KR101554306B1 - Apparatus for processing inductively coupled plasma - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus for plasma-processing a substrate by generating a plasma by an induction field. An inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a chamber, an antenna disposed outside a dielectric window outside the chamber, a lead disposed at an upper portion of the chamber for forming a receiving space for receiving the dielectric window and the antenna, And a variable capacitor unit having a driver arranged in an outer space of a separate lead to provide a driving force to the variable capacitor. Accordingly, the driving unit for driving the variable capacitor and the antenna are disposed in a separate space to prevent noise from being generated in the driving unit, thereby improving the plasma uniformity according to the operation of the normal variable capacitor unit.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA [0002]

Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus, and more particularly, to an inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus for generating a plasma by an induction field to perform plasma processing on a substrate.

An inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus is a manufacturing apparatus used in an etching process for etching in a semiconductor and a display manufacturing process or a deposition process for depositing a deposition material. The inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus used in the etching process of the semiconductor and the display manufacturing process is advantageous in that the etching efficiency with respect to the metal is relatively higher than that of the reactive ion etching apparatus or the charge coupled plasma etching apparatus.

Here, the inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus is advantageous in that the etching efficiency with respect to the metal is relatively higher than that with the reactive ion etching apparatus or the capacitively coupled plasma etching apparatus, but there is a difficulty in using the inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus for etching large area substrates. In detail, since the inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus used for etching a large area substrate has non-uniform plasma, a variable capacitor (VVC: Vacuum Variable Capacitor) has been applied to improve it.

Meanwhile, the variable capacitor used in the inductively coupled plasma apparatus is connected to and driven by the driving unit. In particular, the variable capacitor and the driving unit are disposed in the receiving space of the lead accommodating the antenna connected to the RF power source.

However, when the RF power is applied to the inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus, noise may be generated in the driving unit due to the RF current of the antenna, thereby deteriorating usability of the variable capacitor.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0053253; Inductively coupled plasma antenna

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus improved in structure to block noise that may be generated in a variable capacitor and a driving unit for driving the variable capacitor.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plasma display apparatus comprising: a chamber according to the present invention; an antenna disposed outside the dielectric window outside the chamber; a lead disposed at an upper portion of the chamber to define a housing space, And a variable capacitor unit having a variable capacitor disposed in the accommodation space for impedance control of the antenna and a driving unit disposed in an outer space of the lead to provide a driving force to the variable capacitor, Processing apparatus.

The lead includes a lead frame in which the dielectric window is disposed, an upper lead which is disposed to face the dielectric window and divides into the accommodating space and the outer space, and an upper lead which connects the lead frame and the upper lead, And may include side leads that form the side walls.

Preferably, the variable capacitor of the variable capacitor unit and the driving unit may be disposed in the accommodating space and the outer space, respectively, with the upper lead interposed therebetween.

The variable capacitor unit may further include an external encoder for sensing operation of the driving unit, and a cooling unit disposed in the variable capacitor to dissipate heat of the variable capacitor.

The inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus further includes a cooling circulation unit for circulating the cooling fluid to the cooling unit and a cooling pipe for connecting the cooling unit and the cooling circulation unit to form a flow path of the cooling fluid circulated by the cooling circulation unit. As shown in FIG.

In addition, the inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus includes a current transformer connected to the antenna and sensing a current value at the antenna, a signal processing unit receiving and processing a current value detected by the current transformer, And a control unit for controlling operation of the variable capacitor unit based on the control signal.

Preferably, the antenna extends from the RF power source to a plurality of branches, and the current transformer is connected to each of the branched antennas to sense a change in current value at the antenna in each region.

The details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

The inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus according to the present invention can arrange the driving unit for driving the variable capacitor and the antenna in a separate space to prevent noise from being generated in the driving unit by the RF current applied to the antenna, And the plasma uniformity can be improved according to the operation of the unit.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a main part of an inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,
3 is a perspective view of an upper main part of the inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the variable capacitor unit shown in FIG. 3,
5 is a configuration diagram of an inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but may be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. It is provided to fully inform the category.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of essential parts of an inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, an inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chamber 10, a stage 20, an electrostatic chuck 30, a lead 40, a dielectric window (50), an antenna (60), and a variable capacitor unit (70). 5), a cooling pipe 90 (see FIG. 5), an RF power source 100 (see FIG. 5), a matching pipe 5), a signal processing unit 130 (see FIG. 5), a control unit 140 (see FIG. 5), and an input / output unit 150 (see FIG. 5) .

The chamber 10 includes a chamber body 11, a plasma processing space 13, a gate 17, and an exhaust hole 19. The chamber body 11 forms a plasma processing space 13 for plasma processing of the substrate S. The gate 17 is provided to enter the plasma processing space 13 inside the chamber body 11 and to draw out the substrate S after plasma processing. An exhaust hole 19 is formed through the chamber body 11 so that the inside of the chamber body 11 is vacuum pumped.

The stage 20 is disposed inside the chamber 10, that is, in the plasma processing space 13. Here, a substrate S (a wafer or a transparent substrate of various sizes) is seated on the stage 20. The electrostatic chuck 30 is disposed between the stage 20 and the substrate S to chuck the substrate S.

The lid 40 is then placed on top of the chamber 10 to define a receiving space 47 in which the dielectric window 50 and the antenna 60 are received. The lead 40 is detachably disposed on the upper portion of the chamber 10. That is, the lid 40 can be separated from the chamber 10 for cleaning inside the chamber 10 or for cleaning the bottom surface of the lid.

The lead 40 includes a lead frame 41, an upper lead 43, a side lead 45, and a receiving space 47, as one embodiment of the present invention. The lead frame 41 is disposed with a dielectric window 50 and seals the top of the chamber 10. The upper lead 43 is opposed to the dielectric window 50 and is partitioned into a receiving space 47 and an outer space E (see FIG. 5). The side lead 45 interconnects the lead frame 41 and the upper lead 43 to form a receiving space 47 in which the antenna 60 is accommodated.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an upper main part of the inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the variable capacitor unit shown in FIG.

The dielectric window 50 is disposed on top of the chamber 10, as shown in Figs. An antenna 60 to which power is supplied from the RF power source 100 is installed on the dielectric window 50.

The antenna 60 is disposed outside the dielectric window 50 outside the chamber 10. The antenna 60 is connected to nine divided areas A1 to A9. Here, the antenna 60 connected to each of the areas A1 to A9 includes four sub antennas 60, i.e., a first antenna 61 (see FIG. 5), a second antenna 62 (see FIG. 5) To the antenna 63 (see FIG. 5) and to the fourth antenna 64 (see FIG. 5). The first to fourth antennas 61, 62, 63 and 64, which are the lower antennas 60, are wound in the same direction in the corresponding region. It is noted that in the embodiment of the present invention, the antenna 60 is described as being connected to nine divided areas A1 to A9, but this is not restrictive and can be changed.

The variable capacitor unit (70) includes a variable capacitor (71) and a driving unit (73). The variable capacitor unit 70 further includes an external encoder 75, an insulation flange 77, and a cooling unit 79. The plurality of variable capacitor units 70 are arranged corresponding to the number of the antennas 60. The variable capacitor unit 70 operates for impedance control to maintain plasma uniformity. Specifically, the plurality of variable capacitors 71 are individually controlled by a driving force provided from a corresponding driving section 73 for impedance control.

The variable capacitor 71 and the driving unit 73 are disposed with the upper lead 43 interposed therebetween. That is, the variable capacitor 71 is accommodated in the accommodating space 47 of the lead 40 that receives the antenna 60, and the drive unit 73 is partitioned by the upper lead 43, (E) to a variable capacitor (71). The driving unit 73 is disposed in a separate external space E partitioned from the receiving space 47 of the antenna 60 so that noise is generated by the RF current from the antenna 60 due to RF application of the RF power source 100, Can be prevented from being generated. The driving unit 73 is provided as a step motor as an embodiment of the present invention, but various known motors such as a servo motor may be used according to a design change. Here, the driving unit 73 is controlled using a PID (Proportional-plus-Integrate-plus-Derivative) controller. The PID controller may be integrally provided in the control unit of the driving unit 73, and thus is not shown separately.

This PID controller is an automatic controller that performs proportional-integral-derivative control. The PID control can control the operation of the driving unit 73 adjacent to the target value and actively reacts to the disturbance to actively and quickly control the driving unit 73 to the target value.

The external encoder 75 is provided to sense the rotation angle of the variable capacitor 71. The external encoder 75 includes a total of 50 detection holes 75b formed at 7.2 degrees along the circumferential direction of the circular plate 75a and the circular plate 75a. The external encoder 75 includes a detection sensor 75c positioned above and below the circular plate 75a such that the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are positioned, respectively. A Z-scan sensor (not shown) is disposed in the variable capacitor 71 together.

The insulating flange 77 extends through an external encoder 75. [ The cooling section 79 is disposed at the end of the variable capacitor 71 to dissipate the heat of the variable capacitor 71. The cooling section 79 is connected to the cooling circulation section 80 and the cooling piping 90, which will be described in detail below.

5 is a configuration diagram of an inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The cooling circulation unit (80) circulates the cooling fluid to the cooling unit (79) of the variable capacitor unit (70). The cooling circulation portion 80 may be configured as a circulation pump to circulate the cooling fluid together with the storage portion for storing the cooling fluid. The cooling pipe 90 connects the cooling unit 79 and the cooling circulation unit 80 to form a flow path of the cooling fluid circulated by the cooling circulation unit 80. The cooling piping 90 is connected to the cooling portion 79 disposed in the receiving space 47 inside the lead 40 through the upper lead 43.

The RF power supply 100 is connected to the antenna 60. The matching box 110 is arranged to match the impedance applied from the RF power source 100 to the impedance required for the process. The matching box 110 is also referred to as an impedance automatic matching device. That is, the matching box 110 is used in pre-semiconductor processing, for example, etching process equipment such as the embodiment of the present invention.

A current transducer (120) is connected to each antenna (60). The current transformer 120 senses a current change in the antenna 60. The signal processor 130 receiving the current value sensed from each of the current transformers 120 is connected to the network. The signal processing unit 130 receives current values from the respective current transformers 120 and converts them into analog or digital signals. The control unit 140 receives the converted signal from the signal processing unit 130. In this case, the signal transmitted from the signal processor 130 to the controller 140 may include an identifier for identifying the corresponding antenna 60. Then, the controller 140 receiving the current value determines whether there is a change in the current value.

The input / output unit 150 is provided for outputting an abnormality of the current value determined by the control unit 140 to the outside, and for inputting various operation commands related to driving of the apparatus, if necessary. The input / output unit 150 may include an alarm function for informing an abnormality alarm to the outside, or may be a display device for separately displaying the abnormality. The input / output unit 150 may use various input means such as a touch pad and a keyboard.

Accordingly, the driving unit for driving the variable capacitor and the antenna are disposed in a separate space to prevent noise from being generated in the driving unit due to the RF current applied to the antenna. Thus, according to the normal operation of the variable capacitor unit, the plasma uniformity Can be improved.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, . Therefore, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents are to be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention do.

10: chamber 40: lead
41: lead frame 43: upper lead
45: side lead 47: accommodation space
60: antenna 70: variable capacitor unit
71: variable capacitor 73:
79: cooling section 80: cooling circulation section
90: Cooling piping 120: Current transformer
130: signal processor 140:

Claims (7)

A chamber;
An antenna disposed outside the dielectric window outside the chamber;
A lead disposed at an upper portion of the chamber and defining a receiving space for receiving the dielectric window and the antenna;
A variable capacitor unit having a variable capacitor disposed in the accommodation space for impedance control of the antenna and a driving unit disposed in an outer space of the lead to provide a driving force to the variable capacitor;
A current transformer connected to the antenna for sensing a current value at the antenna;
A signal processing unit for receiving and processing a current value sensed by the current transformer;
And a control unit for controlling operation of the variable capacitor unit based on data received from the signal processing unit,
Wherein the antenna is branched and extended from a plurality of RF power sources,
Wherein the current transformer is connected to each of the branched antennas and detects a change in current value in the antenna in each region.
The method according to claim 1,
The lead includes:
A lead frame on which the dielectric window is disposed;
An upper lead disposed to face the dielectric window, the upper lead being divided into the receiving space and the outer space;
And a side lead which interconnects the lead frame and the upper lead to form the accommodation space.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the variable capacitor of the variable capacitor unit and the driving unit are disposed in the accommodating space and the outer space with the upper lead interposed therebetween.
The method according to claim 2 or 3,
The variable capacitor unit includes:
An external encoder for detecting an operation of the driving unit;
Further comprising a cooling unit disposed in the variable capacitor for dissipating heat of the variable capacitor.
5. The method of claim 4,
The inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus includes:
A cooling circulation unit for circulating the cooling fluid to the cooling unit;
Further comprising a cooling pipe connecting the cooling unit and the cooling circulation unit to form a flow path of the cooling fluid circulated by the cooling circulation unit.
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