KR20060133630A - Apparatus for processing a substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus is provided to detect easily a vacuum leak portion from a process chamber by connecting a leak checking pipeline to a view port. A substrate processing apparatus includes a process chamber, a manometer, and a leak checking pipeline. The process chamber(110) provides a sealed space capable of performing a predetermined process on a substrate. The process chamber includes a view port(122) for checking exactly an inner state of the process chamber itself. The manometer(140) is installed at an outer portion of the process chamber. The manometer measures an inner pressure of the process chamber to check the leak of a gas. The leak checking pipeline(150) covers the view port to connect the process chamber with the manometer.

Description

Apparatus for processing a substrate

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining in detail the piping for checking leakage of FIG. 1. FIG.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

100: substrate processing apparatus 102: upper space

104: lower space 108: plate

110: process chamber 110a: first side wall

110b: second side wall 112: chuck

114: upper electrode 116: gas supply pipe

118: vacuum system 122: view port

124: fastener 132: RF power source

134: bias power source 140: pressure gauge

150: leak check pipe 152: pipe body

154: first coupling portion 156: second coupling portion

157: through hole 158: fastening member

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for performing a process for removing a film formed on a semiconductor substrate.

In recent years, with the rapid spread of information media such as computers, semiconductor devices are also rapidly developing. In terms of its function, the semiconductor device is required to operate at high speed and have a large storage capacity.

In response to these demands, the manufacturing technology of semiconductor devices has been developed to improve the degree of integration, reliability and response speed. In particular, there is a strong demand for reducing high-temperature processing in manufacturing a semiconductor device having a design rule of 90 nm or less. This is because the high temperature may deteriorate the fine pattern of the metal and the like in the semiconductor device, which may seriously affect the reliability of the device.

Recently, a technology has been developed that can achieve an effect such as progressing in a high temperature process using plasma at a temperature much lower than the high temperature process. Accordingly, the application range of plasma in the field of semiconductor device manufacturing is gradually expanding.

Plasma, which is called a fourth state of a material that is not in a solid, liquid or gaseous state, refers to a material state in which freely moving positive and negative charged particles coexist and are electrically neutral. Such a plasma may perform gas activation corresponding to a thermal process at a temperature of 10,000 ° C. as an electron temperature of only 1 eV. Therefore, even a gas having low reactivity with heat exhibits a property of being easily activated in a plasma state.

In a process chamber of a deposition apparatus or an etching apparatus using such a plasma, the processes are generally performed while a predetermined vacuum pressure is maintained. To this end, one side of the process chamber is provided with a vacuum system for forming the inside of the vacuum.

After the inside of the process chamber is formed in a vacuum state by the vacuum system, an inert gas such as argon (Ar) or helium (He) gas is provided, and an RF voltage is applied to the process chamber so that the inert gas is in a plasma state. Is switched to. Subsequently, a process gas required for the deposition or etching process is supplied into the process chamber.

In this case, the vacuum system is continuously operated because the vacuum pressure of the process chamber is dropped when the gas is injected into the gas. Therefore, in order to maintain a preset vacuum pressure, a task of periodically checking whether a vacuum leak occurs in the process chamber is required.

In the method of checking the vacuum leakage, it is possible to confirm whether the vacuum leakage by reading the value appearing on the pressure gauge in a state in which a vacuum is provided inside the process chamber using the vacuum system.

As a result, it is not easy for an operator to find the leaking point in the event of a vacuum leak. Accordingly, there is a hassle that needs to be reassembled after dismantling the process chamber. That is, the operator preferably checks the leak point while sequentially assembling all the parts constituting the process chamber.

As such, the loss of time and labor required for reassembling the process chamber to find a leak point in the process chamber or to prevent the leakage of the process chamber has been a big problem. Due to these losses, the throughput per unit time of the substrate processing apparatus falls, which leads to economic losses.

An object of the present invention for solving the above problems is to limit the internal space of the process chamber, and to close the limited space and perform a vacuum leak test to more efficiently find the point where the vacuum leakage occurs It is to provide a substrate processing apparatus.

The substrate processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is provided with a gas for processing the substrate, and provides a sealed space for processing the substrate using the gas and the side wall defining the space A process chamber having a viewport for checking the inside of the space, a pressure gauge for measuring an internal pressure of the process chamber to check whether the process chamber leaks gas, and a cover coupled to cover the viewport, the process chamber and the pressure gauge Includes a leak-checking pipe for connecting the

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the leakage check pipe includes a pipe body, a first coupling part provided at one end of the pipe body, and configured to couple the view port formed in the pipe body and the process chamber, and the pipe. It is provided at the other end of the body and may include a second coupling portion for coupling the pipe body and the pressure gauge.

The apparatus may further include a plate for separating the process chamber internal space into an upper space and a lower space, and the viewport may be positioned adjacent to the lower space.

The substrate processing apparatus having the above configuration further defines a space inside the process chamber by using the plate, and connects a leak check pipe to a viewport communicating with the limited space, thereby reducing the vacuum leakage point generated in the process chamber. It is easier to find.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a substrate processing apparatus in an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the illustrated substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a process chamber 110 for processing a semiconductor substrate 10, a pressure gauge 140 for checking whether the process chamber leaks, and the process chamber. It is configured to include a leak check pipe 150 for connecting the 110 and the pressure gauge 140.

The substrate processing apparatus 100 may be used as an apparatus for etching a film or a pattern formed on the semiconductor substrate 10 using plasma. In this case, the process chamber 110 functions as an etching chamber.

Inside the process chamber 110, a chuck 112 for supporting the semiconductor substrate 10 and an upper electrode 114 for forming a process gas supplied to the process chamber 110 into plasma are disposed. The chuck 112 and the upper electrode 114 are disposed to face each other, and a plasma is formed between the chuck 112 and the upper electrode 114.

An RF power source 132 for forming a plasma is connected to the upper electrode 114, and a bias power source 134 is connected to the chuck 112.

A gas supply pipe 116 for supplying the process gas is connected to the first side wall 110a of the process chamber 110, and the inside of the process chamber 110 is vacuumed at the bottom of the process chamber 110. A vacuum system 118 for forming is connected.

In addition, a view port 122 is formed on one sidewall of the process chamber 110, for example, the second side wall 110b, to communicate the inside and the outside of the process chamber 110. In this case, the viewport 122 is a visual inspection window (not shown) made of a transparent material so that an operator can visually observe a state of performing a machining process on the semiconductor substrate 10 or an internal state of the process chamber 110. ) May be a port for installing.

In this case, the visual inspection window may be made of quartz, and the operator may perform a machining process using a plasma through the visual inspection window, a degree of damage of an inner surface of the process chamber 110 by plasma, and a process chamber. Polymer 110 formed on the inner surface can be directly observed with the naked eye.

Alternatively, the viewport 122 may be a port for installing an end point detection window (not shown) for detecting an end point of the plasma etching process. This is to prevent overetching of the film etched by the plasma. An endpoint detection system (not shown) for detecting the endpoint is connected to the detection window through the endpoint detection window.

Here, the inner space of the process chamber 110 may be separated into the upper space 102 and the lower space 104 by a plate 108 coupled to a portion of the side wall of the process chamber 110. Specifically, the plate 108 may be coupled to seal the lower space 104 to completely seal the inside of the lower space 104.

Here, the plate 108 may be coupled to various points inside the process chamber 110 so that the volume of the lower space 104 may be changed. To this end, the inner wall of the process chamber 110 is provided with various types of coupling grooves (not shown), sealing members such as o-rings (not shown) for coupling with the plate 108 and the like. Can be.

When a vacuum leak occurs in the process chamber 110, the space of the process chamber 110 is limited by using the plate 108, and then a vacuum leak test is performed to see a point where the leak occurs. To find effectively. That is, when the coupling position of the plate 108 is changed, the space defined by the plate 108 changes, and the limited space may be inspected for vacuum leakage. Therefore, the above-described viewport 122 is preferably formed to be adjacent to the lower space 104.

One side of the process chamber 110 is provided with a manometer (140) for inspecting the gas leakage inside the process chamber (110). An example of the pressure gauge 140 is a capacitance manometer that can accurately measure the actual pressure of the process chamber and is not affected by the type of gas being measured.

The pressure gauge 140 is connected to the process chamber 110 through a leakage check pipe 150. Specifically, the leakage check pipe 150 is preferably coupled to the process chamber 110 to sufficiently cover the viewport (122).

FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining in detail the piping for checking leakage of FIG. 1. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 2, the leak check pipe 150 is provided at a pipe body 152 and one end of the pipe body 152, and the pipe body 152 is disposed on the sidewall of the process chamber 110. A first coupling part 154 for coupling and a second coupling part 156 provided at the other end of the pipe body 152 and for coupling the pipe body 152 to the pressure gauge 140. do.

The pipe body 152 preferably has a curved shape to minimize the installation area of the substrate processing apparatus 100. Specifically, when the leak check pipe 150 is coupled to the second side wall 110b of the process chamber 110, the leak check pipe 150 extends from the second side wall 110b. It may have an "L" shape bent in the upper direction of the process chamber 110.

The process chamber 110 and the pipe body 152 are coupled by the first coupling part 154. Specifically, the first coupling portion 154 is coupled to one end of the pipe body 152. An example of the first coupling part 154 is a flange having a disc shape. Here, the first coupling part 154 is preferably coupled to cover the viewport 122 of the process chamber 110.

A plurality of through holes 157 are formed at the edge of the first coupling part 154, and each of the through holes 157 is at the edge of the viewport 122 of the second side wall 110b. A plurality of fastening holes 124 are formed in communication.

A plurality of fastening members 158 are provided to fasten the first coupling part 154 to the second side wall 110b through the through holes 157 and the fastening holes 124. An example of the fastening members 158 is a bolt.

For example, three through holes 157 and fastening holes 124 are formed in the first coupling part 154 and the second side wall 110b, respectively, and thus the respective balls 124 and 157 are formed. Three fastening members 158 are provided therethrough. However, four fastening members 158, fastening holes 124, and through holes 157 may be provided to form stronger and more uniform fastening forces generated by the respective fastening members 158, respectively. have.

The pressure gauge 140 and the pipe body 152 are coupled by the second coupling part 156. The second coupling part 156 may have various shapes according to the shape and type of the pressure gauge 140.

As such, by coupling the plate 108 to the process chamber 110, one end of the leakage check pipe 150 to the viewport 122, and the other end by coupling the pressure gauge 140, Vacuum leakage of the space inside the process chamber 110 defined by the plate 108 may be confirmed. The viewport 122 is generally provided in a substrate processing apparatus using plasma as a viewport for plasma confirmation or a port for endpoint detection. Therefore, by coupling the leak check pipe 150 to the previously formed viewport 122, there is an economic advantage that it is not necessary to manufacture a new process chamber.

According to the present invention as described above, by limiting the space of the process chamber, and after closing the space by installing a leak check pipe in the viewport communicating with the lower space, the point where the vacuum leakage occurs in the process chamber more effectively You can check it.

Therefore, when a leak occurs in the process chamber, the leak point can be found in a shorter time, thereby improving the device operation rate.

Although the above has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, those skilled in the art will be able to variously modify and change the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. I can understand that you can.

Claims (5)

A process chamber provided with a gas for processing a substrate, providing a closed space for processing the substrate using the gas, and a sidewall defining the space having a viewport for checking the inside of the space; A pressure gauge for measuring a pressure inside the process chamber to check whether the process chamber leaks gas; And A substrate processing apparatus coupled to cover the viewport, including a leak check pipe for connecting the process chamber and the pressure gauge. According to claim 1, The leakage check pipe, Tubing torso; A first coupling part provided at one end of the pipe body and configured to couple the pipe body to a side wall of the process chamber; And And a second coupling part provided at the other end of the pipe body, and configured to couple the pipe body to the pressure gauge. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus performs an etching process on the substrate using plasma. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plate for separating the space into an upper space and a lower space, wherein the viewport is located adjacent to the lower space. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of fastening members fastened to the side wall through one end of the leak checking pipe to mount the leak checking pipe on the side wall of the process chamber.

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