KR101363002B1 - Substrate treatment apparatus and substrate treatment method using plasma - Google Patents

Abstract

There is a need for the development of a substrate processing apparatus using plasma that can significantly increase the substrate processing area per unit time. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including a first chamber, a second chamber different from the first chamber, a gate valve installed to allow the interior of the first chamber and the interior of the second chamber to communicate with each other, or to be blocked; The first precursor gas installed in the first chamber to irradiate the first plasma to the substrate inside the first chamber, and the first precursor gas is activated by the first plasma to deposit an amorphous silicon layer on the upper surface of the substrate. A first precursor gas supply unit for supplying the first chamber to the first chamber, a transfer unit for transferring the substrate from the first chamber to the second chamber, and a second plasma to irradiate the second plasma to the substrate inside the second chamber. A second precursor gas supply for supplying a second precursor gas to the second chamber to be activated by a second plasma source and a second plasma to convert an amorphous silicon layer into a silicon nitride layer It includes units.

Description

Substrate treatment apparatus and substrate treatment method using plasma {SUBSTRATE TREATMENT APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE TREATMENT METHOD USING PLASMA}

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method, and more particularly, to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for processing a substrate using plasma.

Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is a method of depositing a thin film on a substrate through a reaction of converting a gaseous material into a solid phase material, and this reaction is caused by using a plasma of a process gas.

The conventional PECVD apparatus (Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2004-0086948) has a cluster-type layout, and the plasma source used therein has a problem in that the substrate processing area per unit time is small because it provides a spot-type plasma. .

In addition, there is a need for a system capable of applying an inline method to increase the substrate processing area per unit time.

Korea Patent Publication 10-2004-0086948

There is a need for the development of a substrate processing apparatus using plasma that can significantly increase the substrate processing area per unit time.

The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems, and other technical problems which are not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention for solving the above problems is a first chamber; A second chamber different from the first chamber; A gate valve installed to allow the inside of the first chamber and the inside of the second chamber to communicate with each other or to be blocked; A first plasma source installed in the first chamber to irradiate a first plasma to the substrate inside the first chamber; A first precursor gas supply unit which is activated by the first plasma and supplies a first precursor gas to the first chamber so that an amorphous silicon layer is deposited on an upper surface of the substrate; A transfer unit for transferring a substrate from the first chamber to the second chamber; A second plasma source installed in the second chamber to irradiate a second plasma on the substrate inside the second chamber; And a second precursor gas supply unit which is activated by the second plasma and supplies a second precursor gas to the second chamber to convert the amorphous silicon layer into a silicon nitride layer.

In addition, the first precursor gas may include silane (SiH 4).

In addition, the second precursor gas may include ammonia (NH 3) or nitrogen (N 2).

The apparatus may further include a vacuum exhaust unit configured to evacuate the inside of the first chamber and the second chamber, wherein the first plasma source and the second plasma source may be plasma sources for generating plasma in a vacuum exhaust state.

In addition, the first plasma source and the second plasma source may be an atmospheric pressure (atmospheric) plasma source.

The transfer unit may transfer the substrate or the substrate tray on which the substrate is loaded in the first direction while the first plasma and the second plasma are irradiated onto the substrate in the first chamber and the second chamber. Can be formed.

The first plasma source and the second plasma source may be formed to extend linearly in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing method comprising: bringing a substrate on which an amorphous silicon layer is formed into a chamber; And converting the entirety or a part of the amorphous silicon layer into a silicon nitride layer by spraying a precursor gas while irradiating a plasma at an atmospheric pressure with respect to the substrate.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing method comprising: (a) depositing an amorphous silicon layer on an upper surface of a substrate in a first chamber; (b) transferring the substrate on which the amorphous silicon layer is deposited from the first chamber to the second chamber; And (c) converting all or part of the amorphous silicon layer into a silicon nitride layer by spraying a precursor gas while irradiating a plasma to the substrate loaded into the second chamber.

In addition, the step (a) may include the step of injecting a gas containing silane (SiH4) while irradiating the plasma to the substrate in a vacuum exhaust state.

In addition, in step (c), the substrate is irradiated with plasma in a vacuum exhaust state, and the precursor gas may include ammonia or nitrogen.

In addition, the step (a) may include a silane injection step of injecting a gas containing silane (SiH4) while irradiating the plasma to the substrate at atmospheric pressure.

In addition, the silane injection step may be a step of injecting a gas containing silane (SiH4) diluted in an inert gas while irradiating the plasma to the substrate in the atmospheric pressure state.

In addition, in step (c), the substrate is irradiated with plasma at atmospheric pressure, and the precursor gas may include ammonia or nitrogen.

In addition, step (a) may be a step in which an amorphous silicon layer is deposited while the substrate is transferred in the first chamber.

In addition, in the step (c), the conversion to the silicon nitride layer may be performed while the substrate is transferred in the second chamber.

According to the present invention, it is possible to implement an inline PECVD apparatus using plasma elements, thereby significantly increasing the substrate processing area per unit time.

In addition, in manufacturing a thin film solar cell using amorphous silicon, it is necessary to form an anti-reflection film on the surface of the amorphous silicon layer. According to the present invention, the entirety of the amorphous silicon layer of the thin film solar cell in the second chamber is It can be converted to silicon nitride to form an antireflection film.

Further, by adjusting the degree of conversion of the amorphous silicon layer, the lower layer of the amorphous silicon layer of the thin film solar cell can be formed of the amorphous silicon layer and the upper layer of the silicon nitride layer (antireflection film). Accordingly, there is an effect that the thin film of the double layer diatom can be implemented in one process system.

The technical effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other technical effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

1 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a perspective view for explaining a supply mode of a plasma source in a substrate transfer direction of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flow chart showing a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but may be implemented in various forms, and the present embodiments are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It is provided to let you know completely. The shape and the like of the elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity, and the same reference numerals denote the same elements in the drawings.

1 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view for explaining the form of supply of the plasma source to the substrate transfer direction of the substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a first chamber 110, a second chamber 210, a third chamber 301, a fourth chamber 305, and a first chamber. The gate valve 302, the second gate valve 303, the third gate valve 304, the first plasma source 120, the first precursor gas supply unit 130, the first transfer unit 140, and the second plasma The source 220, the second precursor gas supply unit 230, and the second transfer unit 240 are included.

The first gate valve 302 may allow the internal space of the first chamber 110 and the internal space of the third chamber 301 to communicate with each other or to be blocked. The second gate valve 303 may connect or block the internal space of the first chamber 110 and the internal space of the second chamber 210. The third gate valve 303 may connect or block the internal space of the second chamber 210 and the internal space of the fourth chamber 305.

At least one of the third chamber 301 and the fourth chamber 305 may be a load lock chamber provided to allow an external substrate to be carried in or to carry the internal substrate out to the outside. In another embodiment, at least one of the third chamber 301 and the fourth chamber 305 may be a buffer chamber that spatially connects the plurality of chambers and passes the substrate. As another embodiment, a configuration without the third chamber 301 and the fourth chamber 305 may be possible.

A vacuum exhaust unit (vacuum pump) (not shown) may be connected to the first chamber 110 and the second chamber 210 so as to evacuate the inside thereof. A heater capable of heating the substrate S to a predetermined temperature may be installed in the first chamber 110 or the wall of the first chamber 110.

The first plasma source 120 is installed in the first chamber 110 to irradiate the first plasma P1 to the substrate inside the first chamber 110. The first plasma source 120 guides the process gas supplied from the outside into the plasma state, and the first plasma P1 with respect to the substrate S inside the first chamber 110 evacuated (or at atmospheric pressure). Investigate.

The process gas is a gas that can be converted into a plasma state, for example, may be argon (Ar), which is an inert gas, and gases such as O2, N2, Cl2, CF4, SiH4, C3F8, etc. may be used if necessary according to the process. have.

The first plasma source 120 may be configured as a plasma source that can be used even at atmospheric pressure (atmospheric pressure). The first plasma source 120 and the second plasma source 220 may be configured as linear sources in a form extending linearly in a second direction orthogonal to the transfer direction (first direction) of the substrate.

The first precursor gas supply unit 130 is activated by the first plasma P1 to supply the first precursor gas G1 to the first chamber 110 so that an amorphous silicon layer is deposited on the upper surface of the substrate. do. When the thin film to be deposited is an amorphous silicon layer (amorphous silicon layer), the first precursor gas G1 may be a gas containing silicon atoms, for example, a gas containing silane (SiH4). .

When the first plasma source 120 is used at atmospheric pressure, the first precursor gas supply unit 130 may inject silane (SiH 4) diluted in inert gas or nitrogen.

The transfer unit transfers the substrate from the first chamber to the second chamber. The transfer unit includes a first transfer unit 140 and a second transfer unit 240. The transfer unit may be formed to transfer the substrate or the substrate tray on which the substrate is loaded in the first direction while the first plasma and the second plasma are irradiated onto the substrate in the first chamber 110 and the second chamber 210. have.

The first transfer unit 140 is a component capable of horizontally transferring the substrate S, and includes a conveyor belt unit, a roller unit, a linear actuator, and other robot arms. An inline process system may be implemented by combining the first transfer unit 140 and the first plasma source 110.

That is, the substrate may be continuously processed by the first plasma source 120 while the substrate is continuously transferred by the first transfer unit 140. As a result, a uniform plasma treatment can be performed on the substrate upper surface in the substrate traveling direction.

As another example, the substrate may be loaded into the chamber and then deposited over the entire area of the substrate in a stationary state.

The first transfer unit 140 may transfer the substrate itself. Alternatively, the first transfer unit 140 may transfer a tray or a carrier on which one or more substrates are loaded.

The second plasma source 220 is installed in the second chamber to irradiate the second plasma to the substrate inside the second chamber 210. The second plasma source 220 is a plasma source that can be used in vacuum exhaust or at atmospheric pressure. Therefore, when used at atmospheric pressure, the vacuum exhaust device may not be installed in the second chamber 210.

The second precursor gas supply unit 230 supplies the second precursor gas G2 to the second chamber 210 to be activated by the second plasma to convert the amorphous silicon layer into the silicon nitride layer. The second precursor gas G2 may be a gas containing a nitrogen atom, for example, a gas containing NH 3 or N 2.

The second precursor gas G2 is activated by the atmospheric pressure plasma supplied by the second plasma source 220. As the activated second precursor gas G2 contacts the amorphous silicon layer deposited on the substrate S in the first chamber 110, a surface reaction occurs in the amorphous silicon layer. Thus, the amorphous silicon layer is formed of silicon nitride ( Silicon nitride) (SiN) layer.

Hereinafter, a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

3 is a flow chart showing a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, when the first gate valve 302 is opened and the substrate S is loaded into the first chamber 110 (S10), the inside of the first chamber 110 is evacuated (S20).

In another embodiment, if the third chamber 301 is evacuated, the inside of the first chamber 110 may be set to maintain a vacuum even when the first gate valve 302 is opened. In another embodiment, when the inside of the first chamber 110 is subjected to plasma deposition under atmospheric pressure, vacuum exhaust is unnecessary. In this case, a gas containing silane (SiH 4) diluted in an inert gas may be injected while irradiating the first plasma to the substrate at atmospheric pressure.

The substrate S may be horizontally in-line transferred into the first chamber 110 by a transfer unit (not shown) and the first transfer unit 140 inside the third chamber 301. In addition, the substrate S may be transferred at the same time as the deposition operation in the first chamber 110 by the first transfer unit 140.

Next, the first plasma P1 is ignited with respect to the substrate loaded into the first chamber 110 (S30). That is, the first plasma source 120 converts the process gas into a plasma state to irradiate the substrate.

Next, the first precursor gas supply unit 130 injects a gas containing the first precursor gas G1, for example, silane SiH4, which is a gas containing silicon atoms, to form an amorphous silicon layer with respect to the substrate. It may be (S30). Accordingly, the first precursor gas G1 is chemically activated by the first plasma P1 and an amorphous silicon layer begins to be deposited on the upper surface of the substrate (S30).

Next, when the deposition of the amorphous silicon layer is completed, the substrate is transferred to the second chamber 210 (S40). To this end, the third gate valve 303 is opened while the inside of the second chamber 210 is evacuated.

In another embodiment, when the work inside the first chamber 110 is deposition at atmospheric pressure, the vacuum exhaust inside the second chamber 210 is unnecessary.

Next, the second plasma source 220 ignites the second plasma P2 with respect to the substrate transferred into the second chamber 210 (S50).

Next, the second precursor gas supply unit 230 supplies the second precursor gas G2 to the substrate (S50). The second precursor gas G2 is chemically activated by the second plasma P2. The second precursor gas G2 may be a gas containing a nitrogen element, for example, NH3 or N2.

As the activated second precursor gas G2 contacts the amorphous silicon layer on the upper surface of the substrate, a surface reaction occurs, and all or part of the amorphous silicon layer is converted into a silicon nitride (SiN) layer (S50). The substrate may be transferred by the second transfer unit 240 in the second chamber 210 and simultaneously converted into the silicon nitride layer. The silicon nitride layer may be used as an antireflection film of a thin film solar cell.

  In manufacturing a thin film solar cell using amorphous silicon, it is necessary to form an anti-reflection film on the surface of the amorphous silicon layer. According to the present invention, the entire amorphous silicon layer of the thin film solar cell is formed of silicon nitride in the second chamber. The antireflection film can be formed by converting to.

Further, by adjusting the degree of conversion of the amorphous silicon layer, part of the amorphous silicon layer (lower layer) of the thin film solar cell can be formed of an amorphous silicon layer, and the remaining (surface layer) can be formed of a silicon nitride layer (antireflection film). Accordingly, there is an effect that the thin film of the double layer diatom can be implemented in one process system.

One embodiment of the invention described above and shown in the drawings should not be construed as limiting the technical idea of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is limited only by the matters described in the claims, and those skilled in the art will be able to modify the technical idea of the present invention in various forms. Accordingly, such improvements and modifications will fall within the scope of the present invention as long as they are obvious to those skilled in the art.

Claims (16)

A first chamber;
A second chamber different from the first chamber;
A gate valve installed to allow the inside of the first chamber and the inside of the second chamber to communicate with each other or to be blocked;
A first plasma source installed in the first chamber to irradiate a first plasma to the substrate inside the first chamber;
A first precursor gas supply unit which is activated by the first plasma and supplies a first precursor gas to the first chamber so that an amorphous silicon layer is deposited on an upper surface of the substrate;
A transfer unit for transferring a substrate from the first chamber to the second chamber;
A second plasma source installed in the second chamber to irradiate a second plasma on the substrate inside the second chamber; And
And a second precursor gas supply unit which is activated by the second plasma and supplies a second precursor gas to the second chamber to convert the amorphous silicon layer into a silicon nitride layer.
The first plasma source and the second plasma source supply a linear plasma extending downward in a second direction perpendicular to a first direction in which the substrate is transported on the plane of the substrate toward the substrate. Substrate processing apparatus to be.
The method of claim 1,
And the first precursor gas comprises silane (SiH 4).
The method of claim 1,
And the second precursor gas comprises ammonia (NH 3) or nitrogen (N 2).
The method of claim 1,
Further comprising a vacuum exhaust unit for evacuating the inside of the first chamber and the second chamber,
And the first plasma source and the second plasma source are plasma sources for generating plasma in a vacuum exhaust state.
The method of claim 1,
And the first plasma source and the second plasma source are atmospheric pressure (atmospheric) plasma sources.
The method of claim 1,
The transfer unit is configured to transfer the substrate or the substrate tray on which the substrate is loaded in the first direction while the first plasma and the second plasma are irradiated onto the substrate in the first chamber and the second chamber. Substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete

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