KR20050105796A - Apparatus for processing substrate with plasma - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus, and more particularly, to a plasma processing apparatus having a wide view port for observing the inside of an airtight processing chamber and capable of forming a uniform plasma.

The present invention provides a plasma processing apparatus for performing a predetermined treatment on an object to be processed by using a plasma, the apparatus comprising: an airtight processing chamber configured to provide a plasma generating space by forming an inside thereof in a vacuum atmosphere; And a view port provided in a through hole formed through a predetermined portion of a side wall of the hermetic processing chamber, and configured to observe an inside state of the hermetic processing chamber from outside the hermetic processing chamber.

The view port,

It is provided in the inner opening of the through hole,

A transmission member through which plasma light can pass;

A fixing member for fixing the penetrating member to an inner opening; in

It provides a plasma processing apparatus, characterized in that made.

Description

Plasma processing unit {Apparatus for processing substrate with plasma}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus, and more particularly, to a plasma processing apparatus having a wide view port for observing the inside of an airtight processing chamber and capable of forming a uniform plasma.

Generally, the plasma processing apparatus which performs a predetermined process with respect to a to-be-processed object using a plasma in vacuum atmosphere is used for the process of a to-be-processed object, such as a semiconductor and an LCD (LCD) substrate.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a conventional plasma processing apparatus. Hereinafter, the structure of the plasma processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

The plasma processing apparatus includes an airtight processing chamber 10 capable of forming an interior thereof in a vacuum atmosphere; A mounting table 20 provided in the airtight processing chamber 10 and having a mounting surface on which the object to be processed 22 is mounted; A gas supply system 30 for supplying a processing gas to the hermetic processing chamber 10; An electric field generating system 40 for generating an electric field for plasmalizing the supplied processing gas; And an exhaust system 50 for discharging the processing gas after forming the object 22 or forming the airtight processing chamber 10 in a vacuum atmosphere.

First, the airtight processing chamber 10 has a structure capable of forming an atmosphere in the processing chamber by vacuum by blocking the inside of the processing chamber from the outside. In the airtight processing chamber 10, various components for performing a predetermined process on the object to be processed 22 are provided.

And the lower part of the inside of the airtight processing chamber 10 is provided with a mounting table 20 on which the object to be processed 22 is mounted. On the upper surface of the mounting table 20, a mounting surface in contact with the object to be processed 22 (drawings) Not shown) is formed.

Next, the plasma processing apparatus includes a gas supply system 30 for supplying a processing gas into the hermetic processing chamber 10, and the gas supply system 30 uniformly supplies the processing gas into the hermetic processing chamber 10. Detailed components such as a diffuser plate, an upper showerhead, and a lower showerhead may be further provided therein.

In addition, an electric field generating system 40 is provided to generate an electric field necessary for plasmalizing the process gas supplied by the gas supply system 30. The field generator 40 generally includes an upper electrode and a lower electrode. In the plasma enhanced plasma processing apparatus, the mounting table 20 serves as a lower electrode, and the upper electrode serves as a gas supply system. Serve. At this time, the mounting table 20 serving as the lower electrode is grounded to the wall of the airtight processing chamber 10, and high frequency power is applied to the upper electrode 40.

Next, a predetermined portion of the hermetic treatment chamber 10 is further provided with an exhaust system 50 for removing the processing gas, the by-products and the like already used for the treatment of the object 22 to be processed. Of course, the exhaust system 50 is also used to exhaust the gas inside the hermetic chamber 10 in order to form the inside of the hermetic chamber 10 in a vacuum atmosphere.

As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of view ports 60 are provided on the sidewall of the plasma processing apparatus. When the view port 60 performs a predetermined process on the object 22 within the hermetic processing chamber 10, the view port 60 is inside the hermetic processing chamber 10 such as the degree to which the object 22 is processed. The component to enable the observation and inspection of the situation outside the confidential processing chamber (10).

Therefore, the above-described view port 60 is formed in the through hole 12 formed through a predetermined portion of the side wall of the airtight processing chamber 10, and light may pass through to observe the inside of the airtight processing chamber 10. It is made of a member. In particular, plasma light generated in the airtight processing chamber 10 should be able to transmit. When a predetermined treatment is performed on the workpiece 22 using plasma, whether or not the treatment on the workpiece 22 is finished is based on the change in the emission spectrum of the plasma light generated inside the hermetic chamber 10. Because judging by. That is, when the change in the emission spectrum of the plasma light observed through the above-described view port 60 is observed, and the spectrum appears at the time when the processing on the object 22 is finished, the processing is terminated.

However, as shown in FIG. 2, the conventional view port 60 is located at the outer side of the opening of the through hole 12 formed in the side wall of the hermetic processing chamber 10, which is in contact with the outer space of the hermetic processing chamber 10. It is prepared to face. Accordingly, the view port hole A having a predetermined depth is generated from the inner opening that is in contact with the inner space of the airtight processing chamber 10 among the openings of the through hole 12. However, when plasma is generated in the airtight processing chamber 10, the plasma current density in the view port hole A portion is higher than that of other portions, so that the plasma density in the airtight processing chamber 10 is not uniform as a whole, so that the plasma is treated with the plasma. There is also a problem that the degree of processing of the object 22 to be processed is not uniform.

This problem is larger in the situation where the thickness of the side wall of the airtight processing chamber 22 becomes thicker due to the current tendency that the area of the object 22 to be processed by the plasma processing apparatus becomes larger and the size of the plasma processing apparatus becomes larger. It is a problem.

In addition, since the foreign matters such as by-products of the plasma processing gas may be generated and remain in the above-described view port hole A, the foreign matters may be prevented when one process for the object 22 is completed and the next process proceeds. It causes a problem such as affecting the processing of the processed material 22.

In addition, since the inside of the airtight processing chamber 10, which should be observed as the plasma processing apparatus is enlarged, is enlarged, a view port for observing a wider portion is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a plasma processing apparatus having a viewport capable of forming a uniform plasma inside an airtight processing chamber.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a plasma processing apparatus having a view port having a wide field of view.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a plasma processing apparatus for performing a predetermined treatment on an object to be processed by using a plasma, comprising: an airtight processing chamber configured to provide a plasma generating space by forming an inside thereof in a vacuum atmosphere; And a view port provided in a through hole formed through a predetermined portion of a side wall of the hermetic processing chamber, and configured to observe an inside state of the hermetic processing chamber from outside the hermetic processing chamber.

The view port,

It is provided in the inner opening of the through hole,

A transmission member through which plasma light can pass;

A fixing member for fixing the penetrating member to an inner opening; in

It provides a plasma processing apparatus, characterized in that made.

In addition, the present invention is provided by attaching a protective member for protecting the transmission member on the surface of the transmission member to prevent the transmission member from being damaged during installation or operation.

In addition, in the present invention, the outer opening of the side wall of the hermetic processing chamber is narrower, and the inner diameter thereof is increased toward the inner side, so that the inner opening is formed in a wide shape, thereby widening the field of view secured by one view port, and thus one plasma. It allows you to observe a wide area without increasing the number of viewports provided in the processing unit.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a specific embodiment of the present invention.

The plasma processing apparatus according to the present invention also includes a hermetic processing chamber capable of forming an inside thereof in a vacuum atmosphere, similar to the conventional plasma processing apparatus; A mounting table provided in the hermetic treatment chamber and having a mounting surface on which to-be-processed object is to be mounted; A gas supply system for supplying a processing gas to the hermetic processing chamber; An electric field generating system generating an electric field for plasmalizing the supplied processing gas; It is configured to include; an exhaust system for discharging the processing gas after processing the object to be processed or to form the inside of the airtight processing chamber in a vacuum atmosphere. The configuration and operation of each component are also the same as in the conventional plasma processing apparatus. Therefore, the description is omitted.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a view port provided in the plasma processing apparatus will be described.

<Example 1>

The view port 160 according to the present exemplary embodiment is provided in a through hole 112 formed through a predetermined portion of the side wall of the hermetic processing chamber 110, and the inside of the hermetic processing chamber 110 can be observed from the outside of the hermetic processing chamber 110. To help.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the through hole 112 is formed in a predetermined portion of the side wall of the airtight processing chamber 110. The plurality of through-holes 112 are formed at predetermined intervals on the side wall of the airtight processing chamber 110 so as to observe the inside of the airtight processing chamber 110 as a whole.

At this time, the above-described through hole 112, the cross-sectional shape is made of a trapezoidal shape, as shown in FIG. That is, the outer opening of the through hole 112 which is in contact with the outer side of the hermetic processing chamber 110 is wide, and the inner opening which is in contact with the inside of the hermetic processing chamber has a narrow shape. The reason why the through hole 112 is provided in such a shape is that when the view port 160 is installed on the side wall of the airtight processing chamber 110 and a replacement operation is performed, the operation is facilitated and the view port is performed. This is to widen the field of view through which the inside of the airtight processing chamber 110 can be observed.

In addition, the fixing jaw 114 is formed in the inner opening of the through hole 112 to fix the component such as the transmission member.

The fixing jaw 114 is formed in the inner opening side of the inner opening and the outer opening of the through hole 112. At this time, the smaller the thickness of the fixing jaw 112 is preferable because the inner surface of the airtight processing chamber 110 and the depth of the groove made by the transmission member 164 become shallower. However, the fixing jaw 112 should be thick enough to firmly fix the fixing member 168.

The sealing member insertion groove (not shown) in which the sealing member 162 is inserted and positioned is formed in a predetermined portion of the fixing jaw 112, and the sealing member 162 is inserted into the sealing member insertion groove. Is located. The sealing member 162 blocks the inside and outside of the airtight processing chamber 110 to maintain the airtight inside the airtight processing chamber 110.

Next, a transmissive member 164 is provided, and the transmissive member 164 is made of a material through which plasma light can transmit, and allows the inside of the hermetic processing chamber 110 to be observed. At this time, as the material of the transmission member 164, quartz is preferable in view of its transmittance and unit price. The aforementioned transmission member 164 is positioned in the through hole 112 so that one surface thereof faces the inside of the airtight processing chamber 110, and one surface thereof is in contact with the sealing member 162 described above.

And the code | symbol member 166 which can protect the surface of the permeable member 164 is provided in the surface of the permeable member 164 by adhering to the permeable member 164. The protection member 166 serves to prevent the transmission member 164 from being damaged by an external force during the installation of the plasma processing apparatus or the operation of the equipment. Therefore, the protective member 166 should be made of a material having some elasticity, and should be able to transmit plasma light. In the present embodiment, the protective member 166 is formed of a plastic that transmits light well.

The transmission member 164 and the protection member 166 described above are fastened to the fixing jaw 114 of the airtight processing chamber 110 by the fastening member 169. In other words, a hole through which the fastening member 169 can pass is formed in a predetermined portion of the transmissive member 164 and the protective member 166, and then the fastening member 169 is penetrated through the hole to transmit the transparent member 164 and the protection member. The member 166 is firmly fixed to the side wall of the hermetic processing chamber 110.

Further, in the view port 160 according to the present embodiment, it is more preferable to use a separate fixing member for fixing the transmission member to the side wall of the hermetic processing chamber in order to protect the transmission member. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the penetrating member 164 and the protective member 166 are fixed using the fixing member 168 provided to surround the outer circumferential surfaces of the penetrating member 164 and the protective member 166. A fastening hole formed in the fixing jaw 114 after forming a hole having a size that allows the fastening member 169 to pass through a predetermined portion of the edge of the fastening member 166 and passing the fastening member 169 through the hole. To bind to. When the fixing member 168 is used as described above, even if a slight force is applied in the process of pressing the fastening member 169, the transmission member 164 or the protection member 166 does not directly contact each other. I never do that. Therefore, the fixing member 168 is preferably formed of a material having a higher hardness than the transmission member 164 or the protection member 166.

In addition, when the transmission member 164 has a low resistance to plasma, an additional resistance member 165 may be further provided to protect the transmission member 164 from the plasma to increase its life. Therefore, the resistance member 165 should have a higher resistance to plasma than the transmission member 164. In the present embodiment, when the transmission member 164 is formed of quartz, the resistance member 165 is resistant to plasma than quartz. 165) is preferred.

The resistant member 165 is attached to a surface of the transmissive member 164 facing the inner side of the hermetic processing chamber 110 and in contact with the plasma during plasma processing.

<Example 2>

The view port 260 according to the present embodiment has the same components as the view port 160 according to the first embodiment.

However, the method of installing the view port 260 on the side wall of the airtight processing chamber 210 is different.

First, the through hole 212 is formed in a predetermined portion of the side wall of the hermetic processing chamber 210. At this time, the shape of the through hole 212 is a trapezoidal shape, as shown in FIG. That is, the outer opening of the through hole 212 that is in contact with the outside of the airtight processing chamber 210 is narrow, and the inner opening that is in contact with the inside of the airtight processing chamber 210 has a wide shape. The reason why the through hole 212 is provided in such a shape is to secure a wider field of view in observing the inside of the airtight processing chamber 210 through the view port 260.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, a fixing groove may be formed in the inner opening of the through hole 212 to fix the transmission member 264 and the protection member 266. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the transparent member 264 and the protective member 266 are provided inside the hermetic processing chamber 210. That is, after the permeable member 264 and the protective member 266 are positioned in the fixing groove in the airtight processing chamber 210, the fixing member 268 and the fastening member 269 are firmly fixed thereto. Therefore, the maintenance work or replacement work of the view port 260 should be performed in the interior of the airtight processing chamber (210).

In the case where the view port 260 according to the present embodiment is provided in the plasma processing apparatus, the difference between the transmissive member 264 and the inner side surface of the side wall of the airtight processing chamber 210 compared to the view port 160 according to the first embodiment. It is less, which is advantageous in maintaining plasma uniformity and removing particles.

<Example 3>

The view port 360 according to the present embodiment has the same components, functions, and functions as the view port 160 according to the first embodiment.

However, as shown in FIG. 5, the shape of the permeable member 364 is formed to protrude as the thickness of the fixing jaw 314 so that there is no difference between the inner side surface of the side wall of the airtight processing chamber 310 and the face of the permeable member. The interior of the process chamber 110 is a structure that is completely connected to be more advantageous to the uniformity of the plasma.

In addition, the structure of the view port 360 according to the present embodiment may be applied to the view port 260 according to the second embodiment.

According to the plasma processing apparatus according to the present invention, even if the inner surface of the airtight processing chamber in which the plasma is formed is not generated, a uniform plasma can be generated, and the processing of the object is performed uniformly.

In addition, since the plasma processing apparatus according to the present invention has a wide field of view, even if the plasma processing apparatus is enlarged, the number of view ports installed in one plasma processing apparatus may not be increased, thereby lowering the manufacturing cost of the plasma processing apparatus. have. In addition, in the operation of the plasma processing apparatus to maintain the vacuum therein, the management point can be reduced to improve the stability of the apparatus.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a general structure of a plasma processing apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the plasma processing apparatus, showing a conventional viewport installation position.

3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the plasma processing apparatus, and is a longitudinal sectional view showing the structure of the viewport according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the plasma processing apparatus, and is a longitudinal sectional view showing the structure of the viewport according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view of the plasma processing apparatus, and is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the structure of a viewport according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

10, 110, 210, 310: confidential treatment room

12, 112, 212, 312: through hole

20, 120, 220, 320: Mounting table

30: gas supply system

40: field generator

50 exhaust system

60, 160, 260, 360: Viewport

162, 262, 362: sealing member

164, 264, 364: transmission member

165, 265, 365: resistant member

166, 266, 366: protective member

168, 268, 368: fixed member

169, 269, 369: fastening member

Claims (5)

In the plasma processing apparatus which performs a predetermined process to a to-be-processed object using a plasma, An airtight processing chamber that forms a vacuum atmosphere therein to provide a plasma generating space; And a view port provided in a through hole formed through a predetermined portion of a side wall of the hermetic processing chamber, and configured to observe an inside state of the hermetic processing chamber from outside the hermetic processing chamber. The view port, It is provided in the inner opening of the through hole, A transmission member through which plasma light can pass; A fixing member for fixing the penetrating member to an inner opening; in Plasma processing apparatus, characterized in that made. The method of claim 1, wherein the through hole, A plasma processing apparatus, characterized in that the outer opening is narrow and its inner diameter is larger as it goes inward. The method of claim 1, wherein the through hole, A plasma processing apparatus, characterized in that the outer opening is wider and the inner diameter thereof becomes smaller as it goes inward. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, And a protection member for protecting the transmission member is attached to the surface of the transmission member. The transmission member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein Plasma processing apparatus comprising a shape that can be in close contact with the inner opening of the through hole so that one surface thereof coincides with the inner surface of the side wall of the airtight processing chamber.