KR20240030232A - Wafer heater capable of exhausting byproduct - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wafer heater.
A wafer heater according to an embodiment of the present invention is a wafer heater including a seating surface on which a wafer is mounted and a protrusion formed on an outside of the seating surface and having an inclined surface on the inside, between the wafer, the seating surface, and the protrusion. A boundary area is formed, an inlet communicates with the boundary area and an outlet is arranged to communicate with the outer peripheral surface of the wafer heater, and includes a plurality of discharge passages extending outward in the radial direction.

Description

Wafer heater capable of exhausting byproduct}

The present invention relates to a wafer heater, and more specifically, to a wafer heater that can easily discharge by-products accumulated during the wafer processing process.

The wafer processing device supplies a reaction gas to the wafer to deposit a thin film on the upper surface of the wafer. Thin film formation technologies include atomic layer deposition, atomic layer etching, and chemical vapor deposition. In the case of atomic layer deposition, it is widely used recently as it can secure high conformality and form a high aspect ratio. .

In such a wafer processing device, a heater disposed in a vacuum chamber generally supports the wafer and supplies a process gas to the wafer to deposit a thin film. Additionally, when using plasma, the process gas can be excited by the plasma generated between the shower head and the heater disposed in the vacuum chamber, and the excited reactant is used to deposit a thin film on the wafer.

However, as the processing process is repeated, process byproducts accumulate between the wafer and the heater. In particular, by-products accumulate between the outside of the wafer and the inclined surface of the heater or the focus ring. These accumulated by-products affect the quality of the wafer and deteriorate the durability and reliability of the wafer processing device.

As a prior art for processing such by-products, a technique of spraying a purge gas from a shower head to scatter the by-products has been disclosed. However, this prior art reduces the efficiency of the wafer processing process in that it must be performed separately after the wafer processing process is completed or after the wafer processing process is stopped.

The above-mentioned background technology is technical information that the inventor possessed for deriving the present invention or acquired in the process of deriving the present invention, and cannot necessarily be said to be known technology disclosed to the general public before filing the application for the present invention.

US Patent Publication US 6402847 B1

The present invention is an invention to solve the above-mentioned problems, and relates to a wafer heater that can discharge by-products generated during the wafer processing process without any additional process.

However, these problems are illustrative, and the problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited thereto.

A wafer heater according to an embodiment of the present invention is a wafer heater including a seating surface on which a wafer is mounted and a protrusion formed on an outside of the seating surface and having an inclined surface on the inside, between the wafer, the seating surface, and the protrusion. A boundary area is formed, an inlet communicates with the boundary area, and an outlet is arranged to communicate with the outer peripheral surface of the wafer heater, and may include a plurality of discharge passages extending outward in a radial direction.

In the wafer heater according to an embodiment of the present invention, the inlet of the discharge passage may include a boundary line between the seating surface and the inclined surface or may be disposed to contact the boundary line.

In the wafer heater according to an embodiment of the present invention, the discharge passage may be inclined downward and extend outward in the radial direction.

In the wafer heater according to an embodiment of the present invention, the discharge passage may have a constant cross-sectional area in the longitudinal direction.

In the wafer heater according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cross-sectional area of the discharge passage may gradually increase in the longitudinal direction.

In the wafer heater according to an embodiment of the present invention, the discharge passage may include a plurality of branch passages branching outward in a radial direction from an inlet disposed in the boundary area.

In the wafer heater according to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of branch passages included in the discharge passage may extend at different angles with respect to the central axis of the wafer heater.

In the wafer heater according to an embodiment of the present invention, the discharge passage may be arranged perpendicular to a tangent line of the outer peripheral surface of the wafer heater when viewed in plan.

In the wafer heater according to an embodiment of the present invention, the seating surface rotates in a predetermined direction about a support axis, and the discharge passage may be disposed inclined in the rotation direction of the seating surface when viewed from a plan view.

In the wafer heater according to an embodiment of the present invention, the angle at which the discharge passage extends may be 15 degrees or more and 60 degrees or less.

In the wafer heater according to an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of discharge passages may have different cross-sectional shapes.

In the wafer heater according to an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of discharge passages may be arranged at different intervals.

In the wafer heater according to an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of discharge passages do not overlap the seating surface when viewed in plan, and may be disposed inside the protrusion.

In the wafer heater according to an embodiment of the present invention, the wafer heater is disposed inside the seating surface and includes an RF pattern and a hot wire pattern disposed to overlap the wafer, and the discharge passage includes the RF pattern and the hot wire pattern. It can be arranged so as not to overlap the heating pattern.

Other aspects, features and advantages other than those described above will become apparent from the detailed description, claims and drawings for carrying out the invention below.

The wafer heater according to an embodiment of the present invention can automatically discharge by-products generated during the wafer processing process without stopping the wafer processing process.

1 shows a wafer processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional perspective view of a wafer heater according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 shows a plan perspective view of a wafer heater according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 shows an enlarged view of the discharge passage of a wafer heater according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 shows a plan perspective view of a wafer heater according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 shows an enlarged view of the discharge passage of a wafer heater according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7 shows a plan perspective view of a wafer heater according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8 shows a plan perspective view of a wafer heater according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 9 shows an enlarged discharge path of a wafer heater according to another embodiment of the present invention.
10 to 12 show wafer heaters according to the prior art.

Since the present invention can be modified in various ways and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the description of the invention. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include all transformations, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. In describing the present invention, the same identification numbers are used for the same components even if they are shown in different embodiments.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. When describing with reference to the drawings, identical or corresponding components will be assigned the same reference numerals and redundant description thereof will be omitted. .

In the following embodiments, terms such as first and second are used not in a limiting sense but for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component.

In the following examples, singular terms include plural terms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the following embodiments, terms such as include or have mean that the features or components described in the specification exist, and do not exclude in advance the possibility of adding one or more other features or components.

In the drawings, the sizes of components may be exaggerated or reduced for convenience of explanation. For example, the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are shown arbitrarily for convenience of explanation, so the present invention is not necessarily limited to what is shown.

In the following embodiments, the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis are not limited to the three axes in the Cartesian coordinate system, but can be interpreted in a broad sense including these. For example, the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis may be orthogonal to each other, but may also refer to different directions that are not orthogonal to each other.

In cases where an embodiment can be implemented differently, a specific process sequence may be performed differently from the described sequence. For example, two processes described in succession may be performed substantially at the same time, or may be performed in an order opposite to that in which they are described.

The terms used in this application are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. In this application, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but are not intended to indicate the presence of one or more other features. It should be understood that this does not exclude in advance the possibility of the existence or addition of elements, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

FIG. 1 shows a wafer processing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional perspective view of a wafer heater 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the present invention. A plan perspective view of the wafer heater 100 according to an example is shown, and FIG. 4 shows an enlarged discharge passage 140 of the wafer heater 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The wafer processing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be used to deposit a thin film on the wafer (W). For example, the wafer processing apparatus 10 supplies a first gas containing a precursor and a second gas containing a reactant within a chamber C at a temperature set by an atomic layer deposition apparatus to deposit the first gas containing a precursor and a second gas containing a reactant on the upper surface of the wafer W. A thin film can be formed. Additionally, the wafer processing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention can discharge by-products generated during atomic layer thin film formation without additional processes or without stopping the atomic layer thin film forming process.

More specifically, FIGS. 10 to 12 show a wafer heater (H) according to the prior art. The wafer heater (H) has a protrusion or inclined surface at the edge to improve plasma uniformity by expanding the plasma on the wafer (W) and concentrating the electric field. As a result, by-products (B) generated during the process accumulate in the step formed between the outer peripheral surface of the wafer (W) and the inclined surface, and as the process progresses, the by-products (B) appear in a ring shape as shown in FIG. 11.

Such by-products (B) need to be removed because they deteriorate the quality of the wafer (W) and the reliability and durability of the entire device. Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 12, a purge gas (G) is sprayed from the head to scatter the by-products (B), and then the by-products (B) are sucked in and discharged using a pump or the like. Since this byproduct discharge process must be performed after stopping the wafer processing process, the efficiency of the wafer processing process is reduced, and there are problems such as the scattered byproducts (B) falling back onto the wafer (W) or flowing into the chamber.

The wafer processing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is an invention to solve the above-mentioned problems, and will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 4, the wafer processing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chamber C, a cleaning gas source 11, a purge gas source 12, a gate valve 12a, It includes a first gas flow path 13, a second gas flow path 14, a shower head 15, a nozzle 16, an injection port 17, an exhaust port 18, a pump 19, and a wafer heater 100. .

The chamber C has an internal space where a deposition process is performed, and a wafer heater 100, a wafer W, and a showerhead 15 may be placed inside. Additionally, the chamber C may be connected to a cleaning gas source 11, a purge gas source 12, and a nozzle 16 at the top.

The cleaning gas source 11 may be disposed at the top of the wafer processing device 10, particularly above the showerhead 15, to supply cleaning gas. The cleaning gas may be a gas excited by plasma according to a remote plasma method for on-site cleaning. The cleaning gas supplied from the cleaning gas source 11 may move into the chamber (C) through a pipe connected to the chamber (C).

The purge gas source 12 may be disposed on one side of the pipe connecting the cleaning gas source 11 to the chamber C. The purge gas may be an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon.

A gate valve 12a may be disposed below the cleaning gas source 11. The gate valve 12a has a function of allowing cleaning gas to pass or blocking it by opening and closing the flow path through which the cleaning gas source 11 is supplied.

The first gas flow path 13 and the second gas flow path 14 allow the same or different gases to flow into the wafer processing device 10 . For example, the first gas flow path 13 and the second gas flow path 14 may be inflow paths for a source gas as the first gas and a reactant gas as the second gas, respectively. When the wafer processing process, that is, the deposition process, proceeds, the first gas flows in through the first gas flow path 13 and the second gas flows in through the second gas flow path 14 with the gate valve 12a closed. It can be.

The first gas and the second gas are supplied to the showerhead 15 through the nozzle 16 disposed in the chamber C. The showerhead 15 is disposed to face the wafer W supported on the wafer heater 100, and sprays the first gas and the second gas onto the wafer W through the injection hole 17 to perform a deposition process. Conduct.

For example, when the wafer processing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment is a PEALD, a first gas containing a precursor may be supplied to the wafer W, and then a purge gas may be supplied. Afterwards, a second gas containing a reactant may be supplied to form a thin film on the wafer (W). Here, when supplying the second gas, the reactant can be excited by the plasma generated between the showerhead 15 and the wafer heater 100, and the excited reactant has a relatively low temperature compared to the precursor on the wafer W. can react to form a thin film set on the wafer (W).

An exhaust port 18 is formed on one side of the wafer processing device 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the exhaust port 18 is formed on the side of the wafer processing device 10 and may be connected to the pump 19. For example, the height of the exhaust port 18 may be equal to or higher than the height of the wafer heater 100 when the deposition process is performed. More specifically, the lowest point of the exhaust port 18 may be higher than the bottom of the wafer heater 100. Accordingly, as will be described later, the outlet where the discharge passage 140 meets the outer peripheral surface of the wafer heater 100 is also located higher than the exhaust port 18, and the by-products B discharged from the discharge passage 140 are naturally discharged through the exhaust port ( It is discharged to the pump (19) through 18).

The wafer heater 100 supports the wafer W and is used to heat the wafer W during the deposition process to form a desired thin film.

In one embodiment, the wafer heater 100 may include a seating surface 110, a support shaft 120, a protrusion 130, and a discharge passage 140.

As shown in FIG. 1, the seating surface 110 is a surface that supports the wafer (W) and may be circular with a size corresponding to the wafer (W). A plurality of suction holes 111 are formed on the upper surface of the seating surface 110 to support the wafer W during the wafer processing process. The seating surface 110 may have a larger diameter than the wafer (W).

The support shaft 120 is disposed below the seating surface 110 and supports the seating surface 110. For example, the support shaft 120 can be raised and lowered before the wafer processing process, and rises during the wafer processing process to bring the seating surface 110 closer to the spray hole 17 of the showerhead 15. Additionally, the support shaft 120 may be rotatable. The support shaft 120 is disposed on the central axis of the showerhead 15 and can rotatably support the seating surface 110. As the support shaft 120 rotates, the precursor and/or the reactant activated by plasma can be uniformly sprayed onto the wafer W during the wafer processing process.

The protrusion 130 is formed on the outer edge of the seating surface 110. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the protrusion 130 extends vertically from the outer peripheral surface of the seating surface 110, extends flatly in the radial direction, and then extends slanted downward or extends vertically, forming an overall ring shape. You can have it. The protrusion 130 may be formed integrally with the wafer heater 100 or may be formed separately and coupled to the wafer heater 100 . Alternatively, the protrusion 130 may be a focus ring. By forming the protrusion 130 on the seating surface 110 in this way, plasma uniformity can be improved by expanding the plasma on the wafer W and concentrating the electric field.

The discharge passage 140 is disposed on one side of the wafer heater 100 to discharge by-products B generated during the wafer processing process to the outside. For example, one or more discharge passages 140 are disposed at the outer edge of the wafer heater 100, the inlet 141 communicates with the seating surface 110, and the outlet 142 communicates with the outer peripheral surface of the wafer heater 100. It can be extended to do so. Accordingly, by-products (B) generated during the process may flow into the inlet 141 of the discharge passage 140 and then be discharged through the outlet 142. The discharged by-product (B) is discharged to the exhaust port (18) through the pump (19).

In one embodiment, a plurality of discharge passages 140 may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the wafer heater 100 . For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of discharge passages 140 may each be arranged in a direction perpendicular to the tangent of the outer peripheral surface of the wafer heater 100 when viewed from a plan view. That is, the longitudinal axis of the discharge passage 140 may be arranged parallel to a line extending between the centers of the discharge passage 140 and the wafer heater 100. As the plurality of discharge passages 140 are disposed in the wafer heater 100, the by-products B accumulated along the circumferential direction of the wafer heater 100 can be uniformly discharged.

3 shows that 24 discharge passages 140 are arranged at an angle of 15° with respect to the center of the wafer heater 100, but the number and angle of the discharge passages 140 are not particularly limited. In order to uniformly discharge the by-product B throughout the wafer heater 100, the minimum number of discharge passages 140 is preferably four or more, and these discharge passages 140 may be arranged at an equal angle. There may be 6 or more discharge passages 140, 8 or more, 10 or more, or 12 or more. Additionally, the plurality of discharge passages 140 do not necessarily need to be arranged symmetrically on a plane with respect to the center of the wafer heater 100, and may be arranged in an odd number.

In one embodiment, the discharge passage 140 may be disposed inclined downward. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the inlet 141 of the discharge passage 140 is disposed to face the wafer W, and the outlet 142 of the discharge passage 140 is aligned with the outer peripheral surface of the wafer heater 100. It can be arranged to communicate. Additionally, the discharge passage 140 is angled at an angle relative to the horizontal line or the seating surface 110. It can be placed tilted downward. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the by-products (B) present between the wafer (W), the seating surface 110, and the protrusion 130 from gathering in the area between the wafer (W) and the protrusion 130, and are discharged slanted downward. It can be discharged naturally through the flow path 140.

Angle? Gap? It can have a set range. For example, angle ?gap? An angle that allows the by-product (B) to move through the inlet 141 of the discharge passage 140 to the outlet 142 is sufficient. For example, angle ?gap? It may be about 30 degrees or less. In detail, angle ?gap? It may be about 20 degrees or less. Preferably the angle ?gap? It may be about 15 degrees or less. If the angle exceeds about 30 degrees, it may overlap with wiring and heating wires placed inside the wafer heater 100, making design difficult.

Additionally, although not shown in the drawing, the discharge passage 140 may be disposed inclined upward. For example, the inlet 141 of the discharge passage 140 may be disposed to face the wafer W, and the outlet 142 of the discharge passage 140 may be disposed to communicate with the outer peripheral surface of the wafer heater 100. In addition, the discharge passage 140 is bent at the above angle with respect to the horizontal line or the seating surface 110. It can be placed tilted upward. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the by-products (B) present between the wafer (W), the seating surface 110, and the protrusion 130 from gathering in the area between the wafer (W) and the protrusion 130, and are discharged at an upward angle. It can be discharged naturally through the flow path 140.

In addition, although not shown in the drawing, the discharge passage 140 extends in the horizontal direction and may be arranged. For example, the inlet 141 of the discharge passage 140 is disposed to face the wafer W, and the outlet 142 of the discharge passage 140 is disposed to communicate with the outer peripheral surface of the wafer heater 100. It can be. Additionally, the discharge passage 140 may be arranged parallel to the horizontal line or the seating surface 110. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the by-products (B) present between the wafer (W), the seating surface 110, and the protrusion 130 from gathering in the area between the wafer (W) and the protrusion 130, and are discharged at an upward angle. It can be discharged naturally through the flow path 140.

In one embodiment, the discharge passage 140 may be arranged to correspond to the protrusion 130. For example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the inlet 141 and outlet 142 of the discharge passage 140 may be arranged to be contained within the protrusion 130 when viewed from the top. Additionally, the inlet 141 of the discharge passage 140 may be disposed on the inner surface of the protrusion 130, and the outlet 142 may be disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the wafer heater 100. Accordingly, by preventing the discharge passage 140 from overlapping the seating surface 110 and separating it from the wafer (W), the discharge passage 140 can be prevented from affecting the deposition quality of the wafer (W). Additionally, the discharge passage 140 can be prevented from being excessively long for the entire wafer heater 100.

In one embodiment, the inlet 141 of the discharge passage 140 may be formed in the boundary area A divided by the wafer W, the seating surface 110, and the protrusion 130. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the boundary area A is divided into the outer surface of the wafer W, the upper surface of the seating surface 110, and the inner surface (slope surface) of the protrusion 130, and the wafer W It may be a ring-shaped area formed to surround the outside of . Accordingly, the inlet 141 of the discharge passage 140 is disposed in the boundary area A where the by-products B are mainly accumulated, so that the by-products B can be discharged more efficiently.

In one embodiment, the inlet 141 of the discharge passage 140 may be placed close to the boundary line L between the seating surface 110 and the protrusion 130. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the protrusion 130 protrudes on the seating surface 110 and forms a boundary line L at a portion in contact with the seating surface 110. And the inlet 141 of the discharge passage 140 may be arranged to include a boundary line (L) or may be arranged to contact the boundary line (L). More specifically, the inlet 141 of the discharge passage 140 is disposed so that its lower end is in contact with the boundary line L, and its upper end may be formed on the inner surface of the protrusion 130. Accordingly, by minimizing or eliminating the area where the discharge passage 140 overlaps the seating surface 110, the by-product B can be discharged efficiently without affecting the deposition process in the discharge passage 140.

In one embodiment, the discharge passages 140 may be arranged at the same height. That is, the inlet 141 and/or outlet 142 of each of the plurality of discharge passages 140 may be located at the same height. Additionally, a plurality of discharge passages 140 may be arranged at equal intervals. Therefore, the embodiment can uniformly discharge the by-product (B) through the discharge passage 140 in the entire area.

Alternatively, in one embodiment, the discharge passage 140 may be arranged at different heights. That is, the inlet 141 and/or outlet 142 of at least some of the discharge passages 140 among the plurality of discharge passages 140 may be located at different heights. Accordingly, at least some of the plurality of discharge passages 140 may have different slopes. Additionally, the plurality of discharge passages 140 may not be arranged at equal intervals, but at least some of them may be arranged at different intervals. Therefore, a greater number of discharge passages 140 are formed at heights or areas where more by-products (B) are accumulated, and the angle and end position of the discharge passages 140 are adjusted to efficiently discharge the by-products (B). can do.

In one embodiment, the discharge passage 140 may be arranged so as not to overlap the RF pattern 150 and/or the hot wire pattern 160. For example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the wafer heater 100 may include an RF pattern 150 and a hot wire pattern 160 for heating the wafer W. The RF pattern 150 and the hot wire pattern 160 are arranged in a predetermined pattern on the inside of the seating surface 110 and are heated when a voltage is applied to heat the wafer W. Here, the discharge passage 140 is disposed so as not to overlap the RF pattern 150 and the hot wire pattern 160 when viewed from a plan view, thereby preventing a decrease in the efficiency of the wafer processing process.

More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the RF pattern 150 and the hot wire pattern 160 are arranged radially inwardly spaced apart from the inner edge of the protrusion 130, and overlap the discharge passage 140. It doesn't work. In addition, when the outer ends of the RF pattern 150 and the hot wire pattern 160 are spaced apart by d1 in the radial direction outward from the outer end of the wafer W, the inlet 141 of the discharge passage 140 is connected to the RF pattern 150. ) and may be spaced apart from the outer end of the hot wire pattern 160 by d2 in the radial direction. In this way, the discharge passage 140 may be arranged so as not to overlap not only the wafer W but also the RF pattern 150 and the hot wire pattern 160 so as not to affect the deposition process. Accordingly, the reliability of the wafer processing device 10 can be secured and the quality of the wafer W can be improved by discharging the by-product B.

In one embodiment, the plurality of discharge passages 140 may all have the same cross-sectional area. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the discharge passage 140 has an empty cylindrical shape and may have the same cross-sectional area from the inlet 141 to the outlet 142. In another embodiment, the plurality of discharge passages 140 may have different cross-sectional areas.

FIG. 5 shows a plan perspective view of a wafer heater 100A according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of the discharge passage 140A of the wafer heater 100A according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5 and 6 , when compared to the discharge passage 140 of the wafer heater 100 according to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the shape of the discharge passage 140A is different, and the remaining configuration may be substantially the same. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the description will focus on the discharge passage 140A.

The wafer heater 100A may include a seating surface 110A, a support shaft (not shown), a protrusion 130A, a discharge path 140A, an RF pattern 150A, and a hot wire pattern 160A.

The discharge passage 140A may gradually increase in cross-sectional area outward in the radial direction. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the discharge passage 140A may have an overall truncated cone shape, and may have a shape in which the cross-sectional area gradually increases from the inlet 141A to the outlet 142A. Accordingly, the by-product B flowing into the discharge passage 140A can be smoothly discharged to the outside without causing a bottleneck inside.

In one embodiment, the discharge passage 140A may be arranged so that the inlet 141 and the outlet 142 have the same central axis (AX). Additionally, when the cross-section is cut perpendicular to the central axis AX, the cross-sectional shape of the discharge passage 140A may be circular and may increase or decrease at a certain rate along the longitudinal direction.

In another embodiment, the discharge passage 140A may have a larger cross-sectional area along the outer radial direction, but may only increase the cross-sectional area in the circumferential direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the cross-sectional area of the discharge passage 140A does not increase in the vertical direction on the cross-section, but the cross-sectional area increases only in the circumferential direction, so that the outlet 142A can have an elongated oval shape on the left and right.

In another embodiment, the discharge passage 140A may have a larger cross-sectional area along the outer radial direction, but may only increase the cross-sectional area in the vertical direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the cross-sectional area of the discharge passage 140A does not increase in the circumferential direction in the cross section, but the cross-sectional area increases in the vertical direction, so that the outlet 142A can have an elongated oval shape up and down.

At this time, if the cross-section of the discharge passage 140A has a circular or elliptical shape (long ellipse left and right, long ellipse up and down), the cross-sectional area of the outlet 142A may be more than twice the cross-sectional area of the inlet 141A. In detail, the cross-sectional area of the outlet (142A) may be 2 to 10 times or less than the cross-sectional area of the inlet (141A). If the cross-sectional area of the outlet (142A) is less than twice the cross-sectional area of the inlet (141A), the effect of preventing the bottleneck phenomenon may be minimal. In addition, if the cross-sectional area of the outlet 142A exceeds 10 times the cross-sectional area of the inlet 141A, discharge characteristics can be improved, but problems with the reliability of the wafer heater 100 may occur, and foreign substances may pass through the outlet 142A. Inflow may occur. Therefore, it may be desirable for the ratio of the inlet 141A and the outlet 142A to satisfy the above-mentioned range.

In one embodiment, the wafer heater 100A may include a plurality of discharge passages 140A of different shapes. That is, the wafer heater 100A includes the discharge passages 140A of various shapes described above, and the discharge passages 140A are arranged to correspond to the by-products B accumulated differently locally on the wafer heater 100A. , Byproducts (B) can be discharged smoothly.

Figure 7 shows a plan perspective view of a wafer heater 100B according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 7 , the shape of the discharge passage 140B is different compared to the discharge passage 140 of the wafer heater 100 according to FIGS. 3 and 4 , and the remaining configurations may be substantially the same. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the description will focus on the discharge passage 140B.

The wafer heater 100B may include a seating surface 110B, a support shaft (not shown), a protrusion 130B, a discharge path 140B, an RF pattern 150B, and a hot wire pattern 160B.

The discharge passage 140B may be disposed at an angle with respect to the center of the wafer heater 100B. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the longitudinal central axis of the discharge passage 140B is on a line extending the center of the wafer heater 100B and the discharge passage 140B (outlet 142B of the discharge passage 140B). About the angle? It can be placed at an angle. angle ?鍛? It may refer to the angle between the direction in which the discharge passage 140B extends and an imaginary line perpendicular to the tangent at the outlet of the discharge passage 140B. That is, the longitudinal central axis of the discharge passage 140B may have an angle other than perpendicular to the tangential direction of the discharge passage 140B with respect to the wafer heater 100B.

Additionally, when the wafer heater 100B is provided to be rotatable, the by-products B can be more smoothly discharged along the inclined discharge passage 140B due to centrifugal force generated during rotation. That is, in the case of FIG. 7, the wafer heater 100B may rotate counterclockwise. At this time, the discharge passage 140B is not perpendicular to the tangent of the wafer heater 100B, but is angled toward the direction of rotation. Because it is tilted, the by-product (B) can be discharged more smoothly.

At this time, the angle ?鍛? It may be 15 to 45 degrees. angle ?緞? If it is less than 15 degrees, the effect of making it easier to discharge by-products (B) may be minimal, and the angle ?緞? If it exceeds 45 degrees, it may not be easy to discharge the by-product (B) due to the relatively large angle.

FIG. 8 shows a plan perspective view of a wafer heater 100C according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 shows an enlarged discharge passage 140C of the wafer heater 100C according to another embodiment of the present invention.

8 and 9 have a different shape of the discharge passage 140C compared to the discharge passage 140 of the wafer heater 100 according to FIGS. 3 and 4, and the remaining configuration may be substantially the same. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the description will focus on the discharge passage 140C.

The wafer heater 100C may include a seating surface 110C, a support shaft (not shown), a protrusion 130C, a discharge passage 140C, an RF pattern 150C, and a hot wire pattern 160C.

The discharge flow path 140C may include a plurality of branch flow paths. For example, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the discharge flow path 140C extends radially outward from the inlet 141C at an incline downward, and may include a plurality of branch flow paths branched from the inlet 141C. You can. More specifically, the discharge flow path 140C extending from the inlet 141C gradually increases in cross-sectional area toward the outer side in the radial direction, and at a predetermined point, the first branch flow path 143C, the second branch flow path 144C, and the third branch flow path are formed. It can be branched to (145C). Each of the branched first branch passages 143C, second branch passages 144C, and third branch passages 145C extends radially outward and forms an outlet 142C communicating with the outer peripheral surface of the wafer heater 100C. You can have it.

Accordingly, the by-product (B) flowing in from one inlet (141C) is discharged to a plurality of outlets (142C), thereby reducing the bottleneck phenomenon of the by-product (B) compared to the case where the by-product (B) is discharged through a single flow path. .

8 and 9 show three branch flow paths, but the number is not particularly limited. For example, there may be two or more branch channels.

In one embodiment, the plurality of branch flow paths may be arranged at the same inclination with respect to the vertical axis of the wafer heater 100C. More specifically, each outlet 142C of the first branch flow path 143C, the second branch flow path 144C, and the third branch flow path 145C branched from the inlet 141C may be arranged at the same height.

In another embodiment, a plurality of flow paths may be arranged at different inclinations with respect to the vertical axis of the wafer heater 100C. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, each outlet 142C of the first branch flow path 143C, the second branch flow path 144C, and the third branch flow path 145C branched from the inlet 141C is different from each other. Can be placed at any height.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, these are merely examples. Those skilled in the art can fully understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible from the embodiments. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be determined based on the attached claims.

The specific technical content described in the embodiment is an example and does not limit the technical scope of the embodiment. In order to describe the invention concisely and clearly, descriptions of conventional general techniques and configurations may be omitted. In addition, the connections or absence of connections between the components shown in the drawings exemplify functional connections and/or physical or circuit connections, and in actual devices, various functional connections or physical connections may be replaced or added. It can be expressed as connections, or circuit connections. Additionally, if there is no specific mention such as “essential,” “important,” etc., it may not be a necessary component for the application of the present invention.

“The” or similar designators used in the description and claims may refer to both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise specified. In addition, when a range is described in an example, the invention includes the application of individual values within the range (unless there is a statement to the contrary), and each individual value constituting the range is described in the description of the invention. same. Additionally, unless the order of the steps constituting the method according to the embodiment is clearly stated or there is no description to the contrary, the steps may be performed in an appropriate order. The embodiments are not necessarily limited by the order of description of the steps above. The use of any examples or illustrative terms (e.g., etc.) in the embodiments is merely to describe the embodiments in detail, and unless limited by the claims, the examples or illustrative terms do not limit the scope of the embodiments. That is not the case. Additionally, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, combinations and changes may be made according to design conditions and factors within the scope of the appended claims or their equivalents.

10: Wafer processing device
100, 100A, 100B, 100C: wafer heater

Claims (13)

A wafer heater comprising a seating surface on which a wafer is mounted and a protrusion formed on the outside of the seating surface and having an inclined surface on the inside,
A boundary area is formed between the wafer, the seating surface, and the protrusion,
An inlet is disposed to communicate with the boundary area and an outlet is in communication with an outer peripheral surface of the wafer heater, and includes a plurality of discharge passages extending radially outward and spaced apart from each other,
A wafer heater in which the discharge flow path extends obliquely outward in a radial direction. According to paragraph 1,
The wafer heater wherein the inlet of the discharge passage includes a boundary line between the seating surface and the inclined surface or is arranged to contact the boundary line. According to paragraph 1,
A wafer heater, wherein the discharge passage has a constant cross-sectional area in the longitudinal direction. According to paragraph 1,
A wafer heater in which the discharge passage gradually widens in cross-sectional area in the longitudinal direction. According to paragraph 1,
The discharge flow path includes a plurality of branch flow paths branching outward in a radial direction from an inlet disposed in the boundary area. According to clause 5,
A wafer heater, wherein a plurality of branch passages included in the discharge passage extend at different angles with respect to the central axis of the wafer heater. According to paragraph 1,
A wafer heater, wherein the discharge passage is disposed perpendicular to a tangent line of the outer peripheral surface of the wafer heater when viewed in plan. According to paragraph 1,
The wafer heater is disposed to be inclined in one direction of the seating surface when viewed from a plan view. According to paragraph 1,
A wafer heater wherein the angle at which the discharge passage extends is 15 degrees or more and 60 degrees or less. According to paragraph 1,
A wafer heater, wherein the plurality of discharge passages have different cross-sectional shapes. According to paragraph 1,
The wafer heater wherein the plurality of discharge passages do not overlap the seating surface when viewed in plan and are disposed inside the protrusion. According to paragraph 1,
The wafer heater is disposed inside the seating surface and includes an RF pattern and a hot wire pattern disposed to overlap the wafer,
The wafer heater is arranged so that the discharge passage does not overlap the RF pattern and the hot wire pattern. at least one gas flow path supplying gas into the chamber;
a wafer heater disposed within the chamber and supporting a wafer;
a showerhead disposed within the chamber to face the wafer and including a plurality of spray nozzles; and
Includes an exhaust port disposed on one side of the chamber,
The showerhead is disposed between the gas flow path and the wafer heater,
The wafer heater is a wafer heater according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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