Split gasket for plasma etching equipment

Abstract

The present invention is a gasket interposed between a gas distribution plate of a plasma etching apparatus and an electrode disposed below the gas distribution plate, and is a gasket having a plurality of divided structures forming an overall circular shape, wherein the gasket comprises: a central member (111) disposed in a central region; and first to sixth outer members (110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160) disposed along the outer circumference of the central member and sequentially disposed separated from one another in the circumferential direction. In the above gasket, a plurality of gas holes (G) are formed on a plurality of concentric circles having a radius from the center to the radius of the first to the eighth, and the left and right sides of the central member (111) are formed with a circular partial circumferential surface (112) having a predetermined radius, and the upper and lower sides of the central member are formed with an upper protrusion (114) and a lower protrusion (116) protruding upward and downward, respectively, and a pin hole (P) into which a guide pin is inserted is formed at the left and right ends of the central member, and a socket hole (S) is formed in each of the upper protrusion and the lower protrusion, and the gasket is attached to the gas injection plate with a socket that is fastened to the socket hole and a guide pin that is fastened to the pin hole.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the structure of a gasket used in a plasma etching device, which is one of the semiconductor equipment. Specifically, it relates to providing a gasket divided into multiple parts by improving the structure of a single overall shape, thereby maintaining uniform heat transfer performance in each divided part, and improving the stability of material mounting pressure and thereby inducing equipment performance optimization by applying a socket fastening part evenly to each divided part (Piece). Background Technology

[0002] Generally, a plasma etching device, which is one of the semiconductor manufacturing process equipment, is a device that processes using a plasma state (a state in which ions, electrons, and radicals coexist) created by applying energy to a gas, and is a device that processes wafers by generating plasma between the upper electrode and the lower electrode (ESC). This process is used for wafer etching and etching processes, and includes technologies such as dry plasma etching, reactive ion etching, and ion milling. In particular, plasma etching technology is a method of etching by forming plasma on the masked surface of a wafer by generating ionized gas by applying large energy to a reactive gas at a relatively low pressure.

[0003] The structure of a plasma etching device largely consists of a chamber, a high-frequency generator, a gas injection plate, a vacuum pump, and an electrostatic chuck (ESC). The chamber is a sealed space where the actual etching process takes place while maintaining an internal vacuum. The high-frequency generator supplies high-frequency energy to convert gas into a plasma state, and the gas injection plate is a device that precisely injects special gases suitable for the material to be etched. The vacuum pump creates a vacuum inside the chamber and discharges byproducts generated after the reaction. The electrostatic chuck utilizes electrostatic force to firmly secure the wafer to prevent movement and facilitates heat conduction. Additionally, the edge ring controls the plasma density at the edges of the wafer to ensure etching uniformity across the entire wafer.

[0004] The general structure of such semiconductor etching equipment is illustrated in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, it is largely composed of an upper module and a lower module.

[0005] The upper module is responsible for generating plasma and uniformly distributing gas, and the Gas Distribution Plate (GDP), also known as a 'showerhead', is a plate with fine holes that evenly distributes process gas across the entire wafer. The inner / outer heaters precisely control the temperature of the upper electrodes by zone to improve the uniformity of the process results, and the inner and outer electrodes are electrodes that apply RF (radio frequency) power to turn the gas into a plasma state, while the C-Shroud acts as a shield to confine the plasma, prevent contamination of the chamber walls, and control the gas flow.

[0006] Furthermore, the lower module serves to fix the wafer and regulate the temperature, performing functions such as firmly securing the wafer in the electrostatic chuck (ESC).

[0007] In the above structure, a gasket is installed on the lower side of the gas distribution plate (GDP, also known as a shower head) using a socket, and in the drawing of FIG. 1, the gasket is shown in red.

[0008] However, gaskets according to conventional technology were generally circular and consisted of a single integrated structure, which made manufacturing difficult.

[0009] In addition, conventional gaskets have a problem in that they expand and contract with temperature changes, sometimes blocking the gas hole. Prior art literature

[0010] Patent No. 10-2777116: Plasma process apparatus and method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using the same The problem to be solved

[0011] The present invention aims to improve the structure of a gasket applied to plasma etching equipment by making it into a multi-divided structure to enhance the efficiency and convenience of gasket manufacturing. Additionally, the invention aims to ensure that the adhesion performance of the gasket does not deteriorate even during the process of gas injection from the gas injection plate (GDP) and enables uniform heat transfer in each divided part, by ensuring that the fastening force of the fastening socket acts uniformly on each divided part while the overall single-shaped structure is divided into multiple parts.

[0012] In addition, the purpose is to enable stable temperature supply by selecting a location on the gasket where the socket is connected, thereby solving the problem of conventional gaskets contracting and expanding with temperature changes and blocking the gas hole, so as not to obstruct the gas hole. means of solving the problem

[0013] The present invention is a gasket interposed between a gas distribution plate of a plasma etching apparatus and an electrode disposed below the gas distribution plate, and is a gasket having a single overall circular shape formed by a plurality of divided structures.

[0014] The above gasket comprises a central member (111) disposed in a central area; and first to sixth outer members (110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160) disposed along the outer circumference of the central member and disposed sequentially separated from each other in a circumferential direction.

[0015] In the above gasket, a plurality of gas holes (G) are formed on a plurality of concentric circles having a radius from the center to the radius of the first to the eighth, and the left and right sides of the central member (111) are formed with a circular partial circumferential surface (112) having a predetermined radius, and the upper and lower sides of the central member are formed with an upper protrusion (114) and a lower protrusion (116) protruding upward and downward, respectively, and a pin hole (P) into which a guide pin is inserted is formed at the left and right ends of the central member, and a socket hole (S) is formed in each of the upper protrusion and the lower protrusion, and the gasket is attached to the gas injection plate with a socket that is fastened to the socket hole and a guide pin that is fastened to the pin hole.

[0016] Each of the first outer member (110) and the fourth outer member (140) includes three socket holes (S) formed across the seventh radius (R7) and the eighth radius (R8), and two socket holes (S) formed on the inner side.

[0017] Each of the above-mentioned second outer member (120) and sixth outer member (160) includes two socket holes (S) formed over the seventh radius and the eighth radius, and two socket holes (S) formed on the inner side.

[0018] Each of the above third outer member (130) and fifth outer member (150) includes three socket holes (S) formed across the seventh radius (R7) and the eighth radius (R8), and one socket hole (S) formed on the inner side.

[0019] Socket holes formed in the upper protrusion (114) and lower protrusion (116) of the central member (111) are formed over the third radius and the fourth radius. Effects of the invention

[0020] The present invention provides a gasket for plasma etching equipment with a segmented structure, thereby enhancing the efficiency and convenience of gasket production. Furthermore, since the fastening force of the socket can be stably secured across the entire segmented gasket shape, the adhesion performance of the gasket is not degraded even in the segmented structure, and uniform heat transfer is possible in each segmented part.

[0021] In addition, since the gasket of the present invention is divided into seven divided parts and mounted on the gas injection plate (shower head), if some of the divided parts are damaged, there is an advantage that only the damaged part needs to be replaced without having to replace the whole thing.

[0022] In addition, as described above, the present invention derives a structure in which a socket is placed on both radial sides (inner and outer) of each divided gasket while having a divided structure, and as a result of selecting the socket position, the gasket contracts and expands according to temperature changes during the plasma process, and the gasket does not block the gas hole, thereby enabling a stable temperature supply effect. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0023] FIG. 1 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of a plasma etching apparatus according to the prior art. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a gasket for a plasma etching apparatus according to the present invention, showing a configuration divided into seven divided parts. FIGS. 3 to 9 illustrate individual divided parts constituting a gasket for a plasma etching apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 10 illustrates a gasket for a plasma etching apparatus according to the present invention being coupled to a gas injection plate (GDP) using a socket. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0024] The objects, specific advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Additionally, the terms used are defined with respect to their functions in the present invention, which may vary according to the user's intent or practice. Therefore, the definitions of these terms should be based on the content throughout this specification.

[0025] In addition, when describing the components of the present invention, different reference numerals may be assigned to components with the same name depending on the drawing, and the same reference numeral may be assigned even if they are different drawings. However, even in such cases, this does not mean that the components have different functions depending on the embodiment, or that they have the same function in different embodiments, and the function of each component should be determined based on the description of each component in the corresponding embodiment.

[0026] Furthermore, technical terms used in this specification shall be interpreted in the sense generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains, unless specifically defined otherwise in this specification, and shall not be interpreted in an overly broad or overly narrow sense. Additionally, singular expressions used in this specification include plural expressions unless the context otherwise indicates.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a gasket for a plasma etching apparatus according to the present invention, divided into seven divided parts, and FIGS. 3 to 9 illustrate individual divided parts constituting the gasket for a plasma etching apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 10 illustrates the gasket for a plasma etching apparatus according to the present invention coupled to a gas injection plate (GDP) using a socket.

[0028] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0029] The present invention is a gasket interposed between a gas distribution plate of a plasma etching apparatus and an electrode disposed below the gas distribution plate, and is a gasket that forms an overall circular shape with multiple divided structures. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the gasket of the present invention forms an overall circular shape, consisting of a central part located in the center and six divided parts surrounding it. These seven divided parts come into contact with each other to form an overall circular shape and are attached to the gas distribution plate. Each divided part has a socket fastening hole formed therein for attaching a socket to the gas distribution plate, and also has a gas hole (G) formed therein for injecting gas.

[0030] In the overall shape of the gasket (100) shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of gas holes (G) are arranged in a circular shape from the center, and these circular shapes are circular shapes with a certain radius at a predetermined interval. The radius of each of these circular shapes is referred to in order from the smallest radius as the first radius (R1), the second radius (R2) to the eighth radius (R8), and a plurality of gas holes (G) are formed at a certain interval on these concentric circles. For convenience, FIG. 2 only shows the first radius (R1), the second radius (R2), the seventh radius (R7), and the eighth radius (R8) among the eight concentric circles.

[0031] Looking at the drawing, a central member (111) located at the center of the gasket and first to sixth outer members (110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160) arranged sequentially and separated from each other in a circumferential direction along the outer circumference of the central member are shown.

[0032] FIGS. 3 to 9 are enlarged drawings of the seven divided parts constituting these gaskets.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3, the left and right sides of the central member (111) are formed with a circular partial circumferential surface (112) having a predetermined radius, and the upper and lower sides of the central member are formed with an upper protrusion (114) and a lower protrusion (116) that protrude upward and downward, respectively. That is, the central member has a circular shape and has a structure in which protrusions are formed on the upper and lower sides. A pin hole (P) into which a guide pin is inserted is formed at the left and right ends of the central member, and a socket hole (S) is formed in each of the upper protrusion and the lower protrusion, so that the gasket is attached to the gas injection plate with a socket that is fastened to the socket hole and a guide pin that is fastened to the pin hole.

[0034] Due to this structure, the central member (111) is stably attached to the gas injection plate via socket holes on the upper and lower sides, and guide pins are attached on the left and right sides where there are no socket holes to supplement the bonding force. In addition, the socket holes formed in the upper protrusion (114) and lower protrusion (116) of the central member (111) are formed over the third radius and the fourth radius.

[0035] Next, referring to FIGS. 4 to 9, we see the first and second outer members formed on the outer periphery of the central member.

[0036] Each of the first outer member (110) and the fourth outer member (140) includes three socket holes (S) formed across the seventh radius (R7) and the eighth radius (R8), and two socket holes (S) formed on the inner side.

[0037] And, each of the second outer member (120) and the sixth outer member (160) includes two socket holes (S) formed over the seventh radius and the eighth radius, and two socket holes (S) formed on the inner side.

[0038] And, each of the third outer member (130) and the fifth outer member (150) includes three socket holes (S) formed across the seventh radius (R7) and the eighth radius (R8), and one socket hole (S) formed on the inner side.

[0039] FIG. 10 illustrates the split gasket of the present invention being coupled to a gas injection plate (300) using a socket (200). Each divided part of the gasket (100) of the present invention comes into contact with each other from the side, forming an overall circular shape similar to that of a gas injection plate. In this state, the gasket (100) is coupled to the gas injection plate (300) using a guide pin (not shown) inserted into a pin hole (P) and a socket (200) inserted into a socket hole (S). The socket is an element for attaching the gasket and contains an elastic spring, thereby allowing the gasket to be tightly coupled to the gas injection plate with appropriate force.

[0040] The present invention provides a gasket for plasma etching equipment with a segmented structure, thereby enhancing the efficiency and convenience of gasket production. Furthermore, by considering the position of the fastening socket in each segmented gasket shape, the invention ensures that the adhesion performance of the gasket is not degraded even in the segmented structure, and enables uniform heat transfer in each segmented part.

[0041] In addition, since the gasket of the present invention is composed of seven divided parts, if a divided part is damaged before being mounted on a gas injection plate or while mounted and in use, there is an advantage that only the damaged part needs to be replaced without the need to replace the entire gasket.

[0042] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements by those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention as defined in the following claims also fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

Claim 1 A gasket interposed between a gas distribution plate of a plasma etching device and an electrode disposed below the gas distribution plate, wherein the gasket comprises a central member (111) disposed in a central region; The gasket is composed of first to sixth outer members (110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160) arranged along the outer circumference of the central member and sequentially arranged while being separated from each other in the circumferential direction, wherein the gasket has a plurality of gas holes (G) formed on a plurality of concentric circles having a radius from the center to a radius of the eighth, wherein the left and right sides of the central member (111) are formed with a circular partial circumferential surface (112) having a predetermined radius, and the upper and lower sides of the central member are each formed with an upper protrusion (114) and a lower protrusion (116) protruding upward and downward, respectively, and a pin hole (P) into which a guide pin is inserted is formed at the left and right ends of the central member, and a socket hole (S) is formed in each of the upper protrusion and the lower protrusion, and the gasket is attached to the gas injection plate with a socket that is fastened to the socket hole and a guide pin that is fastened to the pin hole. A split-type gasket for a plasma etching apparatus, characterized in that each of the first outer member (110) and the fourth outer member (140) is attached and includes three socket holes (S) formed across the seventh radius (R7) and the eighth radius (R8) and two socket holes (S) formed on the inner side, each of the second outer member (120) and the sixth outer member (160) includes two socket holes (S) formed across the seventh radius and the eighth radius and two socket holes (S) formed on the inner side, and each of the third outer member (130) and the fifth outer member (150) includes three socket holes (S) formed across the seventh radius (R7) and the eighth radius (R8) and one socket hole (S) formed on the inner side. Claim 2 A split-type gasket for a plasma etching device according to claim 1, characterized in that the socket holes formed in the upper protrusion (114) and lower protrusion (116) of the central member (111) are formed over a third radius and a fourth radius. Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 delete

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