KR101197017B1 - Plasma generation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a plasma generating apparatus. The apparatus includes a vacuum vessel, a plurality of ground electrodes disposed inside and extending in parallel with the vacuum vessel, power electrodes disposed inside the vacuum vessel and interposed between the ground electrodes, and a power electrode disposed inside the vacuum vessel; And electrode dielectrics interposed between the ground and ground electrodes, wherein the power electrodes are connected to an RF power source.

Capacitively coupled plasma, multiple power supply electrodes, multiple grounding electrodes, hollow cathode discharge

Description

Plasma Generator {PLASMA GENERATION APPARATUS}

The present invention relates to a plasma generating apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a capacitively coupled plasma generating device including a plurality of power supply electrodes and battery electrodes.

RF plasma may be classified into inductively coupled plasma and capacitively coupled plasma. The formation of a uniform plasma over a large area is very important in the manufacturing process of a large area flat panel display (FPD) device as well as the manufacturing process of a solar cell. Plasma processes require high process uniformity, high plasma uniformity over a large area, and high plasma density to achieve high process speeds.

A conventional capacitively coupled plasma forms an plasma by applying RF power to one of the electrodes facing each other and placing a substrate on the other electrode. In large areas, the capacitively coupled plasma has low plasma uniformity and process uniformity due to standing wave effects.

One technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a plasma generation apparatus for polysilicon deposition having a small lattice defect density, high growth rate, and process uniformity.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a plasma generating apparatus includes a vacuum container, a plurality of ground electrodes disposed in the vacuum container and extending side by side, and a power electrode disposed in the vacuum container and interposed between the ground electrodes. And electrode dielectrics disposed inside the vacuum vessel and interposed between the power electrode and the ground electrode, the power electrodes being connected to an RF power source.

In one embodiment of the present invention, further comprising an auxiliary insulator disposed on the power electrode and the electrode dielectric, the upper surface of the auxiliary insulator may have the same height as the upper surface of the ground electrode.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the vacuum container includes a top plate, and may further include a wiring frame interposed between the top plate and the auxiliary insulator.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the wiring frame includes a jaw on the outside, and may further include a wiring disposed inside the wiring frame.

In one embodiment of the present invention, it may further include a wiring insulator interposed between the wiring and the wiring frame.

In one embodiment of the present invention, it may further include a shielding portion extending into the wiring frame to surround the wiring.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the wiring may supply power to the power electrode at a plurality of positions.

In one embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the power source electrode and the ground electrode may include a trench portion for causing a hollow cathode discharge on the side or bottom surface.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the power electrodes or the ground electrodes may be in the form of a cylinder or a polygonal pillar.

In one embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the power electrode and the ground electrode may include a protrusion to extend over the electrode dielectric.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a plasma generating apparatus includes a vacuum container, a plurality of ground electrodes disposed in the vacuum container and extending side by side, and a power electrode disposed in the vacuum container and interposed between the ground electrodes. And an electrode dielectric disposed in the vacuum vessel and disposed on the power electrode and the ground electrode, wherein the power electrodes can be connected to an RF power source.

In one embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the ground electrodes and power electrodes may be in the shape of a polygonal pillar.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a plasma generating apparatus includes a vacuum container, at least one pair of electrode structures disposed side by side inside the vacuum container, substrate holders disposed opposite the electrode structures, and the pair of And a support structure that engages the electrode structures. The electrode structure includes a plurality of ground electrodes, power electrodes interposed between the power electrodes, and dielectrics interposed between the power electrode and the ground electrode, wherein the power electrodes are connected to an RF power source.

In one embodiment of the invention, the substrate holders may be floated.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the support structure may provide a passage for supplying power of the RF power source to the power electrodes.

In one embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the ground electrodes and the power supply electrode may include a trench for causing a hollow cathode discharge on the surface.

The plasma generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may have a structure of a divided power electrode. A divided ground electrode may be disposed adjacent to the divided power electrode. The power electrodes and the ground electrodes may form a plasma. The power supply electrodes and the ground electrodes may be disposed on substantially the same plane to provide a low energy plasma to a substrate disposed to be spaced perpendicular to the power supply electrodes. Accordingly, the substrate may be a thin film having a low lattice defect. The thin film may be polycrystalline silicon or amorphous silicon.

In addition, the power electrode or the ground electrode may include a trench portion. The trench may provide a hollow cathode discharge to improve plasma density. Accordingly, the process speed can be increased.

In solar cell processes using polysilicon, high growth rates and low lattice defect densities of the polysilicon are required. Therefore, a polysilicon plasma deposition apparatus having a small lattice defect density, high growth rate, and process uniformity is the most important problem of a thin film solar cell.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments introduced herein are provided so that the disclosure may be made thorough and complete, and to fully convey the spirit of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the components have been exaggerated for clarity. Portions denoted by like reference numerals denote like elements throughout the specification.

1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a plasma generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II ′ of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II 'of FIG. 1A.

1A to 1C, the plasma generating apparatus includes a vacuum container 190, a plurality of ground electrodes 120 disposed in the vacuum container 190 and extending side by side. Power electrodes 110 disposed therein and interposed between the ground electrodes 190, and disposed inside the vacuum vessel 190 and between the power electrodes 110 and the ground electrodes 120. Electrode dielectrics 130 interposed therebetween. The power electrodes 110 are connected to an RF power source.

The vacuum vessel 190 may have a pressure below atmospheric pressure. The vacuum container 190 may be a rectangular parallelepiped container. A gas inlet (not shown) and a gas exhaust (not shown) may be disposed in the vacuum container 190. The gas inlet may provide a process gas to the vacuum vessel 190. The gas exhaust unit may discharge the process gas and the reaction by-product of the vacuum vessel 190 to the outside. The plasma generating device may form amorphous or polycrystalline silicon on the substrate 192.

The vacuum container 190 may include a top plate 170. The upper plate 170 may be disposed on an upper surface of the vacuum container 190. The top plate 170 may be a metal. The top plate 170 may be aluminum or stainless steel. The upper plate 170 may have a square plate shape. The upper plate 170 and the vacuum container 190 may be in close contact with each other to maintain a vacuum.

The substrate 192 may be mounted on the substrate holder 194. The substrate holder 194 may be disposed to face the ground electrodes 120 and the power electrodes 110. The substrate 192 may be a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate, or a dielectric substrate. The substrate 192 may be a rectangular substrate. The material deposited on the substrate 192 may be amorphous or polycrystalline silicon. The substrate holder 194 may include a heating unit (not shown). The heating unit may heat the substrate 192. The temperature of the substrate 192 may be room temperature to 300 degrees Celsius. The substrate 192 or the substrate holder 194 may be electrically floating or grounded. An interval between the substrate 192 and the power electrode 110 may be several cm or less. When the substrate 192 is floated, since the potential of the substrate 192 moves together with the plasma potential, energy of ions incident on the substrate 192 is small, thereby reducing damage to the thin film due to ions.

In the case of a typical capacitively coupled plasma, voltages applied to the sheaths of the ground electrode and the power electrode which are spaced apart from each other are almost the same. Therefore, in this case, the thin film formed on the substrate disposed on the upper ground electrode is damaged by high energy ions.

The ground electrodes 120 may have a square pillar shape. The ground electrodes 120 may be disposed between the power electrodes 110 and at both sides. The ground electrodes 120 may be electrically grounded. The power electrode 110 and the ground electrode 120 may form a cathode and an anode. The distance D1 between the power electrode 110 and the ground electrode 120 may be smaller than the distance D2 between the power electrode 110 and the substrate 192. Accordingly, a strong electric field is formed between the power electrode 140 and the ground electrode 122 to form a plasma. In addition, the plasma provided to the substrate 192 may enter the substrate 192 with low ion energy. Thus, the plasma generation device in the silicon deposition process can provide low lattice defects. When the substrate 192 is floating, the plasma may be mainly formed between the ground electrode 120 and the power electrode 110. The ground electrode 120 may include a protrusion 129. The protrusion 129 may be a means for coupling with the electrode dielectric 130.

The power electrodes 110 may have a square pillar shape. The cross section of the power electrode 110 may have a shape different from that of the ground electrode 120. The power electrode 110 may include a protrusion 119. The protrusion 119 may be a means for coupling with the electrode dielectric 130.

2 is a plan view illustrating a plasma generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1A to 1C and 2, as the frequency of the RF power source 182 increases, the plasma density may increase. However, as the frequency of the RF power supply 182 increases, the standing wave effect may increase. The standing wave effect may constrain plasma uniformity and / or process uniformity. The supply of RF power to the plurality of nodes N1 and N2 of the power electrode 110 may reduce the standing wave effect. The plasma density distribution may be changed according to the position where the RF power is supplied to the power electrode 110.

The power electrodes 110 may be divided N evenly. RF power is supplied to a central portion of the N-divided portion of the power electrode 110. That is, the nodes N1 and N2 of the power electrode 110 are located at the center of the divided portion. The current distribution and / or the voltage distribution of the power electrode 110 may be symmetrical with respect to the center of the power electrode 110.

The power electrodes 110 may include a plurality of nodes N1 and N2. The nodes N1 and N2 may supply the power of the RF power source 182 to the power electrode 110. The nodes N1 and N2 include a first node N1 and a second node N2. The length of the power electrode 110 is L. The first node N1 may be located at L / 4, and the second node N2 may be located at 3L / 4. The current at the nodes N1 and N2 may have a maximum value, and the voltage at the nodes N1 and N2 may have a minimum value. The distribution of the current or the voltage may be symmetrical about the center of the nodes N1 and N2. The phases of the voltages at the nodes N1 and N2 may be in phase.

Again, referring to FIGS. 1A through 1C, the electrode dielectrics 130 may electrically separate the power electrode 110 and the ground electrode 120 from each other. The genital electrode dielectrics 130 may be alumina, quartz, ceramic, or silicon. The electrode dielectrics 130 may be supported by the protrusion 129 of the ground electrode 120 and the protrusion 119 of the power electrode 110. The electrode dielectrics 130 may be made of alumina, ceramics, or the like.

An upper surface of the electrode dielectric 130 may coincide with an upper surface of the power electrode 110. An auxiliary dielectric 140 may be disposed on the power electrode 110 and the electrode dielectric 130. An upper surface of the auxiliary dielectric 140 may coincide with an upper surface of the ground electrode 120. The auxiliary dielectric 140 may be Teflon, ceramic, silicon, or alumina. The auxiliary dielectric 140 may include a plurality of through holes 141. The power of the RF power source 182 may supply power to the power electrode 110 by a power connection unit 164 disposed through the through hole 141.

A wiring frame 150 may be disposed on the ground electrode 110 and the auxiliary dielectric 140. The wiring frame 150 may have a jaw 151 around the wiring frame 150. The wiring frame 150 may be electrically connected to the ground electrode 120 while being in contact with the ground frame 120. In addition, the wiring frame 150 may be fixedly coupled to the ground electrode 120 through fixing means 154 disposed through the through hole 157. The wiring frame 150 may include a nut hole 155. The nut hole 155 may be fixedly coupled to a bolt (not shown) disposed through the through hole 175 formed in the upper plate.

The wiring 160 may be disposed in the wiring frame 150 to supply power to the power electrodes 110. The wire 160 may supply power to one power electrode 110 at a plurality of positions. The wiring insulator 162 may be disposed between the wiring 160 and the wiring frame 150 to electrically insulate the wiring 160 and the wiring frame 150. The wiring 160 may include a wiring through hole 161a, the wiring insulator 162 may include an insulating through hole 163a, and the wiring frame 150 may include a frame through hole 153a. have. The auxiliary insulator 140 may include an auxiliary through hole 141. The wiring through hole 161a, the insulating through hole 163a, the frame through hole 153a, and the auxiliary through hole 141 may be aligned with each other. The connection part 164 may be electrically connected to the power electrode 110 through the wiring through hole 161a, the insulating through hole 163a, the frame through hole 153a, and the auxiliary through hole 141. In addition, the connection part 164 may fix the wiring 160 and the power electrode 110.

The frequency of the RF power source 182 may be 1 Mhz or more. Preferably, the frequency of the RF power source 182 may be 1 Mhz to 200 Mhz. An impedance matching circuit 180 may be disposed between the RF power source 182 and the wire input terminal IN1. The impedance matching circuit 180 may be a means for maximally transferring power of the RF power source 182 to a load. The RF power source 182 may supply power to the wire input terminal IN1 through a power supply line 174. The power supply line 174 and the top plate 170 may be sealed.

3A to 3I are diagrams illustrating a plasma generating apparatus according to other embodiments of the present invention. Descriptions overlapping with those described in FIGS. 1A to 1C will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the RF power source may include a first RF power source 182a and a second RF power source 182b. The frequency of the first RF power source 182a may be greater than the frequency of the second RF power source 182b. The first RF power source 182a and the second RF power source 182b may be connected in parallel. The frequency of the first RF power source 182a may be 10 MHz to 100 MHz. The frequency of the second RF power source 182b may be 1 Mhz to 10 Mhz. The first RF power source 182a may supply power to the power electrode 110 through the first impedance matching circuit 180a. The second RF power supply 182b may supply power to the power supply electrode 110 through the second impedance matching circuit 180b. The substrate holder 192 may be grounded or floated.

Referring to FIG. 3B, the width W1 of the ground electrode 120b and the width W2 of the power electrode 110b may be the same. According to the modified embodiment of the present invention, the width W1 of the ground electrode 120b, the width W2 of the power electrode 110b, and the electrode dielectric 130b may be variously modified.

Referring to FIG. 3C, the cross section of the ground electrode 120c may have a quadrangular shape. The cross section of the power electrode 110c may be rectangular. The shape of the ground electrode 120c, the power electrode 110c, and the electrode dielectric 130c may be variously modified.

Referring to FIG. 3D, a cross section of the ground electrode 120d may be hexagonal. The cross section of the power electrode 110d may be hexagonal. Three surfaces of the ground electrode 120d and the power electrode 110d may be exposed on the electrode dielectric 130d. The power trench 111d may be disposed on some or all of the exposed power electrodes 110d. The ground trench part 121d may be disposed on some or all of the exposed ground electrode 120d. The power trench 121d and the ground trench 111d may have a hole shape. Cross sections of the power trench 121d and the ground trench 111d may include a circular, elliptical, polygonal, or trench form. The trench parts 121d and 111d may cause hollow cathode discharge. The trench parts 121d and 111d may have a constant density and shape in the extending direction of the power electrode 120d or the ground electrode 110d. According to a modified embodiment of the present invention, the trench parts 121d and 111d may have different densities and shapes in the extending direction of the power electrode 110d or the ground electrode 120d to ensure process uniformity. have.

Referring to FIG. 3E, the cross section of the ground electrode 120e may be rectangular. The cross section of the power electrode 110e may be rectangular. A portion of the ground electrode 120e and the power electrode 110e may be exposed. The distance between the ground electrode 120e and the power electrode 110e may be constant.

The power trench 111f may be disposed on the side surface of the exposed power electrode 110f. The ground trench part 121f may be disposed on the side surface of the exposed ground electrode 120f. The trench portions 111f and 121f may have a hole shape. The cross section of the trench may include a circular, elliptical, or polygonal shape.

Referring to FIG. 3F, the cross section of the ground electrode 120f may have a quadrangular shape. The cross section of the power electrode 110f may be rectangular. The cross section of the ground electrode 120e may be rectangular. The cross section of the power electrode 110e may be rectangular. A portion of the ground electrode 120e and the power electrode 110e may be exposed. The distance between the ground electrode 120e and the power electrode 110e may be constant. The power trench 111f may be disposed on the side surface of the exposed power electrode 110f. The ground trenches 111f and 121f may have a hole shape. Cross-sections of the ground trench portions 111f and 121f may include a circular, elliptical, or polygonal shape.

Referring to FIG. 3G, the cross section of the ground electrode 120g may be triangular. The cross section of the power electrode 110g may be triangular. An electrode dielectric 130g may be disposed on the ground electrode 120g and the power electrode 110g. An auxiliary dielectric 140 may be selectively disposed on the electrode dielectric 130g. Two surfaces of the ground electrode 120g and the power electrode 110g may be disposed on the electrode dielectric 130g. The electrode dielectric 130g may be disposed on the plurality of power electrodes 110g and the plurality of ground electrodes 120g. According to a modified embodiment of the present invention, the shape of the ground electrode 120g and the power electrode 110g may be variously modified into a polygon, a circle, an oval, or the like.

Referring to FIG. 3H, the cross section of the ground electrode 120h may have a quadrangular shape. A cross section of the power electrode 110h may be pentagonal. The electrode dielectric 130h may be disposed at both sides of the power electrode 110h. The ground electrode 120h may be disposed on the bottom surface of the electrode dielectric 130h. The lower surface of the power electrode 110h may be higher than the lower surface of the electrode dielectric 130h. It may be recessed to the center of the exposed portion of the power electrode 120h to provide a pentagon.

Referring to FIG. 3I, the cross section of the ground electrode 120i may be rectangular. The cross section of the power pole 110i may be quadrangular. The electrode dielectric 130i may be disposed between the power electrode 110i and the ground electrode 120i. Lower surfaces of the electrode dielectric 130i, the power electrode 120i, and the ground electrode 110i may coincide with each other. An exposed surface of the power electrode 110i may include a trench portion 111i.

4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating trench portions of a power electrode or a ground electrode according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4A, the power electrode 210 may have a truncated prism shape. The power electrode 210 may include trench portions 211. The cross section of the trench portion 211 may be circular or elliptical. The depth, radius, and density of the trench may be selected to maximize plasma density or process uniformity under process conditions.

Referring to FIG. 4B, the power electrode 310 may have a truncated prism shape. The power electrode 310 may include trench portions 311. The trenches 311 may include holes 312 regularly arranged in two dimensions, horizontal trenches 313 connecting the holes in a cross shape in a plane where the holes 312 are disposed, and the horizontal trenches horizontally. May include vertical trenches 314.

Referring to FIG. 4C, the power electrode 410 may have a truncated prism shape. The power electrode 410 may include trench portions 411. The trench portions 411 may include horizontal trenches 413 connecting in a cross shape and vertical trenches 414 crossing the horizontal trenches.

5 is a view for explaining a plasma generating apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the plasma generating apparatus includes a vacuum vessel 590, at least one pair of electrode structures 501a and 501b disposed side by side in the vacuum vessel 590, and the electrode structures 501a, Substrate holders 594a and 594b disposed opposite to 501b, and a support structure 570 that engages the pair of electrode structures 501a and 501b. The electrode structures 501a and 501b include a plurality of ground electrodes, power electrodes interposed between the power electrodes, and dielectrics interposed between the power electrode and the ground electrode. The power electrodes are connected to an RF power source. The electrode structures 501a and 501b are as described with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3I.

The vacuum container 590 may have a pressure below atmospheric pressure. The vacuum container 590 may be a rectangular parallelepiped container. A plurality of gas inlets 503 and a gas exhaust unit 505 may be disposed in the vacuum container 590. The gas inlet 503 may provide a process gas to the vacuum container 590. The gas exhaust unit 504 may discharge the process gas and reaction by-products of the vacuum vessel 590 to the outside. The plasma generating device may form amorphous or polycrystalline silicon on a substrate.

The substrate holders 594a may be floated. The substrate 592a may be mounted on the substrate holder 594a and disposed to face the electrode structure 501a.

The support structure 570 may provide a passage for supplying the power of the RF power source 582 to the power electrodes. The interior of the support structure 570 may be filled with insulators or atmospheric pressure. At least one of the ground electrodes and the power electrodes may include a trench that causes hollow cathode discharge on a surface thereof.

The plasma generating apparatus according to the modified embodiment of the present invention can also be applied to the case of mounting a circular substrate. Accordingly, the power supply electrode and / or the battery electrode may be disposed in the azimuth direction.

So far I looked at the center of the preferred embodiment for the present invention. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should be considered in descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope of equivalents thereof should be construed as being included in the present invention.

1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a plasma generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a plan view illustrating a plasma generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3A to 3I are diagrams illustrating a plasma generating apparatus according to other embodiments of the present invention.

4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating trench portions of a power electrode or a ground electrode according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a view for explaining a plasma generating apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (24)

A vacuum vessel; A plurality of ground electrodes disposed in the vacuum vessel and extending in parallel; Power electrodes disposed in the vacuum chamber and interposed between the ground electrodes; And Electrode dielectrics disposed inside the vacuum vessel and interposed between the power supply electrodes and the ground electrodes, The power electrodes are connected to an RF power source, The power supply electrode is plasma generating apparatus characterized in that the power is supplied from a plurality of locations. The method of claim 1, Further comprising an auxiliary insulator disposed on the power electrodes and the electrode dielectrics, And an upper surface of the auxiliary insulator has the same height as an upper surface of the ground electrodes. The method of claim 2, The vacuum container includes a top plate, And a wiring frame interposed between the upper plate and the auxiliary insulator. The method of claim 3, wherein The wiring frame further comprises a wiring disposed therein. 5. The method of claim 4,  And a wiring insulator interposed between the wiring and the wiring frame. 5. The method of claim 4, And a shielding portion extending into the wiring frame and surrounding the wiring. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The RF power supply includes a first RF power supply having a first driving frequency; And And a second RF power source having a second driving frequency smaller than the first driving frequency. The method of claim 1, At least one of the power electrodes and the ground electrodes includes a trench in a side surface or a bottom surface thereof. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, Wherein each of the power supply electrodes is divided into N portions and power is provided at a plurality of positions at the center of the N divided regions. The method of claim 1, A wire for distributing power to the power electrodes; And the phase of the voltage at the positions of receiving power of the power electrodes is in phase. A vacuum vessel; At least a pair of electrode structures disposed side by side inside the vacuum vessel; Substrate holders disposed opposite the electrode structures; And A support structure coupled with the pair of electrode structures, The electrode structure is: A plurality of ground electrodes; Power electrodes interposed between the ground electrodes; And Dielectrics interposed between the power supply electrodes and the ground electrodes; The power electrodes are connected to an RF power source, Each of the power supply electrodes is supplied with power at a plurality of locations. The method of claim 11, And the support structure provides a passage for supplying power of the RF power source to the power electrodes. The method of claim 11, And at least one of the ground electrodes and the power electrodes includes a trench portion. The method of claim 11, Wherein each of the power supply electrodes is divided into N portions and power is provided at a plurality of positions at the center of the N divided regions. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete

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