicon at the same time in one chamber has been proposed. However, according to such a batch type plasma processing method, there is an advantage in that the productivity is improved by hydrogen plasma treatment of a plurality of silicon at the same time, but there is a problem in that it is impossible to uniformly hydrogen plasma process a plurality of silicon.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an inline substrate processing apparatus capable of improving the productivity of a plasma processing process for a substrate, which is devised to solve the above problems of the prior art.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an inline substrate processing apparatus capable of uniformly plasma processing a plurality of substrates.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide an in-line substrate processing apparatus that can minimize the cancellation of the electromagnetic field generated by the interaction between a plurality of plasma electrodes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an inline substrate processing apparatus capable of effectively preventing hydrogen out diffusion of a silicon layer.

In order to achieve the above object, the in-line substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first chamber for preheating the substrate; A second chamber for plasma treating the substrate preheated in the first chamber; And a third chamber that cools the substrate that has been plasma treated in the second chamber. The first chamber, the second chamber, and the third chamber are arranged in a row, and the first chamber may include: a first heater to preheat the substrate; And a first transfer part configured to load the substrate into the first chamber or to unload the substrate after preheating is completed from the first chamber while supporting the substrate, wherein the second chamber generates plasma. A first plasma electrode; A second heater for heating the substrate; And a second transfer part configured to load the substrate into the second chamber or to unload the substrate on which the plasma processing is completed from the second chamber while supporting the substrate, wherein the third chamber generates a plasma. A second plasma electrode; And a third transfer part which loads the substrate into the third chamber or unloads the substrate from the third chamber while supporting the substrate.

The first transfer part includes a plurality of first driving roller units installed along the moving direction of the substrate to load the substrate into the first chamber and to unload the substrate from the first chamber. The unit may include a plurality of second driving roller units installed along the moving direction of the substrate to load the substrate into the second chamber and to unload the substrate from the second chamber. A plurality of third driving roller units may be installed along the moving direction to load the substrate into the third chamber and to unload the substrate from the third chamber.

The plurality of first driving roller units may interlock with each other, the plurality of second driving roller units may interlock with each other, and the plurality of third driving roller units may interlock with each other.

The first heater may include a plurality of first unit heaters, and the second heater may include a plurality of second unit heaters.

The plurality of first unit heaters and the plurality of second unit heaters may be disposed at regular intervals in parallel with the long side direction of the substrate.

A plurality of first plasma electrodes are disposed in the second chamber, a plurality of second plasma electrodes are disposed in the third chamber, and the first plasma electrode has at least one bent point; A first upper electrode part positioned on the substrate; And a first lower electrode part positioned below the substrate, wherein the second plasma electrode includes a bent part having one or more bent points; A second upper electrode part positioned on the substrate; And a second lower electrode part positioned below the substrate.

Ends of the first and second upper electrode portions may be connected to an RF antenna for applying a radio frequency (RF) signal for generating an electromagnetic field for plasma generation, and ends of the first and second lower electrode portions may be connected to ground. .

The first plasma electrode and the second plasma electrode may have a 'c' or inverted 'c' shape.

And a first load lock chamber for temporarily storing the substrate loaded in the first chamber and a second load lock chamber for temporarily storing the substrate unloaded from the third chamber. The chamber, the first chamber, the second chamber, the third chamber, the second load lock chamber may be arranged in a line.

The first load lock chamber includes a fourth transfer part which unloads the substrate from the first load lock chamber in a state in which the substrate is supported, and the second load lock chamber in the state in which the substrate is supported by the substrate. It may include a fifth transfer unit for loading the substrate into the two load lock chamber.

The fourth transfer part may include a plurality of fourth driving roller units installed along the moving direction of the substrate to unload the substrate from the first load lock chamber, and the fifth transfer part may follow the moving direction of the substrate. And a plurality of fifth driving roller units installed to load the substrate into the second load lock chamber.

The first chamber includes a first unit chamber unit including a first upper chamber and a first lower chamber disposed below the first upper chamber independently of the first upper chamber, and the second chamber includes a second chamber. A second unit chamber unit including an upper chamber and a second lower chamber disposed below the second upper chamber independently of the second upper chamber, wherein the third chamber comprises a third upper chamber and the third upper chamber; The lower unit may include a third unit chamber unit including a third lower chamber disposed independently of the third upper chamber.

The first unit chamber unit. The second unit chamber unit and the third unit chamber unit may be connected in a row in order.

The first upper chamber includes a first upper heater, the first lower chamber includes a first lower heater, the second upper chamber includes a second upper heater, and the second lower chamber is second A lower heater, wherein the first upper heater includes a plurality of first upper unit heaters, the first lower heater includes a plurality of first lower unit heaters, and the second upper heater includes a plurality of second An upper unit heater may be included, and the second lower heater may include a plurality of second lower unit heaters.

The plurality of first plasma electrodes may be disposed in the second unit chamber unit, the plurality of second plasma electrodes may be disposed in the third unit chamber unit, and the first plasma electrode may have one or more bend points. ; A first upper electrode part disposed in the second upper chamber; And a first lower electrode part disposed in the second lower chamber, wherein the first upper electrode part generates a plasma inside the second upper chamber, and the first lower electrode part generates a plasma inside the second lower chamber. The second plasma electrode may include a bent portion having one or more bend points; A second upper electrode part disposed in the third upper chamber; And a second lower electrode part disposed in the third lower chamber, wherein the second upper electrode part generates plasma in the third upper chamber and the second lower electrode part generates plasma in the third lower chamber. Can be.

The first chamber includes a plurality of first unit chamber units arranged in a vertical line, the second chamber includes a plurality of second unit chamber units arranged in a vertical line, and the third chamber is vertical. It may include a plurality of the third unit chamber unit arranged in a line.

Each of the plurality of second unit chamber units may include the plurality of first plasma electrodes, and each of the plurality of third unit chamber units may include the plurality of second plasma electrodes.

The substrate may include a silicon layer.

The first chamber raises the substrate from the first temperature to the second temperature, the second chamber drives the first plasma electrode during the process of maintaining the substrate at the second temperature, and the third chamber The second plasma electrode may be driven while the substrate is cooled from the second temperature to the third temperature.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the productivity of the plasma processing process for the substrate by minimizing the time required for transferring the substrate while using the cluster method.

In addition, according to the present invention, a plurality of substrates can be uniformly plasma treated by arranging chambers performing the same process in a vertical line.

In addition, according to the present invention, by configuring the plasma electrode in a bent form it is possible to minimize the cancellation of the electromagnetic field generated by the interaction between the plurality of plasma electrodes.

Moreover, according to this invention, hydrogen out diffusion of a silicon layer can be prevented effectively.

1 is a view showing a plasma system of a conventional cluster method.
2 is a view showing the configuration of an in-line substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a second chamber in which a first plasma electrode is disposed according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view schematically showing the appearance of the RF signal flowing in the first plasma electrode according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view showing the configuration of an inline substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a second unit chamber unit in which a first plasma electrode is disposed according to another exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a view schematically illustrating an RF signal flowing in a first plasma electrode according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a view showing the configuration of an inline substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings that show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention are different but need not be mutually exclusive. For example, certain features, structures, and characteristics described herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in connection with an embodiment. It is also to be understood that the position or arrangement of the individual components within each disclosed embodiment may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention, if properly described, is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar functions throughout the several aspects, and length, area, thickness, and the like may be exaggerated for convenience.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention.

First, plasma treatment of the substrate 10 with the inline substrate processing apparatuses 1, 2, and 3 of the present invention means a substrate generally referred to in the fields of a semiconductor element substrate, a liquid crystal display device, a solar cell substrate, For example, it can be interpreted to mean not only performing a plasma treatment on a silicon wafer substrate, a glass substrate, etc., but also performing a plasma treatment on a predetermined film or pattern formed on the substrate. Accordingly, the treatment of the substrate 10 using the inline substrate processing apparatuses 1, 2, and 3 of the present invention means that plasma treatment of a silicon layer (not shown) formed on the substrate 10 is performed. Note that it can be interpreted.

2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an inline substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2, the inline substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention basically includes three chambers 100, 200, and 300. More specifically, in the first chamber 100 for preheating the substrate 10, the second chamber 200 for plasma treating the substrate 10 preheated in the first chamber 100, and the plasma in the second chamber 200. And a third chamber 300 for cooling the processed substrate 10. Hereinafter, the configuration and function of each chamber will be described.

First, the first chamber 100 will be described.

Referring to FIG. 2, the first chamber 100 may be configured to substantially seal an internal space to provide a space for preheating the substrate 10. The shape of the first chamber 100 is not limited to a particular shape, but is preferably a rectangular parallelepiped as shown in FIG. 2. The material of the first chamber 100 may be stainless steel, aluminum, or quartz, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

2, it can be seen that the first chamber 100 is located on the left side among the three chambers described above. Here, the position of the first chamber 100 on the left side is related to the moving direction of the substrate 10. In other words, since the substrate 10 preheated in the first chamber 100 moves in the right direction to the second chamber 200 located on the right side of the first chamber 100, the first chamber 100 is moved. It is shown to be located on the left. Of course, the movement direction of the substrate 10 is set arbitrarily for convenience of description, and it is not important in the present invention whether the substrate 10 is moved right or left. However, below, it is assumed that the advancing direction of the board | substrate 10 is a right direction, and is demonstrated.

2, the first chamber 100 may include a first heater 110. The first heater 110 may perform a function of preheating the substrate 10 by applying heat to the plurality of substrates 10. For example, when performing a hydrogen passivation process on the substrate 10 using plasma, the first heater 110 may preheat the temperature of the substrate 10 to a temperature of about 500 ° C to 700 ° C.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the first heater 110 may include a plurality of first unit heaters 112. Here, the first unit heater 112 is a rod-shaped heater having a conventional long length, in which a heating element is inserted into a quartz tube and generates heat by receiving external power through terminals installed at both ends thereof. It may be a unit constituting the. As the substrate 10 is preheated by the plurality of first unit heaters 112, uniform heat treatment may be performed over the entire surface of the substrate 10. Preferably, the plurality of first unit heaters 112 are disposed at regular intervals in parallel with the long side direction of the substrate 10, but are not limited thereto, and have a predetermined interval in parallel with the short side direction of the substrate 10. It may be arranged. In addition, the number of the first unit heaters 112 disposed in the first chamber 100 is not particularly limited and may be variously changed according to the purpose of the present invention.

In this regard, although FIG. 2 shows that the substrate 10 is loaded into the first chamber 100 by itself and preheated, the first chamber 100 is preferably mounted on a substrate holder (not shown). Can be loaded and preheated. Likewise, the substrate 10 may be mounted on the substrate holder and processed, such as in the second chamber 200 and the third chamber 300. Details related to the substrate holder will be omitted while describing the second chamber 200 and the third chamber 300 below.

Next, the first chamber 100 may be configured to include a first transfer unit for loading the substrate 10 into the first chamber 100 or unloading the substrate 10 that has been preheated from the first chamber 100. Can be. In this case, the first transfer unit may include a plurality of first driving roller units 120 having a predetermined length and installed along the moving direction (that is, the right direction in FIG. 2) of the substrate 10. The plurality of first driving roller units 120 may perform a function of moving the substrate 10 in an inline manner while supporting the substrate 10. More specifically, the plurality of first driving roller units 120 rotates in the moving direction of the substrate 10 while contacting the bottom surface of the substrate 10 to load the substrate 10 into the first chamber 100, When the substrate 10 is loaded, the substrate 10 is supported while the plasma processing is performed on the substrate 10. When the plasma processing is completed on the substrate 10, the substrate 10 is in contact with the bottom surface of the substrate 10. The substrate 10 may be unloaded from the first chamber 100 by rotating in the direction of movement of the substrate.

In order to smoothly perform this function, as shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of first driving roller units 120 may be installed in a direction perpendicular to the loading and unloading directions of the substrate 10. In addition, in a similar sense, the plurality of first driving roller units 120 may be installed at the same height inside the first chamber 100. Also, in a similar sense, the plurality of first driving roller units 120 interlock with each other (that is, when one of the first driving roller units 120 operates, the other first driving roller units 120 also operate together. Is preferred. On the other hand, the plurality of first driving roller unit 120 may be formed in different widths according to the installation position, but preferably all the diameter is the same.

Next, referring further to FIG. 2, the first loading part having a predetermined width and height may be formed on one side of the first chamber 100, and the surface contacting the first load lock chamber 400, which will be described later in detail. 130 may be formed. The first loading unit 130 may be opened to serve as a passage through which the substrate 10 is loaded. Since the first loading unit 130 needs to be blocked to seal the first chamber 100 while the preheating process is performed, a door (not shown) to be opened and closed in the up and down direction may be installed in the first loading unit 130. Can be.

Next, referring further to FIG. 2, a surface of one side of the first chamber 100, more specifically, a surface facing the surface on which the first loading unit 130 is disposed and in contact with the second chamber 200 is predetermined. The first unloading part 140 having a width and a height may be formed. The first unloading unit 140 may be opened to serve as a passage through which the substrate 10 is unloaded. Similar to the first loading unit 130, since the first unloading unit 140 needs to be blocked to seal the first chamber 100 while the heat treatment process is performed, the first unloading unit 140 may be used. The door (not shown) may be installed to open and close in the vertical direction.

Meanwhile, as described below, the first chamber 100 is the first lower chamber 106 disposed independently of the first upper chamber 104 below the first upper chamber 104 and the first upper chamber 104. It may be configured to include a first unit chamber unit 102 including a basically. This will be described later.

Next, the second chamber 200 will be described.

Referring to FIG. 2, the second chamber 200 may be configured to substantially seal an inner space to provide a space for plasma processing the substrate 10. Similar to the first chamber 100, the shape of the second chamber 200 is preferably a rectangular parallelepiped. Meanwhile, the material of the second chamber 200 may be stainless steel, aluminum, quartz, or the like, but is not limited thereto.

2, the second chamber 200 may be located between the first chamber 100 and the third chamber 300. This is related to the moving direction of the substrate 10 (ie, the right direction in FIG. 2) as described above.

Referring to FIG. 2, the second chamber 200 may include a second heater 210. In order to perform plasma treatment of the substrate 10, the substrate 10 needs to be heated and maintained above a predetermined temperature. In this sense, the second heater 210 may perform a function of applying heat to the substrate 10. have. For example, when performing a hydrogen passivation process on the substrate 10 using plasma, the second heater 210 may maintain the temperature of the substrate 10 at a temperature of about 400 ° C to 1000 ° C.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the second heater 210 may include a plurality of second unit heaters 212. In the present invention, since the second unit heater 212 has substantially the same configuration and function as the first unit heater 112 and is disposed in the same manner, the configuration, function, and arrangement of the first unit heater 112 is the second unit heater. The same applies to 212, and further detailed description is omitted.

Next, referring further to FIG. 2, the second chamber 200 may include a plurality of first plasma electrodes 250. The first plasma electrode 250 has a function of generating a plasma by a method of generating an inductively coupled plasma (ICP), that is, a plasma is generated and maintained by receiving an RF power supplying a high frequency voltage. Function to make it work.

3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a second chamber 200 in which a first plasma electrode 250 is disposed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the first plasma electrode 250 may include a first upper electrode portion 254, a bent portion 252, and a first lower electrode portion 256 to sandwich the substrate 10. It may have a bent shape. More specifically, the first plasma electrode 250 may be formed based on the bent portion 252, and may be formed of the first upper electrode portion 254 and the lower portion of the substrate 10. 1 may include a lower electrode unit 256. Here, the bent portion 252 may have one or more bent points, and preferably have two bent points as shown in FIG. 3. Accordingly, the first plasma electrode 250 may have a 'c' or inverted 'c' shape. At this time, the substrate 10 may be disposed between the 'c' or inverse 'c' shape.

Referring to FIG. 3, it can be seen that the RF antenna 260 is connected to the end of the first upper electrode part 254 and the ground 270 is connected to the end of the first lower electrode part 256. Here, the RF antenna 260 may perform a function of applying an RF signal to the first plasma electrode 250, and the ground 270 may allow the applied RF signal to flow through the first plasma electrode 250. Can be performed.

4 is a diagram schematically illustrating how an RF signal flows in the first plasma electrode 250 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, an RF signal is applied to the first upper electrode portion 254 of the first plasma electrode 250 positioned above the substrate 10, and is positioned below the substrate 10. The RF signal may flow into the first lower electrode part 256 of the first plasma electrode 250. That is, the RF signal applied from the RF antenna 260 is applied on the upper portion of the substrate 10, and then moves along the first plasma electrode 250 to exit through the ground 270 under the substrate 10. The plasma may be generated and maintained by this process.

Due to this configuration, since the direction of the signal from the RF antenna 260 flowing in the first upper electrode portion 254 and the first lower electrode portion 256 is reversed, the RF signal is weakened in any specific region and thus the plasma density is reduced. The decreasing phenomenon disappears. That is, in the region close to the ground 270 at the position where the substrate 10 is disposed, the intensity of the electromagnetic field may be reduced. However, since the region is also close to the RF antenna 260, the strength of the electromagnetic field is compensated and the bending portion ( In the region close to 252, the electromagnetic field caused by the first upper electrode part 254 and the electromagnetic field caused by the first lower electrode part 256 generate a compensating effect with each other. Density can be obtained.

Next, referring back to FIG. 2, the second chamber 200 loads the substrate 10 into the second chamber 200 or unloads the substrate 10 on which the plasma processing is completed from the second chamber 200. It may be configured to include a second transfer unit, similar to the first transfer unit, the second transfer unit includes a plurality of second driving roller unit 220 having a predetermined length and installed along the moving direction of the substrate 10. It can be configured. The plurality of second driving roller units 220 and the plurality of second driving roller units 220 are loaded except that the substrate 10 is loaded into the second chamber 200 and the substrate 10 on which the plasma processing is completed is unloaded from the second chamber 200. Since the first drive roller units 120 have substantially the same configuration and function and are arranged in the same manner, the configuration, function, and arrangement of the first drive roller unit 120 is equally applied to the second drive roller unit 220. The detailed description will be omitted.

Next, referring further to FIG. 2, a second loading part 230 having a predetermined width and height is formed on one side of the second chamber 200, more specifically, the surface contacting the first chamber 100. Can be. In addition, a second language having a predetermined width and height on one side of the second chamber 200, more specifically, a surface facing the surface where the second loading unit 230 is disposed and in contact with the third chamber 300. The loading unit 240 may be formed. Since the second loading unit 230 and the second unloading unit 240 have the same configuration and function as the above-described first loading unit 130 and the first unloading unit 140, further detailed description thereof will be omitted. do.

Meanwhile, similar to the first chamber 100, the second chamber 200 is a second upper chamber 204 and a second upper chamber 204 disposed below the second upper chamber 204 independently of the second. It may be configured to include a second unit chamber unit 202 including a lower chamber 206 basically. This will be described later.

Next, the third chamber 300 will be described.

Referring to FIG. 2, the third chamber 300 may be configured to substantially seal an inner space to provide a space for cooling the substrate 10. As the cooling method, a water cooling method or an air cooling method may be used, and in some cases, a natural cooling method may be used. Similar to the second chamber 200, the shape of the third chamber 300 is preferably a rectangular parallelepiped, and the material of the third chamber 300 may be stainless steel, aluminum, quartz, or the like, but is not limited thereto. .

Referring to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the third chamber 300 is located on the right side of the second chamber 200. This is related to the moving direction of the substrate 10 (ie, the right direction in FIG. 2) as described above.

Next, referring further to FIG. 2, the third chamber 300 may include a plurality of second plasma electrodes 350 to allow plasma to be generated and maintained. The second plasma electrode 350 is based on the bent portion (not shown), the second upper electrode portion (not shown) existing on the upper portion of the substrate 10 and the second lower portion present on the lower portion of the substrate 10. It may be configured to include an electrode (not shown). In the present invention, since the second plasma electrode 350 has substantially the same configuration and function as the first plasma electrode 250 and is arranged in the same manner, the configuration, function, and arrangement of the first plasma electrode 250 may be determined by the first plasma electrode. The same applies to 250, and further description thereof will be omitted.

Next, referring back to FIG. 2, the third chamber 300 loads the substrate 10 into the third chamber 300 or the unloading substrate 10 from which the cooling is completed from the third chamber 300. 3 may be configured to include a transfer part. Similar to the first transfer part, the third transfer part may include a plurality of third driving roller units 320 having a predetermined length and installed along the moving direction of the substrate 10. Can be configured. The plurality of first driving roller units 120 and the plurality of first driving roller units 120 except for loading the substrate 10 into the third chamber 300 and unloading the cooled substrate 10 from the third chamber 300. Since the third driving roller unit 320 has substantially the same configuration and function and is arranged in the same manner, the configuration, function, and arrangement of the first driving roller unit 120 is equally applied to the third driving roller unit 320. The detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Next, referring further to FIG. 2, a third loading part 330 having a predetermined width and height is formed on one side of the third chamber 300, more specifically, the surface contacting the second chamber 200. Can be. In addition, one side surface of the third chamber 300, more specifically, the surface facing the surface where the third loading unit 330 is disposed and in contact with the second load lock chamber 500 to be described later to have a predetermined width and height. The third unloading part 340 may be formed. Since the third loading unit 330 and the third unloading unit 340 have the same configuration and function as those of the first loading unit 130 and the first unloading unit 140 described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. do.

In the above, the first chamber 100, the second chamber 200, and the third chamber 300, which are basic components of the inline substrate processing apparatus 1, have been described. Hereinafter, other components of the inline substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the inline substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a first load lock chamber 400. The first load lock chamber 400 may perform a function of temporarily storing the substrate 10 to be loaded in the first chamber 100. In addition, the first load lock chamber 400 loads the substrate 10 under atmospheric pressure, but loads the substrate 10 while the first gate valve 410 is closed to expose the first chamber 100 to a non-vacuum state. You can do this. In FIG. 2, one substrate 10 is loaded and stored in the first load lock chamber 400, but in some cases, a plurality of substrates 10 may be loaded in the first load lock chamber 400. Can be archived.

2, the first load lock chamber 400 may be configured to include a fourth transfer part to unload the substrate 10 from the first load lock chamber 400, similarly to the first transfer part. The fourth transfer part may have a predetermined length and include a plurality of fourth driving roller units 420 installed along the moving direction of the substrate 10. Since the plurality of first driving roller units 120 and the plurality of fourth driving roller units 420 have substantially the same configuration and function, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Next, referring further to FIG. 2, the inline substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a second load lock chamber 500. The second load lock chamber 500 may perform a function of temporarily storing the substrate 10 in which the cooling is completed. In addition, the second load lock chamber 500 unloads the substrate 10 under atmospheric pressure, but unloads the substrate 10 while the second gate valve 510 is closed, thereby causing the third chamber 300 to be in a non-vacuum state. To prevent exposure to

Referring to FIG. 2, the second load lock chamber 500 may include a fifth transfer part loading the substrate 10 into the second load lock chamber 500, and similarly to the first transfer part, The fifth transfer part may have a predetermined length and include a plurality of fifth driving roller units 520 installed along the moving direction of the substrate 10. Since the plurality of first driving roller units 120 and the plurality of fifth driving roller units 520 have substantially the same configuration and function, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 2, the first load lock chamber 400, the first chamber 100, the second chamber 200, the third chamber 300, and the second load lock chamber 500 are arranged in a row in this order. You can confirm that it is done. In consideration of the functions of the respective chambers described above, the substrate 10 includes the first load lock chamber 400, the first chamber 100, the second chamber 200, the third chamber 300, and the second rod. The lock chamber 500 may be moved and processed in order. Components that perform the movement of the substrate 10 are a first transfer unit, a second transfer unit, a third transfer unit, a fourth transfer unit, and a fifth transfer unit disposed in each chamber.

Next, referring further to FIG. 2, an inline substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first robot arm 600 for loading a substrate 10 into a first load lock chamber 400 and And a second robot arm 700 for unloading the substrate 10 from the second load lock chamber 500.

The first robot arm 600 is disposed outside the first load lock chamber 400, more specifically on the left side of the first load lock chamber 400, and is disposed from the outside (eg, located outside the plurality of substrates). From the cassette in which the (10) is stored] may be taken out to load the substrate 10 into the first load lock chamber 400. Similar to the first robot arm 600, the second robot arm 700 is disposed outside the second load lock chamber 500, more specifically to the right of the second load lock chamber 500, so that the second rod The substrate 10 may be unloaded from the lock chamber 500 and transferred to the outside. In FIG. 2, one arm 610 and 710 of the first robot arm 600 and the second robot arm 700 are illustrated as one, but are not limited thereto, and various numbers of arms 610 and 710 may include the first robot arm 600. The arm 600 and the second robot arm 700 may be employed. Since the configuration and function of the first and second robot arms 600 and 700 correspond to known techniques, further detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the inline substrate processing apparatus 1 configured as described above, various plasma processing processes, such as hydrogen passivation of a silicon layer using plasma, may be performed. In this case, the time required for the substrate transfer device to transfer the substrate 10 can be minimized while using the cluster method, thereby reducing the overall plasma process time. As a result, the productivity of the plasma process can be improved.

5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an inline substrate processing apparatus 2 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, according to the inline substrate processing apparatus 2 according to another embodiment of the present invention, each chamber includes a chamber unit including an upper chamber and a lower chamber disposed independently of the upper chamber. More specifically, the first chamber 100 includes a first upper chamber 104 and a first lower chamber 106 disposed below the first upper chamber 104 independently of the first upper chamber 104. And a first unit chamber unit 102, and the second chamber 200 is disposed independently of the second upper chamber 204 below the second upper chamber 204 and the second upper chamber 204. And a second unit chamber unit 202 including a second lower chamber 206, wherein the third chamber 300 is disposed below the third upper chamber 304 and the third upper chamber 304. And a third unit chamber unit 302 including a third lower chamber 306 disposed independently of the upper chamber 304.

At this time, the first unit chamber unit 102, as shown in FIG. The second unit chamber unit 202 and the third unit chamber unit 302 may be arranged in a row. More specifically, the first upper chamber 104 of the first unit chamber unit 102, the second upper chamber 204 of the second unit chamber unit 202, and the third of the third unit chamber unit 302. The upper chamber 304 is arranged in a line and connected to each other, the first lower chamber 106 of the first unit chamber unit 102, the second lower chamber 206 of the second unit chamber unit 202, and the third unit The third lower chamber 306 of the chamber unit 302 may be arranged in a line.

Thus, when each chamber is configured in the form of a multilayer, it is possible to process a larger number of substrates 10 at one time, so that the productivity of the plasma process can be further improved.

On the other hand, when each chamber is configured to include a chamber unit including an upper chamber and a lower chamber disposed independently of the upper chamber, the first and the first and second chambers 200 and 300 are disposed in the third chamber 300 The two plasma electrodes 280 and 380 may have a different configuration from that of the first plasma electrode 250 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a second unit chamber unit 202 in which a first plasma electrode 280 is disposed, according to another exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 6, unlike the first plasma electrode 250 of FIG. 3, which is disposed in one chamber (ie, the second chamber 200), the first plasma electrode 280 of FIG. 6 may have a second upper portion. It can be seen that it is disposed in both the chamber 204 and the second lower chamber 206. To this end, the first plasma electrode 280 of FIG. 6 is similar to the first plasma electrode 250 of FIG. 3, and includes a bent portion 282, a first upper electrode portion 284, and a first lower electrode portion ( 286, wherein the first upper electrode portion 284 is disposed in the second upper chamber 204, and the first lower electrode portion 286 is disposed in the second lower chamber 206. To this end, the bent portion 282 of the first plasma electrode 280 of FIG. 6 is preferably formed longer than the bent portion 252 of the first plasma electrode 250 of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 6, it can be seen that the RF antenna 260 is connected to the end of the first upper electrode part 284 and the ground 270 is connected to the end of the first lower electrode part 286. This configuration is similar to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, but in FIG. 3, the RF antenna 260 and the ground 270 are disposed on the side of one chamber (ie, the second chamber 200), and the RF in FIG. 6. There is a difference in configuration in which the antenna 260 and the ground 270 are disposed on side surfaces of different chambers.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating how an RF signal flows in the first plasma electrode 280 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, an RF signal is applied to the first upper electrode portion 284 disposed in the second upper chamber 204, and the first lower electrode portion 286 disposed in the second lower chamber 206. The RF signal can flow out. According to the flow of the RF signal, the plasma may be generated and maintained by the first upper electrode portion 284 in the second upper chamber 204, and the first lower electrode portion 286 in the second lower chamber 206. Plasma may be generated and maintained.

Meanwhile, since the second plasma electrode 380 disposed in the third chamber 300 of FIG. 6 has substantially the same configuration as the first plasma electrode 280, a detailed description of the second plasma electrode 380 is omitted. do.

In addition, except for the above-described configuration (each chamber includes a chamber unit including an upper chamber and a lower chamber disposed independently of the upper chamber and the configuration of the first and second plasma electrodes 280 and 380). Since the inline substrate processing apparatus 2 of FIG. 5 is configured in the same manner as the substrate processing apparatus 1 of FIG. 2, detailed description of other components other than the above-described components will be omitted.

8 is a diagram showing the configuration of an inline substrate processing apparatus 3 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, in the inline substrate processing apparatus 3 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, each chamber may be configured to include a plurality of chamber units arranged in a vertical line. More specifically, the first chamber 100 includes a plurality of first unit chamber units 102 arranged in a vertical line, and the second chamber 200 includes a plurality of second unit chambers arranged in a vertical line. The unit 202 may be configured, and the third chamber 300 may include a plurality of third unit chamber units disposed in a vertical line. In such a configuration, since a plurality of substrates 10 can be plasma treated at a time, productivity of the process can be maximized.

In FIG. 8, the first chamber 100, the second chamber 200, and the third chamber 300 each include a first unit chamber unit 102, a second unit chamber unit 202, and a third unit chamber unit 302. It is shown that it includes two), but is not necessarily limited thereto, each chamber may be configured to include a variety of chamber units.

The inline substrate processing apparatus 3 of FIG. 8 is identical to the substrate processing apparatus 2 of FIG. 5 except for the above-described configuration, that is, the configuration including a plurality of chamber units in which the upper chamber and the lower chamber are arranged in a vertical line. Therefore, detailed description of the other components in addition to the above-described components will be omitted.

Hereinafter, a process of performing a plasma processing process using the inline substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present invention according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, a case of performing a hydrogen passivation process using the inline substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present invention will be described as an example. However, in general, a plasma is used in the semiconductor field using the inline substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present invention. It will be apparent that the process can be performed.

In addition, the treatment of the substrate 10 using the inline substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present invention as described above may be interpreted to include the plasma treatment of the silicon layer formed on the substrate 10. . In this sense, a process of processing a silicon layer using the inline substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present invention will be described below as an example.

First, the silicon layer is transferred to the first load lock chamber 400 by the first robot arm 600. The silicon layer thus transferred is temporarily stored in the first load lock chamber 400, and is unloaded from the first load lock chamber 400 by the plurality of fourth driving roller units 420, and thus the first chamber ( 100).

Next, the silicon layer loaded in the first chamber 100 may be preheated. More specifically, the silicon layer loaded in the first chamber 100 may be preheated by the first heater 110 to rise from the first temperature to the second temperature. Here, the first temperature may be any one of 300 ° C to 600 ° C and the second temperature may be any one of 400 ° C to 1000 ° C.

The preheated silicon layer may be unloaded from the first chamber 100 by the plurality of first driving roller units 120 and loaded into the second chamber 200.

Next, the silicon layer loaded in the second chamber 200 may be plasma-processed by the first plasma electrode 250 while maintaining the second temperature. In this case, the second heater 210 may be driven to maintain the silicon layer at the second temperature, and the first plasma electrode 250 may be driven to plasma-process the silicon layer. Accordingly, the silicon layer may be hydrogen passivated in the second chamber 200. In other words, hydrogen is diffused into the silicon layer, and the hydrogen layer is combined with a dangling bond present in the silicon layer to stabilize the silicon layer. On the other hand, the plasma generated in the second chamber 200 may be preferably a plasma containing hydrogen or ammonia.

The plasma treated silicon layer may be unloaded from the second chamber 200 by the plurality of second driving roller units 220 and loaded into the third chamber 300.

Next, the silicon layer loaded into the third chamber 300 may be cooled from the second temperature to the third temperature. In this case, the second plasma electrode 350 provided in the third chamber 300 may be driven. That is, plasma processing of the silicon layer may be continued by the second plasma electrode 350 while the silicon layer is cooled in the third chamber 300. The plasma processing performed in the third chamber 300 may not be continued until the silicon layer reaches room temperature, but may be stopped when the silicon layer reaches the third temperature. Here, the third temperature may be any one of 300 ° C to 700 ° C. As the second plasma electrode 350 is continuously driven while the silicon layer is being cooled, hydrogen mixed into the silicon layer is out-diffused by the hydrogen plasma treatment in the second chamber 200. The phenomenon can be prevented efficiently.

In this manner, the silicon layer having completed the cooling process may be unloaded from the third chamber 300 by the plurality of third driving roller units 320 and loaded into the second load lock chamber 500. The silicon layer loaded into the second load lock chamber 500 may be temporarily stored and then transferred to the outside by the second robot arm 700.

In the foregoing detailed description, the present invention has been described by specific embodiments such as specific components and the like, but the embodiments and drawings are provided only to help a more general understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is limited to the above embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art can make various modifications and variations from this description. Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the above-described embodiments, and all of the equivalents or equivalents of the claims, as well as the following claims, I will say.

1, 2, 3: substrate processing apparatus
10: Substrate
100: first chamber
102: first unit chamber unit
104: first upper chamber
106: first lower chamber
110: first heater
112: first unit heater
120: first drive roller unit
130: first loading unit
140: first unloading unit
200: second chamber
202: second unit chamber unit
204: second upper chamber
206: second lower chamber
210: second heater
212: second unit heater
220: second drive roller unit
230: second loading unit
240: second unloading unit
250 and 280: first plasma electrode
252, 282: bend
254 and 284: first upper electrode portion
256, 286: first lower electrode portion
260: RF antenna
270: ground
300: third chamber
302: third unit chamber unit
304: third upper chamber
306: third lower chamber
320: third drive roller unit
330: third loading unit
340: third unloading unit
350, 380: second plasma electrode
400: first load lock chamber
410: first gate valve
420: fourth drive roller unit
500: second load lock chamber
510: second gate valve
520: fifth drive roller unit
600: first robot arm
700: second robot arm

Claims

A first chamber for preheating the substrate;
A second chamber for plasma treating the substrate preheated in the first chamber; And
A third chamber that cools the substrate that has been plasma treated in the second chamber
Including.
The first chamber, the second chamber, and the third chamber are arranged in a row in order;
The first chamber,
A first heater for preheating the substrate; And
A first transfer part for loading the substrate into the first chamber or unloading the substrate that has been preheated from the first chamber while supporting the substrate;
The second chamber,
A first plasma electrode for generating a plasma, the first plasma electrode comprising: a bent portion having one or more bend points; A first upper electrode part positioned on the substrate; And a first lower electrode portion positioned below the substrate;
A second heater for heating the substrate; And
A second transfer part configured to load the substrate into the second chamber or unload the substrate on which the plasma processing is completed from the second chamber while supporting the substrate;
The third chamber,
A second plasma electrode generating plasma, the second plasma electrode comprising: a bent portion having one or more bend points; A second upper electrode part positioned on the substrate; And a second lower electrode portion positioned below the substrate; And
A third transfer part which loads the substrate into the third chamber or unloads the substrate from the third chamber while supporting the substrate
Including;
Ends of the first and second upper electrode portions are connected to an RF antenna for applying a radio frequency (RF) signal for generating an electromagnetic field for plasma generation, and ends of the first and second lower electrode portions are connected to ground.
The direction of the RF signal applied to the front surface of the substrate through the first upper electrode portion and the direction of the RF signal applied to the rear surface of the substrate through the first lower electrode portion are opposite to each other,
The direction of the RF signal applied to the front surface of the substrate through the second upper electrode portion and the direction of the RF signal applied to the rear surface of the substrate through the second lower electrode portion is opposite to each other.

The method of claim 1,
The first transfer part includes a plurality of first driving roller units installed along a moving direction of the substrate to load the substrate into the first chamber and to unload the substrate from the first chamber,
The second transfer part includes a plurality of second driving roller units installed along the moving direction of the substrate to load the substrate into the second chamber and to unload the substrate from the second chamber.
And the third transfer part includes a plurality of third driving roller units installed along the moving direction of the substrate to load the substrate into the third chamber and to unload the substrate from the third chamber. Substrate processing apparatus.

The method of claim 2,
And the plurality of first driving roller units interlock with each other, the plurality of second driving roller units interlock with each other, and the plurality of third driving roller units interlock with each other.

The method of claim 1,
The first heater includes a plurality of first unit heaters, and the second heater includes a plurality of second unit heaters.

The method of claim 4, wherein
And the plurality of first unit heaters and the plurality of second unit heaters are disposed at a predetermined interval parallel to the long side direction of the substrate.

The method of claim 1,
And a plurality of first plasma electrodes are disposed in the second chamber, and a plurality of second plasma electrodes are disposed in the third chamber.

delete

The method of claim 6,
And the first plasma electrode and the second plasma electrode have a 'c' or inverse 'c' shape.

The method of claim 1,
A first load lock chamber for temporarily storing the substrate loaded in the first chamber and a second load lock chamber for temporarily storing the substrate unloaded from the third chamber,
And the first load lock chamber, the first chamber, the second chamber, the third chamber, and the second load lock chamber in a row.

10. The method of claim 9,
The first load lock chamber includes a fourth transfer part which unloads the substrate from the first load lock chamber in a state in which the substrate is supported, and the second load lock chamber in the state in which the substrate is supported by the substrate. And a fifth transfer part for loading the substrate into the load lock chamber.

The method of claim 10,
The fourth transfer part may include a plurality of fourth driving roller units installed along the moving direction of the substrate to unload the substrate from the first load lock chamber, and the fifth transfer part may follow the moving direction of the substrate. And a plurality of fifth driving roller units installed to load the substrate into the second load lock chamber.

A first chamber for preheating the substrate;
A second chamber for plasma treating the substrate preheated in the first chamber; And
A third chamber that cools the substrate that has been plasma treated in the second chamber
Including.
The first chamber, the second chamber, and the third chamber are arranged in a row in order;
The first chamber,
A first heater for preheating the substrate; And
A first transfer part for loading the substrate into the first chamber or unloading the substrate that has been preheated from the first chamber while supporting the substrate;
The second chamber,
A first plasma electrode generating a plasma;
A second heater for heating the substrate; And
A second transfer part configured to load the substrate into the second chamber or unload the substrate on which the plasma processing is completed from the second chamber while supporting the substrate;
The third chamber,
A second plasma electrode for generating a plasma; And
A third transfer part configured to load the substrate into the third chamber or to unload the substrate from the third chamber while supporting the substrate,
The first chamber includes a first unit chamber unit including a first upper chamber and a first lower chamber disposed below the first upper chamber independently of the first upper chamber.
The second chamber includes a second unit chamber unit including a second upper chamber and a second lower chamber disposed below the second upper chamber independently of the second upper chamber.
The third chamber may include a third unit chamber unit including a third upper chamber and a third lower chamber disposed below the third upper chamber independently of the third upper chamber. .

The method of claim 12,
The first unit chamber unit. And the second unit chamber unit and the third unit chamber unit are arranged in a row in order.

The method of claim 12,
The first upper chamber includes a first upper heater, the first lower chamber includes a first lower heater, the second upper chamber includes a second upper heater, and the second lower chamber is second A lower heater,
The first upper heater includes a plurality of first upper unit heaters, the first lower heater includes a plurality of first lower unit heaters, and the second upper heater includes a plurality of second upper unit heaters. And the second lower heater includes a plurality of second lower unit heaters.

The method of claim 12,
The plurality of first plasma electrodes are disposed in the second unit chamber unit, the plurality of second plasma electrodes are disposed in the third unit chamber unit,
The first plasma electrode may include a bent portion having one or more bend points; A first upper electrode part disposed in the second upper chamber; And a first lower electrode part disposed in the second lower chamber, wherein the first upper electrode part generates a plasma inside the second upper chamber, and the first lower electrode part generates a plasma inside the second lower chamber. ,
The second plasma electrode may include a bent portion having one or more bent points; A second upper electrode part disposed in the third upper chamber; And a second lower electrode part disposed in the third lower chamber, wherein the second upper electrode part generates plasma in the third upper chamber, and the second lower electrode part generates plasma in the third lower chamber. In-line substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that.

16. The method of claim 15,
Ends of the first and second upper electrode portions are connected to an RF antenna for applying a radio frequency (RF) signal for generating an electromagnetic field for plasma generation, and ends of the first and second lower electrode portions are connected to ground. Inline substrate processing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.

16. The method of claim 15,
And the first plasma electrode and the second plasma electrode have a 'c' or inverse 'c' shape.

The method of claim 12,
The first chamber includes a plurality of first unit chamber units arranged in a vertical line, the second chamber includes a plurality of second unit chamber units arranged in a vertical line, and the third chamber is vertical. And a plurality of third unit chamber units arranged in a row.

The method of claim 18,
Each of the plurality of second unit chamber units includes the plurality of first plasma electrodes, and each of the plurality of third unit chamber units includes the plurality of second plasma electrodes.

The method of claim 1,
And the substrate comprises a silicon layer.

The method of claim 1,
The first chamber raises the substrate from a first temperature to a second temperature,
The second chamber drives the first plasma electrode during the process of maintaining the substrate at the second temperature,
And the third chamber drives the second plasma electrode during the process of cooling the substrate from the second temperature to a third temperature.