KR101575434B1 - Apparatus for forming metal oxide layer - Google Patents

Abstract

A metal oxide film forming apparatus includes a chamber for providing a space for performing an atomic layer deposition process, a transfer unit for supporting the substrate and horizontally moving the substrate in a direction parallel to the upper surface of the substrate, A gas supply unit for supplying a metal source and an oxidant toward the substrate to form a metal oxide film in an atomic layer unit; and a gas supply unit for covering the gas supply unit, separating the metal source and the oxidant, And a gas discharging portion for discharging the gas to the outside. Since the metal source and the oxidant are separated and discharged, it is possible to prevent the metal oxide from being formed in the gas supply unit and the gas discharge unit, not in the substrate.

Description

[0001] Apparatus for forming metal oxide layer [0002]

The present invention relates to a metal oxide film forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a metal oxide film forming apparatus for forming a metal oxide film in an atomic layer unit by using an atomic layer deposition process.

When a metal oxide film is to be formed on a semiconductor substrate, a chemical vapor deposition process is generally used. The chemical vapor deposition process is a process of decomposing a gaseous compound and then depositing a thin film or an epitaxial layer on a semiconductor substrate by a chemical reaction. In forming the metal oxide film, the metal source gas and the oxidizing agent are pyrolyzed at a high temperature to deposit a metal oxide film on the semiconductor substrate. However, the method of forming a metal oxide film using the chemical vapor deposition process may cause thermal damage to the semiconductor substrate, and it is difficult to control the composition when the composition of the metal oxide film is complex.

An atomic layer deposition process has been proposed to overcome these disadvantages. The atomic layer deposition process has an advantage that excellent step coverage can be obtained as compared with a chemical vapor deposition process and a low temperature process can be performed. The atomic layer deposition process is a process of forming a thin film by decomposing a reactant by chemical exchange through sequential supply of each reactant.

However, when the metal oxide layer is repeatedly formed in the atomic layer deposition process, the metal oxide layer is formed in the chamber in which the atomic layer deposition process is performed by the reaction of the source gas of the metal and the oxidizing agent. The metal oxide film formed in the chamber may fall into the semiconductor substrate due to gravity and act as particles. Therefore, the quality of the metal oxide film formed on the semiconductor substrate can be reduced.

The present invention provides a metal oxide film forming apparatus capable of preventing the formation of a metal oxide film inside a chamber except a substrate.

A metal oxide film forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a chamber for providing a space for performing an atomic layer deposition process, a transfer unit for supporting the substrate and horizontally moving the substrate in a direction parallel to the upper surface of the substrate, A gas supply unit for supplying a metal source and an oxidant to the substrate to form a metal oxide film in an atomic layer unit and a gas supply unit for covering the gas supply unit, And a gas discharge unit for separating and discharging the oxidant to the outside.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the gas supply unit may include a first supply pipe for supplying the metal source toward the substrate to adsorb the metal source to the substrate, a second supply pipe for supplying the metal source to the substrate, A second supply pipe for supplying the oxidant to the substrate on which the metal source is adsorbed, and a third supply pipe for supplying an inert gas for purging the upper surface of the substrate, wherein the first supply pipe, the second supply pipe, The third supply pipe may extend parallel to the upper surface of the substrate and perpendicular to the moving direction of the substrate.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the gas discharging portion receives the first supply pipe, the second supply pipe, and the third supply pipe to separate the first supply pipe, the second supply pipe, and the third supply pipe A discharge chamber for discharging residual gas remaining on the substrate except for the metal source and a first supply pipe on the inner wall of the discharge chamber and being sprayed from the first supply pipe and adsorbed on the upper surface of the substrate And an auxiliary discharge chamber for discharging the remaining metal source.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the transfer part moves the substrate in one direction, at least one of the first supply pipe and the second supply pipe is provided in the same number, and the third supply pipe is provided in plural, The first supply pipe and the second supply pipe may be alternately arranged between the three supply pipes from the front end in the transport direction of the substrate.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the transfer part reciprocates the substrate, a plurality of the first supply pipes, the second supply pipes and the third supply pipes are provided, and between the second supply pipes The first supply pipe is disposed, and the first supply pipe and the second supply pipe are alternately disposed between the third supply pipes.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first supply pipe, the second supply pipe, and the third supply pipe may be disposed at equal distances from the substrate.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the metal oxide film forming apparatus is further provided to cover the substrate supported by the transfer unit, and may further include a mask selectively exposing the substrate.

The apparatus for forming a metal oxide film according to the present invention separates a metal source injected to form a metal oxide film from a remaining gas containing an oxidizing agent. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the metal gas from reacting with the oxidizing agent when the gas is discharged, thereby preventing the metal oxide film from being formed in the gas supplying unit and the gas discharging unit. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the metal oxide film from falling down from the gas supply portion and the gas discharge portion onto the upper surface of the substrate.

In addition, since the substrate and the gas supply unit are maintained at a constant interval, the uniformity of the metal oxide film formed on the substrate can be improved.

1 is a side sectional view for explaining a metal oxide film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining another example of the gas supply unit shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, a metal oxide film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is capable of various modifications and various forms, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. Like reference numerals are used for like elements in describing each drawing. In the accompanying drawings, the dimensions of the structures are enlarged to illustrate the present invention in order to clarify the present invention.

The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, the terms "comprises", "having", and the like are used to specify that a feature, a number, a step, an operation, an element, a part or a combination thereof is described in the specification, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art and are to be interpreted as either ideal or overly formal in the sense of the present application Do not.

1 is a side sectional view for explaining a metal oxide film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, a metal oxide film forming apparatus 100 for forming a metal oxide film on a substrate 10 includes a chamber 110, a transfer unit 120, a mask 130, a gas supply unit 140, And may include a discharge unit 150. Examples of the substrate 10 include a semiconductor substrate and a glass substrate.

The chamber 110 provides space for performing the atomic layer deposition process. In one example, the chamber 110 may have a substantially hollow cube shape.

The chamber 110 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown), and can vacuum the inside of the chamber 110 through pumping of the vacuum pump.

During the atomic layer deposition process, the chamber 110 can maintain a low temperature state. For example, the chamber 110 can maintain a temperature of about 25 to 150 ° C.

The transfer unit 120 supports the substrate 10. For example, the transfer unit 120 can support the substrate 10 in a horizontal state.

As another example, the transfer section 120 may support the substrate 10 so as to be inclined with respect to the horizontal plane. Specifically, the transfer unit 120 can support the substrate 10 in an inclined manner so as to face upward or inclinedly toward a downward direction. Further, the transfer unit 120 may support the substrate 10 so that it is perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The transfer unit 120 can vacuum-adsorb the substrate 10 to stably support the substrate 10. When the transfer unit 120 supports the substrate 10 in an inclined manner such that the substrate 10 faces upward, the transfer unit 120 can support the substrate 10 simply.

The transfer unit 120 horizontally moves the substrate 10 in a direction parallel to the upper surface of the substrate 10 in a state in which the substrate 10 is supported horizontally or in an inclined state with respect to the horizontal surface. For example, the transfer unit 120 can horizontally move the substrate 10 in one direction. As another example, the transfer unit 120 can horizontally move the substrate 10 reciprocally. The metal oxide film may be formed on the substrate 10 while the substrate 10 is horizontally moved.

In addition, the substrate 10 may be loaded in the transfer unit 120 in a horizontal state and then be inclined by the transfer unit 120 to move in the horizontal direction.

On the other hand, the substrate 10 may be loaded on the transfer unit 120 in a tilted state and moved horizontally.

The mask 130 is provided to cover the substrate 10 supported by the transfer unit 120. For example, it may be provided on the transfer unit 120 or may be provided on one side of the chamber 110 to cover the substrate 10.

The mask 130 selectively exposes the substrate 10. Therefore, it is possible to selectively form the metal oxide film on the exposed region by the mask 130.

For example, in the case where the substrate 10 is a semiconductor substrate having pads formed on its surface, the mask 130 may expose portions other than the portions where the pads are formed. Therefore, the metal oxide layer can be formed at a portion except the portion where the pads are formed, and the pads can be prevented from being electrically connected by the metal oxide layer.

Meanwhile, when the metal oxide film is formed on the entire upper surface of the substrate 10, the mask 130 may not be provided.

The gas supply part 140 is provided inside the chamber 110 so as to face the upper surface of the substrate 10. The gas supply unit 140 supplies a metal source and an oxidant toward the substrate 10 to form the metal oxide film in the atomic layer unit.

The gas discharging unit 150 is provided inside the chamber 110 to form the metal oxide film on the substrate 10, and then discharges remaining residual gas such as a metal source, an oxidizing agent, and the like.

The gas supply unit 140 includes a first supply pipe 141, a second supply pipe 142, and a third supply pipe 143.

The first supply pipe 141, the second supply pipe 142 and the third supply pipe 143 may extend parallel to the upper surface of the substrate 10 and perpendicular to the moving direction of the substrate 10, respectively. In addition, the first supply pipe 141, the second supply pipe 142, and the third supply pipe 143 are spaced equally from the substrate 10.

When the transfer unit 120 transfers the substrate 10 in one direction, at least one first supply pipe 141 and a second supply pipe 142 are provided in the same number, and a plurality of third supply pipes 143 . The first supply pipe 141 and the second supply pipe 142 may be alternately arranged from the front end of the substrate 10 in the transport direction between the third supply pipes 143. 1 is a view illustrating a state in which a first supply pipe 141 and a second supply pipe 142 are connected to a third supply pipe 143 between the first supply pipe 141 and the second supply pipe 142, And are arranged alternately from the front end in the transport direction. Accordingly, the first supply pipe 141, the second supply pipe 142, and the third supply pipe 143 can be arranged along the transport direction of the substrate 10. [

The first supply pipe 141 supplies the metal source toward the substrate 10 transported by the transfer unit 110 to adsorb the metal source on the upper surface of the substrate 10. The first supply pipe 141 extends so as to be perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate 10 so that the first supply pipe 141 can supply the metal source to the entire substrate 10.

Examples of the metal source include aluminum precursors such as TMA (Triethyl Aluminum), TEA (Tri Ethyl Aluminum) and DMACl (Diethyl Aluminum Chloride), hafnium precursors such as tBuHf (Hf- [OC- (CH3) But is not limited thereto.

The second supply pipe 142 supplies the oxidant to the substrate 10 on which the metal source is adsorbed to form the metal oxide film on the substrate 10. Examples of the oxidizing agent include oxygen gas and ozone gas. The oxidant reacts with the metal source of the substrate 10 to form the metal oxide film. The metal oxide film may be an aluminum oxide film or a hafnium oxide film.

Since the first supply pipe 141 and the second supply pipe 142 are alternately arranged from the front end in the transport direction of the substrate 10, the metal source and the oxidant alternate with the upper surface of the substrate 10, . Since the oxidizing agent is supplied in a state where the metal source is adsorbed on the upper surface of the substrate 10, the metal oxide film can be formed on the upper surface of the substrate 10.

The thickness of the metal oxide layer formed on the upper surface of the substrate 10 can be controlled by adjusting the number of the first supply pipe 141 and the second supply pipe 142. [ That is, as the number of the first supply pipe 141 and the second supply pipe 142 increases, the metal oxide film may be formed thicker on the upper surface of the substrate 10.

The third supply pipe 143 supplies an inert gas toward the substrate 10. Examples of the inert gas include nitrogen, argon, helium, and the like. The inert gas purges the upper surface of the substrate 10.

Specifically, the inert gas injected from the third supply pipe 143 disposed at the front end in the direction in which the first supply pipe 141 and the second supply pipe 142 are arranged causes the foreign matter remaining on the upper surface of the substrate 10 to be purged So that the metal source injected from the first supply pipe 141 can be prevented from being discharged to the front end.

The inert gas injected from the third supply pipe 143 disposed between the first supply pipe 141 and the second supply pipe 142 can purge the metal gas remaining on the upper surface of the substrate 10. Also, the inert gas interrupts the contact between the metal source injected from the first supply pipe 141 and the oxidant injected from the second supply pipe 142. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the metal source and the oxidant from reacting in a region other than the upper surface of the substrate 10. [

The inert gas injected from the third supply pipe 143 disposed at the rear end in the direction in which the first supply pipe 141 and the second supply pipe 142 are arranged is discharged from the upper surface of the substrate 10, And the oxidizing agent sprayed from the second supply pipe 142 can be prevented from being discharged to the rear end.

Thus, the deactivated gas can be used to purge the foreign matter, the metal source, the oxidizing agent, and the reaction by-products of the oxidizing agent and the metal source from the upper surface of the substrate 10.

On the other hand, the first supply pipe 141 and the second supply pipe 142 can supply the metal source and the oxidizing agent toward the substrate 10 when the substrate 10 passes. Depending on the length of the substrate 10, the first supply pipe 141 and the second supply pipe 142 may inject the metal source and the oxidant simultaneously or sequentially.

The third supply pipe 143 supplies the inert gas when the metal source or the oxidant is supplied to at least one of the first supply pipe 141 and the second supply pipe 142, The inert gas may be supplied regardless of the supply of the two supply pipes 142.

The gas discharge portion 150 includes a discharge chamber 151 and an auxiliary discharge chamber 153.

The discharge chamber 151 has a hollow shape and accommodates the first supply pipe 141, the second supply pipe 142 and the third supply pipe 143. The discharge chamber 151 is provided with an opening 152 in the chamber wall at the portion where the metal source, the oxidizing agent and the inert gas are respectively injected from the first supply pipe 141, the second supply pipe 142 and the third supply pipe 143 ). The openings 152 may be provided in the side wall of the discharge chamber 151 facing the upper surface of the substrate 10 in the discharge chamber 151. The first supply pipe 141, the second supply pipe 142 and the third supply pipe 143 can be separated by the side wall of the discharge chamber 151 formed with the openings 152. The sidewall of the discharge chamber 151 formed with the openings 152 is connected to the metal source supplied from the first supply pipe 141, the second supply pipe 142 and the third supply pipe 143, the oxidant, And may block the movement to the adjacent supply pipes 141, 142, and 143.

The sidewalls formed with the openings 152 in the discharge chamber 151 are disposed adjacent to the upper surface of the substrate 10 and are spaced apart from the upper surface of the substrate 10 by a certain distance.

The gap between the side wall on which the openings 152 are formed in the discharge chamber 151 and the upper surface of the substrate 10 is smaller than the distance between the first supply pipe 141, the second supply pipe 142, the third supply pipe 143, As shown in FIG. Therefore, the metal source, the oxidant, and the inert gas injected from the first supply pipe 141, the second supply pipe 142 and the third supply pipe 143 are supplied to the side walls of the discharge chamber 151, Lt; / RTI >

Further, the discharge chamber 151 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) to perform continuous pumping. Accordingly, the residual gas remaining unreacted on the substrate 10 can be discharged to the outside through the discharge chamber 151 except for the metal source. The residual gas is injected from the first supply pipe 141 to be adsorbed on the upper surface of the substrate 10 and the remaining metal gas is injected from the second supply pipe 142 to react with the metal source adsorbed on the substrate 10, An oxidant, the inert gas injected from the third supply pipe 143, and a reaction by-product of the metal source and the oxidant.

The auxiliary discharge chamber 153 has a hollow shape and is provided to cover the first gas supply pipe 141 on the inner wall of the side wall where the openings 152 are formed in the discharge chamber 151. The auxiliary discharge chamber 153 is connected to a separate vacuum pump (not shown) to perform continuous pumping. Therefore, the metal source that is sprayed from the first supply pipe 141 and adsorbed on the upper surface of the substrate 10 can be discharged to the outside through the auxiliary discharge chamber 153.

The residual gas other than the metal source, that is, the oxidizing agent that reacts with the metal source that is injected from the second supply pipe 142 and adsorbed to the substrate 10, the inert gas injected from the third supply pipe 143, The reaction by-products of the source and the oxidant are discharged through the discharge chamber 151. Therefore, the metal source and the remaining residual gas are discharged separately from each other. It is possible to prevent the metal source for discharging the residual gas from reacting with the oxidizing agent of the remaining residual gas, thereby preventing the metal oxide film from being formed in the gas supplying unit 140 and the gas discharging unit 150 . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the metal oxide film formed on the gas supply unit 140 and the gas discharge unit 150 from falling down on the upper surface of the substrate 10 and acting as particles.

Since the gas supply unit 140 and the gas discharge unit 150 are spaced apart from the substrate 10 arranged to be inclined when the substrate 10 is supported to be inclined and moved in the horizontal direction, 140 and the gas discharge portion 150 are also arranged to be inclined. In this case, the substrate 10 is disposed so as to be inclined upward so that the metal oxide film is formed on the gas supply unit 140 and the gas discharge unit 150, so that the gas supply unit 140 and the gas discharge unit 150 are formed It is possible to prevent or minimize the metal oxide film falling onto the upper surface of the substrate 10 and adhering to the substrate 10.

The metal oxide film can be uniformly formed on the upper surface of the substrate 10 because the gas supply unit 140 and the gas discharge unit 150 are spaced apart from the upper surface of the substrate 10. [ Therefore, the quality of the metal oxide film can be improved.

2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining another example of the gas supply unit shown in FIG.

2, a detailed description of the gas supply unit 140 except for the arrangement of the first supply pipe 141, the second supply pipe 142, and the third supply pipe 143 will be described with reference to FIG. 140 in the first embodiment.

The gas supply unit 140 includes at least one first supply pipe 141, a plurality of second supply pipes 142 and a plurality of third supply pipes 143, .

A first supply pipe 141 may be disposed between the second supply pipes 142 and a first supply pipe 141 and a second supply pipe 142 may be alternately disposed between the third supply pipes 143. 2 is a sectional view illustrating a state where a first supply pipe 141 is disposed between the second supply pipes 142 when the first supply pipe 141 is provided and a first supply pipe 141 and a second supply pipe 142 are provided between the third supply pipes 143. [ And the second supply pipes 142 are arranged alternately. Accordingly, the first supply pipe 141, the second supply pipe 142, and the third supply pipe 143 can be arranged along the transport direction of the substrate 10. [

The first supply pipe 141 is disposed between the second supply pipes 142 so that the oxidant can be supplied after the metal source is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate 10 even if the substrate 10 reciprocates. Since the oxidizing agent is supplied in a state where the metal source is adsorbed on the upper surface of the substrate 10, the metal oxide film can be formed on the upper surface of the substrate 10.

The thickness of the metal oxide film formed on the upper surface of the substrate 10 can be controlled by adjusting the number of the first supply pipe 141 and the second supply pipe 142 or adjusting the number of reciprocations of the substrate 10. That is, as the number of the first supply pipe 141 and the second supply pipe 142 increases or the number of reciprocations of the substrate 10 increases, the metal oxide film may be formed thicker on the upper surface of the substrate 10.

In the state where the first supply pipe 141, the second supply pipe 142 and the third supply pipe 143 are arranged as described above, the transfer unit 120 horizontally moves the substrate 10 in any one direction, May be formed.

As described above, in the apparatus for forming a metal oxide film according to the present invention, since the metal source injected for forming the metal oxide film is separated and discharged from the remaining gas including the oxidizing agent, the reaction between the metal gas and the oxidizing agent It is possible to prevent the metal oxide film from being formed in the gas supply unit and the gas discharge unit. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the metal oxide film from falling down from the gas supply portion and the gas discharge portion onto the upper surface of the substrate.

In addition, since the substrate and the gas supply unit are maintained at a constant interval, the uniformity of the metal oxide film formed on the substrate can be improved.

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 present invention as defined by the following claims. It can be understood that it is possible.

100: metal oxide film forming apparatus 110: chamber
120: transfer part 130: mask
140: gas supply part 150: gas discharge part
10: substrate

Claims (7)

A chamber providing a space for performing an atomic layer deposition process;
A transfer unit for supporting the substrate and horizontally moving the substrate in a direction parallel to the upper surface of the substrate;
A gas supply unit provided to face the upper surface of the substrate and supplying a metal source and an oxidant toward the substrate to form a metal oxide film in an atomic layer unit; And
And a gas discharge portion provided to cover the gas supply portion and separating the metal source remaining on the substrate and the oxidant and discharging the oxidant to the outside,
The gas-
A first supply line for supplying the metal source toward the substrate to adsorb the metal source on the substrate;
A second supply pipe for supplying the oxidant to the substrate on which the metal source is adsorbed to form the metal oxide film on the substrate; And
And a third supply pipe for supplying an inert gas for purging the upper surface of the substrate,
The gas-
The first supply pipe, the second supply pipe, and the third supply pipe to separate the first supply pipe, the second supply pipe, and the third supply pipe, and to discharge residual gas remaining on the substrate except for the metal source A discharge chamber; And
And an auxiliary discharge chamber which is provided to cover the first supply pipe on the inner wall of the discharge chamber and discharges the remaining metal source which is sprayed from the first supply pipe and adsorbed on the upper surface of the substrate, Forming device. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first supply pipe, the second supply pipe, and the third supply pipe are parallel to an upper surface of the substrate and extend perpendicular to a moving direction of the substrate. delete 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein when the transporting unit moves the substrate in one direction,
Wherein at least one of the first supply pipe and the second supply pipe has the same number, and the third supply pipe is provided with a plurality of the same,
And the first supply pipe and the second supply pipe are alternately arranged between the third supply pipes from the front end in the transport direction of the substrate. 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the conveying section reciprocates the substrate,
Wherein at least one of the first supply pipe, the second supply pipe, and the third supply pipe are provided,
Wherein the first supply pipe is disposed between the second supply pipes, and the first supply pipe and the second supply pipes are disposed alternately between the third supply pipes. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first supply pipe, the second supply pipe, and the third supply pipe are spaced apart from each other by an equal distance to the substrate. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a mask provided to cover a substrate supported by the transfer unit, the mask selectively exposing the substrate.

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