KR20190132137A - thin film formation apparatus and thin film formation apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The thin film forming apparatus of the present invention includes a rotary table provided in a vacuum chamber and having loading parts capable of loading each of a plurality of wafers apart from each other near a surface thereof; a rotary table driving part connected to the rotary table and capable of revolving the rotary table; and a wafer rotating unit connected to the wafer mounted on the loading part to rotate the wafer. The wafer rotating unit includes a wafer holder for supporting the wafer, a holder lift pin connected to the wafer holder and capable of raising and lowering the wafer; and a wafer holder driving part capable of rotating the wafer holder. It is possible to improve the uniformity of a thin film and the etching characteristics of the thin film.

Description

Thin film formation apparatus and thin film formation apparatus using the same {thin film formation apparatus and thin film formation apparatus using the same}

The present invention relates to a thin film forming apparatus and a thin film forming method using the same, and more particularly, to a spatial division thin film forming apparatus and a thin film forming method using the same.

As one of the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatuses, a thin film forming apparatus such as an atomic layer deposition apparatus or a chemical vapor deposition apparatus may be used. In order to increase productivity, the thin film forming apparatus may deposit a thin film on a wafer in a spatial division method that divides a vacuum chamber into a thin film deposition region and a purge region.

In other words, the thin film forming apparatus of the space division method may mount the wafer on the rotating table in the vacuum chamber, and then form the thin film on the wafer while rotating the rotating table to the thin film deposition region and the purge region in the vacuum chamber. . However, the thin film forming apparatus of the space division method may not have good uniformity of the thin film in the wafer and may not have excellent etching characteristics of the thin film.

An object of the present invention is to provide a thin film forming apparatus and a thin film forming method using the same, which can improve the uniformity of the thin film formed on the wafer and the etching characteristics of the thin film.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the thin film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the vacuum chamber, and the mounting portion which is installed in the vacuum chamber, can be stacked in the vicinity of the surface of the plurality of wafers, respectively And a rotating table driving unit connected to the rotating table to revolve the rotating table, and a wafer rotating unit connected to the wafer mounted on the loading unit to rotate the wafer. . The wafer rotating unit includes a wafer holder for supporting the wafer, a holder lift pin connected to the wafer holder and capable of raising and lowering the wafer, and a wafer holder driver capable of rotating the wafer holder.

According to an aspect of the inventive concept, a thin film forming apparatus includes a vacuum chamber including a plurality of thin film deposition regions and a plurality of purge regions, and a plurality of wafers disposed in the vacuum chamber and spaced apart from each other near a surface thereof. A rotary table having loadable stacks, reactive gas nozzles for supplying reactive gases to the thin film deposition regions on the rotary table, and purge gases for supplying the purge regions to the purge regions on the rotary table, respectively. A purge gas nozzle, a rotary table driver connected to the rotary table to revolve the rotary table in one direction, and one of the wafers mounted on the stacker to selectively rotate the wafer in one direction It includes a wafer rotating unit that can be rotated by a. The wafer rotating unit includes a wafer holder for supporting the wafer at the bottom of the wafer, a holder lift pin connected to the wafer holder and capable of raising and lowering the wafer, and a wafer holder driver capable of rotating the wafer holder. Include.

According to an aspect of the inventive concept, a method of forming a thin film may include loading wafers into loading portions on a rotating table of a vacuum chamber in which thin film deposition regions and purge regions are formed, and first rotating the rotating table. Forming a first sub-film on a wafer as it passes through the thin film deposition regions in accordance with the first idle of the turntable, stopping the first idle of the turntable on the stacks; Rotating at least one of the loaded wafers, secondary revolving the rotary table, and secondary on the primary sub-film as it passes through the thin film deposition regions in accordance with secondary revolving of the rotary table Forming a sub thin film to form a final thin film.

The thin film forming apparatus of the present invention includes a rotary table having a loading section capable of loading a plurality of wafers in a vacuum chamber and rotating, and a wafer rotating unit capable of rotating a wafer mounted on the loading section.

In addition, in the thin film forming method of the present invention, after stopping the first revolution of the rotary table, the wafer is rotated and the rotary table is subjected to the second idle again to form the thin film. According to the thin film forming apparatus and thin film forming method of the present invention as described above can improve the uniformity and etching characteristics of the thin film formed on the wafer.

1 is a plan view schematically illustrating a thin film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the thin film forming apparatus along the line II in FIG. 1.
3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a core part for fixing the rotary table and the rotary table of the thin film forming apparatus of FIG.
4 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the thin film forming apparatus of the auxiliary line S of FIG. 1.
5A to 5C are diagrams for explaining the loading of the wafer on the rotary table of the thin film forming apparatus of FIG. 1 and the rotation of the wafer (rotation).
6A to 6C are diagrams for describing a wafer rotating unit of a thin film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.
7A to 7B are plan views illustrating wafer rotation (rotation) of a thin film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.
8A to 8E are plan views illustrating an arrangement of a mounting unit on a rotating table of a thin film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.
9 and 10 are plan views illustrating a thin film forming system including a thin film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.
11 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a thin film forming method using a thin film forming apparatus according to the inventive concept.
12 is a detailed flowchart for describing a rotating step of the wafer of FIG. 11.
13A to 13E are plan views illustrating an operation process of a rotating table and a wafer when the thin film forming method of FIG. 11 is performed.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in any one, and the following embodiments may be implemented in combination of one or more. Therefore, the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to one embodiment.

The accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and in some instances, proportions of at least some of the structures shown in the drawings may be exaggerated to clearly show features of the embodiments.

In the description, the first, second, etc. are used to describe various elements, components, and / or sections (or regions) for convenience, but these elements, components, and / or sections (or regions) Of course, it is not limited by the term. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component or section from another element, component or section. In addition, components of the first, second, etc. in the detailed description are described separately for convenience of description and may not directly correspond to components of the first and second claims.

1 is a plan view schematically illustrating a thin film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

Specifically, the thin film forming apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a flat vacuum chamber 1 having a substantially circular planar shape, a center of rotation installed in the vacuum chamber 1 and centered in the vacuum chamber 1. It can be provided with a rotary table (2) having. The turntable 2 may be called a susceptor.

In the thin film forming apparatus 10, the conveyance port 15 is formed in the peripheral wall part of the chamber main body 12. The wafer W can be conveyed to or from the vacuum chamber 1 by the transfer robot 107 through the transfer port 15 or out of the vacuum chamber 1. The gate port 15a is provided in the conveyance port 15, and the conveyance port 15 can be opened and closed by this.

The turntable 2 can idle (rotate) in one direction A, for example clockwise. The rotary table 2 is provided with a plurality of mounting portions 24 on which the wafers W are stacked. In one embodiment, the rotary table 2 may be provided with eleven mounting parts 24 on the outside and five mounting parts 24 on the outside thereof to follow the outer circumference. Various configurations and arrangements of the stack 24 in the turntable 2 will be described in more detail later.

The wafer W may rotate (rotate) in one direction B, for example, in a counterclockwise direction B. FIG. As described later, the rotation of the wafer W can be rotated by the wafer rotating unit (WRU in FIG. 2). The wafer W may be rotated at an angle of 60 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees, or 270 degrees without rotating once. In FIG. 1, all the wafers W are shown to be rotated, but any one or a plurality of wafers can be selectively rotated (rotated) as necessary.

 The revolution of the turntable 2 may mean to rotate in a large circle, and the rotation of the wafer W may mean to rotate in a circle smaller than the turntable 2. In one embodiment, the revolution of the turntable 2 and the rotation of the wafer W show rotation in opposite directions but can also rotate in the same direction.

When the thin film is formed on the wafer W through the revolution of the turntable 2 and the rotation of the wafer W, the uniformity of the thin film of the wafer W, in particular, the center portion and the edge portion of the wafer W (that is, the circumference portion) It is possible to improve the thin film uniformity between the layers. When the thin film uniformity between the center portion and the edge portion (that is, the circumferential portion) of the wafer W is improved, the etching characteristics may be improved when the thin film is etched when the semiconductor device is manufactured.

The vacuum chamber 1 is provided with two flat plates 4A and 4B spaced apart from each other above the rotary table 2. The flat plate portions 4A and 4B have a substantially fan-shaped top surface shape. The fan-shaped flat plate portions 4A and 4B are provided close to the core portion 21 at one side thereof and the arc is in contact with the inner circumferential wall of the chamber body 12. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 5 may be a protrusion 5 mounted to the ceiling plate 11 of FIG. 2 to surround the core portion 21. The flat plate portions 4A and 4B can be formed of metal such as aluminum, for example. For convenience of description, the ceiling plate 11 in FIG. 2 is omitted in FIG. 1. The flat plate portion 4A and the flat plate portion 4B may have the same configuration.

The bent portions 46A and 46B may be located in a space between the inner circumferential surface of the chamber body 12 and the outer circumferential edge of the turntable 2. The bent portions 46A and 46B may be located at one side of the flat plates 4A and 4B. The bent portion 46A is formed at a position corresponding to the lower portion of the flat plate portion 4A, and the bent portion 46B is formed at a position corresponding to the lower portion of the flat plate portion 4B.

Purge gas nozzles 41 and 42 are provided below the flat plate portions 4A and 4B, respectively. The purge gas nozzles 41 and 42 may be installed to extend in a direction crossing the rotation direction of the turntable 2. The purge gas nozzles 41 and 42 may be spaced apart along the rotation direction of the turntable 2. Purge gas, for example nitrogen gas, may be injected through the purge gas nozzles 41 and 42. Purge gas nozzles 41 and 42 are introduced into the vacuum chamber 1 from the peripheral wall portion of the chamber body 12 and extend in the radial direction of the vacuum chamber 1. One end of the purge gas nozzles 41 and 42 is mounted to the outer circumferential wall of the chamber main body 12, whereby the purge gas nozzles 41 and 42 are supported substantially parallel to the surface of the turntable 2.

Reactive gas nozzles 31 and 32 are spaced apart from portions except the flat plate portions 4A and 4B. The reactive gas nozzles 31 and 32 are introduced into the vacuum chamber 1 from the outer circumferential wall of the chamber main body 12 and extend in the radial direction of the vacuum chamber 1. The reaction gas nozzles 31 and 32 may be installed to extend in a direction crossing the rotation direction of the turntable 2. The reaction gas nozzles 31 and 32 may be spaced apart along the rotation direction of the turntable 2. The reaction gas nozzles 31 and 32 are arranged at intervals of about 10 mm in the length direction thereof, and may have a diameter of about 0.5 mm.

The first reaction gas may be supplied from the reaction gas nozzle 31, and the second reaction gas may be supplied from the reaction gas nozzle 32. In one embodiment, the reaction gas nozzle 31 is connected with a source of bisternal butylaminosilane (BTBAS), which is a silicon raw material of a silicon oxide film, and the reaction gas nozzle 32, by oxidizing BTBAS to generate silicon oxide. A source of ozone gas O ₃ as oxidizing gas can be connected.

When the purge gas nozzles 41 and 42 and the reactive gas nozzles 31 and 32 are supplied to the vacuum chamber 1, the vacuum chamber 1 is formed by the flat plate portions 4A and 4B and the bent portions 46A and 46B. It may be divided into a first region 481, a second region 482, and a third region 483. The first region 481 and the second region 482 may be divided by two third regions 483.

In other words, the first region 481 and the second region 482 may be thin film deposition regions in which a reactive gas is injected to deposit a thin film on the wafer. The third region 483 may be purge regions into which purge gas is injected. The thin film deposition regions and the purge regions may be installed to be alternated according to the rotation direction of the turntable 2.

In the first region 481, a part of the chamber body 12 may be extended outward and an exhaust port 61 may be formed. In the second region 482, a part of the chamber body 12 is extended outward and an exhaust port 62 is formed. The exhaust ports 61, 62 are connected separately or in common to an exhaust system comprising, for example, a pressure regulator, a turbo molecular pump, and the like, whereby the pressure in the vacuum chamber 1 can be adjusted.

The exhaust ports 61 and 62 are formed in the first region 481 and the second region 482, respectively, so that the pressures of the first region 481 and the second region 482 are reduced in the separation space H, as will be described later. Can be lower than the pressure. The exhaust port 61 is provided between the reaction gas nozzle 31 and the flat plate portion 4B. The exhaust port 62 may be provided in proximity to the flat plate portion 4A between the reaction gas nozzle 32 and the flat plate portion 4A.

As a result, the first reaction gas (for example, BTBAS gas) supplied from the reaction gas nozzle 31 is mainly exhausted to the exhaust port 61, and the second reaction gas O ₃ supplied from the reaction gas nozzle 32. Gas) is mainly exhausted to the exhaust port 62. This arrangement of exhaust openings 61, 62 may contribute to the separation of the reactant gases.

The thin film forming apparatus 10 is provided with the control part 100 for controlling the operation | movement of the whole apparatus. The controller 100 may include, for example, a process controller 100a formed of a computer, a user interface unit 100b, and a memory device 100c. The user interface unit 100b includes a display for displaying an operation state of the thin film forming apparatus 10 or an operator of the thin film forming apparatus 10 to select a process recipe or a process manager to change a parameter of the process recipe. Panel (not shown) or the like.

The memory device 100c stores a control program for executing various processes in the process controller 100a, process recipes, parameters in various processes, and the like. Some of these programs have a group of steps for causing a thin film forming method to be described later, for example. These control programs and process recipes are read and executed by the process controller 100a in accordance with the instructions from the user interface unit 100b.

In addition, these programs are stored in the computer-readable storage medium 100d, and can be installed in the memory device 100c via an input / output device (not shown) corresponding thereto. The computer readable storage medium 100d may be a hard disk, a CD, a CD-R / RW, a DVD-R / RW, a flexible disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like. The program can also be downloaded to the memory device 100c via a communication line.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the thin film forming apparatus of the line I-I of FIG. 1.

Specifically, the purge gas nozzle 41 is not shown in FIG. 2 as needed. The vacuum chamber 1 is a chamber body 12 having a cylindrical shape with a flat bottom and a ceiling plate 11 which is hermetically mounted on the upper surface of the chamber body 12 through a sealing member 13 such as an O-ring. ) The ceiling plate 11 and the chamber body 12 may be made of a metal such as aluminum (Al), for example.

The mounting portion 24 may be configured as a recess. The mounting portion 24 may have an inner diameter that is about 4 mm larger than its diameter so that, for example, the wafer W having a diameter of 300 mm is loaded, and may have a depth substantially equal to the thickness of the wafer W. FIG. When the wafer W is loaded in the stacking section 24, the surface of the wafer W and the surface of the turntable 2 may be the same height. That is, since the step by the thickness of the wafer W does not generate | occur | produce, it can reduce that the disorder generate | occur | produces in the flow of the gas on the turntable 2.

Since the wafer W is accommodated in the stacking unit 24, even if the rotary table 2 rotates, the wafer W loaded on the stacking unit 24 does not protrude out of the rotary table 2 without the stacking unit ( 24) can stay. As required, a wafer guide ring may be used to securely fix the wafer to the mounting portion 24 as described later.

The wafer W having a diameter of 300 mm does not mean that the diameter is strictly 300 mm, but may mean a wafer commercially available as a wafer having a diameter of 300 mm or a wafer having a diameter of 12 inches. The turntable 2 has a circular opening in the center and is held by the cylindrical core portion 21 from the top and bottom around the opening.

The lower portion of the wafer W may be connected to a wafer rotating unit (WRU) capable of rotating (rotating) the wafer (W). The wafer rotating unit WRU includes a wafer holder WH for supporting a wafer W, a holder lift pin 16c connected to the wafer holder WH, and capable of raising and lowering the wafer W, and a wafer holder. A wafer holder driver 94 capable of rotating the WH may be included.

In FIG. 2, the wafer rotating unit WRU is connected to all of the wafers W mounted on the stacks 24, but the wafer rotating unit WRU is connected to the wafers mounted on the stacks 24. It may be connected to either. The holder lift pin 16c may be installed through the turntable 2. In FIG. 2, for convenience, the holder lift pin 16c penetrates the lower members of the turntable 2, but only a part of the holder lift pin 16c may be formed.

The fan-shaped flat plate portion 4A and 4B in FIG. 1 are close to the outer circumference of the protrusion 5 mounted on the ceiling plate 11 so that the top portion surrounds the core portion 21, and an arc of the inside of the chamber body 12 is formed. It is arranged along the main wall. The flat plate portion 4A (4B in FIG. 1) may be mounted on the bottom surface of the ceiling plate 11. The core portion 21, the rotation shaft 221 and the rotation shaft 222 have rotation shafts in common with each other, so that the rotation shaft 222, the rotation shaft 221 and the core portion 21, by the rotation table driving unit 23, Furthermore, the turntable 2 can rotate.

The rotating shaft 221 and the rotating table drive part 23 are accommodated in the cylindrical case body 20 with an upper surface opened. The case body 20 is hermetically attached to the bottom rear surface of the vacuum chamber 1 via the flange portion 20a provided on the upper surface thereof, whereby the internal atmosphere of the case body 20 is isolated from the external atmosphere.

The protrusion 5 mounted to surround the core portion 21 fixing the turntable 2 on the lower surface of the top plate 11 may be installed in close proximity to the surface of the turntable 2. A purge gas supply pipe 51 may be connected to an upper center of the top plate 11 to supply N 2 gas. The space between the core portion 21 and the top plate 11, the space between the outer circumference of the core portion 21 and the inner circumference of the protrusion 5, and the protruding portion 5 by the N2 gas supplied from the purge gas supply pipe 51 and The space between the turntables 2 may have a higher pressure than the first region 481 of FIG. 1 and the second region 482. In other words, the central space can provide a pressure barrier for the first region (481 in FIG. 1) and the second region 482, thereby reliably defining the first region 481 and the second region 482. Can be separated. The mixing of the first reaction gas (eg, BTBAS gas) and the second reaction gas (eg, O ₃ gas) through the central space can be effectively suppressed.

In the space between the rotary table 2 and the bottom of the chamber main body 12, an annular heater unit 7 as a heating unit is provided, whereby the wafer W on the rotary table 2 is rotated. Can be heated to a predetermined temperature. Moreover, the block member 71a is provided so that the heater unit 7 may be enclosed below and around the circumference of the turntable 2. For this reason, the space in which the heater unit 7 is disposed is partitioned from the area outside the heater unit 7.

In order to prevent the gas from flowing inward from the block member 71a, a small gap may be maintained between the upper surface of the block member 71a and the lower surface of the turntable 2. In order to purge this area | region, in the area | region where the heater unit 7 is accommodated, the some purge gas supply pipe 73 is connected at predetermined intervals so that the bottom part of the chamber main body 12 may be penetrated. The protection plate 7a which protects the heater unit 7 is supported above the heater unit 7 by the block member 71a and the ridge R, and the BTBAS gas is provided in the space below the turntable 2. The heater unit 7 can be protected even if ozone gas is introduced, for example.

The heater unit 7 can be comprised by the some lamp heater arrange | positioned, for example in concentric shape. By controlling each lamp heater independently, the temperature of the turntable 2 can be made uniform.

The bottom part of the chamber main body 12 can have the protruding part R inside the annular heater unit 7. The upper surface of the ridge R approaches the rotary table 2 and the core 21, and is located between the upper surface of the ridge R and the rear surface of the rotary table 2, and the upper surface of the ridge R and the core. A small gap is left between the back surface of the part 21.

The bottom of the chamber main body 12 has a center hole through which the rotating shaft 221 exits. The inner diameter of this center hole is slightly larger than the diameter of the rotating shaft 221, leaving a gap communicating with the case body 20 through the flange portion 20a. The purge gas supply pipe 72 is connected to the upper part of the flange part 20a.

With this configuration, the gap between the rotary shaft 221 and the center hole of the bottom of the chamber body 12, the gap between the core 21 and the ridge R of the bottom of the turntable 2, and the ridge R N2 gas flows from the purge gas supply pipe 72 to the space below the heater unit 7 through the gap between the) and the back surface of the turntable 2. In addition, N2 gas flows from the purge gas supply pipe 73 to the space below the heater unit 7. These N2 gases flow into the exhaust port (61 in FIG. 1) through a gap between the block member 71a and the rear surface of the turntable 2. The flowing N2 gas can act as a purge gas for preventing the reaction gas of the BTBAS gas (or ozone gas) from flowing back into the space below the turntable 2 and mixing with the ozone gas (or BTBAS gas).

The bent portion 46A (46B of FIG. 1) may be integrally formed with the flat plate portion 4A (4B of FIG. 1). The bends 46A and 46B substantially fill the space between the rotary table 2 and the chamber body 12 to prevent the reaction gases from the reaction gas nozzles 31 and 32 from mixing through the space. Since there are bends 46A and 46B, the N2 gas from the purge gas nozzle (41 in FIG. 1) is less likely to flow toward the outside of the turntable 2. If the block member 71b is provided below the bent portion 46A, the purge gas can be further suppressed from flowing down to the turntable 2.

3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a core part for fixing the rotary table and the rotary table of the thin film forming apparatus of FIG. 1.

Specifically, the core portion 21 is composed of an upper hub 21a and a lower hub 21b. The through hole 127 is formed in the upper hub 21a at the position shifted from the center of the core part 21, and the screw hole 128 is formed in the lower hub 21b in the position corresponding to the through hole 127. It is. The bolt 123 is inserted into the through hole 127 through the washer 124 and screwed into the screw hole 128 so that the upper hub 21a and the lower hub 21b move the turntable 2 from above and below. And the rotary table 2 is fixed by this.

For example, the rotation table 2 can be easily replaced by removing the bolt 123. Although one bolt 123 is shown in FIG. 3, the screw hole 128 corresponding to the plurality of through holes 127 is formed, and the core portion 21 is rotated by the plurality of bolts 123. ) May be fixed. The lower hub 21b of the core part 21 is fixed to the rotating shaft 221, and the rotating shaft 221 is connected to the rotating table drive part (23 of FIG. 2) via the rotating shaft (222 of FIG. 2).

4 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the thin film forming apparatus of the auxiliary line S of FIG. 1.

Specifically, the flat plate portion 4B has a groove portion 43 extending in the radial direction so that the flat plate portion 4B is divided into two, and the groove portion 43 houses the purge gas nozzle 42. The purge gas nozzle 42 is connected to a gas supply source (not shown) of purge gas. The type of purge gas is not particularly limited as long as it is a nitrogen (N 2) gas or an inert gas and does not affect thin film formation.

In this embodiment, N2 gas is used as a purge gas. The purge gas nozzle 42 has a discharge hole 42h for discharging the N2 gas toward the surface of the turntable 2. The discharge holes 42h have a diameter of about 0.5 mm and are arranged at intervals of about 10 mm along the longitudinal direction of the purge gas nozzle 42. The interval from the lower end of the purge gas nozzle 42 to the surface of the turntable 2 may be 0.5 mm to 4 mm.

The rotary table 2 and the flat plate portion 4B form a separation space H having a height h1, that is, a lower surface 44 of the flat plate portion 4B and a height h1 from the surface of the rotary table 2. The height h1 is preferably 0.5 mm to 10 mm, for example, and more preferably as small as possible. In order to prevent the rotary table 2 from colliding with the lower surface 44 of the flat plate 4B due to the rotational swing of the rotary table 2, the height h1 between the rotary table 2 and the flat plate 4B is 3.5 mm to It may be preferable if it is about 6.5 mm.

In the area | region on both sides of the flat plate part 4B, the 1st area | region 481 and the 2nd area | region 482 which are divided by the surface of the turntable 2 and the lower surface of the top plate 11 are formed. The heights of the first area 481 and the second area 482, that is, the height from the turntable 2 to the ceiling plate 11 are, for example, 15 mm to 150 mm. The reaction gas nozzle 31 is provided in the first region 481, and the reaction gas nozzle 32 is provided in the second region 482.

The reaction gas nozzles 31 and 32 are formed with a plurality of discharge holes 33 which are opened downward. When nitrogen (N2) gas is supplied from the purge gas nozzle 42, this N2 gas flows from the separation space H toward the first region 481 and the second region 482. Since the height of the separation space H is lower than that of the first region 481 and the second region 482 as described above, the pressure in the separation space H is controlled by the first region 481 and the second region. It can be kept higher than the pressure in 482 easily.

In other words, the height and width of the flat plate portion 4B and the purge gas nozzle 42 so that the pressure in the separation space H can be maintained higher than the pressure in the first region 481 and the second region 482. Can be determined. The separation space H can provide a pressure barrier to the first region 481 and the second region 482, thereby making it possible to reliably separate the first region 481 and the second region 482. .

5A to 5C are diagrams for explaining the loading of the wafer on the rotary table of the thin film forming apparatus of FIG. 1 and the rotation of the wafer (rotation).

Specifically, FIG. 5A is a perspective view showing a part of the turntable 2, FIG. 5B is an enlarged view of the loading part 24 of FIG. 5A, and FIG. 5C is one side of the wafer W of FIG. 5A. It is a figure which shows the state in which the wafer guide ring 18 was installed.

Three pusher lift pins 16a are provided on the mounting portion 24 of the turntable 2 to move up and down. In other words, the pusher lift pins 16a may be composed of three sub pusher lift pins positioned apart from each other in a triangular shape at the bottom of the wafer (W). Since the pusher P is provided on the three pusher lift pins 16a, the pusher lift pins 16a can support the pusher P and move the pusher P up and down.

A holder lift pin 16c capable of vertically moving (elevating) is provided on the mounting portion 24 of the turntable 2. On the holder lift pin 16c, a wafer holder WH for supporting the wafer W is provided. The holder lift pin 16c may be configured as one sub holder lift pin positioned inside the triangular sub pusher lift pins 16a and penetrating the pusher P.

The holder lift pin 16c may be connected to the wafer holder WH to move the wafer W up and down. As described above, the wafer holder driver (94 of FIG. 2) capable of rotating (rotating) the wafer holder WH may be connected to the wafer holder WH through the holder lift pin 16c. The wafer holder WH, the holder lift pin 16c, and the holder driver (94 in FIG. 2) may constitute a wafer rotation unit (WRU).

The loading part 24 is formed with a recess 24b having a shape corresponding to the shape of the pusher P that can accommodate the pusher P. When the pusher lift pin 16a is lowered to receive the pusher P in the recess 24b, the upper surface of the pusher P and the bottom surface of the mounting portion 24 may be positioned at the same height.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the wafer support part 24a is formed on the outer circumference of the mounting part 24. A plurality of wafer supports 24a may be formed along the outer circumference of the mounting part 24 (for example, eight). The wafer W loaded on the stacker 24 may be supported by the wafer supporter 24a.

A constant gap is maintained between the wafer W and the bottom of the loading part 24 so that the back surface of the wafer W may not directly contact the bottom of the loading part 24. Thereby, since the wafer is heated by the turntable 2 with the space between the bottom face of the mounting part 24, the wafer W can be heated uniformly.

 As shown in Fig. 5A, a circular guide groove 18g is formed around the mounting portion 24, and the wafer guide ring 18 can be fitted thereto. As illustrated in FIG. 5C, the wafer guide ring 18 may be fitted into the guide groove 18g. The wafer guide ring 18 has an inner diameter that is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the wafer W. When the wafer guide ring 18 is fitted into the guide groove 18g, the wafer W of the wafer guide ring 18 It is arranged inside.

As illustrated in FIG. 5C, a hook portion 18a may be installed on the top surface of the wafer guide ring 18. The hook portion 18a extends slightly from the outer edge of the wafer W toward the inner side of the wafer guide ring 18 without contacting the wafer W. For example, when there is a sudden pressure fluctuation due to a cause of something in the vacuum chamber (1 in FIG. 1), there is a possibility that the wafer W may protrude from the mounting portion 24 due to the pressure fluctuation. However, since the wafer W is pressed by the hook portion 18a provided in the wafer guide ring 18, the wafer W can be held in the loading portion 24.

Four guide lift pins 16b for raising and lowering the wafer guide ring 18 are provided outside the guide groove 18g. While the guide lift pin 16b is lifting the wafer guide ring 18, the wafer W can be loaded by the transfer robot (107 in FIG. 1) between the rotary table 2 and the wafer guide ring 18. have.

The pusher P and the wafer holder WH are lifted by the pusher lift pins 16a, respectively, so that the pusher P and the wafer holder WH receive the wafer W from the transfer robot (107 in FIG. 1). The carrier robot 107 may be ejected. The pusher lift pin 16a is lowered to receive the pusher P in the recess 24b of the loading part 24. Thereby, the wafer W is mounted by the mounting part 24 by being supported by the wafer support part 24a. Subsequently, when the guide lift pin 16b is lowered to accommodate the wafer guide ring 18 in the guide groove 18g, the wafer W is reliably received in the loading section 24 by the wafer guide ring 18. do.

The wafer W loaded on the mounting portion 24 of the turntable 2 may be rotated (rotated) by the wafer turn unit WRU during the thin film formation process as described above. Rotation of the wafer W raises the wafer guide ring 18 by the guide lift pin 16b, then lifts the wafer W by the holder lift pin 16c, and the wafer holder driver (94 in FIG. 2). As a result, the wafer holder WH can be rotated to rotate (rotate) the wafer W. FIG. Subsequently, the holder lift pin 16c is lowered to be accommodated in the loading portion 24, and then the wafer guide ring 18 is accommodated in the guide groove 18g, so that the wafer W can be accommodated in the loading portion 24 again. Can be.

6A to 6C are diagrams for describing a wafer rotating unit of a thin film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

Specifically, FIGS. 6A and 6B are perspective views illustrating a wafer rotating unit (WRU) according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view of a wafer rotating unit (WRU) according to an embodiment of the present invention. Can be.

The wafer rotating unit WRU of FIGS. 6A-6C may include a holder lift pin 16c and a wafer holder WH. The wafer holder WH of FIG. 6A may be a circular plate-shaped member, and the wafer holder WH of FIG. 6B may be a fan-shaped plate-shaped member. The wafer holder WH of FIG. 6B may be as shown in FIG. 5A. The holder lift pin 16c may be located inside the pusher lift pin 16a that can lift and lower the pusher P. As shown in FIG.

In the wafer rotating unit WRU of FIG. 6C, a vacuum line 90 is further installed inside the holder lift pin 16c and a vacuum hole 92 connected to the vacuum line 90 on the surface of the wafer holder WH. This may be further installed. Accordingly, the wafer (W in FIG. 1) positioned on the surface of the wafer holder WH can be rotated (rotated) while being held in vacuum with the wafer holder WH.

7A to 7B are plan views illustrating wafer rotation (rotation) of a thin film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

In detail, in the thin film forming apparatus 10 of FIG. 1, a plurality of mounting parts 24 may be positioned on the turntable 2. 7A and 7B show six loading parts 14 formed for convenience. The footer lift pins 16a may be located in each of the loading parts 24 in a triangle shape apart from each other. In other words, the pusher lift pins 16a may be composed of three sub pusher lift pins positioned apart from each other in a triangular shape at the bottom of the wafer (W).

In addition, the holder lift pin 16c may be configured as one sub holder lift pin inside the triangular sub pusher lift pins 16a. When the wafer holder located on the holder lift pin 16c rotates counterclockwise, for example, in the B direction, the wafer W may also rotate.

8A to 8E are plan views illustrating an arrangement of a mounting unit on a rotating table of a thin film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

Specifically, the rotary table 2 is not limited to having 16 mounting portions 24 as shown in FIG. 1 and may be variously modified.

In one embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8A, the rotary table 2 has six loading portions 24 into which the wafer having a diameter of 300 mm can be loaded, six inside the rotating table 2 and six outside thereof. Arranged can include a total of twelve loading portions (24). In addition, as shown in FIG. 8B, the rotary table 2 includes a total of 18 loading units 24 by arranging six loading units 24 on the inside of the rotating table 2 and 12 on the outside thereof. can do.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8C, the rotary table 2 has five loading units 24 arranged inside the rotary table 2 and ten outside thereof so that a total of 15 loading units 24 are provided. It may include. As shown in FIG. 8D, the rotary table 2 can arrange the mounting unit 24 on the outer side of the rotary table 2 (region along the outer circumference) of the eleven mounting units 24. As shown in FIG. 8E, the rotary table 2 may arrange the stacking unit 24 with ten stacking units 24 on the outside of the rotary table 2. As described above, when the thin film device 10 of FIG. 1 includes one vacuum chamber 1 of FIG. 1, the stacking unit 24 may be installed to increase throughput.

9 and 10 are plan views illustrating a thin film forming system including a thin film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

Specifically, the thin film forming system of FIG. 9 includes one vacuum chamber 1, and the thin film forming system of FIG. 10 includes two vacuum chambers 1. The thin film forming system is connected to the vacuum chamber 1 and the vacuum transfer chamber 106 including the transfer robot 107, the atmospheric transfer chamber 102 connected through the vacuum transfer chamber 106, and the load lock chambers 105a to 105c. ), A stage F on which wafer carriers, such as a front-opening unified pod (FOUP) coupled to the standby transfer chamber 102, may be mounted.

The thin film forming system of FIG. 9 can load 16 wafers having a diameter of 300 mm on the turntable 2, and the thin film forming system of FIG. 10 has a diameter of 300 mm on one turntable 2. Six wafers can be loaded. Accordingly, the thin film forming system of FIG. 9 may increase wafer throughput compared to FIG. 10.

Next, a thin film forming method using the thin film forming apparatus 10 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings exemplified so far.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a thin film forming method using a thin film forming apparatus according to the inventive concept, FIG. 12 is a detailed flowchart for describing a rotating step of the wafer of FIG. 11, and FIGS. 13A to 13. 13E is a plan view for describing an operation process of a rotating table and a wafer when performing the thin film forming method of FIG. 11.

Specifically, the thin film forming method includes preparing a vacuum chamber (1 of FIG. 1) in which thin film deposition regions and purge regions are formed (step S10) and located on the rotary table 2 of the vacuum chamber (1 of FIG. 1). And loading (loading) the wafers W into the mounting portions 24, respectively (step S20). In other words, the wafers W are loaded (loaded) into the loading portions 24 on the rotary table 2 of the vacuum chamber (1 in FIG. 1) where the thin film deposition regions and the purge regions are formed.

More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5, 9, 10 and the like, one of the loading portions 24 of the turntable 2 is aligned with the conveying port 15 so that the gate valve 15a is opened. Open. Next, when the wafer guide ring 18 is lifted by the guide lift pin 16b as described above, the wafer W is transferred into the vacuum chamber 1 by the transfer robot 15 by the transfer robot 107. It is loaded and held between the rotary table 2 and the wafer guide ring 18.

The wafer W is received on the wafer holder WH by the pusher P lifted by the pusher lift pin 16a. After the transfer robot 107 has been withdrawn from the vacuum chamber 1, the pusher lift pin 16a is lowered to be loaded (loaded) into the loading section 24. Subsequently, the wafer guide ring 18 is fitted into the guide groove 18g by the guide lift pin 16b. The above-described series of operations are repeated a plurality of times, and the wafers W are respectively loaded on the inside and / or outside of the loading section 24 of the turntable 2, and the transfer of the wafers W is finished.

In this case, the wafers W are mounted on the turntable 2 as shown in FIG. 13A. 13A to 13E illustrate that six loading units 14 are formed for convenience, and one to six wafers W are mounted on the six loading units 14. 13A to 13E, AR1 and AR2 illustrate thin film deposition regions for convenience, and may correspond to the first region 481 and the second region 482 of FIGS. 1, 2, and 4. AR3 illustrates purge regions for convenience and may correspond to the third region 483 of FIGS. 1, 2, and 4.

Next, the vacuum chamber 1 is maintained at the preset pressure (step S22). For example, purge gas nozzles 41 and 42, purge gas supply pipes 51, and purge gas supply pipes 72 and 73 are exhausted from the vacuum chamber 1 of FIGS. 1 and 2 by an exhaust system (not shown). The N2 gas is supplied from the gas to maintain the pressure in the vacuum chamber 1 at a preset pressure by a pressure regulator (not shown).

Subsequently, the rotary table in the vacuum chamber is heated to the process temperature to maintain the wafer at an appropriate temperature (step S24). For example, the rotary table 2 of FIGS. 1 and 2 is heated to a predetermined process temperature (for example, 300 ° C.) by the heater unit 7 in advance, and the wafer W is loaded on the rotary table 2. As a result, the wafer W is also heated and maintained at an appropriate temperature.

Next, the rotary table 2 is first idled (rotated) (step S30). For example, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 13A, the turntable 2 starts the first revolution (rotation) clockwise from the top.

The thin film forming method includes forming the primary sub thin film when passing through the thin film deposition regions of the vacuum chamber in accordance with the primary revolution of the turntable 2 (step S40).

More specifically, after the wafer W is heated and maintained at a predetermined temperature as described in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, etc., the BTBAS gas is supplied to the first region 481 through the reaction gas nozzle 31. , Ozone gas is supplied to the second region 482 through the reaction gas nozzle 32. BTBAS molecules may be adsorbed onto the surface of the wafer W when the wafer W passes under the reaction gas nozzle 31. When the wafer W passes under the reaction gas nozzle 32, ozone (O ₃ ) molecules are adsorbed on the surface of the wafer W, and the BTBAS molecules are oxidized by the ozone molecules.

In this case, when the wafer W passes through the first region 481, the second region 482, and the third region 483 once by the rotation of the rotary table 2, the wafer W may have a value of 1 on the surface of the wafer W. The silicon oxide layer of the molecular layer (or two or more molecular layers) may be formed. The rotation of the turntable 2 causes the wafer W to pass through the first region 481, the second region 482, and the third region 483 in a plurality of cycles, for example, tens to hundreds of cycles. The primary sub thin film of the silicon oxide layer may be formed on the surface of the silicon oxide layer. In other words, forming the primary sub thin film on the wafer W while primary revolving the rotary table 2 may be performed a plurality of times.

Next, the primary revolution of the turntable 2 is stopped (step S50). That is, as shown in FIG. 13B, the rotary table 2 stops primary idle. The primary idle stop of the rotary table 2 is to stop the primary idle in order to perform the rotation of the wafer loaded on the rotary table as described below.

Subsequently, at least one of the wafers W loaded on the turntable 2 is rotated (step S60). That is, as shown in FIG. 13C, the wafer W loaded on the turntable 2, that is, the second wafer W, can be selectively rotated. Alternatively, all of the wafers W loaded on the rotation table 2, that is, the first to sixth wafers W, may all be rotated.

In one embodiment, in the step of rotating at least one of the wafers W loaded on the stacks 24, the wafer W may be rotated at an angle of 60 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees or 270 degrees. . By rotating at least one of the wafers W loaded on the rotary table 2, a secondary sub thin film, which will be described later, is formed to improve thin film uniformity and thin film etching characteristics on the wafer W.

Here, the step S60 of rotating at least one of the wafers W loaded on the rotary table 2 may include the following detailed steps.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5, and 6, a wafer holder WH and a holder lift pin capable of supporting and rotating the wafers W below the loading portions 24 of the turntable 2. The wafer rotation unit (WRU) including the 16C and the wafer holder driver 94 is installed (step S62). Since the wafer holder WH, the holder lift pin 16C, and the wafer holder driver 94 have been described above, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Subsequently, at least one of the wafers W loaded on the plurality of stacks 24 of the turntable 2 is lifted by the holder lift pin 16c as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 ( Step S64).

Next, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5, and 6, the wafer holder WH positioned on the holder lift pin 16c is rotated using the wafer holder driver 94 (step S66). As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5, and 6, the rotation of the wafer holder WH is performed on the surface of the wafer line W and the vacuum line 90 installed inside the holder lift pin 16c. The wafer holder WH may be performed in a state in which the wafer WH is held in a vacuum by using the vacuum hole 92 connected with the vacuum hole 92.

Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the rotated (rotated) at least one wafer W is lowered by the holder lift pin 16c to mount the wafer W on the mounting portion 24 again. (Step S68).

Next, the rotary table 2 is subjected to secondary revolution (rotation) (step S70). For example, as shown by the arrow of Fig. 13E, the secondary table (rotation) is started in the clockwise direction from the top of the rotary table 2 as seen from the top.

Subsequently, when passing through the thin film deposition regions of the vacuum chamber in accordance with the secondary revolution of the turntable 2, a secondary sub thin film is formed on the primary sub thin film to form a final thin film (step S80). Forming the secondary sub thin film may be the same as forming the primary sub thin film previously. The secondary sub thin film may revolve the turntable 2 so that the wafer W may be formed of a silicon oxide layer when the wafer W passes through the thin film deposition region in a plurality of cycles, tens to hundreds of cycles. In other words, the secondary sub thin film may be formed on the wafer W several times while revolving the rotary table 2. By forming the second sub thin film on the primary sub thin film to form a final thin film it is possible to improve the uniformity and etching characteristics of the thin film.

Next, after stopping the rotary table after forming the final thin film, the wafer W is taken out of the vacuum chamber 1 by the transfer robot 107 by an operation opposite to the carry-in operation, and the thin film forming method ends. Can be.

The thin film forming apparatus and the thin film forming method according to the embodiment of the present invention described above are not limited to the thin film formation of the silicon oxide layer, but may be applied to the thin film formation of the silicon nitride layer.

Thin film forming apparatus and thin film forming method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a thin film of aluminum oxide layer (Al ₂ O ₃ ) using trimethylaluminum (TMA) and ozone gas, tetrakisethylmethylaminozirconium (TEMAZr) and ozone It can be used to form a thin film of a zirconium oxide layer (ZrO ₂ ) using gas, and to form a thin film of a hafnium oxide layer (HfO ₂ ) using tetrakisethyl methyl amino hafnium (TEMAH) and ozone gas.

Thin film forming apparatus and thin film forming method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a thin film of strontium oxide layer (SrO) using strontium bistetra methylheptanedionato (Sr (THD) ₂ ) and ozone gas, titanium methyl pentane diona It can also be used for forming a thin film of a titanium oxide layer (TiO ₂ ) using tobistetramethyl heptanedionate (Ti (MPD) (THD)) and ozone gas.

The thin film forming apparatus and the thin film forming method according to an embodiment of the present invention may use oxygen plasma instead of ozone gas. Although the thin film forming apparatus and the thin film forming method according to an embodiment of the present invention are not described using a plasma, for example, a remote plasma, the thin film forming apparatus and the thin film forming method may be used to form a thin film using plasma.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may be embodied in other specific forms without changing the essential features of the present invention. I can understand that you can. In addition, it is to be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

Reference Signs List 1: vacuum chamber, 2: rotary table, 10: thin film forming apparatus, 16a: pusher lift pin, 16b: guide lift pin, 16c: holder lift pin, 24: loading part, WH: wafer holder, 94: wafer holder drive, WRU: Wafer Rotating Unit

Claims (10)

A vacuum chamber;
A rotary table installed in the vacuum chamber, the rotary table including loading units capable of loading each of a plurality of wafers apart from each other near a surface thereof;
A rotary table driver connected to the rotary table and capable of revolving the rotary table; And
A wafer rotating unit connected to the wafer mounted on the loading unit and capable of rotating the wafer,
The wafer rotation unit,
And a wafer holder for supporting the wafer, a holder lift pin connected to the wafer holder and capable of raising and lowering the wafer, and a wafer holder driver capable of rotating the wafer holder. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wafer rotating unit is connected to at least one of the wafers mounted on the stacking portions. The rotating table driving unit is configured to rotate the rotating table in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, and the wafer rotating unit is configured to rotate the wafer in a direction opposite to the rotating direction of the rotating table. Thin film forming apparatus, characterized in that. The thin film forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein a vacuum line is further provided inside the holder lift pin, and a vacuum hole connected to the vacuum line is further provided on a surface of the holder holder. The thin film as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a pusher for supporting the wafer at a lower portion of the wafer holder, and a pusher lift pin for lowering the wafer at a lower portion of the pusher. Forming device. A vacuum chamber comprising a plurality of thin film deposition regions and a plurality of purge regions;
A rotary table installed in the vacuum chamber, the rotary table including loading units capable of loading each of a plurality of wafers apart from each other near a surface thereof;
Reactive gas nozzles respectively supplying reactive gases to the thin film deposition regions on the rotary table;
Purge gas nozzles respectively supplying purge gas to the purge regions on the rotary table;
A rotary table driver connected to the rotary table and capable of revolving the rotary table in one direction; And
A wafer rotation unit connected to any one of the wafers mounted on the loading unit and capable of selectively rotating the wafer in one direction;
The wafer rotating unit includes a wafer holder for supporting the wafer at the bottom of the wafer, a holder lift pin connected to the wafer holder and capable of raising and lowering the wafer, and a wafer holder driving unit capable of rotating the wafer holder. Thin film forming apparatus comprising a. The method of claim 6, wherein the reaction gas nozzles and the purge gas nozzles are installed to extend in a direction intersecting with the rotation direction of the turntable, and the thin film deposition regions and the purge regions are in accordance with the turn direction of the turntable. And the reactive gas nozzles and the purge gas nozzles are spaced apart from each other in a rotational direction of the rotary table. Loading wafers into loads on a rotating table of a vacuum chamber in which thin film deposition regions and purge regions are formed, respectively;
Primary revolving the rotating table;
Forming a primary sub thin film on a wafer as it passes through the thin film deposition regions in accordance with the primary revolution of the turntable;
Stopping primary rotation of the rotary table;
Rotating at least one of the wafers loaded on the stacks;
Secondary idling the rotary table; And
Forming a final thin film by forming a secondary sub thin film on the primary sub thin film when passing through the thin film deposition regions according to the secondary revolving of the turntable. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein selectively rotating at least one of the wafers loaded on the stacks,
Installing a wafer rotating unit including a wafer holder, a holder lift pin, and a wafer holder driver capable of supporting and rotating the wafers under the stacks, wherein at least one of the wafers loaded on the stacks is placed in the holder; Elevating by a lift pin; rotating the wafer holder positioned on the holder lift pin by using the wafer holder driver; and lowering the loaded at least one wafer by the holder lift pin; And remounting it on the portion. The method of claim 8, wherein the rotating of the wafer holder positioned on the holder lift pin using the wafer holder driver includes:
A thin film forming method, wherein the wafer holder holds the wafer in a vacuum by using a vacuum hole connected to the vacuum line and a vacuum line installed inside the holder lift pin and a surface of the wafer holder. .

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