KR20070000067A - Shower head assembly and apparatus for processing a semiconductor substrate having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A shower head assembly and a semiconductor substrate processing apparatus with the same are provided to restrain the generation of particles on a first and second porous plates by separating easily the first and second porous plates without the damage and deformation using an improved separation screw structure. A shower head assembly includes a shower head cover for being connected with a gas supply unit(170), a first porous plate(140) attached to the shower head cover, a second porous plate, and a separation screw. The second porous plate(150) is connected to the shower head cover. The second porous plate has a screw hole. The separation screw(160) is inserted into the screw hole of the second porous plate. The separation screw is capable of separating easily the second porous plate from the first porous plate. The separation screw has a flat end portion or a cylindrical end portion. The separation screw is made of one selected from a group consisting of stainless steel, aluminium, nickel, chrome, ceramic, quartz, or sapphire.

Description

SHOWER HEAD ASSEMBLY AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING A SEMICONDUCTOR SUBSTRATE HAVING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to a shower head assembly and a semiconductor substrate processing apparatus having the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a shower head assembly for supplying process gases to an upper surface of a semiconductor substrate for depositing a predetermined thin film on the semiconductor substrate, and a semiconductor substrate processing apparatus including the same.

Current research on semiconductor devices is progressing toward high integration and high performance in order to process more data in a short time. In order to achieve high integration and high performance of a semiconductor device, a thin film deposition technology for accurately forming a thin film pattern on a semiconductor substrate is important.

Generally, a technique for depositing a thin film on a semiconductor substrate is classified into a physical vapor deposition (PVD) method using a physical method and a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method using a chemical method. In addition, atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology has been developed to form more precise thin films.

Among the deposition techniques described above, chemical vapor deposition and atomic film deposition techniques use the reaction principle of process gases. The reaction principle of the process gases is shown in the following scheme.

AX (g) + BY (g) → AB (s) + XY (g)

Here, AX means the first process gas and BY means the second process gas.

The process gases may be heated to high temperatures or exposed to high potential differences in order to facilitate the reaction of process gases such as the scheme. In this case, a shower head assembly is used.

As an example of a shower head assembly, US Pat. No. 6,173,673 (Golovato, et al.) Discloses a shower head assembly for forming a process gas into a plasma state.

In general, the shower head assembly has a cylindrical shape as a whole and is provided on an inner upper portion of a process chamber in which a processing process for a semiconductor substrate is performed. Process gases are spread evenly inside the process chamber through the shower head assembly.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a shower head assembly disclosed in the prior art.

Referring to FIG. 1, the shower head assembly 10 includes a head cover 20, a first porous plate 30, and a second porous plate 40.

The head cover 20 has a cylindrical shape as a whole, and is connected to a gas supply line 15 for supplying process gases thereon. The first porous plate 30 is coupled to the lower portion of the head cover 20, and the second porous plate 40 is coupled to the lower portion of the first porous plate 30. In this case, a predetermined gas diffusion space is provided between the head cover 20 and the first porous plate 30 and between the first porous plate 30 and the second porous plate 40.

The first and second porous plates 30 and 40 both have disc shapes of the same diameter, and fine gas discharge holes are formed in each plate 30 and 40.

Process gases supplied through the gas supply line 15 are first diffused into the space between the head cover 20 and the first porous plate 30, and then pass through the first porous plate 30 to form a first porous plate ( Secondary diffusion into the space between 30) and the second porous plate 40. The second diffused process gases are injected through the second porous plate 40 to the semiconductor substrate inside the process chamber (P).

In this case, the process chamber interior P is heated to a high temperature of about 400 ° C. or more so that the process gases react quickly and uniformly in the process chamber interior P. The shower head assembly 10 exposed to the inside of the process chamber P is also heated by radiant heat. In some cases, the shower head assembly 10 may also be heated by itself.

As described above, when the shower head assembly 10 heated to a high temperature is exposed to room temperature for maintenance or replacement, the first porous plate 30 and the second porous plate 40 are compressed and difficult to separate. This is because the gas diffusion space between the first porous plate 30 and the second porous plate 40 is thermally expanded so that the pressure is lower than the surroundings.

Conventionally, in order to separate the compressed first and second porous plates 30 and 40, a physical impact is applied to the first and second porous plates 30 and 40 using a hammer or a driver. When physical impacts are added to the first and second porous plates 30 and 40, damage and deformation of the first and second porous plates 30 and 40 are too obvious. However, in the related art, there is no alternative to separate them while preventing damage and deformation of the first and second porous plates 30 and 40, thus taking the same and separating the first and second porous plates 30 and 40.

Damage and deformation of the first and second porous plates 30 and 40 are not merely a problem of the shower head assembly 10 alone. When the first and second porous plates 30 and 40 are damaged and deformed, process gas may leak through the first and second porous plates 30 and 40, and the first and second porous plates ( Particles may be generated at 30 and 40. As a result, a thin film may be deposited on the semiconductor substrate with a non-uniform thickness, and the thin film may include impurities. Naturally, the characteristics of the semiconductor device are deteriorated, and enormous damage is expected, such as an increase in the error rate in subsequent processes.

The present invention has been made to solve all the problems of the prior art as described above, one object of the present invention is to provide a shower head assembly that can effectively separate the porous plates.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor substrate processing apparatus capable of excellently processing a semiconductor substrate using the shower head assembly.

In order to achieve the above object of the present invention, a shower head assembly according to an aspect of the present invention includes a shower head cover to which a gas supply unit is connected, a first porous plate closely attached to the shower head cover, and a first porous plate. A second porous plate formed to have the same diameter and coupled to the shower head cover together with the first porous plate, and having a separation screw hole formed therein, and coupled to the separation screw hole to contact the circumference of the first porous plate. And a separating screw for pressing the circumference of the first porous plate to separate the second porous plate from the first porous plate. In this case, the separation screw may have a flat end or a cylindrical end to increase the contact area with the first porous plate, and may be made of stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, chromium, ceramic, quartz or sapphire. The gas supply unit may include a first gas supply line for supplying a first gas and a second gas supply line for supplying a second gas. The shower head cover may include a first flow path for supplying a first gas between the shower head cover and the first porous plate, and a second flow path for supplying a second gas between the first porous plate and the second porous plate. have.

In addition, the semiconductor substrate processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention in order to achieve the above object of the present invention, the process chamber, the chuck is provided in the process chamber, the process chamber is performed inside the process chamber for the semiconductor substrate To supply gas for processing a semiconductor substrate into the process chamber, i) a shower head cover to which the gas supply unit is connected, ii) a first porous plate in close contact with the shower head cover, and A second porous plate which is formed to have the same diameter and is coupled to the shower head cover together with the first porous plate and has a separation screw hole formed therein, and iii) is coupled to the separation screw hole to contact the circumference of the first porous plate. And pressurizing the circumference of the first porous plate to remove the second porous plate from the first porous plate. Shower head assembly having a separating screw to separate, and discharge means for adjusting the pressure inside the process, and for discharging the reaction by-products and unreacted gas generated during the processing process.

According to the present invention, the second porous plate can be easily separated from the first porous plate. Therefore, damage and deformation of the first and second porous plates can be suppressed as much as possible, and generation of particles in the first and second porous plates can be suppressed as much as possible. Finally, the semiconductor substrate can be processed excellently.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a shower head assembly and a semiconductor substrate processing apparatus including the same according to various aspects of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is limited or limited by the following embodiments. It doesn't happen.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view for describing a semiconductor substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a plan view for explaining a second porous plate shown in FIG. 2.

2 and 3, the semiconductor substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a process chamber 110, a chuck 120, a shower head assembly 130, a gas supply unit 170, and a discharge unit 180. .

The process chamber 100 is an apparatus for performing a machining process on the semiconductor substrate W, and a space for performing the machining process is provided therein. There are a wide variety of types of machining processes that can be decomposed in the process chamber 100. For example, a predetermined thin film may be deposited, etched, or annealed on the semiconductor substrate W. FIG. The chuck 120 for supporting the semiconductor substrate W is provided in the process chamber 100.

The chuck 120 supports the semiconductor substrate W and simultaneously fixes the semiconductor substrate W while the machining process is performed. For example, the chuck 120 may be provided with a vacuum line to absorb and fix the semiconductor substrate W, or an electrostatic generating unit may be installed to fix the semiconductor substrate W by an electrostatic force. The shower head assembly 130 is provided on the chuck 120 on which the semiconductor substrate W is disposed.

The shower head assembly 130 includes a shower head cover 135, a first porous plate 140, a second porous plate 150 separation screw 160, and a heater 165.

The shower head cover 135 has a cylindrical shape as a whole and is disposed above the inner side of the process chamber 100. The gas supply unit 170 is connected to the shower head cover 135 to supply process gases into the process chamber 100. In more detail, first and second flow paths 131 and 132 are formed in the shower head cover 135. One inlet of the first flow path 131 is formed on the top surface of the shower head cover 135, and a plurality of outlets of the first flow path 131 are formed on the bottom surface of the shower head cover 135. That is, the gas injected into the first flow path 131 is injected through the plurality of outlets. In this case, the inlet of the first flow path 131 is formed in the center of the upper surface of the shower head cover 135, the outlet of the first flow path 131 is formed in the circumferential direction on the lower surface of the shower head cover 135. desirable.

In contrast, one inlet of the second flow path 132 is formed on the top surface of the shower head cover 135, and one outlet of the second flow path 132 is also formed on the bottom surface of the shower head cover 135. That is, the gas injected into the first flow path 132 is injected through one outlet. In this case, the inlet of the second flow path 232 is preferably formed in the center of the upper surface of the shower head cover 135, the outlet of the second flow path 132 is preferably formed in the center of the shower head cover 135.

The gas supply unit 170 includes first and second gas lines 171 and 172 connected to the first and second flow paths 131 and 132 in the shower head cover 135, respectively. The first gas line 171 is connected to the first flow path 131, and the second gas line 172 is connected to the second flow path 132.

The first and second gas lines 171 and 172 are used to supply process gases into the process chamber 100 through separate lines, respectively. The first and second gas lines 171 and 172 may supply the same process gas or may supply different process gases, respectively. Among the process gases for processing the semiconductor substrate W, there are gases that react easily when mixed during supply. For example, there are titanium tetrachloride (TiCl 4) gas and ammonia (NH 3) gas. In addition, there are numerous semiconductor process gases that are preferably not mixed during the supply, so it is difficult to list them all, but those skilled in the art will readily understand.

The heater 165 for heating the process gases is installed on the upper surface of the shower head cover 135. The heater 165 is a device for heating process gases to react quickly and uniformly inside the process chamber, and may be made of a hot wire coil, a heating jacket, or a lamp. In further development, the shower head cover 135 may be further equipped with a temperature sensor (not shown) that cooperates with the heater 165 to heat the process gases to the correct temperature, and the shower head cover 135 may overheat. Cooling units can also be further mounted to prevent them. In this case, it is preferable to use a cooling line through which cooling water or cooling gas flows as the cooling unit. Therefore, process gases sensitive to temperature changes can be used safely.

The first porous plate 140 and the second porous plate 150 are sequentially defective on the lower surface of the shower head cover 135.

The first porous plate 140 has a disk shape as a whole and is in close contact with the shower head cover 135. The upper periphery of the first porous plate 140 is formed to protrude to a predetermined thickness from the central portion. First coupling holes 145 are formed in the protruding periphery of the first porous plate 140, and fine first gas discharge holes 141 are formed in the central portion recessed in comparison with the periphery. In addition, transfer holes 142 may be formed at the center of the first porous plate 140 to directly transfer the second process gas transferred from the shower head cover 135 to the second porous plate 150.

The first coupling holes 145 formed at the periphery of the first porous plate 140 are used to couple the first porous plate 140 and the second porous plate 150 together to the shower head cover 135. The first gas discharge holes 141 are used to discharge the first process gas delivered from the shower head cover 135 to the second porous plate 150. As the first process gas, oxygen gas (O 2), nitrous oxide gas (N 2 O), ozone gas (O 3), ammonia gas (NH 3), or the like can be selected.

The upper surface of the first porous plate 140 is provided with a predetermined diffusion space as the peripheral portion protrudes. The first process gas delivered from the shower head cover 135 is uniformly diffused in the diffusion space and then discharged to the second porous plate 150 through the first gas discharge holes 141. In contrast, the second process gas is directly transferred from the shower head cover 135 to the second porous plate 150 and is injected onto the semiconductor substrate W through the second porous plate 150. As the second process gas, lead source gas Pb (tmhd) 2, titanium source gas Ti (tmhd) 2, zirconium source gas Zr (tmhd) 2, or the like may be selected.

The second porous plate 150 has a diameter substantially the same as that of the first porous plate 140. The upper periphery of the second porous plate 150 also protrudes similarly to the first porous plate 140. Protruding peripheries of the second porous plate 150 are formed with second coupling holes 145 having the same position and size as the first coupling holes 145 of the first porous plate 140. In addition, at least one separation screw hole 157 for easily separating the second porous plate 150 from the first porous plate is formed at the periphery of the second porous plate 150. Fine second gas outlet holes 151 are formed in a central portion recessed in the second porous plate 150 as compared with the peripheral portion.

The second coupling holes 155 formed at the periphery of the second porous plate 150 are used to couple the first porous plate 140 and the second porous plate 150 together to the shower head cover 135. That is, the first and second porous plates 140 and 150 are fixed to the shower head cover 135 with the first and second coupling holes 145 and 155 aligned.

As the periphery of the second porous plate 150 also protrudes, a diffusion space is provided between the second porous plate 150 and the first porous plate 140. The second process gas transferred directly from the shower head cover 135 is uniformly diffused in the diffusion space and then sprayed onto the semiconductor substrate through the second gas discharge holes 151. Hereinafter, a semiconductor substrate processing process performed in the process chamber 110 will be described in detail.

In the process chamber 110, a deposition process for the semiconductor substrate W may be performed. The semiconductor substrate W provided in the process chamber 110 is disposed on and fixed to the chuck 120. Thereafter, the first and second process gases are injected into the process chamber 110 through the first and second gas supply lines 171 and 172. In this case, the shower head assembly 130 and the semiconductor substrate W inside the process chamber 110, including the process chamber 110, are heated to a high temperature of about 400 ° C. or more. In addition, the shower head assembly 130 may be connected to a high frequency power (not shown) for inducing a high position difference inside the process chamber 110.

The first and second process gases exposed to the high temperature atmosphere inside the process chamber 110 react on the semiconductor substrate W disposed on the chuck 120 to form a predetermined thin film on the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate W. Is deposited. During this process, reaction by-products and unreacted gases are generated and present in the process chamber 110, and they are discharged to the discharge unit 180 through an outlet 182 formed under the process chamber 110. Discharge unit 180 is a device for adjusting the pressure by removing the air in the process chamber 110 to remove the reaction by-products and unreacted gases, may be configured as a vacuum pump.

As described above, when the shower head assembly 130 heated to a high temperature after the process is exposed to room temperature for maintenance or replacement, the first porous plate 140 and the second porous plate 150 are compressed due to thermal expansion. . However, in the shower head assembly 130 according to the present embodiment, the first and second porous plates 140 and 150 may be easily separated. Hereinafter, a method of separating the first and second porous plates 140 and 150 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial view of A shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view for explaining a separation method of the first and second porous plates shown in FIG. 4.

4 and 5, at least one separation screw hole 157 is formed in the periphery of the second porous plate 150. Two separation screw holes 157 may be formed in the radial direction of the second porous plate 150 or may be formed between the second coupling holes 155. The separation screw 160 is coupled to each of the separation screw holes 157.

Separation screw 160 is for pressing the circumference of the first porous plate 140 in contact with the circumference of the first porous plate 140, in order to increase the contact area with the first porous plate 140 flat or It is preferable to have a cylindrical tip.

The separating screw 160 may be made of stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, chromium, ceramic, quartz, or sapphire, and may have a strength similar to that of the first porous plate 140 to prevent damage to the first porous plate 140. It is desirable to have.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the separation screw 160 is coupled to the separation screw hole 157 by a predetermined depth or more, the separation screw 160 contacts the circumference of the first porous plate 140 to allow the first porous. Press the circumference of the plate. As a result, the first porous plate 140 is spaced apart from the second porous plate 150, and air flows into the space between the first porous plate 140 and the second porous plate 150 to allow the first porous plate ( 140 is directly separated from the second porous plate 150.

The separation screw 160 is always coupled to the shower head assembly 130 or can be selectively removed. That is, the process chamber 110 may be disposed in a state of being coupled to the shower head assembly 130, or the first and second porous plates 140 and 150 may be coupled to the second porous plate 150 only when disassembled. .

When using the shower head assembly 130 as described above, the second porous plate 150 can be easily separated from the first porous plate 140. Therefore, damage and deformation of the first and second porous plates 140 and 150 can be suppressed to the maximum, and generation of particles in the first and second porous plates 140 and 150 can be suppressed to the maximum. In addition, when the semiconductor substrate processing apparatus 120 including the shower head assembly 130 as described above is used, the semiconductor substrate W may be excellently processed.

As described above, according to the present invention, the first and second porous plates can be easily separated while maximally suppressing damage and deformation of the first and second porous plates. Therefore, generation of particles in the first and second porous plates can be suppressed as much as possible, and finally, the semiconductor substrate can be excellently processed.

Although the above has been described with reference to preferred embodiments 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. It will be appreciated.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a conventional shower head assembly.

2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductor substrate processing apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a plan view illustrating the second porous plate illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial view of A shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view for explaining a method of separating the first and second porous plates shown in FIG. 4.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

100: semiconductor substrate processing apparatus 110: process chamber

120 ： Chuck 130 ： Shower head assembly

131: 1st flow path 132: 2nd flow path

140: first porous plate 141: first discharge hole

142 ： Delivery hole 145 ： First engagement hole

150: second porous plate 151: second discharge hole

155: 2nd engagement hole 157: Screw hole for removal

160: separation screw 165: heater

170: gas supply unit 171: first gas supply line

172: 2nd gas supply line 180: discharge unit

182: outlet W: semiconductor substrate

Claims (5)

A shower head cover to which a gas supply unit is connected; A first porous plate in close contact with the shower head cover; A second porous plate formed to have a diameter substantially the same as that of the first porous plate, the second porous plate coupled to the shower head cover together with the first porous plate, and having a screw hole formed therein; And And a separation screw coupled to the separation screw hole and contacting the circumference of the first porous plate and pressing the circumference of the first porous plate to separate the second porous plate from the first porous plate. Head assembly. The shower head assembly of claim 1, wherein the separation screw has a flat end or a cylindrical end to increase the contact area with the first porous plate. The shower head assembly of claim 1, wherein the separation screw is made of stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, chromium, ceramic, quartz, or sapphire. The gas supply unit of claim 1, wherein the gas supply unit comprises a first gas supply line supplying a first gas and a second gas supply line supplying a second gas, The shower head cover may include a first flow path for supplying the first gas between the shower head cover and the first porous plate, and for supplying the second gas between the first porous plate and the second porous plate. Shower head assembly characterized in that the second flow path is formed. A process chamber in which a machining process on the semiconductor substrate is performed; A chuck provided in the process chamber to support the semiconductor substrate; In order to supply gas for processing the semiconductor substrate into the process chamber, i) a shower head cover to which a gas supply unit is connected, ii) a first porous plate in close contact with the shower head cover, and i) the first porosity. A second porous plate formed to have a diameter substantially the same as that of the plate and coupled to the shower head cover together with the first porous plate, and having a separation screw hole formed therein, and iii) being coupled to the separation screw hole; A shower head assembly comprising separation screws contacting a circumference of a first porous plate and pressing a circumference of the first porous plate to separate the second porous plate from the first porous plate; And And discharge means for adjusting the pressure inside the process and for discharging the reaction by-products and the unreacted gas generated during the processing process.