KR20230137124A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a process chamber, a substrate supporter, a source gas injection unit disposed in a circumferential direction, a reaction gas injection unit, and purge gas injection between the source gas injection unit and the reaction gas injection unit. a gas injection unit including a unit; a first exhaust unit disposed adjacent to the source gas injection unit; and a second exhaust unit disposed adjacent to the reaction gas injection unit, wherein the first exhaust unit is configured to: a first exhaust line connecting the chamber and the first vacuum pump and exhausting a first exhaust gas containing at least a source gas or a purge gas; and a first exhaust gas installed in the first exhaust line and exhausting the first exhaust gas from the process chamber. A liquid collector for liquefying and collecting the source gas, and controlling the temperature of the liquid collector to a first temperature at which liquid collection is possible by liquefying the source gas at least during the process time when the source gas is exhausted from the process chamber, and the process At least the purge type in which the purge gas is exhausted from the chamber includes a temperature control unit that controls the temperature of the liquid collector to a second temperature higher than the first temperature at which the residual liquid in the liquid collector can be vaporized.

Description

Substrate processing apparatus

The present invention relates to the manufacture of semiconductor devices, and more specifically to a substrate processing apparatus for the manufacture of semiconductor devices.

Thin films of semiconductor devices are formed on semiconductor substrates by various vapor deposition methods. A substrate processing apparatus for performing this method typically includes a process chamber, a gas injection unit for spraying various gases into the process chamber, and a substrate support unit for seating the substrate. For example, a thin film may be formed on a substrate seated on a substrate supporter by supplying process gases, such as source gas and reaction gas, to the gas spray unit.

During the thin film formation process using a substrate processing device, a large amount of unreacted process gases as well as various gases and by-products are generated inside the process chamber, and these exhaust gases are pumped with a vacuum pump through an exhaust line. These exhaust gases contain harmful gases that can cause vacuum pump failure or air pollution, and need to be removed or treated before entering the vacuum pump.

As one of the methods for processing such exhaust gas, a liquid trap (PLT) may be installed in the exhaust line. Typically, the liquid collector can be maintained at a low temperature to liquefy the exhaust gas and collect it in a liquid state. As shown in FIG. 1, when such a liquid collector is added to the process type (process time), the content of harmful gases such as source gas in exhaust gas can be reduced. However, in the purge type (purge time) in which the purge gas is exhausted without the source gas being exhausted, the source gas is hardly detected if there is no liquid collector, but the source gas can be detected if there is a liquid collector. This is believed to be caused by the liquid remaining in the liquid collector, which may cause environmental problems such as ignition.

The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide a substrate processing device that can reduce the occurrence of environmental problems by improving the treatment efficiency of exhaust gases. However, these tasks are illustrative and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

A substrate processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention for solving the above problem includes a process chamber including a reaction space, a substrate support unit coupled to the process chamber and on which a plurality of substrates are mounted, and the substrate support unit facing the substrate support unit. A gas injection unit coupled to the process chamber and including a source gas injection unit, a reaction gas injection unit, and a purge gas injection unit disposed in a circumferential direction, and the source gas injection unit, the source gas injection unit a first exhaust disposed adjacent to the unit and a second exhaust disposed adjacent to the reaction gas injection unit, the first exhaust connecting the process chamber and the first vacuum pump and supplying at least a source gas or a first exhaust line through which a first exhaust gas containing a purge gas is exhausted, a liquid collector installed in the first exhaust line to liquefy and collect a source gas in the first exhaust gas exhausted from the process chamber; At least during the process time when the source gas is exhausted from the process chamber, the temperature of the liquid collector is controlled to a first temperature that allows liquid collection by liquefying the source gas, and at least the purge type when the purge gas is exhausted from the process chamber is the liquid phase. and a temperature control unit that controls the temperature of the collector to a second temperature higher than the first temperature at which the residual liquid in the liquid collector can be vaporized.

According to the substrate processing apparatus, at least a first portion of the first exhaust line connecting the process chamber and the liquid collector can be maintained at a third temperature higher than the first temperature so that the source gas can remain in a gaseous state. there is.

According to the substrate processing apparatus, the first temperature may be lower than room temperature, and the second temperature may be 100 ^o C or higher.

According to the substrate processing apparatus, the temperature control unit may control the temperature of the liquid collector to the second temperature during an idle type in which substrate processing is not performed in the process chamber.

According to the substrate processing apparatus, a plasma post-processing device for plasma decomposing at least a portion of the first exhaust gas may be installed in the first exhaust line between the liquid collector and the first vacuum pump.

According to the substrate processing apparatus, a powder collector for converting at least a portion of the first exhaust gas into solid powder and collecting it may be installed in the first exhaust line between the plasma post-processing device and the first vacuum pump. .

According to the substrate processing apparatus, the second exhaust unit may include a second exhaust line connected between the process chamber and the second vacuum pump and through which a second exhaust gas containing at least a reaction gas or a purge gas is exhausted. .

According to the substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention as described above, the occurrence of environmental problems can be reduced by improving the treatment efficiency for exhaust gas. Of course, the scope of the present invention is not limited by this effect.

Figure 1 is a graph showing source gas content depending on the presence or absence of a liquid collector in a typical substrate processing device.
Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing a gas injection unit in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 2.
4 is a graph schematically showing temperature control in a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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

The embodiments of the present invention are provided to more completely explain the present invention to those skilled in the art, and the following examples may be modified into various other forms, and the scope of the present invention is as follows. It is not limited to the examples. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the present disclosure more faithful and complete and to fully convey the spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art. Additionally, the thickness and size of each layer in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience and clarity of explanation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to drawings that schematically show ideal embodiments of the present invention. In the drawings, variations of the depicted shape may be expected, for example, depending on manufacturing technology and/or tolerances. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the specific shape of the area shown in this specification, but should include, for example, changes in shape resulting from manufacturing.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a substrate processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the gas injection unit 120 in the substrate processing apparatus 100 of FIG. 2.

2 and 3, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a process chamber 110, a gas injection unit 120, a substrate support unit 130, a first exhaust unit 151, and a second exhaust unit 153. may include.

The process chamber 110 may define a reaction space 112 therein. Furthermore, the process chamber 110 may include an entrance for loading or unloading the substrates 50 into or from the reaction space 112 and a gate (G) for opening and closing the same. The process chamber 110 may be provided in various shapes, and may include, for example, a side wall defining the reaction space 112 and a cover located on top of the side wall, for example, a top lead.

The gas injection unit 120 may be coupled to the process chamber 110 to supply the process gas supplied from outside the process chamber 110 to the reaction space 112. For example, the gas injection unit 120 may be coupled to the process chamber 110 so as to face the substrate support unit 130 . The gas injection unit 120 may be installed at the top of the process chamber 110 to spray process gas on the substrate S seated on the substrate support 130.

For example, the gas injection unit 120 may include a plurality of gas injection units arranged in the circumferential direction, such as a source gas injection unit 123, a reaction gas injection unit 124, and a purge gas injection unit 125. You can. Furthermore, a plurality of purge gas injection units 125 may be disposed between the source gas injection unit 123 and the reaction gas injection unit 124. More specifically, the source gas injection unit 123 is formed with injection holes for injecting the source gas onto the substrate support 130, and the reaction gas injection unit 124 is formed to spray the reaction gas onto the substrate support 130. Injection holes for spraying may be formed, and spray holes for spraying the purge gas onto the substrate support 130 may be formed in the purge gas injection unit 125 .

Optionally, a curtain gas injection unit 122 may be installed in the center of the gas injection unit 120. Spray holes for spraying curtain gas to prevent mixing of source gas and reaction gas may be formed in the curtain gas spray unit 122. For example, the curtain gas may include an inert gas as well as the purge gas.

In some embodiments, the gas injection unit 120 may have various shapes, such as a shower head shape or a nozzle shape. When the gas injection unit 120 is in the form of a shower head, the gas injection unit 120 may be coupled to the process chamber 110 in a form that partially covers the upper part of the process chamber 110. For example, the gas injection unit 120 may be coupled to the cover or side wall of the process chamber 110.

The substrate support 130 may be coupled to the process chamber 110 to support a plurality of substrates S within the reaction space 112. For example, the substrate supporter 130 is installed in the process chamber 110 to face the gas injection unit 120 and may include seating grooves 135 in which the substrates S can be seated. Furthermore, the substrate supporter 130 may include a heater (not shown) for heating the substrates S therein.

The shape of the upper plate of the substrate supporter 130 generally corresponds to the shape of the substrate S, but is not limited to this and may be provided in a variety of shapes larger than the substrate S so as to stably seat the substrate S. In one example, the shaft C of the substrate support 130 may be connected to an external motor (not shown) to enable elevation and rotation, and may further include means for maintaining airtightness, such as a bellows tube or a ferro fluid seal. sealing structure may be connected. Furthermore, since the substrate support portion 130 is configured to place the substrate S thereon, it may also be called a substrate seating portion, a susceptor, etc.

In some embodiments, a plasma power source (not shown) may be connected to the gas injection unit 120 to supply power to form a plasma atmosphere in the reaction space 112 inside the process chamber 110. In this case, the gas injection unit 120 may also be called a power supply electrode or an upper electrode.

The first exhaust unit 151 may be disposed adjacent to the source gas injection unit 123. The first exhaust unit 151 may be mainly used to exhaust source gas and/or purge gas. For example, the first exhaust unit 151 may include a first exhaust line 152, a liquid collector 162, and a temperature control unit 192.

The first exhaust line 152 may be connected to the exhaust port of the process chamber 110 to discharge exhaust gas. For example, the first exhaust line 152 may connect the process chamber 110 and the first vacuum pump 156, and through the first exhaust line 152, a first exhaust gas containing at least a source gas or a purge gas can be discharged. Exhaust gas may be exhausted from the process chamber 110 to the first vacuum pump 156. Furthermore, a throttle valve may be coupled to the first exhaust line 152 to adjust the degree of exhaust, and the throttle valve may be controlled to determine whether or not to exhaust the first exhaust gas and/or whether to discharge it into the process chamber 110. The degree of vacuum can be adjusted. Alternatively, the first vacuum pump 156 may be understood as a part of the first exhaust unit 151.

The liquid collector (PLT, 162) is installed in the first exhaust line 152 and can liquefy and collect at least the source gas in the first exhaust gas discharged from the process chamber 110. For example, the liquid collector 162 may be maintained at a low temperature below the condensation temperature of the source gas to liquefy the source gas and collect the liquid phase. For example, the liquid collector 162 may be maintained at a low temperature while liquid collection is in progress using an appropriate cooling means, such as process cooling water (PCW), a heat exchanger, a Peltier element, etc.

A canister 163 for storing the collected liquid may be connected to the liquid collector 162. For example, the canister 163 may be connected to the bottom of the liquid collector 162 to collect the liquid collected inside the liquid collector 162. The canister 163 can be emptied once a certain amount of liquid has been collected.

The temperature control unit 192 is connected to the liquid collector 162 by wire or wirelessly and can control the temperature of the liquid collector 162. For example, the liquid collector 192 needs to be cooled during liquid collection and heated to vaporize the remaining liquid inside while liquid is not being collected. For this purpose, a heating means in addition to a cooling means may be installed in the liquid collector 192. For example, a heating means such as a hot wire heater, a heating jacket, a cartridge heater, or a heat exchanger may be installed in the liquid collector 192.

In some embodiments, the temperature control unit 192 may be understood as a temperature controller that controls the liquid collector 162 or as a partial block within the central processing unit that overall controls the substrate processing apparatus 100.

Additionally, the first exhaust unit 151 may further include plasma post-treatment equipment (164) and/or powder trap equipment (166).

The plasma post-processing device 164 may be installed in the first exhaust line 152 between the liquid collector 162 and the first vacuum pump 156. The plasma post-processing device 164 may create a plasma atmosphere inside and plasma decompose at least a portion of the first exhaust gas. For example, the plasma post-processing device 164 uses various methods such as inductively coupled plasma (ICP), capacitively coupled plasma (CCP), and transformer coupled plasma (TCP). A plasma atmosphere can be created.

The powder collector 166 may be installed between the plasma post-processing device 164 and the first vacuum pump 156. For example, the powder collector 166 may convert at least a portion of the first exhaust gas exhausted through the first exhaust line 152 into solid powder and collect it.

In some embodiments, the first exhaust line 152 between the process chamber 110 and the first vacuum pump 156 includes a liquid collector 162, a plasma post-treatment device 164, and a powder collector 166 in this order. It can be installed as desired. According to this, at least a portion of the first exhaust including the first exhaust gas discharged from the process chamber 110 through the first exhaust line 152 is collected in a liquid phase in the liquid collector 162, and then the first exhaust is collected in liquid form. At least a portion may be plasma decomposed in the plasma post-processing device 164, and then at least a portion of the first exhaust may be collected as solid powder in the powder collector 166 and then sucked into the first vacuum pump 156.

In some embodiments, depending on the type and degree of harmfulness of the first exhaust, one or both of the plasma post-treatment device 164 and the powder collector may be omitted.

In some embodiments, the second exhaust 153 may be disposed adjacent to the reactive gas injection unit 124. The second exhaust unit 153 may be mainly used to exhaust reaction gas and/or purge gas within the process chamber 110. The second exhaust unit 153 may include a second exhaust line 154.

The second exhaust line 154 may be installed between the process chamber 110 and the second vacuum pump 158. Alternatively, the second vacuum pump 158 may be understood as a part of the second exhaust unit 153. For example, a second exhaust gas containing at least a reaction gas or a purge gas may be exhausted from the process chamber 110 through the second exhaust line 154 and sucked into the second vacuum pump 158 . Furthermore, a throttle valve may be coupled to the second exhaust line 154 to adjust the level of exhaust, and the throttle valve may be controlled to determine whether or not the second exhaust gas is discharged into the process chamber 110. The degree of vacuum can be adjusted.

When the first exhaust gas containing the source gas is not exhausted to the second exhaust line 154, the second exhaust line 154, unlike the first exhaust line 152, includes a liquid collector 162 and a plasma post-processing device. Some or all of 164 and powder collector 166 may not be installed.

The above-described substrate processing apparatus 100 may be used as a thin film deposition apparatus, for example, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) apparatus. More specifically, the substrate processing device 100 may be used as a space-division atomic layer deposition device. In this case, process gases such as source gas, reaction gas, and purge gas are continuously sprayed from the gas injection unit 120, and as the substrate supporter 130 rotates, the source gas and purge gas are transferred onto the substrates S. , reaction gas and purge gas may be provided repeatedly in pulse form.

Hereinafter, temperature control of the liquid collector 162 through the temperature control unit 192 will be described in more detail.

FIG. 3 is a graph schematically showing temperature control in the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 and 3, according to the substrate processing method using the substrate processing apparatus 100, the temperature control unit 192 uses a liquid collector (at least during the process time when the source gas is exhausted from the process chamber 110). The temperature of the liquid collector 162 is controlled to a first temperature (T1) at which liquid collection is possible by liquefying the source gas, and the temperature of the liquid collector 162 is controlled at least during the purge time when the purge gas is exhausted from the process chamber 110. 162) The second temperature (T2) at which the remaining liquid can be vaporized can be controlled.

More specifically, the liquid collector 162 is maintained at the first temperature (T1) using a cooling device during the process time when the source gas is exhausted from the first exhaust gas, and when the source gas is not exhausted from the first exhaust gas. Time, for example, a purge type in which purge gas is exhausted, an idle time in which substrate processing is not performed, and/or an abnormal time, may be maintained at the second temperature T2 using a heating device. Accordingly, when the source gas is not exhausted from the process chamber 110, the remaining liquid in the liquid collector 162 can be removed by vaporizing, so that the remaining liquid is adsorbed on the powder collector 166, etc., causing an ignition problem or Environmental problems such as solidified substances remaining in the collector 162 can be reduced.

For example, the first temperature (T1) may be lower than room temperature (25 ^o C), and the second temperature (T2) may be higher than the first temperature (T1). In some embodiments, the second temperature T2 may be 100 ^o C or higher, and may be 160 ^o C or higher for some source gases for forming high dielectric constant thin films.

Additionally, at least the first portion 152a of the first exhaust line 152 connecting the process chamber 110 and the liquid collector 162 is in a gaseous state before the source gas is collected by the liquid collector 162. It may be maintained at a third temperature (T3) that is higher than the first temperature (T1). For example, the third temperature (T3) may or may not be the same as the second temperature (T2), and in some embodiments may be greater than 100 ^o C and ¹⁶⁰ o C for a source gas for forming some high-k thin films. It can be C or higher.

According to the above-described substrate processing apparatus 100 and substrate processing method, when the source gas is not exhausted through the first exhaust line 152, the liquid collector 162 is heated to vaporize and exhaust the remaining liquid inside, thereby igniting. Environmental problems such as residual problems or solidified substances can be reduced, thereby increasing device operation efficiency and improving process reliability.

The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, but these are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom. Therefore, the true scope of technical protection of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the attached patent claims.

100: substrate processing device
110: Process chamber
120: gas injection unit
130: substrate support
151: first exhaust section
153: second exhaust section
162: Liquid collector
164: Plasma post-processing device
166: Powder collector

Claims (7)

A process chamber containing a reaction space;
A substrate support unit coupled to the process chamber and on which a plurality of substrates are mounted;
A gas component coupled to the process chamber opposite the substrate support unit and including a source gas injection unit, a reaction gas injection unit, and a purge gas injection unit between the source gas injection unit and the reaction gas injection unit disposed in a circumferential direction. master;
a first exhaust disposed adjacent to the source gas injection unit; and
a second exhaust disposed adjacent to the reaction gas injection unit;
The first exhaust unit,
a first exhaust line connecting the process chamber and a first vacuum pump and through which a first exhaust gas containing at least a source gas or a purge gas is exhausted;
a liquid collector installed in the first exhaust line to liquefy and collect source gas in the first exhaust gas exhausted from the process chamber; and
At least during the process time when the source gas is exhausted from the process chamber, the temperature of the liquid collector is controlled to a first temperature that allows liquid collection by liquefying the source gas, and at least the purge type when the purge gas is exhausted from the process chamber is the liquid phase. Comprising a temperature control unit that controls the temperature of the collector to a second temperature higher than the first temperature at which the residual liquid in the liquid collector can be vaporized,
Substrate processing equipment. According to claim 1,
At least a first portion of the first exhaust line connecting the process chamber and the liquid collector is maintained at a third temperature greater than the first temperature such that the source gas remains in a gaseous state.
Substrate processing equipment. According to claim 1,
The first temperature is lower than room temperature, and the second temperature is 100 ^o C or higher,
Substrate processing equipment. According to claim 1,
The temperature control unit controls the temperature of the liquid collector to the second temperature in an idle type in which substrate processing is not performed in the process chamber.
Substrate processing equipment. According to claim 1,
A plasma post-processing device for plasma decomposition of at least a portion of the first exhaust gas is installed in the first exhaust line between the liquid collector and the first vacuum pump.
Substrate processing equipment. According to claim 5,
A powder collector is installed in the first exhaust line between the plasma post-processing device and the first vacuum pump to convert at least a portion of the first exhaust gas into solid powder and collect it.
Substrate processing equipment. According to claim 1,
The second exhaust unit,
a second exhaust line connected between the process chamber and the second vacuum pump and through which a second exhaust gas containing at least a reaction gas or a purge gas is exhausted,
Substrate processing equipment.