Upper electrode assembly and plasma treatment device

The upper electrode assembly addresses heating inefficiencies and uniformity issues in plasma etching equipment by employing electromagnetic induction with separate energizing and heating elements, enhancing efficiency and ease of maintenance.

TWI932139BActive Publication Date: 2026-07-11ADVANCED MICRO FAB EQUIP INC CHINA
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Patent Information

Application Number
TW114111955
Authority / Receiving Office
TW · TW
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2024-04-23
Filing Date
2025-03-28
Publication Date
2026-07-11
Estimated Expiration
2045-03-27

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing heaters for gas spray heads in plasma etching equipment suffer from low heating efficiency, difficulty in replacement, and poor heating uniformity due to multiple heat transfers and high temperature vulnerabilities.

Method used

An upper electrode assembly with a heating component comprising a heating element inside the mounting substrate, an energizing element outside, and a dielectric layer between them, utilizing electromagnetic induction for efficient and uniform heating, with separate components that are easy to replace and maintain.

Benefits of technology

Improves heating efficiency and uniformity, reduces component damage, and simplifies replacement by using electromagnetic induction with separate energizing and heating elements, ensuring effective temperature control and reduced heat loss.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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  • Figure IMG-2_DRAW_114111955-A0304-14-0002-3
    Figure IMG-2_DRAW_114111955-A0304-14-0002-3
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

This invention discloses an upper electrode assembly and a plasma processing device. The heating component in the upper electrode assembly includes a heating element, an energizing element, and a dielectric layer disposed between the heating element and the energizing element. The projections of the energizing element and the heating element in the vertical direction overlap, and the dielectric layer is at least partially disposed in the overlapping area. The energizing element is disposed outside the mounting substrate, and the heating element is disposed inside the mounting substrate. This design offers high thermal conductivity. The energizing element and the heating element are separately disposed, and heating is achieved through electromagnetic induction. The heating element does not need to be replaced if it is damaged. The dielectric layer effectively prevents the heat from the heating element from affecting the energizing element, making the energizing element less prone to damage and easy to replace if damaged, as it is disposed externally.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor processing technology, and in particular to an upper electrode assembly and a plasma processing apparatus. Prior Technology

[0002] In the semiconductor manufacturing industry, gas spray heads that supply gas to the substrate to be processed in a spray pattern are widely used. For example, in plasma etching equipment, a substrate for holding the substrate is provided in the reaction chamber, and a gas spray head is provided opposite the substrate. The surface of the gas spray head is provided with multiple gas ejection holes to supply process gas in a spray pattern to generate plasma.

[0003] In plasma etching chambers, to increase the etching efficiency of the substrate, the temperature of the gas spray head is usually set higher than that of the substrate, typically between 60 and 180°C. Currently, a heater containing a resistance heating element and a heating element cover is installed above the mounting base above the gas spray head. The heat generated by the heating element is transferred to the gas spray head to raise its temperature. However, this heating method has obvious drawbacks: First, it requires multiple heat transfers to transfer heat energy to the gas spray head, including heat transfer between the heating tube and the heating tube cover, heat transfer between the heating tube cover and the mounting substrate, and heat transfer between the mounting substrate and the gas spray head. This results in low heating efficiency of the heating tube to the gas spray head. In order to ensure the temperature of the gas spray head, the heating tube is forced to operate in a high-temperature range, which reduces the safety and service life of the heating tube. Second, the heating tube heats up by electricity and is prone to burnout or breakage at high temperatures. However, since the heating tube is embedded in the heating tube cover, its replacement is difficult. Third, the diameter of the existing heating tube is large, which is larger than the spacing between the gas channels in the mounting substrate. Therefore, the heating tube can only be set around the gas buffer component, resulting in poor temperature uniformity of the gas spray head.

[0004] Therefore, existing heaters suffer from low heating efficiency, difficulty in replacement after burnout, and poor heating uniformity. For these reasons, it is essential to develop a heater that is highly efficient, durable, easy to replace, and provides good heating uniformity. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a heater for heating gas spray heads, which solves the problems of low heating efficiency, difficulty in replacement after damage, and poor heating uniformity of current heaters.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention proposes an upper electrode assembly, including a mounting substrate and a gas spray head. The gas spray head is disposed on the bottom surface of the mounting substrate, and a gas buffer component is disposed above the mounting substrate. The gas buffer component includes a gas guiding module and a heating component for heating the gas spray head. The heating component includes: a heating element disposed inside the mounting substrate; a energizing element disposed above the mounting substrate; and a dielectric layer disposed between the heating element and the energizing element. The projections of the energizing element and the heating element in the vertical direction overlap, and the dielectric layer is at least partially disposed in the overlapping area.

[0007] Optionally, the energizing element is disposed below the gas buffer component, and the overlapping area covers the entire gas spray head.

[0008] Optionally, the energizing element, dielectric layer, and heating element are all annular structures surrounding the gas buffer component.

[0009] Optionally, the dielectric layer has through holes that are connected to the gas outlet of the gas buffer component; the heating element has through holes that are connected to the gas channels in the mounting substrate; and the through holes in the dielectric layer are connected to the through holes in the heating element.

[0010] Optionally, the through holes in the dielectric layer correspond one-to-one with the through holes in the heating element.

[0011] Optionally, each through-hole in the dielectric layer corresponds to a through-hole in one of the heating elements.

[0012] Optionally, it further includes a gas equalization module, comprising multiple gas equalization chambers, the gas equalization module being disposed between the dielectric layer and the gas buffer component, one end of the multiple gas equalization chambers being connected to the gas guiding module of the gas buffer component, and the other end of the multiple gas equalization chambers being connected to multiple through holes on the dielectric layer; or, the gas equalization module being disposed between the dielectric layer and the heating element, one end of the multiple gas equalization chambers being connected to the multiple through holes on the dielectric layer, and the other end of the multiple gas equalization chambers being connected to the gas channel of the mounting substrate.

[0013] Optionally, the surface of the medium layer is provided with multiple air guiding channels, which are connected to the through holes of the medium layer.

[0014] Optionally, the energizing element includes at least two energizing components, which have different heating powers.

[0015] Optionally, the heating element is a ferromagnetic heating element.

[0016] Optionally, a first thermally conductive layer is provided between the heating element and the mounting substrate.

[0017] Optionally, the heating element is connected to the mounting substrate by welding.

[0018] Optionally, a second heat-conducting layer is provided between the heating element and the dielectric layer.

[0019] Optionally, the distance between the heating element and the energized element is 2mm to 100mm.

[0020] Optionally, a heat-insulating layer is provided between the dielectric layer and the energized element.

[0021] Optionally, a magnetic shielding layer is provided above the energized element.

[0022] The present invention also discloses another upper electrode assembly, including a mounting substrate, a gas spray head, and a gas buffer component. The gas spray head is located on the bottom surface of the mounting substrate, and the gas buffer component is located above the mounting substrate. It also includes a heating component for heating the gas spray head, located between the gas buffer component and the mounting substrate. The heating component includes: a heating element disposed inside the mounting substrate; a energizing element disposed above the mounting substrate and below the gas buffer component; and a dielectric layer disposed between the heating element and the energizing element. The vertical projections of the energizing element and the heating element overlap, and the dielectric layer is at least partially disposed in the overlapping area. The gas buffer component and the gas spray head are connected by a gas channel disposed in the mounting substrate and passing through the energizing element, the heating element, and the dielectric layer.

[0023] Optionally, the overlapping area covers the entire gas spray head.

[0024] A second aspect of the present invention discloses a plasma treatment apparatus, comprising: a reaction chamber; the aforementioned upper electrode assembly located within the reaction chamber; a base for supporting a substrate to be treated, disposed opposite to a gas spray head of the upper electrode assembly; and the upper electrode assembly supplying process gas to the reaction chamber via a mounting substrate and a gas spray head.

[0025] Compared with prior art, the present invention has at least the following advantages and beneficial effects:

[0026] This solution discloses an upper electrode assembly and a plasma processing device. The heating component in the upper electrode assembly includes a heating element, an energizing element, and a dielectric layer disposed between the heating element and the energizing element. The projections of the energizing element and the heating element in the vertical direction overlap, and the dielectric layer is at least partially disposed in the overlapping area. The energizing element is disposed outside the mounting substrate, and the heating element is disposed inside the mounting substrate. The two are separately disposed and generate heat through electromagnetic induction. The integrity of the heating element does not affect its heating performance, so it does not need to be replaced if it is damaged. The dielectric layer effectively prevents the heat from the heating element from affecting the energizing element, so the energizing element is not easily damaged and is easy to replace if damaged because it is disposed outside.

[0027] The heating element in this design can cover the entire gas spray head. The energizing element, dielectric layer, and heating element are all located directly above the gas spray head, so that the heat from the heating element can be evenly transferred from top to bottom to the gas spray head, significantly improving the temperature uniformity of the gas spray head.

[0028] In this design, the heating element is located inside the mounting substrate, reducing the heat transfer layer between it and the gas spray head, thus improving the heating efficiency of the heating component for the gas spray head. Furthermore, by placing a highly thermally conductive medium as a heat transfer layer between the heating element and the mounting substrate, or by welding the heating element into the mounting substrate, the heat transfer efficiency between the heating element and the mounting substrate is further improved. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0029] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the upper electrode assembly in the prior art; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the plasma treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the upper electrode assembly according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the upper electrode assembly according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Implementation

[0030] The following will describe in detail the technical solution, structural features, achieved objectives, and effects of the upper electrode assembly and plasma treatment device proposed by the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. These descriptions of embodiments are intended to aid in understanding the present invention but do not constitute a limitation thereof. Furthermore, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0031] It should be noted that the drawings are in a very simplified form and use non-precise proportions. They are only used to facilitate and clarify the purpose of illustrating the embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the implementation conditions of the present invention. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modification of the structure, change of the proportional relationship or adjustment of the size should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in the present invention, provided that it does not affect the effects and objectives that the present invention can produce.

[0032] It should be noted that, in this invention, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only the expressly listed elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0033] In the semiconductor manufacturing field, plasma processing devices are widely used to process substrates. These devices typically include a reaction chamber and a base and an upper electrode assembly disposed within the reaction chamber. The base and upper electrode assembly are arranged opposite to each other. The base supports the substrate to be processed, and the upper electrode assembly sprays process gases into the reaction chamber. As shown in Figure 1, a prior art upper electrode assembly includes: a mounting substrate 104, a gas spray head 105 disposed below the mounting substrate 104, and a resistance heater disposed above the mounting substrate 104. This heater heats the gas spray head 105 and includes a heating tube cover 101 and a heating element embedded within the heating tube cover 101. The heating tube 102 generates heat when energized, and the heat energy generated is transferred to the gas spray head 105 through multiple heat transfer layers. The multiple heat transfer layers include a first heat transfer layer between the heating tube 102 and the heating tube cover 101, a second heat transfer layer 103 between the heating tube cover 101 and the mounting substrate 104, and a third heat transfer layer between the mounting substrate 104 and the gas spray head 105. The first heat transfer layer is a heat-conducting medium between the heating tube 102 and the heating tube cover 101, which is generally a heat-conducting adhesive. The second heat transfer layer 103 is generally a heat-conducting adhesive or a heat-conducting sheet made of graphite, graphene, or aluminum. The third heat transfer layer is generally an air cushion layer formed by process gas and a heat-conducting sheet made of graphite, graphene, or aluminum. Because the heat generated by the heating tube 102 needs to pass through multiple heat transfer layers to be transferred to the gas spray head 105, and the heating tube cover 101 and mounting substrate 104 also have heat dissipation phenomena, the heat energy is attenuated layer by layer, resulting in low heat conduction efficiency of the entire heat conduction process, which leads to very low heating efficiency of the heater; in addition, at high temperatures, not only will the thermally conductive adhesive of the first heat transfer layer solidify and pulverize, reducing its thermal conductivity coefficient, but the heating tube cover 101 and mounting substrate 104 will also expand and deform at high temperatures, making the thermal contact between them worse, thereby reducing the heat conduction efficiency of the second heat transfer layer 103, which further reduces the heating efficiency of the heater. Taking a heating tube 102 with a power of 8000W as an example, when running at full power, the temperature of the heating tube 102 is 400~500℃. After passing through the first heat transfer layer, the temperature of the heating tube cover 101 is 200~400℃. After passing through the second heat transfer layer 103, the temperature of the mounting substrate 104 is 120~150℃. Finally, after passing through the third heat transfer layer, the temperature of the gas spray head 105 is 120~150℃. The temperature of the mounting substrate 104 and the gas spray head 105 is similar because the gas spray head 105 is located in a vacuum reaction chamber, where heat loss is less likely. In contrast, the heating tube cover 101 and the mounting substrate 104 are exposed to the air, resulting in relatively severe heat loss.

[0034] Because the heater has low heating efficiency, in order to ensure that the temperature of the gas spray head 105 is at a high set temperature, the heating tube 102 is forced to work in the high temperature range and needs to maintain high power heating. Therefore, the heating tube 102 is prone to breakage, resulting in an open circuit and inability to conduct electricity and heat up. However, since the heating tube 102 is embedded in the heating tube cover 101, its replacement is difficult and hard to operate. In addition, a gas buffer component 106 is provided above the center of the mounting base 104. The gas buffer component 106 and the gas spray head 105 are connected by multiple gas channels 107 that pass through the mounting base 104. Under the requirement of high heating power, the diameter of the heating tube 102 is relatively large, which is larger than the distance between the gas channels 107. The large-diameter heating tube 102 cannot be placed between the gas buffer component 106 and the mounting base 104, but can only be placed around the gas buffer component 106. The gas spray head 105 is placed directly below the gas buffer component 106. Therefore, when the heating tube 102 transfers heat energy to the gas spray head 105, the heat energy can only be transferred from top to bottom and from the periphery to the center to the gas spray head 105. This makes the temperature distribution uniformity of the gas spray head 105 poor. Currently, in order to improve the temperature uniformity of the gas spray head 105, the thickness of the mounting substrate 104 is increased to improve its heat deposition and thus improve the temperature uniformity of the gas spray head 105. However, this method will also reduce the response rate of temperature control of the gas spray head 105.

[0035] In summary, the heaters of the upper electrode assembly in the prior art suffer from problems such as low heating efficiency, easy damage and difficulty in replacement, and poor heating uniformity.

[0036] To address this problem, the present invention discloses a plasma processing apparatus, as shown in FIG2, comprising a vacuum reaction chamber 200, the reaction chamber 200 including a generally cylindrical reaction chamber sidewall 201 made of metal material, a base 203 for supporting a substrate 202 to be processed is provided at the lower part of the reaction chamber 200, and an upper electrode assembly is provided at the upper part of the reaction chamber 200, the upper electrode assembly being disposed above the reaction chamber sidewall 201. The upper electrode assembly includes a mounting base 204, a gas spray head 205, a gas buffer component 206, and a heating component 208. The gas spray head 205 is disposed opposite to the base 203. The upper electrode assembly supplies process gas to the reaction chamber 200 through the mounting base 204 and the gas spray head 205. The mounting base 204 has a U-shaped structure. The gas buffer component 206 provides a buffer space for the process gas, is disposed above the mounting base 204 and located inside the U-shaped structure of the mounting base 204, and is connected to an external gas supply device. Multiple process gases are fully mixed within the gas buffer component 206. The gas spray head 205 is located on the bottom surface of the mounting base 204 and is used to disperse and spray the process gas. The gas spray head 205 is provided with multiple gas spray holes 2051, and each gas spray hole 2051 is correspondingly connected to multiple gas channels 207 provided in the mounting base 204. In some embodiments, each gas channel 207 within the mounting substrate 204 may also be connected to a corresponding gas spray hole 2051 on a plurality of gas spray heads 205; the heating component 208 is disposed between the gas buffer component 206 and the mounting substrate 204, and is used to generate heat energy to heat the gas spray head 205, thereby heating the gas spray head 205. To solve the problems of low heating efficiency, easy damage and difficulty in replacement, and poor heating uniformity of heaters in the prior art, the heating component 208 of the present invention adopts induction heating, with separate energizing elements and heating elements. The heating element, which does not require frequent replacement, is disposed inside the mounting substrate 204, while the energizing element is disposed outside the mounting substrate 204, thus improving heating efficiency and heating uniformity. The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below.

[0037] Example 1

[0038] As shown in Figure 3, in this embodiment, the heating component 208 includes an energizing element 2081, a dielectric layer 2082, and a heating element 2083. The energizing element 2081 is disposed above the mounting substrate 204 and below the gas buffer component 206. The heating element 2083 is disposed inside the mounting substrate 204. The dielectric layer 2082 is disposed between the energizing element 2081 and the heating element 2083. The gas channel 207 passes through the energizing element 2081, the heating element 2083, and the dielectric layer 2082 and is disposed inside the mounting substrate 204. The energizing element 2081, the dielectric layer 2082, and the heating element 2083 are all annular structures surrounding the gas buffer component 206. After the energizing element 2081 is energized, it generates an electromagnetic field in the space where the heating element 2083 is located. Under this electromagnetic field, the heating element 2083 generates eddy currents, causing the metal molecules in the heating element 2083 to collide and rub against each other to generate heat energy, thus achieving the effect of induction heating. The heat energy of the heating element 2083 is sequentially transferred to the mounting substrate 204 and the gas spray head 205, causing the gas spray head 205 to heat up.

[0039] The dielectric layer 2082 serves as an electromagnetic wave window, enabling the electromagnetic field generated by the energized element 2081 to effectively act on the heating element 2083. The dielectric layer 2082 is a non-electromagnetic shielding material, such as ceramic, quartz, or heat-resistant polymer, and is disposed above the heating element 2083. In this embodiment, a heat-resistant non-electromagnetic shielding material is selected as the dielectric layer 2082 to cover the heating element 2083 inside the mounting substrate 204, thus sealing the heating element 2083. This ensures good thermal contact between the heating element 2083 and the mounting substrate 204, preventing heat dissipation from the heating element 2083 and allowing heat to be transferred to the mounting substrate 204 more efficiently. On the other hand, it also prevents excessive heat from the heating element 2083 from being conducted to the energized element 2081, affecting the safety and service life of the energized element 2081.

[0040] The vertical projections of the energized element 2081 and the heating element 2083 overlap, placing at least a portion of the heating element 2083 within the electromagnetic field generated by the energized element 2081. Simultaneously, the dielectric layer 2082 is also at least partially disposed within this overlapping region. Therefore, at this overlapping region where the dielectric layer 2082 is located, the electromagnetic field can effectively act on the heating element 2083, causing it to heat up. The generated heat energy is transferred within the heating element 2083 and then to the mounting substrate 204 surrounding it. The larger the overlapping region of the energized element 2081, dielectric layer 2082, and heating element 2083, the faster the heating rate of the heating element 2083. Optionally, the vertical projection area of ​​the dielectric layer 2082 is not less than the vertical projection area of ​​the heating element 2083.

[0041] The energizing element 2081 is made of a material that does not generate heat when energized, is not prone to thermal expansion, and has low resistivity, such as copper wire. When an alternating or radio frequency current is passed through the energizing element 2081, an electromagnetic field is generated in space. Optionally, the frequency of the alternating or radio frequency current is not less than 500 Hz (power frequency). The frequency used depends on the thickness of the dielectric layer 2082, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0042] By controlling the current of the energizing element 2081 and the energizing time of the energizing element 2081, the temperature of the heating element 2083 is gradually increased, thereby causing the temperature of the gas spray head 205 to reach the desired temperature, for example, the temperature of the heating element 2083 to reach 100℃~300℃. After heat transfer, the temperature of the gas spray head 205 reaches 120℃~150℃.

[0043] The heating element 2083 is made of a ferromagnetic material, such as iron or stainless steel. In this embodiment, the heating element 2083 is an iron sheet. The heating element 2083 has a sheet-like structure, which significantly increases the area of ​​its heat-conducting surface compared to the tubular structure of the heating tube in the prior art. The area of ​​the heated surface of the mounting substrate 204 is also increased, improving the heating uniformity and heat conduction efficiency of the heating component 208, thereby improving the temperature uniformity of the gas spray head 205.

[0044] Optionally, as shown in Figure 2, in order to obtain a better heating effect, the energizing element 2081, the dielectric layer 2082, and the heating element 2083 are all distributed throughout the entire surface of the gas spray head 205. That is, the overlapping area of ​​the vertical projections of the energizing element 2081 and the heating element 2083 covers the entire gas spray head 205. Thus, the electromagnetic field generated by the energizing element 2081 is distributed throughout the entire gas spray head 205 in the vertical direction. After the heating element 2083 is heated in the electromagnetic field generated by the energizing element 2081, its heat energy is transferred to the surrounding mounting substrate 204, and then transferred from top to bottom to the gas spray head 205. Since the heating element 2083 is distributed throughout the entire gas spray head 205 in the vertical direction, the heat energy is uniformly transferred to the mounting substrate 204, and then uniformly transferred from top to bottom to the upper surface of the gas spray head 205, further improving the temperature uniformity of the gas spray head 205. After the temperature uniformity of the gas spray head 205 is significantly improved, the requirement for the thickness of the mounting substrate 204 is reduced. Therefore, the thickness of the mounting substrate 204 is reduced compared to the prior art, thereby reducing heat deposition in the mounting substrate 204 and improving the response rate of temperature control of the gas spray head 205.

[0045] Since the energized element 2081 does not require heating, has low resistivity, and has a small wire diameter (smaller than the spacing between multiple gas channels 207), it can be placed between multiple gas channels 207 to improve the heating uniformity of the heating component 208.

[0046] Compared to prior art, the energizing element 2081 and heating element 2083 of this invention can generate heat without direct contact. The energizing element 2081 and heating element 2083 are separately disposed and their heat transfer is isolated by a dielectric layer 2082. Therefore, the high temperature of the heating element 2083 will not affect the normal operation of the energizing element 2081, greatly reducing the probability of the energizing element 2081 being damaged due to high temperature. Furthermore, since the heating element 2083 is disposed inside the mounting substrate 204, when the heating element 2083 conducts heat to the gas spray head 205, it only needs to pass through a heat exchanger. The heat transfer layer between the heating element 2083 and the mounting substrate 204, and the third heat transfer layer between the mounting substrate 204 and the gas spray head 205, reduce the number of heat transfer layers in the heat conduction process, thereby improving thermal conductivity and heating efficiency. Furthermore, the heating characteristic of the ferromagnetic heating element 2083 in a magnetic field is not affected by its integrity. Even if the heating element 2083 breaks at high temperature, it will not affect its magnetocaloric effect, so it does not need to be replaced after breakage. If the energized element 2081 is damaged, it is easy to replace because it is located outside the mounting substrate 204.

[0047] Furthermore, to improve the thermal conductivity between the heating element 2083 and the mounting substrate 204, and to transfer the heat from the heating element 2083 to the mounting substrate 204 more efficiently, a first thermally conductive layer is provided between them. Generally, a medium with high thermal conductivity is selected as the first thermally conductive layer, such as liquid thermal grease, thermally conductive oil, thermally conductive liquid metals (various alloys of gallium and germanium), semi-fluid thermally conductive silicone grease, and solid thermally conductive graphite, graphene, aluminum, indium, and other metals or non-metals. Since the heating element 2083 is disposed within the mounting substrate 204, the first thermally conductive layer is provided around the heating element 2083 and at its bottom. Furthermore, since the dielectric layer 2082 covers the mounting substrate 204, it seals the heating element 2083, preventing the heat from the heating element 2083 from dissipating outwards through the thermally conductive layer.

[0048] In other embodiments, the heating element 2083 can also be soldered into the mounting substrate 204. The mounting substrate 204 is generally made of aluminum. After the heating element 2083 and the mounting substrate 204 are directly soldered, they can be regarded as one unit. At this time, there is no need for heat transfer through an additional heat transfer layer, and the heat conduction efficiency is higher.

[0049] Furthermore, a second thermally conductive layer is provided between the heating element 2083 and the dielectric layer 2082. A medium with high thermal conductivity is selected, such as liquid thermal grease, thermal oil, thermally conductive liquid metal (various alloys of gallium and germanium), semi-fluid thermally conductive silicone grease, solid thermally conductive graphite, graphene, aluminum, indium, and other metals or non-metals. The dielectric layer 2082 is in contact with the mounting substrate 204, enhancing the thermal conductivity between the heating element 2083 and the dielectric layer 2082, which helps the heat energy of the heating element 2083 to be efficiently transferred to the mounting substrate 204 through the dielectric layer 2082.

[0050] To reduce the impact of high temperature on the energized element 2081, a heat-resistant layer made of thermally resistive material is provided between the dielectric layer 2082 and the energized element 2081. This further prevents excessive heat energy from the heating element 2083 from being conducted to the energized element 2081, thus avoiding overheating and affecting its performance. Simultaneously, this heat-resistant layer is also a non-electromagnetic shielding material, and will not affect the electromagnetic field of the energized element 2081 acting on the heating element 2083.

[0051] Considering that the electromagnetic field generated by the energized element 2081 has a limited range, the distance between the heating element 2083 and the energized element 2081 is set to 2mm~100mm, so that the heating element 2083 can be within the electromagnetic field generated by the energized element 2081 and have a better heating effect.

[0052] A magnetic shielding layer is also provided above the energized element 2081. Various conductive materials are selected as the magnetic shielding layer, such as copper, silver, gold, stainless steel, permalloy, etc. The magnetic shielding layer can prevent the magnetic field generated by the energized element 2081 from affecting other components of the plasma processing device, and can also effectively reduce the dissipation loss of the electromagnetic field generated by the energized element 2081 in space, thereby improving the heating efficiency of the energized element 2081 on the heating element 2083. In this embodiment, various conductive materials are made into a metal cover, such as a metal mesh cover, and placed above the energized element 2081 as the magnetic shielding layer. Since a gas buffer component 206 is provided above the central part of the energized element 2081, and the outer side of the energized element 2081 is the inner side of the mounting substrate 204, the gas buffer component 206 is made of metal, and the mounting substrate 204 is also made of metal (generally aluminum). Therefore, the gas buffer component 206 and the inner side of the mounting substrate 204 serve to shield the magnetic field generated by the energized element 2081. Only a magnetic shielding layer needs to be provided above the exposed part of the energized element 2081.

[0053] The gas buffer component 206 includes a gas guiding module (not shown in the figure), which consists of multiple gas guiding channels for guiding gas from the gas source to multiple areas of the reaction chamber. The dielectric layer 2082 has multiple through holes, which correspond to and communicate with multiple gas outlets of the gas buffer component 206. The heating element 2083 has through holes that correspond to and communicate with the gas channels 207 in the mounting substrate 204. The through holes of the dielectric layer 2082 and the heating element 2083 are connected, thereby connecting the gas outlets of the gas buffer component 206 with the gas channels 207 in the mounting substrate 204. The process gas in the gas buffer component 206 sequentially passes through the through holes of the energized element 2081, the dielectric layer 2082, and the heating element 2083 into the gas channels 207, and then into the gas spray head 205. When fabricating the upper electrode assembly of this embodiment, the heating element 2083 can be soldered into the mounting substrate 204, which not only achieves higher thermal conductivity, but also allows for the provision of through holes on the heating element 2083 corresponding to the positions of the gas channels 207 when setting the gas channels 207, thereby simplifying the step of opening holes on the heating element 2083.

[0054] The through holes between the dielectric layer 2082 and the heating element 2083 can correspond one-to-one. The upper electrode assembly also includes a gas equalization module (not shown in the figure), which includes multiple gas equalization chambers. The gas equalization module can be disposed between the dielectric layer 2082 and the gas buffer component 206. One end of the multiple gas equalization chambers is connected to the gas guiding module of the gas buffer component 206, and the other end of the multiple gas equalization chambers is connected to multiple through holes on the dielectric layer 2082. In some other embodiments, the gas equalization module can also be disposed between the dielectric layer 2082 and the heating element 2083, with one end of the multiple gas equalization chambers being the multiple through holes on the dielectric layer 2082, and the other end of the multiple gas equalization chambers being connected to the gas channel 207 of the mounting substrate 204. After the process gas is equalized in the gas equalization chambers, it enters the mounting substrate 204 and the gas spray head 205. The multiple gas equalization chambers are isolated from each other by sealing rings. In some embodiments, the multiple gas equalization chambers are arranged with inner and outer rings.

[0055] In some other embodiments, the through holes of each dielectric layer 2082 can correspond to the through holes of multiple heating elements 2083, that is, the through holes of each dielectric layer 2082 serve as multiple gas equalization chambers to equalize the process gas, and the through holes of each dielectric layer 2082 are isolated from each other by sealing rings.

[0056] In further embodiments, the upper surface, lower surface, or both surfaces of the medium layer 2082 are provided with multiple air guiding channels, such as groove-shaped air guiding channels, which communicate with the through holes of the medium layer 2082. Furthermore, multiple layers of medium layers 2082 can be provided, with the air guiding channels formed on the surface of each medium layer 2082, and each medium layer 2082 isolated from each other by sealing rings.

[0057] In this embodiment, the energizing element 2081 includes at least two energizing components. Correspondingly, the heating element 208 includes at least two partitions. Each partition includes a corresponding energizing component, a portion of the dielectric layer, and a portion of the heating element. The energizing components and dielectric layers in different partitions are separated from each other. When different currents are applied to the energizing components, electromagnetic fields of different intensities can be generated, resulting in different heating powers. Consequently, the temperatures of the corresponding heating elements are different, which in turn makes the temperatures of different parts of the gas spray head 205 corresponding to different partitions different, thus achieving partitioned temperature control of the gas spray head 205.

[0058] Furthermore, electromagnetic shielding layers can be installed between the dielectric layers of adjacent zones to prevent mutual interference between the magnetic fields generated by the energized components in different zones. Additionally, heating elements in different zones can be separated according to the zone's layout to prevent heat conduction between heating elements in different zones, thus avoiding impact on temperature control.

[0059] The upper electrode assembly also includes a cooling component 209 for dissipating heat from the upper electrode assembly. When the temperature of the mounting substrate 204 or the gas spray head 205 is too high, the cooling component 209 is used to cool down and dissipate heat. The cooling component 209 is a pipe through which cooling water can flow. When heat dissipation is required, cooling water flows in the pipe to carry away excess heat from the mounting substrate 204.

[0060] Example 2

[0061] This embodiment differs from Embodiment 1 in that, as shown in Figure 4, the heating component 208 is arranged around the gas buffer component 206, specifically between the outer side of the gas buffer component 206 and the inner side of the "U"-shaped mounting substrate 204. The heating component 208 also includes a energizing element 2081, a dielectric layer 2082, and a heating element 2083. The energizing element 2081 is annular and positioned above the mounting substrate 204, surrounding the gas buffer component 206. The dielectric layer 2082 and the heating element 2083 are disposed within the mounting substrate 204 and surround the gas channel 207 within the mounting substrate 204. The vertical projections of the energizing element 2081 and the heating element 2083 overlap, and the dielectric layer 2082 is at least partially disposed within this overlapping area.

[0062] In this embodiment, no holes need to be drilled on the energizing element 2081, dielectric layer 2082, and heating element 2083. When manufacturing the upper electrode assembly of this embodiment, it is only necessary to set the heating element 2083 inside the existing mounting substrate 204, set the dielectric layer 2082 above the heating element 2083 for sealing, and set the annular energizing element 2081 above the dielectric layer 2082. This manufacturing process is simple and easy to operate.

[0063] In addition, in this embodiment, a heat-conducting layer 2084 can be provided between the heating element 2083 and the mounting substrate 204, and between the heating element 2083 and the dielectric layer 2082, to improve the heat conduction efficiency between the heating element 2083 and the mounting substrate 204; the heating element 2083 can also be soldered into the mounting substrate 204, a heat-insulating layer can be provided between the dielectric layer 2082 and the energized element 2081, a magnetic shielding layer can be provided above the energized element 2081, and the distance between the heating element 2083 and the energized element 2081 can be set, etc. The specific structure and effect are similar to those of Embodiment 1, and will not be described again here.

[0064] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make many possible variations and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention using the methods and techniques disclosed above, or modify them into equivalent embodiments with equivalent changes, without departing from the scope of the technical solutions of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solutions of the present invention shall still fall within the protection scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

[0065] 101: Heating tube cover 102: Heating element 103: Second heat transfer layer 104: Mounting the substrate 105: Gas spray head 106: Gas buffer component 107: Gas Channel 200: Reaction Chamber 201: Reaction chamber sidewall 202: substrate 203: Base 204: Mounting substrate 205: Gas spray head 2051: Gas spray nozzle 206: Gas buffer component 207: Gas Channel 208: Heating component 2081: Electrical Components 2082: Dielectric layer 2083: Heating element 2084: Thermal Conductive Layer 209: Cooling components

Claims

1. An upper electrode assembly, comprising a mounting substrate and a gas spray head, the gas spray head being disposed on the bottom surface of the mounting substrate, and a gas buffer component being disposed above the mounting substrate, the gas buffer component comprising a gas guiding module and a heating component for heating the gas spray head, wherein... The heating component includes: a heating element disposed inside the mounting substrate; an energizing element disposed above the mounting substrate; and a dielectric layer disposed between the heating element and the energizing element; the energizing element and the heating element are disposed separately, the energizing element generates an electromagnetic field when energized, and the heating element generates heat through electromagnetic induction; the projections of the energizing element and the heating element in the vertical direction overlap, and the dielectric layer is at least partially disposed in the overlapping area.

2. The upper electrode assembly as described in claim 1, wherein, The energizing element is located below the gas buffer component, and the overlapping area covers the entire gas spray head.

3. The upper electrode assembly as described in claim 1, wherein, The energizing element, dielectric layer, and heating element are all arranged in a ring around the gas buffer component.

4. The upper electrode assembly as described in claim 2, wherein, The dielectric layer has through holes, which are connected to the gas outlet of the gas buffer component; the heating element has through holes that are connected to the gas channels in the mounting substrate; the through holes in the dielectric layer are connected to the through holes in the heating element.

5. The upper electrode assembly as described in claim 4, wherein, The through holes in the dielectric layer correspond one-to-one with the through holes in the heating element.

6. The upper electrode assembly as described in claim 4, wherein, Each via of the dielectric layer corresponds to a via of one of the heating elements.

7. The upper electrode assembly as described in claim 5 or 6, wherein, It also includes: a gas equalization module, comprising multiple gas equalization chambers, the gas equalization module being disposed between the dielectric layer and the gas buffer component, one end of the multiple gas equalization chambers being connected to the gas guiding module of the gas buffer component, and the other end of the multiple gas equalization chambers being connected to multiple through holes on the dielectric layer; or, the gas equalization module being disposed between the dielectric layer and the heating element, one end of the multiple gas equalization chambers being connected to multiple through holes on the dielectric layer, and the other end of the multiple gas equalization chambers being connected to the gas channel of the mounting substrate.

8. The upper electrode assembly as described in claim 5 or 6, wherein, The surface of the medium layer has multiple air guiding channels, which are connected to the through holes of the medium layer.

9. The upper electrode assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein, The energizing element includes at least two energizing components, which have different heating powers.

10. The upper electrode assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The heating element is a ferromagnetic heating element.

11. The upper electrode assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein, A first thermally conductive layer is provided between the heating element and the mounting substrate.

12. The upper electrode assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The heating element is connected to the mounting substrate by welding.

13. The upper electrode assembly as claimed in claim 11 or 12, wherein, A second heat-conducting layer is provided between the heating element and the dielectric layer.

14. The upper electrode assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The distance between the heating element and the energized element is 2mm to 100mm.

15. The upper electrode assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein, A heat-insulating layer is provided between the dielectric layer and the energized element.

16. The upper electrode assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein, A magnetic shielding layer is provided above the energized element.

17. An upper electrode assembly, comprising a mounting substrate, a gas spray head, and a gas buffer component, wherein the gas spray head is located on the bottom surface of the mounting substrate, the gas buffer component is located above the mounting substrate, and further comprising a heating component for heating the gas spray head, wherein... The heating component is located between the gas buffer component and the mounting substrate. The heating component includes: a heating element disposed inside the mounting substrate; an energizing element disposed above the mounting substrate and below the gas buffer component; and a dielectric layer disposed between the heating element and the energizing element. The energizing element and the heating element are disposed separately. When the energizing element is energized, it generates an electromagnetic field, and the heating element generates heat through electromagnetic induction. The vertical projections of the energizing element and the heating element overlap, and the dielectric layer is at least partially disposed in the overlapping area. The gas buffer component and the gas spray head are connected through a gas channel disposed in the mounting substrate and penetrate the energizing element, the heating element, and the dielectric layer.

18. The upper electrode assembly as claimed in claim 17, wherein, The overlapping area covers the entire gas spray head.

19. A plasma treatment apparatus, wherein, include: reaction chamber; The upper electrode assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 18 is located within the reaction chamber; A base for supporting the substrate to be processed is disposed opposite to the gas spray head of the upper electrode assembly; the upper electrode assembly supplies process gas to the reaction chamber through the mounting substrate and the gas spray head.