Wafer treating apparatus and wafer treating method
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- TW · TW
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- ASAHI UTOU TECH
- Filing Date
- 2025-01-06
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-16
AI Technical Summary
Existing wafer processing methods suffer from unsatisfactory uniformity of film formation due to uneven gas distribution in the processing chamber, caused by a hot and cold zone near the heating platform, leading to diffusion of precursors and poor reaction uniformity.
A wafer processing apparatus with multiple gas sources and valves configured to alternately supply carrier and precursor gases from different directions, forming an air curtain to prevent diffusion and enhance uniformity, combined with a low-pressure chamber for gas extraction.
The method improves film thickness uniformity on wafers by 75% by using an air curtain formed by alternating gas supply, ensuring consistent film deposition across the wafer surface.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] This invention relates to a wafer processing apparatus and a wafer processing method, and particularly to a wafer deposition apparatus and a wafer deposition method. [Previous Technology]
[0002] In wafer processing, etching, physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD), pulse deposition layer (PDL), plasma enhanced pulse deposition layer (PEPDL), and photoresist removal are commonly used to process wafers.
[0003] For example, plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition involves injecting various excited precursors into a processing chamber containing a wafer to form a film on the wafer. In the prior art, the heating platform supporting the wafer heats the crystal source, thus creating a hot zone near the heating platform and a cold zone near the spray head platform. Therefore, when the precursor enters the chamber, it easily diffuses from the hot zone to the cold zone, resulting in unsatisfactory wafer reaction uniformity on the platform.
[0004] Therefore, how to improve the uniformity of film formation by improving the structural design to avoid uneven gas distribution in the processing chamber and thus overcome the above-mentioned defects has become one of the important issues that this project aims to solve. [Summary of the Invention]
[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a wafer processing apparatus that addresses the shortcomings of the prior art, comprising: a processing chamber, which is a space for accommodating a wafer; a wafer support heating unit disposed in the processing chamber for supporting the wafer; a spray head disposed at the top of the processing chamber corresponding to the wafer support heating unit; a first top gas source connected to the top of the processing chamber via a first top supply pipe, the first top supply pipe being provided with a first top supply valve; and a second top gas source connected to the processing chamber via a second top supply pipe. Above the processing chamber, a second top supply pipe is provided with a second top supply valve; a first side gas source is connected to the side wall of the processing chamber via a first side supply pipe, the first side supply pipe being provided with a first side supply valve; and a second side gas source is connected to the side wall of the processing chamber via a second side supply pipe, the second side supply pipe being provided with a second side supply valve; wherein, the first top gas source and the second side gas source simultaneously supply gas to the processing chamber, and the first top gas source and the second top gas source do not simultaneously supply gas to the processing chamber.
[0006] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first top gas source and the first side gas source supply a carrier gas, and the second top gas source and the second side gas source supply a precursor.
[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, the carrier gas is argon, helium, or nitrogen and a mixture thereof, and the precursor is bis(diethylamino)silane (Si[N(C2H5)2]2H2, BDEAS), bis(tert-butylamino)silane (SiH2[NH(C4H9)]2, BTBAS), tris(dimethylamino)silane (Si[N(CH3)2]3H, 3DMAS) or trimethylsilane (SiC3H10, TMS) and a mixture thereof.
[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, the amount of the carrying gas is 10 sccm to 100 sccm.
[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the second top gas source and the first side gas source simultaneously supply gas to the processing chamber, and the first side gas source and the second side gas source do not simultaneously supply gas to the processing chamber.
[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, the wafer processing apparatus further includes: an air extraction device disposed on the other side wall of the processing chamber relative to the first side gas source and the second side gas source.
[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the air extraction device is indirectly connected to the processing chamber via a low-pressure chamber, wherein the pressure of the low-pressure chamber is less than the pressure of the processing chamber.
[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the temperature of the processing chamber is 80°C to 350°C.
[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the processing pressure of the processing chamber is 0.1 torr to 10 torr.
[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the wafer processing apparatus further includes a first top heater thermally coupled to the first top gas source, a second top heater thermally coupled to the second top gas source, a first side heater thermally coupled to the first side gas source, and a second side heater thermally coupled to the second side gas source.
[0015] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, one of the technical solutions adopted by the present invention is to provide a wafer processing method, which includes: step S10: opening the first top supply valve to supply a first carrier gas to the processing chamber, and opening the second side supply valve to supply a first precursor to the processing chamber; step S20: closing the first top supply valve and the second side supply valve; step S30: opening the second top supply valve to supply a second precursor to the processing chamber, and opening the first side supply valve to supply a second carrier gas to the processing chamber; step S40: closing the second top supply valve and the first side supply valve; and step S50: repeating steps S10 to S40 a predetermined number of times, and performing evacuation with an evacuation device.
[0016] One of the beneficial effects of the present invention is that the wafer processing equipment and wafer processing method provided by the present invention can improve the uniformity of film formation by means of the following technical solutions: "a first top gas source, which is connected to the top of the processing cavity via a first top supply pipe, the first top supply pipe being provided with a first top supply valve; a second top gas source, which is connected to the top of the processing cavity via a second top supply pipe, the second top supply pipe being provided with a second top supply valve; a first side gas source, which is connected to the side wall of the processing cavity via a first side supply pipe, the first side supply pipe being provided with a first side supply valve; and a second side gas source, which is connected to the side wall of the processing cavity via a second side supply pipe, the second side supply pipe being provided with a second side supply valve" and "the first top gas source and the second side gas source simultaneously supply gas to the processing cavity, and the first top gas source and the second top gas source do not simultaneously supply gas to the processing cavity".
[0017] To further understand the features and technical content of the present invention, please refer to the following detailed description and drawings of the present invention. However, the drawings provided are for reference and illustration only and are not intended to limit the present invention.
Implementation Method
[0018] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the "wafer processing equipment and wafer processing method" disclosed in this invention. Those skilled in the art can understand the advantages and effects of this invention from the content disclosed in this specification. This invention can be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can also be modified and changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the concept of this invention. Furthermore, the accompanying drawings of this invention are for simple illustrative purposes only and are not depictions of actual dimensions; this is stated in advance. The following embodiments will further describe the relevant technical content of this invention in detail, but the disclosed content is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this invention.
[0019] It should be understood that although terms such as “first,” “second,” and “third” may be used herein to describe various components or signals, these components or signals should not be limited by these terms. These terms are primarily used to distinguish one component from another, or one signal from another. In addition, the term “or” as used herein may include, as appropriate, any combination of any one or more of the associated listed items.
[0020] [First Embodiment]
[0021] Referring to Figure 1, a first embodiment of the present invention provides a wafer processing apparatus A1, which includes: a processing chamber 10, a wafer support heating unit 20, a spray head 30, a top gas source 40, a side gas source 50, and an extraction device 60. The processing chamber 10 can be a space for accommodating a wafer W, and the wafer support heating unit 20 can be disposed in the processing chamber 10 to support the wafer W. The spray head 30 can be disposed at the top of the processing chamber 10 corresponding to the wafer support heating unit 20, that is, above the wafer support heating unit 20. The top gas source 40 can be connected to the top of the processing chamber 10, and the side gas source 50 can be connected to one side wall of the processing chamber 10. The extraction device 60 can be disposed on the other side wall of the processing chamber 10 relative to the side gas source 50.
[0022] In one embodiment, the wafer W may have blind vias or trenches. Further, the wafer W may have a high aspect ratio (AR), for example, an aspect ratio of 10:1, 11:1, 12:1, 13:1, 14:1, or 15:1. However, the examples given above are merely one possible embodiment and are not intended to limit the invention. The wafer support heating unit 20 may be electrically coupled to a power source (not shown). For example, the power source may be a biasing device, which, under bias, makes it easier for the precursor to be attracted to the wafer W and fall into the high aspect ratio structure, thereby helping to improve coating efficiency and uniformity.
[0023] The top gas source 40 may include a first top gas source 401 and a second top gas source 402. The first top gas source 401 and the second top gas source 402 can inject gas evenly into the processing chamber 10 along a first direction D1. The first top gas source 401 is connected to the top of the processing chamber 10 via a first top supply pipe 4011, and a first top supply valve 4012 may be provided on the first top supply pipe 4011 to control the gas supply of the first top gas source 401. The second top gas source 402 is connected to the top of the processing chamber 10 via a second top supply pipe 4021, and a second top supply valve 4022 may be provided on the second top supply pipe 4021 to control the gas supply of the second top gas source 402.
[0024] The side gas source 50 may include a first side gas source 501 and a second side gas source 502. The first side gas source 501 and the second side gas source 502 can inject gas evenly into the processing chamber 10 along a second direction D2 perpendicular to the first direction D1. The first side gas source 501 is connected to the upper part of the processing chamber 10 via a first side supply pipe 5011, and a first side supply valve 5012 may be provided on the first side supply pipe 5011 to control the gas supply of the first side gas source 501. The second side gas source 502 is connected to the upper part of the processing chamber 10 via a second side supply pipe 5021, and a second side supply valve 5022 may be provided on the second side supply pipe 5021 to control the gas supply of the second side gas source 502.
[0025] The first top gas source 401 and the first side gas source 501 can provide a carrier gas to the processing chamber 10. For example, the carrier gas can be argon, helium, or nitrogen, or a mixture thereof. The second top gas source 402 and the second side gas source 502 can provide a precursor to the processing chamber 10. For example, the precursor can be bis(diethylamino)silane (Si[N(C2H5)2]2H2, BDEAS), bis(tert-butylamino)silane (SiH2[NH(C4H9)]2, BTBAS), tris(dimethylamino)silane (Si[N(CH3)2]3H, 3DMAS) or trimethylsilane (SiC3H10, TMS), or a mixture thereof.
[0026] Furthermore, the gases provided by the first top gas source 401 and the second top gas source 402 can be mixed in the space surrounding the processing chamber 10 and the spray head 30 before being supplied to the wafer W.
[0027] In this invention, referring to FIG4, the wafer processing method of this invention includes at least the following steps: Step S10: opening the first top supply valve 4012 to supply a first carrier gas to the processing chamber 10, and opening the second side supply valve 5022 to supply a first precursor to the processing chamber; Step S20: closing the first top supply valve 4012 and the second side supply valve 5022; Step S30: opening the second top supply valve 4022 to supply a second precursor to the processing chamber 10, and opening the first side supply valve 5012 to supply a second carrier gas to the processing chamber 10; Step S40: closing the second top supply valve 4022 and the first side supply valve 5012; and Step S50: repeating steps S10 to S40 a predetermined number of times, and performing evacuation using the evacuation device 60. The evacuation device 60 can generate an evacuation airflow in the second direction D2. When the deposition step is completed, the evacuation device 60 can be opened to remove excess gas from the processing chamber 10.
[0028] As can be seen from the above, when the second top gas source 402 and the first side gas source 501 simultaneously supply gas to the processing chamber 10, the second top gas source 402 injects the precursor from the first direction D1, and the first side gas source 501 injects the carrier gas from the second direction D2. The amount of carrier gas used is approximately 10 sccm to 100 sccm (e.g., any positive integer between 10 torr and 100 torr) to form an air curtain and improve the diffusion of the precursor to the side gas source due to temperature influence. That is, the second top gas source 402 and the first side gas source 501 simultaneously supply gas to the processing chamber 10, but the first side gas source 501 and the second side gas source 502 do not simultaneously supply gas to the processing chamber 10. It should be noted that sccm (Standard Cubic Centimeter per Minute) is a unit of gas mass flow rate, representing standard milliliters per minute.
[0029] In one embodiment, an ellipsometer is used to measure the film thickness (measuring the film thickness at the top, bottom, left, right, and center). When the amount of carrier gas used is low, the film thickness on the right side of wafer W is greater than that on the left side, with a film thickness non-uniformity of 4.29%. When the amount of carrier gas used is high, the film thickness on each side of wafer W is approximately the same, with a film thickness non-uniformity of only 0.23%. It should be noted that although film thickness uniformity increases with the amount of carrier gas used, excessively high usage will increase process costs and have limited effect on improving post-film uniformity. Therefore, the preferred amount of carrier gas used is approximately 10 sccm to 100 sccm. In other words, when the amount of carrier gas used is less than 10 sccm, the problem of film thickness non-uniformity cannot be overcome, and when the amount of carrier gas used is greater than 100 sccm, process costs will increase.
[0030] Similarly, when the first top gas source 401 and the second side gas source 502 simultaneously supply gas to the processing chamber 10, the second side gas source 502 injects the precursor from the second direction D2, and the first top gas source 401 injects the carrier gas from the first direction D1. The amount of carrier gas used is approximately 10 sccm to 100 sccm to form an air curtain, improving the diffusion of the precursor to the spray head 30 due to temperature influence. That is, the first top gas source 401 and the second side gas source 502 can simultaneously supply gas to the processing chamber 10, and the first top gas source 401 and the second top gas source 402 will not simultaneously supply gas to the processing chamber 10. Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the chamber temperature of the processing chamber can be from 80°C to 350°C (e.g., any positive integer between 80°C and 350°C), and the processing pressure of the processing chamber is from 0.1 torr to 10 torr (e.g., any positive integer between 0.1 torr and 10 torr). Preferably, the temperature of the processing chamber can be from 100°C to 300°C, and the processing pressure of the processing chamber can be from 1 torr to 5 torr.
[0031] [Second Embodiment]
[0032] Referring to FIG2, the second embodiment of the present invention provides a wafer processing apparatus A2, which includes: a processing chamber 10, a wafer support heating unit 20, a spray head 30, a top gas source 40, a side gas source 50, and a vacuum device 60. The difference between the wafer processing apparatus A2 of the second embodiment and the wafer processing apparatus A1 of the first embodiment is that the wafer processing apparatus A2 may further include a first top heater 4013 thermally coupled to the first top gas source 401, a second top heater 4023 thermally coupled to the second top gas source 402, a first side heater 5013 thermally coupled to the first side gas source 501, and a second side heater 5023 thermally coupled to the second side gas source 502.
[0033] Furthermore, the heater can provide the energy required for the reaction of the carrier gas or precursor to the gas source. Specifically, the first top heater 4013 can heat the first top gas source, the second top heater 4023 can heat the second top gas source 402, the first side heater 5013 can heat the first side gas source 501, and the second side heater 5023 can heat the second side gas source 502.
[0034] [Third Embodiment]
[0035] Referring to Figure 3, the second embodiment of the present invention provides a wafer processing apparatus A3, which includes: a processing chamber 10, a wafer support heating unit 20, a spray head 30, a top gas source 40, a side gas source 50, and an extraction device 60. The difference between the wafer processing apparatus A3 of the third embodiment and the wafer processing apparatus A1 of the first embodiment is that the extraction device 60 of the wafer processing apparatus A3 may further include a low-pressure chamber 61. The low-pressure chamber 61 is disposed between the processing chamber 10 and the extraction device 60, so that the extraction device 60 is not directly connected to the processing chamber 10, but is connected to the low-pressure chamber 61 and performs extraction on the low-pressure chamber 61.
[0036] Furthermore, the low-pressure chamber 61 can be maintained in a near-vacuum state, that is, the pressure in the low-pressure chamber 61 is lower than the pressure in the processing chamber 10. Therefore, the pressure difference between the processing chamber 10 and the low-pressure chamber 61 can be used to allow gas to flow from the processing chamber 10 to the low-pressure chamber 61. Furthermore, a valve 62 can be provided between the processing chamber 10 and the low-pressure chamber 61 to control the gas flow. Specifically, during the deposition step, the valve 62 can be closed to maintain the pressure in the processing chamber 10. After the deposition step is completed, the valve 62 can be opened to remove excess gas from the processing chamber 10.
[0037] It should be further noted that the present invention does not particularly limit the number of the first top gas source 401, the second top gas source 402, the first side gas source 501, and the second side gas source 502. For example, the present invention may employ multiple second top gas sources 402 and / or multiple second side gas sources 502 to provide different types of precursors.
[0038] [Beneficial Effects of the Embodiments]
[0039] One of the beneficial effects of the present invention is that the wafer processing equipment and wafer processing method provided by the present invention can improve the uniformity of film formation by means of the following technical solutions: "a first top gas source, which is connected to the top of the processing cavity via a first top supply pipe, the first top supply pipe being provided with a first top supply valve; a second top gas source, which is connected to the top of the processing cavity via a second top supply pipe, the second top supply pipe being provided with a second top supply valve; a first side gas source, which is connected to the side wall of the processing cavity via a first side supply pipe, the first side supply pipe being provided with a first side supply valve; and a second side gas source, which is connected to the side wall of the processing cavity via a second side supply pipe, the second side supply pipe being provided with a second side supply valve" and "the first top gas source and the second side gas source simultaneously supply gas to the processing cavity, and the first top gas source and the second top gas source do not simultaneously supply gas to the processing cavity".
[0040] Furthermore, the amount of carrier gas used is approximately 10 to 100 sccm, calculated based on the amount of precursor injected into the processing chamber from the second direction, to form a gas curtain. This gas curtain prevents the precursor from diffusing to the spray head during the step of injecting the precursor into the processing chamber from the second direction, thus preventing poor wafer reaction uniformity. Similarly, during the precursor deposition step of injecting the precursor from the first direction, carrier gas is added in the second direction, also forming a gas curtain. The amount of carrier gas used is approximately 10 to 100 sccm, calculated based on the amount of precursor injected from the first direction. This gas curtain prevents the precursor from diffusing to the side gas source during the step of injecting the precursor into the processing chamber from the first direction, thus preventing poor wafer reaction uniformity.
[0041] The content disclosed above is only a preferred and feasible embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the patent application of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent technical changes made using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings are included in the scope of the patent application of the present invention. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]
[0042] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wafer processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0043] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a wafer processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
[0044] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a wafer processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
[0045] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the wafer processing method of the present invention.
Claims
1. A wafer processing apparatus, comprising: A processing chamber, which is a space for processing a wafer; A wafer support heating unit is disposed in the processing cavity to support the wafer; a spray head is disposed at the top of the processing cavity corresponding to the wafer support heating unit; a first top gas source is connected to the top of the processing cavity via a first top supply pipe, the first top supply pipe being provided with a first top supply valve; a second top gas source is connected to the top of the processing cavity via a second top supply pipe, the second top supply pipe being provided with a second top supply valve; a first side gas source is connected to the side wall of the processing cavity via a first side supply pipe, the first side supply pipe being provided with a first side supply valve; and a second side gas source is connected to the side wall of the processing cavity via a second side supply pipe, the second side supply pipe being provided with a second side supply valve; wherein the first top gas source and the second side gas source simultaneously supply gas to the processing cavity, and the first top gas source and the second top gas source do not simultaneously supply gas to the processing cavity.
2. The wafer processing apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein, The first top gas source and the first side gas source supply a carrier gas, and the second top gas source and the second side gas source supply a precursor.
3. The wafer processing apparatus as described in claim 2, wherein, The carrier gas is argon, helium, or nitrogen, or a mixture thereof, and the precursor is bis(diethylamino)silane (Si[N(C2H5)2]2H2, BDEAS), bis(tert-butylamino)silane (SiH2[NH(C4H9)]2, BTBAS), tris(dimethylamino)silane (Si[N(CH3)2]3H, 3DMAS) or trimethylsilane (SiC3H10, TMS), or a mixture thereof.
4. The wafer processing apparatus as described in claim 2, wherein, The amount of the carrier gas is from 10 sccm to 100 sccm.
5. The wafer processing apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein, The second top gas source and the first side gas source simultaneously supply gas to the processing chamber, but the first side gas source and the second side gas source do not simultaneously supply gas to the processing chamber.
6. The wafer processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The wafer processing equipment further includes: an air extraction device disposed on the other side wall of the processing chamber relative to the first side gas source and the second side gas source.
7. The wafer processing apparatus as described in claim 6, wherein, The air extraction device is indirectly connected to the processing chamber via a low-pressure chamber, the pressure of which is less than the pressure of the processing chamber.
8. The wafer processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The temperature of the processing chamber is between 80°C and 350°C.
9. The wafer processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The processing pressure in the processing chamber is from 0.1 torr to 10 torr.
10. The wafer processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The wafer processing equipment further includes a first top heater thermally coupled to the first top gas source, a second top heater thermally coupled to the second top gas source, a first side heater thermally coupled to the first side gas source, and a second side heater thermally coupled to the second side gas source.
11. A wafer processing method, comprising: A first top supply valve is opened to supply a first carrier gas to a processing chamber, and a second side supply valve is opened to supply a first precursor to the processing chamber; the first top supply valve and the second side supply valve are closed; a second top supply valve is opened to supply a second precursor to the processing chamber, and a first side supply valve is opened to supply a second carrier gas to the processing chamber; and the second top supply valve and the first side supply valve are closed.