KR20080060422A - Apparatus for forming a layer - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for forming a film is provided to distribute uniformly cleaning gas to the entire wall surface of a process chamber by forming a protrusion at a circular type plate, thereby cleaning the process chamber uniformly. A process chamber(110) provides a space for processing a substrate. A chuck(120) is disposed in the process chamber in order to support the substrate. A first gas supply unit(150) is disposed above the process chamber, and supplies a first gas into the process chamber. A distribution member(170) having an protrusion is disposed at the downstream of the first gas supply unit, and comprises a circular type plate for distributing the first gas to the side of the process chamber and the protrusion for varying the distribution direction of the first gas.

Description

Film forming apparatus {Apparatus for forming a layer}

1 is a side view for explaining a gas injection apparatus according to the prior art.

2 is a cross-sectional view for describing a film forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a side view illustrating the second gas injection unit and the diffusion member of FIG. 2.

4 is a plan view illustrating the second gas injection unit and the diffusion member of FIG. 2.

5 is a plan view illustrating a diffusion member according to another exemplary embodiment.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

100 film forming apparatus 110 process chamber

112: lower process chamber 114: upper process chamber

120: Chuck 130: gate door

140: vacuum providing unit 150: first gas supply unit

152: remote plasma generator 154: first supply port

156: connection port 160: second gas supply

162: supply line 162: first nozzle

170: diffusion member 172: plate

174: protrusion 180: third gas supply

182: gas ring 184: second nozzle

190: inductively coupled plasma generator 192: coil electrode

194: high frequency power board: W

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a film forming apparatus for forming a film on a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon wafer.

In general, a semiconductor device such as a volatile or nonvolatile memory device may be manufactured by repeatedly performing various unit processes on a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon wafer. For example, a film forming process is performed to form various films such as an insulating film, a conductive film, a dielectric film, and the like on a semiconductor substrate, and an etching process is performed to form or remove films formed on the semiconductor substrate in a desired pattern. The photolithography process is performed to form an etch mask for forming desired patterns on the semiconductor substrate, and the ion implantation process or diffusion process is performed on the surface portion of the semiconductor substrate or on the electrical structure of the pattern structure formed on the semiconductor substrate. A planarization process such as a chemical mechanical polishing process or an etch back process may be performed to change the characteristics, and may be performed to planarize a semiconductor substrate or a film formed thereon.

Examples of the film forming process include chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition, and the like, and the chemical vapor deposition includes thermal chemical vapor deposition, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, and low pressure chemical vapor deposition.

The film forming apparatus for performing the film forming process includes a gas injector for injecting a process gas into the process chamber.

1 is a side view for explaining a gas injection apparatus according to the prior art.

Referring to FIG. 1, the gas injector 10 includes a nozzle 12 for injecting gas and a circular plate 14 having a center fitted to the nozzle 12 so as to be perpendicular to the nozzle 12.

The nozzle 12 is provided above the process chamber to uniformly provide the gas onto a substrate positioned inside the process chamber. When the film forming process is repeatedly performed a predetermined number of times in the process chamber, the process chamber is cleaned using a cleaning gas. The circular plate 14 diffuses the cleaning gas supplied from the top of the process chamber into the process chamber. However, the cleaning gas does not reach the upper edge of the process chamber and the like, so that the cleaning is not performed well.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a film forming apparatus capable of uniformly cleaning a process chamber.

The film forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a process chamber, a chuck, a first gas supply part and a diffusion part. The process chamber provides a process space for processing a substrate. The chuck is disposed inside the process chamber to support the substrate. The first gas supply part is disposed above the process chamber and provides a first gas into the process chamber. The diffusion member is provided downstream of the first gas supply unit and protrudes along a circular plate for diffusing the first gas to a side of the process chamber and an upper surface edge of the plate, and changes a diffusion direction of the first gas. It includes a projection to make.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the protrusion may be provided on the entire edge of the upper surface of the plate.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the protrusions may be provided at a predetermined interval along the upper surface edge of the plate.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the first gas supply is provided outside the process chamber, the remote plasma generator for generating a plasma and the plasma generated in the remote plasma generator to move the process chamber and the remote It may include a connection port for connecting the plasma generator. In addition, the film forming apparatus is provided at the end of the supply line and the supply line for supplying the second gas through the plate, and includes a first nozzle for injecting the second gas below the plate It may further include a second gas supply. The first nozzle may extend to the inside of the process chamber through the connection port. The film forming apparatus may further include a third gas supply unit disposed at a side surface of the process chamber and providing a third gas into the process chamber. The first gas may be a cleaning gas for cleaning the process chamber, and the second gas and the third gas may be process gases for processing the substrate.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the film forming apparatus is disposed outside the process chamber and includes an induction coupled plasma generator including a coil for forming a plasma inside the process chamber and a high frequency power source for applying a high frequency to the coil. It may further include.

According to the present invention configured as described above, the film forming apparatus is provided with a protrusion on the circular plate to uniformly diffuse the first gas for cleaning throughout the process chamber. Therefore, the process chamber can be uniformly cleaned.

Hereinafter, a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As the inventive concept allows for various changes and numerous embodiments, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to the specific disclosed form, it should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention. In describing the drawings, similar reference numerals are used for similar elements. In the accompanying drawings, the dimensions of the structures are shown in an enlarged scale than actual for clarity of the invention.

Terms such as first and second 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 the second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the first component.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, the terms "comprise" or "have" are intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, action, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, and one or more other features. It is to be understood that the present invention does not exclude the possibility of the presence or the addition of numbers, 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. Terms such as those defined in the commonly used dictionaries should be construed as having meanings consistent with the meanings in the context of the related art and shall not be construed in ideal or excessively formal meanings unless expressly defined in this application. Do not.

2 is a cross-sectional view for describing a film forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the film forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be used to form a film on a semiconductor substrate W such as a silicon wafer.

The film forming apparatus 100 is largely comprised of a process chamber 110, a chuck 120, a first gas supply unit 150, a second gas supply unit 160, a third gas supply unit 180, and an inductively coupled plasma generator 190. ).

The process chamber 110 provides a process space for processing the substrate (W). The process chamber 110 includes a lower process chamber 112 and an upper process chamber 114. The lower process chamber 112 has a bowl shape, and the upper process chamber 114 has a hemispherical shape. The upper process chamber 114 has a sidewall formed of a dielectric so that high frequency power can be transmitted therethrough. For example, the upper process chamber 114 may be made of quartz.

The chuck 120 is provided inside the process chamber 110. Specifically, the chuck 120 is provided in the lower process chamber 112. As the chuck 120, an electrostatic chuck that grips the semiconductor substrate 10 using electrostatic force may be used. Although not shown in detail, the chuck 120 may be disposed to be movable in a vertical direction to perform the film forming process. have. That is, the semiconductor substrate 10 may be connected to a vertical driver (not shown) to move up and down between a position for loading and unloading the semiconductor substrate 10 and a position for forming the film. In addition, a plurality of lift pins (not shown) for loading and unloading the semiconductor substrate 10 may be disposed to move up and down through the chuck 120. In addition, the chuck 120 may be connected to a bias power source (not shown). The bias power source is connected to the chuck 120, and provides a bias voltage so that ions and radicals escaping from the plasma in the process chamber 110 can collide with the surface of the substrate W with a sufficiently high energy. .

A gate door 130 for entering and exiting the substrate W is disposed at one side of the lower process chamber 112, and a process pressure is applied to the inside of the process chamber 110 at another side of the lower process chamber 112. For example, a vacuum providing unit 140 for forming a vacuum is disposed. The vacuum providing unit 140 may be connected to the process chamber 110 through a vacuum valve 142.

The vacuum providing unit 140 may include a vacuum pump for providing a vacuum in the process chamber 110 during the film forming process. As the vacuum pump, a low vacuum pump or a medium vacuum pump may be used according to the process pressure, and in some cases, a low vacuum pump and a high vacuum pump may be used together.

The first gas supply unit 150 provides a first gas to the inside of the process chamber 110. The first gas may be a cleaning gas for cleaning the process chamber 110. Examples of the cleaning gas include nitrogen fluoride (NF 3) gas.

The first gas supply unit 150 includes a remote plasma generator 152, an inflow port 154 and a connection port 156. The remote plasma generator 152 is provided at an outer upper portion of the process chamber 110 and generates the first gas into plasma. The inlet port 154 is connected to the remote plasma generator 152 and provides the first gas to the remote plasma generator 152. The connection port 156 connects the remote plasma generator 152 and the process chamber 110. In detail, the connection port 156 is connected to the upper center of the upper process chamber 114. The connection port 156 is a passage through which radicals of the plasma generated by the remote plasma generator 152 move to the process chamber 110. Although not shown, the connection port 156 may be provided with a heater for maintaining a constant internal temperature of the connection port 156. The heater prevents the radicals from being lost in reaction with the wall surface of the connection port 156.

3 is a side view illustrating the second gas supply unit 160 and the diffusion member 170 of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating the second gas supply unit 160 and the diffusion member 170 of FIG. 2. to be.

2 to 4, the second gas supply unit 160 provides a second gas to the inside of the process chamber 110. The second gas may be a deposition gas for forming a film on the substrate (W). The type of the deposition gas depends on the type of film to be formed on the substrate (W).

The second gas injector 160 includes a supply line 162 and a first nozzle 162. The supply line 162 passes through one side of the connection port 156 and extends along the connection port 156 to the inside of the process chamber 110. The first nozzle 162 is provided at an end of the supply line 162 and uniformly provides the second gas to the substrate W.

The diffusion member 170 diffuses the first gas injected from the first gas injection unit 150 into the entire process chamber 110.

The diffusion member 170 includes a plate 172 and a protrusion 174. The plate 172 has a circular shape, the center of which is fitted to the supply line 162 so as to be perpendicular to the extending direction of the supply line 162. That is, the plate 172 is disposed in a direction perpendicular to the connection port 156. The plate 172 diffuses the first gas provided to the process chamber 110 through the connection port 156 toward the sidewall of the process chamber 110 for cleaning the process chamber 110. The protrusion 174 is provided on the entire edge of the upper surface of the plate 172. The protrusion 174 changes the flow of the first gas diffused along the plate 172 so that the first gas is provided to the upper and upper edges of the process chamber 110. Thus, the first gas is uniformly provided over the entire wall surface of the process chamber 110. Therefore, the process chamber 110 may be uniformly cleaned.

5 is a plan view illustrating a diffusion member 170 according to another exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5, the protrusions 174 of the diffusion member 170 are provided at regular intervals along the upper edge of the plate 172. The first gas provided to the portion where the protrusion 174 is formed is provided to the upper surface and the upper surface edge of the process chamber 110. The first gas provided to a portion where the protrusion 174 is not formed is provided along the plate 172 to the side wall and the bottom surface of the process chamber 110. Thus, the first gas is uniformly provided over the entire wall surface of the process chamber 110. Therefore, the process chamber 110 may be uniformly cleaned.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the third gas supply unit 180 provides a third gas therein at the side of the process chamber 110. The third gas may be a deposition gas for forming a film on the substrate (W). The type of the deposition gas depends on the type of film to be formed on the substrate (W). The third gas may be the same as or different from the second gas.

The third gas supply unit 180 includes a gas ring 182 and a plurality of second nozzles 184.

The gas ring 182 is provided between the lower process chamber 112 and the upper process chamber 114. Although not shown, the gas ring 182 may be connected to a gas source (not shown) that provides a third gas through an outer wall of the process chamber 110. The gas ring 182 has a ring shape. At least one gas line 182a connected to the gas source may be formed in the gas ring 182. The gas line 182a may actually have a line shape extending along the gas ring 182, but may have various other forms. For example, two gas lines connected to the silicon source and the oxidant source may be provided in the gas ring 182 to form a silicon oxide film. Since the quantity of the gas line 182a may vary according to the type of film to be formed on the substrate W, the scope of the present invention is not limited by the quantity of the gas line 182a.

A plurality of branch lines 182b branched from the gas line 182a and extending toward the inner surface are formed in the gas ring 182.

The second nozzles 184 are connected to the branch lines 182b, respectively, and inject the third gas toward a central portion of the process chamber 110. For example, the second nozzles 184 may be screwed with the gas ring 182. As another example, the second nozzles 184 may be coupled to the gas ring 182 using an adapter.

The inductively coupled plasma generator 190 generates a plasma inside the process chamber 110. The inductively coupled plasma generator 190 includes a coil antenna 192 and a high frequency power source 194.

The coil antenna 192 is installed to surround the outer wall of the upper process chamber 114. The high frequency power source 194 is connected to the coil antenna 192 and applies a high frequency current to the coil antenna 192. A magnetic field is generated by the high frequency current flowing through the coil antenna 192, and an electric field is induced inside the process chamber 110 by the change of the magnetic field over time. The induction electric field ionizes the second gas and the third gas introduced into the process chamber 110 to generate a plasma in the process chamber 110. A film is formed on the substrate W using the generated plasma. In addition, the induction electric field ionizes the activated first gas supplied from the remote plasma generator 152 to generate plasma in the process chamber 110. The process chamber 110 is cleaned using the generated plasma.

As described above, the film forming apparatus according to the embodiments of the present invention is provided with a protrusion on the circular plate to uniformly diffuse the gas for cleaning throughout the entire wall of the process chamber. Therefore, the process chamber can be uniformly cleaned.

While the foregoing 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.

Claims (9)

A process chamber providing a process space for processing the substrate; A chuck disposed within the process chamber to support the substrate; A first gas supply unit disposed above the process chamber and configured to provide a first gas into the process chamber; And A circular plate provided downstream of the first gas supply unit and protruding along a top edge of the plate to diffuse the first gas to the side of the process chamber and changing a diffusion direction of the first gas; And a diffusion member. The film forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protrusion is provided over an entire edge of the upper surface of the plate. The film forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protrusions are spaced apart from each other along a top edge of the plate. The method of claim 1, wherein the first gas supply unit, A remote plasma generator provided outside the process chamber and generating plasma; And And a connection port connecting the process chamber and the remote plasma generator for movement of the plasma generated by the remote plasma generator. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising: a supply line passing through the plate and providing a second gas; And And a second gas supply part provided at an end of the supply line and including a first nozzle for injecting the second gas under the plate. 6. The film forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first nozzle extends through the connection port to the inside of the process chamber. The film forming apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a third gas supply unit disposed at a side of the process chamber and configured to provide a third gas into the process chamber. 8. The film forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first gas is a cleaning gas for cleaning the process chamber, and the second gas and the third gas are process gases for processing the substrate. The method of claim 1, further comprising an inductively coupled plasma generator disposed outside the process chamber and including a coil for forming a plasma inside the process chamber and a high frequency power source for applying a high frequency to the coil. Film forming apparatus.

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