KR101385445B1 - Thin film deposition apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A thin film deposition apparatus is disclosed. The thin film deposition apparatus according to the present invention may provide a thin film of excellent quality by uniformly depositing on the surface of the substrate moving along the curved path.

Description

Thin film deposition apparatus

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thin film deposition apparatus, and to a thin film deposition apparatus capable of providing a thin film of excellent quality by uniformly depositing on a substrate surface.

As a deposition method for forming a thin film on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a substrate), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), atomic layer Techniques such as atomic layer deposition (ALD) and plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) have been used.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a basic concept of an atomic layer deposition method among substrate deposition methods. Referring to FIG. 1, the atomic layer deposition method injects a raw material gas including a raw material such as trimethyl aluminum (TMA) onto a substrate, and then inert purge gas injection such as argon (Ar) and exhaust of unreacted materials. Adsorbs a single molecular layer onto the substrate through the reaction mixture, and sprays a reaction gas containing a reactant such as ozone (O ₃ ) that reacts with the raw material, followed by inert purge gas injection and unreacted substances / byproducts An atomic layer (Al-O) is formed.

The thin film deposition apparatus used in the conventional atomic layer deposition method has a variety of methods depending on the method of injecting the source gas, the reaction gas, purge gas, etc. in a direction parallel to the substrate surface to be deposited. However, the thin film deposition apparatus used in the conventional atomic layer deposition method has a problem that can not satisfy both the high quality thin film and the substrate throughput. That is, when the thin film of excellent quality is achieved, there is a disadvantage that the throughput of the substrate is remarkably low. On the other hand, when the throughput of the substrate is improved, the quality of the thin film is deteriorated.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a thin film deposition apparatus having excellent uniformity of a thin film formed on a substrate while improving substrate throughput.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the chamber, a substrate moving unit for moving a plurality of substrates in a predetermined path along the predetermined path in the chamber, provided on the path in the chamber, at least one of the process gas and purge gas It includes a plurality of gas supply unit for supplying, at least one or more of the gas supply unit comprises a plurality of gas supply blocks divided in the longitudinal direction, characterized in that the injection amount of the process gas injected through each gas supply block is adjustable A thin film deposition apparatus may be provided.

Here, the plurality of branch lines for supplying the process gas to each gas supply block, and the flow rate control valve which is provided in the branch line to adjust the amount of the process gas supplied to each gas supply block may be further included. .

In addition, the at least one closed path includes a curved path, and the gas supply unit provided in the curved path is configured to increase the gas injection amount toward the outside of the curved path, and to reduce the gas injection amount toward the inside of the curve path. Can be.

According to the present invention having the above-described configuration it is possible to provide a thin film of excellent quality by making the deposition uniformly on the surface of the substrate moving along the curved path.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a basic concept of atomic layer deposition among substrate deposition methods
2 to 5 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration and each component of the thin film deposition apparatus according to the present invention
6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a gas supply unit according to an embodiment of the present invention
7 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention
8 is a perspective view showing a thin film deposition apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention
9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 8.
10 is a perspective view illustrating a substrate moving part of a thin film deposition apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred 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 but may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments disclosed herein are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification.

2 to 5 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration and each component of the thin film deposition apparatus according to the present invention.

In the semi-batch type thin film deposition apparatus, a plurality of substrates are generally placed inside the chamber, and the process gas supply and deposition on the plurality of substrates are sequentially or simultaneously performed while the substrates pass through the gas supply surfaces of the one or more gas supply units. Type deposition apparatus.

Specifically, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the semi-batch type thin film deposition apparatus 10. The semi-batch type deposition apparatus 10 generally includes a chamber 30 for performing deposition of a substrate, a load lock chamber 40 for introducing / drawing a substrate into the chamber 30, and a source gas / reaction to the chamber 30. It may include a gas supply source 50 for supplying a gas / purge gas, a control unit 60 for controlling the process.

In addition, the chamber 30 includes a chamber lid 31 which can open and close the chamber 30 and a chamber lead lifter 33 which can lift and lower the chamber lid 31 to open and close the chamber 30. It may be, and may include one or more gas supply unit 20.

The gas supply unit 20 may be preferably coupled to the chamber lead 31, the number of the gas supply unit 20 may be different depending on the number of substrates, process conditions, and the like introduced into the chamber 30, It may be appropriately selected by those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains.

3 shows the inside of the chamber body 32 in a state in which the chamber lid 31 is lifted up. In the chamber body 32, a plurality of substrate seating surfaces 38, on which a plurality of substrates are seated, are positioned on the susceptor 34. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, a metal heater 35 is provided under the susceptor 34 to satisfy the temperature condition of the substrate for performing the deposition process by indirectly heating the substrate on the susceptor 34. Let's do it.

5 shows the lower part of the chamber body 32. Under the chamber body 32, there is a rotating shaft 36 for rotating the susceptor 34. The rotary shaft 36 rotates by receiving power from a separate driving motor (not shown) to rotate the susceptor 34 connected thereto and the substrate seated on the substrate seating surface 38 thereof.

That is, the susceptor 34, the rotating shaft 36 and the drive motor constitute a substrate transfer portion, and the movement of the substrate with respect to the gas supply portion 20 becomes a curved movement constituting a predetermined closed path.

Meanwhile, in another embodiment, the gas supply unit 20 fixed to the chamber lead 310 may rotate while the susceptor 340 is fixed. That is, the substrate is moved relative to the gas supply unit 20 while passing through the gas supply surface of the gas supply unit 20 to perform the deposition process.

In addition, a lower portion of the chamber body 32 has a substrate support portion 37 for raising and lowering the substrate when the substrate is pulled in and pulled out. For example, the substrate support 370 supports the substrate on the susceptor 34 by lifting up and down through the metal heater 35, the susceptor 34, and a through hole (not shown) on the substrate seating surface 38. It may include a plurality, preferably three or more support pins (not shown) to raise and lower.

The gas supply unit 20 may be formed in various forms, such as a shower head type, a slit nozzle type, but the present embodiment will be described with an example of a slit nozzle type.

In this case, the gas injection slits and the exhaust slits constituting the source gas region, the first exhaust region, the first purge region, the reaction gas region, the second exhaust region, and the second purge region from upstream to downstream with respect to the substrate transfer direction are sequentially The arrangement and order may be variously configured.

On the other hand, since the gas supply unit 20 is located on the curved path, the movement path of the substrate is formed in a circular shape, and thus the rotational angular velocity of the center and the outer circle of the circle is different. Therefore, the deposition of the substrate region adjacent to the center of the circle and the substrate region adjacent to the outer circle of the circle proceeds differently, which may cause a problem that the thickness of the deposition varies in one substrate.

In order to solve this problem, the gas supply unit 20 provided in the thin film deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of gas supply blocks 24 divided in the longitudinal direction, as shown in FIG. 6. The injection amount of the process gas injected through the gas supply blocks 24 may be adjusted.

That is, the gas supply unit 20 is divided into a plurality of gas supply blocks 24 in the longitudinal direction by a partition (not shown), or a gas supply block 24 by assembling the gas supply block 24 as a separate module from the beginning. 20) can be completed.

The supply line 21 may be connected to supply the process gas or the purge gas to the gas supply unit 20, so that the process gas may be supplied to each gas supply block 24 separated from the supply line 21. A plurality of branch lines 22 connected to each gas supply block 24 may be provided.

In addition, the branch line 22 may be provided with a flow control valve 23 for adjusting the amount of process gas supplied to each of the gas supply blocks 24.

By configuring the gas supply unit 20 as described above, the flow rate of the process gas supplied to each gas supply block 24 can be adjusted through the flow control valve 23 to adjust the amount of gas injected to the substrate.

Therefore, the gas injection amount is increased in the place where the substrate movement is fast like the outside of the curved path, and the gas injection amount is decreased in the place where the substrate movement is slow, such as the inside of the curved path. There is an advantage to get it.

7 is a plan view showing an overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 8 is a perspective view showing a thin film deposition apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 9 is a III of FIG. It is sectional drawing along the -III line.

7 to 9, the substrate processing apparatus 1000 may include a thin film deposition apparatus 100 that performs a process such as a deposition operation on a substrate W, and a load lock chamber that may be converted into a vacuum or atmospheric pressure state. 700 and a plurality of boats 810 on which the substrate W to be deposited are loaded, and a plurality of boats 820 on which the deposition is completed, may be provided.

Here, the thin film deposition apparatus 100 is largely accommodated in the substrate (W) therein is a chamber 110 and the plurality of substrates (W) in the chamber 110, the deposition operation is performed a pair of linear paths respectively A substrate moving part 180 for moving along a predetermined closed path having an L and a curved path C, and a linear path L in the chamber 110, and at least in a process gas and a purge gas. A first gas supply unit 200 for supplying one, a second gas supply unit 200a provided on a curved path C in the chamber 110, and supplying at least one of a process gas and a purge gas, and the The substrate W may include a substrate pull-out unit 600 for introducing and extracting the substrate W into the chamber 110.

Although the substrate processing apparatus 1000 according to the present embodiment is assumed to have two chambers 110, it is not limited thereto.

When the substrate W is supplied to the chamber 110 of the thin film deposition apparatus 100, a first robot arm (not shown) inside the load lock chamber 700 loads the substrate in the boat 810. Transfer inside Subsequently, the load lock chamber 700 is converted into a vacuum state, and the second robot arm 610 of the substrate pull-out unit 600 receives the substrate and supplies the substrate to the chamber 110. When the substrate is taken out of the chamber 110, the process proceeds in the reverse order.

The chamber 110 provides a space in which various components may be provided to accommodate the substrate W therein so as to perform a deposition operation on the substrate. Furthermore, it provides an environment in which a substrate processing operation such as a deposition operation or the like can be performed by keeping the inside in a vacuum state by a vacuum equipment such as a pump (not shown) for exhausting air inside.

Specifically, the chamber 110 may include a chamber body 130 having a predetermined space therein and an upper portion of the chamber body 130, and a chamber lid 120 opening and closing the opened upper portion of the chamber body 130.

One side of the chamber body 130 has an opening 134 that the substrate (W) is drawn into and out of the chamber 110, and a connector 132 for sealing the substrate inlet / out portion (600) and the opening (134). It can be provided.

The openings 134 may be provided in the chamber body 130 in pairs. As shown in FIG. 7, when the two substrates 110 are connected to one substrate drawing-out unit 600 by providing two chambers 110 in the substrate processing apparatus 1000, productivity and compatibility are increased. For sake.

That is, regardless of the direction of the chamber 110 connected to the substrate pull-out unit 600, when manufacturing the chamber 110, a pair of openings 134 may be provided to improve productivity. Further, when connecting the chamber 110 to the substrate draw-out part 600 and when it is necessary to change the connection of the chamber 110 during the operation, the substrate draw-out part 600 in the other opening 134. You can increase the compatibility by connecting.

In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, the substrate inlet / outlet unit 600 is connected to the chamber 110 to introduce the substrate into the chamber 110 or to draw out the substrate W having the deposition completed to the outside of the chamber 110. Done.

When the substrate supporting unit 150 moves by the substrate moving unit 180 as described later, the substrate on which the deposition is completed is moved by the second robot arm 610 of the substrate receiving and feeding unit 600 through the opening 134 Withdraw. The substrate requiring the deposition is supplied to the substrate support 150 inside the chamber 110 through the opening 134 by the second robot arm 610 of the substrate inlet /

As described above, in the present embodiment, the substrate W is drawn in and drawn out by a single device. Therefore, the components can be reduced and the installation area can be reduced as compared with the case where a separate device, for example, a substrate inlet and a substrate outlet is separately provided for the inlet and outlet of the substrate W. FIG. In addition, since the components are reduced, it has the advantage of easy maintenance in the future.

Meanwhile, the chamber lead 120 of the chamber 110 may include a first gas supply unit 200 and a second gas supply unit 200a for supplying at least one of a first process gas, a second process gas, and a purge gas. Can be.

The substrate moving part 180 may be provided in the chamber body 130 of the chamber 110 to move the substrate W along a predetermined path. The substrate moving part 180 has a straight path L for moving the substrate support 150 supporting the substrate W along a predetermined straight line and a curved path for moving the substrate support 150 along a predetermined curve ( C), through which the substrate moving part 180 moves the substrate supporting part 150 along a predetermined closed loop.

Here, the menopause path may be defined as a path passing through the starting point again while moving along a predetermined path from the starting point. To this end, the substrate transfer part 180 according to the present embodiment can move the substrate support part 150 along a pair of straight path L and a curved path C, respectively.

That is, a pair of linear paths L are arranged substantially parallel to each other at a predetermined interval, and a pair of curved paths C are connected between the linear paths L. Here, the curved path C may be a semicircular shape having a predetermined radius, or may be any curved shape other than a straight shape.

Here, the first gas supply part 200 is provided along a straight path L of the substrate moving part 180. When the first gas supply part 200 is provided in the straight path L, the substrate W is seated on the substrate support part 150 and the process gas is supplied along the straight path L. Since the speeds of all the regions are constant, the deposition may be uniformly performed on the surface of the substrate (W).

In addition, the second gas supply unit 200a may be provided along the curved path C of the substrate moving unit 180 to perform an additional deposition process on the curved path C, thereby improving the substrate processing speed. Can be.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the substrate pull-out unit 600 may be provided in the curved path (C). In this case, the opening 134 described above may be provided in the chamber body 130 adjacent to the curved path (C).

10 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the substrate moving unit 180 in more detail.

7 to 10, the substrate moving part 180 includes a pair of pulleys for moving the belt 190 and the belt 190 along the straight and curved paths to which the substrate support part 150 is connected. 182 and 184 and a guide portion 160 for supporting the substrate support 150 to be movable.

A pair of pulleys 182 and 184 are provided at an inner base of the chamber body 130 at a predetermined distance, and a belt 190 is provided to surround the pair of pulleys 182 and 184. One of the pair of pulleys is connected to a motor (not shown) to serve as a drive pulley 182 to move the belt 190, the other pulley to the drive and belt 190 of the drive pulley 182. Thereby acting as a driven pulley 184 to rotate together.

The substrate support part 150 supporting the substrate W is connected to the belt 190 to move together with the belt 190. In detail, the substrate support part 150 includes a susceptor 152 on which the substrate W is seated, a lower support part 156 provided below the susceptor 152 and provided with a roller 158 to be described later. The lower support part 156 and the susceptor 152 may be connected to each other, and a connection part 154 connected to the belt 190 may be provided.

The susceptor 152 has a substrate W mounted thereon, and a groove corresponding to the substrate W in the upper part of the susceptor 152 to prevent movement of the substrate W during the movement of the substrate support part 150. (153, see FIG. 8). The connection portion 154 is connected vertically downward from one end of the susceptor 152.

On the other hand, the substrate support 150 is moved in conjunction with the movement of the belt 190, but while the substrate support 150 is moved while forming the movement path of the substrate support 150 can guide the substrate support. The guide portion 160 may be provided.

The guide unit 160 may be implemented in various forms. In this embodiment, the guide unit 160 is provided as an LM guide provided under the substrate support unit 150. That is, the LM guide is provided at the base inside the chamber body 130, and the substrate support 150 is moved along the LM guide while being supported by the LM guide.

Meanwhile, as described above, the substrate moving part 180 moves the substrate support part 150 along a straight path and a curved path, and the path of the substrate support part 150 is substantially formed by the guide part 160. do.

Accordingly, in this embodiment, the guide portion 160 is provided to include a straight path and a curved path, and specifically, each of the guide portions 160 is configured to include a pair of a straight path L and a curved path C, respectively. A pair of linear paths L are provided at predetermined intervals, and the configuration in which both ends of the linear path L are connected by the curved path C is as described above.

The substrate support part 150 may include a roller 158 corresponding to the guide part 160 so that the substrate support part 150 moves along the guide part 160. In detail, the lower support part 156 of the substrate support part 150 includes a guide part 160, that is, a roller 158 that can move along the LM guide.

Therefore, when the substrate support part 150 moves in conjunction with the belt 190, the substrate support part 150 is supported by the guide part 160 and moves along the guide part 160. As a result, the belt 190 provides the power (force) for the substrate support 150 to move, and the guide portion 160 provides a path for the substrate support 150 to move while supporting the substrate support 150. Done.

On the other hand, a connection portion 154 is vertically connected to one end of the susceptor 152 downward. The connection part 154 is connected to the belt 190 to move together with the belt 190 when the belt 190 moves. The connection part 154 is preferably detachably connected to the belt 190. This is because the substrate support 150 may be separated from the belt 190 for the maintenance of the substrate support 150.

8 and 9, a lower portion of the substrate support 150 may be provided with a heating unit 170 for heating the substrate (W). The heating unit 170 is provided at a lower portion spaced apart from the susceptor 152 for supporting the substrate W to heat the substrate W.

Specifically, the heating unit 170 includes a plurality of heating plates 172 provided along the movement path of the substrate supporting unit 150. The heating plate 172 is provided at a predetermined distance from the susceptor 152 that supports the substrate W to heat the substrate W.

In this embodiment, the substrate supporter 150 includes a susceptor 152, a connection part 154 vertically connected downward from one end of the susceptor 152, and a lower support part 156. That is, the cross section of the substrate support part 150 has a 'c' shape as shown in FIG. 3. The heating plate 172 is provided in a space between the susceptor 152 and the lower holding portion 156 to prevent interference between the substrate supporting portion 150 and the heating plate 172 during movement of the substrate supporting portion 150 do.

In the chamber 110, a substrate receiving part 140 for receiving and drawing out the substrate W may be provided. The substrate receiving portion 140 receives the substrate W supplied into the chamber 110 by the substrate inlet / outlet portion 600 and places the substrate W on the substrate supporting portion 150, The substrate W can be drawn out to the outside of the chamber 110 by separating the substrate W from the substrate W. [ For this purpose, the substrate receiving portion 140 is preferably provided adjacent to the substrate inlet / outlet portion 600. Therefore, the substrate receiving unit 140 is provided in the curved path C.

The substrate receiving portion 140 includes a plurality of receiving pins 142 that are vertically movable and a driving portion 144 that moves the receiving pins 142 up and down. The receiving pins 142 are plurally provided to support the substrate W, and are formed of, for example, three. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 146 illustrates a through hole provided in the heating plate 172 to allow the receiving pin 142 to move up and down.

That is, in the course of movement of the substrate supporting part 150, the curved path C is provided with the substrate drawing-out part 600, and the substrate drawing pin 142 is heated The plate 172 has a through hole 146 through which the substrate receiving pin 142 can move. Of course, the number of the through holes 146 is formed corresponding to the number of the substrate receiving pins 142.

Meanwhile, as described above, the first gas supply unit 200 may be provided along the straight path L, and the second gas supply unit 200 ㅁ may be provided in the curved path C. 7 and 8, the first gas supply unit 200 is illustrated as being provided with three along the straight path L, but this is only an example, the length of the straight path L, the length of the first gas supply unit 200. It can be adjusted according to the width.

In addition, although the second gas supply unit 200a is shown in the case where two are provided along the curved path (C), this is also an example of the number installed according to the curvature, radius, length, etc. of the curved path (C) appropriately It is adjustable.

Here, the first gas supply unit 200 and the second gas supply unit 200a may be configured in the same manner as the gas supply unit 20 (refer to FIG. 6) described with reference to FIG. 6. That is, the first gas supply unit 200 and the second gas supply unit 200a include a plurality of gas supply blocks 24 (see FIG. 6) divided in the longitudinal direction, and through the respective gas supply blocks 24. It can be made to adjust the injection amount of the injection process gas.

Of course, the flow rate control valve 23 (see FIG. 6) for controlling the amount of process gas supplied to each gas supply block 24 and the branch line 22 connected to each gas supply block 24. The same may be provided.

On the other hand, since the second gas supply unit 200a is located on the curved path C, only the second gas supply unit 200a may be divided into a gas supply block 24.

That is, in the case of the first gas supply unit 200 located on the straight path L, it is a general slit injector type and may be configured to inject the same amount of gas by forming a single body rather than a divided form in the longitudinal direction. .

The reason for this configuration is that since the movement path of the substrate passing through the second gas supply unit 200a is curved, the deposition of the substrate region adjacent to the center of the circle and the substrate region adjacent to the outside of the circle proceed differently. Although the thickness of the deposition may also occur on the substrate, the problem is unlikely to occur in the first gas supply unit 200 installed in the straight path (L).

Therefore, as in the above-described semi-batch thin film deposition apparatus, the gas injection amount is increased in the place where the substrate movement is fast, such as the outside of the curved path, and the gas injection amount is reduced in the place where the substrate movement is slow, such as the inside of the curved path. Even when the deposition process is performed in the path, there is an advantage of obtaining a uniform film quality.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. You can do it. It is therefore to be understood that the modified embodiments are included in the technical scope of the present invention if they basically include elements of the claims of the present invention.

10 ... thin film deposition apparatus 20 ... gas supply unit
30 ... chamber 40 ... load lock chamber
50 gas source 60 control unit
100 Thin Film Deposition Apparatus 110 Chamber
120 ... chamber lead 130 ... chamber body
140 ... substrate receiving portion 142 ... receiving pin
144 ... Drive 150 ... Board Support
152 ... susceptor 154 ... connection
156 ... bottom support portion 158 ... roller
160 ... guide portion 170 ... heating portion
180 < SEP >
184 .... driven pulley 190 ... belt
200 Gas supply unit 600 Substrate draw-out unit
610 ... second robot arm 700 ... load lock chamber
810, 820 ... boat 1000 ... substrate processing apparatus

Claims (3)

chamber;
A substrate moving unit which moves a plurality of substrates along a predetermined closed path in the chamber; And
And a plurality of gas supply units provided on the closed path in the chamber and supplying at least one of a process gas and a purge gas.
At least one or more of the gas supply unit includes a plurality of gas supply blocks divided in the longitudinal direction, it is possible to adjust the injection amount of the process gas injected through each of the gas supply blocks,
The menopause includes at least a portion of the curve,
The gas supply unit provided in the curved path to increase the gas injection amount toward the outside of the curve path, the thin film deposition apparatus characterized in that to reduce the gas injection amount toward the inside of the curve path. The method of claim 1,
A plurality of branch lines for supplying process gas to the respective gas supply blocks;
And a flow rate control valve provided at the branch line to adjust an amount of process gas supplied to each gas supply block. delete

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