Plasma processing apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductors. Provided is a plasma processing apparatus, comprising an apparatus cavity, a guide member, a gas homogenizing member, a carrier for carrying a sample, a lifting assembly connected to and driving the gas homogenizing member to ascend and descend, and a control unit, wherein the apparatus cavity comprises a first cavity and a second cavity located below the first cavity and in communication with the first cavity; the first cavity is configured to allow a gas to be introduced; the guide member is arranged around the outside of a bottom opening of the first cavity to form a diameter-variable guide channel; the gas homogenizing member is liftably arranged in the second cavity below the guide member and is provided with a plurality of gas guide holes, and the gas guide holes are inclined relative to the vertical direction; and the control unit controls the lifting assembly to move, so as to adjust the distance between the gas homogenizing member and the sample, thereby changing the plasma density distribution of plasma at a radial position between the center and the edge of the sample to be processed. In the present application, direct adjustment of gas distribution is achieved through the combined convergence and divergence of the liftable gas homogenizing member, the gas guide holes and the guide member, so that the distribution of plasma can be efficiently and quickly adjusted.

Description

Plasma processing equipment Cross-references

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese application No. 202411751306.0, filed on December 2, 2024. The contents of the above application are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and more particularly to plasma processing equipment. Background Technology

[0003] Plasma processing equipment typically includes a chamber and a carrier, such as an electrostatic chuck (ESC) or a hot stage, located at the bottom of the chamber. The carrier holds and holds the wafer. During etching or deposition processes on the wafer, gas is introduced into the chamber. This gas, excited by a radio frequency electric field within the chamber, forms plasma. This plasma then undergoes chemical and / or physical reactions on the wafer surface. Generally, in etching processes, plasma processing equipment generates two types of plasma: capacitively coupled plasma (CCP), which uses a radio frequency voltage applied to the upper and lower electrode plates of the chamber to create a high-frequency electric field. Electrons gain energy under the influence of this field, ionizing gas molecules and forming plasma. Inductively coupled plasma (ICP), on the other hand, uses a radio frequency current applied to a vortex-shaped plasma source coil (which can be planar or spiral cylindrical) to generate high-density plasma. The generated plasma can be used to etch semiconductor materials on the wafer surface or to remove photoresist.

[0004] To achieve uniform wafer surface treatment, the processing rate needs to be uniform between the center and the edge of the wafer. In related technologies, structural designs are made for the gas inlet device and the plasma source coil that forms the plasma, such as movable structures and the shape design of the plasma source coil. However, in reality, these all indirectly affect the gas that forms the plasma, and the effect of achieving uniform wafer surface treatment is not significant enough. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a plasma processing device that, by setting a structure within the device cavity that allows for adjustment of the gas distribution, enables direct adjustment of the plasma density distribution relative to different positions of the sample.

[0006] The first aspect of this disclosure provides a plasma processing apparatus, comprising:

[0007] The device cavity includes a first cavity, a bottom opening, and a second cavity located below the first cavity and communicating with the bottom opening of the first cavity; the first cavity is provided with a vent hole for introducing gas used to form plasma;

[0008] A guide is arranged around the bottom opening of the first cavity to form a variable-diameter guide channel connecting the bottom opening and the second cavity;

[0009] A gas equalizer is vertically and vertically disposed in the second cavity, located below the guide member; multiple air guide holes are distributed on the gas equalizer from the center to the edge; wherein the depth direction of each air guide hole is inclined relative to the vertical direction; wherein the variable diameter structure of the guide channel of the guide member and the inclined structure of each air guide hole form a combination effect of gathering and dispersing the passing gas.

[0010] A carrier, located within the second cavity and below the gas equalizer, is used to carry the sample being treated by plasma.

[0011] A lifting assembly is connected to drive the lifting of the air distribution component;

[0012] The control unit, connected to the lifting assembly, is used to control the lifting of the gas equalizer to adjust the distance between the gas equalizer and the carrier, thereby adjusting the plasma density distribution of the plasma in the radial position between the center and the edge of the sample to be processed.

[0013] In the first aspect of the embodiment, the guide member has a reduced cross-sectional area along the direction close to the gas equalizer to form a gathering effect; in the direction away from the guide member, the air equalizer has its air guide holes from the center to the edge offset outward relative to the central axis to form a diffusion effect.

[0014] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the gas equalizer is configured to rotate horizontally about a central axis to adjust the plasma density distribution in the circumferential direction of the sample surface; and / or, the gas equalizer is configured to flip horizontally to switch between aggregation and diffusion effects.

[0015] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the aggregation and dispersion combination effect includes at least one of the following: first aggregation followed by diffusion; first aggregation followed by aggregation.

[0016] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the lifting assembly includes a lifting mechanism and a lifting drive unit. The lifting mechanism is movably configured to lift and move, connecting to and driving the air distribution component to lift and move. The lifting drive unit is connected to the lifting mechanism and communicates with and is controlled by the control unit, and is used to drive the movement of the lifting mechanism.

[0017] In the first aspect of the embodiment, the lifting drive unit and the control unit are located outside the equipment cavity; the lifting mechanism is capable of relative lifting and sealingly passes through the shell wall of the equipment cavity to connect to the lifting drive unit; the lifting drive unit and the control unit are wiredly connected.

[0018] In the first aspect of the embodiment, a rotating assembly is connected between the lifting mechanism and the air distribution component. The rotating assembly includes a rotating mechanism and a rotating drive unit. The rotating mechanism is configured to rotate horizontally and is connected to and drives the air distribution component to rotate horizontally. The rotating drive unit is connected to the rotating mechanism and communicates with and is controlled by the control unit, and is used to drive the movement of the rotating mechanism.

[0019] Alternatively, a flipping assembly is connected between the lifting mechanism and the air distribution component. The flipping assembly includes a flipping mechanism and a flipping drive unit. The flipping mechanism is rotatably arranged around a horizontal axis, connecting to and driving the air distribution component to flip. The flipping drive unit is connected to the flipping mechanism and communicates with and is controlled by the control unit, and is used to drive the movement of the flipping mechanism.

[0020] Alternatively, a second rotating component and a second flipping component are connected between the lifting mechanism and the air equalizer; the second rotating component includes a second rotating mechanism and a rotating drive unit; the second flipping component includes a second flipping mechanism and a flipping drive unit; the second rotating mechanism is configured to rotate horizontally, and the second flipping mechanism includes a flipping component that can be driven to rotate horizontally and is connected to the second rotating mechanism; the air equalizer is flipped to be connected to the flipping component and is driven to flip by the flipping drive unit.

[0021] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the lifting assembly is located inside the device cavity and is wirelessly connected to the control unit or wiredly connected to the control unit via a vacuum interface on the wall of the device cavity.

[0022] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the plasma formation etches the photoresist or semiconductor material on the sample surface.

[0023] In the first aspect of the embodiment, the plasma processing device is an inductively coupled plasma processing device; the first cavity protrudes relative to the second cavity, and a cylindrical spiral plasma source coil is wound around the outside of the first cavity, or a flat coiled plasma source coil is disposed outside the device cavity.

[0024] As described above, this disclosure relates to the field of semiconductor technology and provides a plasma processing apparatus. The apparatus includes a first cavity and a second cavity located below and communicating with the first cavity. The first cavity is for gas introduction. A guide is arranged around the bottom opening of the first cavity, forming a variable-diameter guide channel. A gas equalizer is vertically and flexibly disposed below the guide in the second cavity and has multiple gas guide holes. The gas guide holes are inclined relative to each other in the vertical direction. The variable diameter of the guide channel and the inclination of each gas guide hole create a combination of convergence and dispersion effects on the passing gas. A sample carrier is included. A lifting assembly is connected to and drives the gas equalizer to move up and down. A control unit controls the movement of the lifting assembly. By adjusting the distance between the gas equalizer and the sample, the plasma density distribution in the radial position from the center to the edge of the sample to be processed is changed. This allows for direct adjustment of the gas distribution through the vertically and flexibly adjustable gas equalizer and the convergence and dispersion effects of the gas guide holes and the guide, enabling efficient and rapid adjustment of the plasma distribution. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the gas equalization component of the plasma processing equipment in Figure 1 after it descends.

[0027] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the horizontal rotation of the air distribution element in one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0028] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the rotating air distribution component in one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0029] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the horizontal flipping motion of the air distribution component in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0030] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of the air-regulating component flipping in one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of the structure for realizing the rotation and flipping of the air distribution component in one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of the computer device in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0033] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0034] 100. Plasma processing equipment; 110. Equipment cavity; 111. First cavity; 1111. Vent hole; 112. Second cavity; 113. Cylindrical spiral plasma source coil; 120. Guide component; 121. Guide channel; 130. Gas equalization component; 131. Gas guide hole; 140. Lifting assembly; 141. Lifting mechanism; 1411. Lifting component; 142. Lifting drive unit; 150. Carrier component; 160. Control unit; 170. Rotating assembly; 171. Rotating mechanism; 1711. Gear; 172. Rotating drive unit; 180. Tilting assembly; 181. Tilting mechanism; 182. Tilting drive unit; 18 11. First rotating shaft; 18111. Clamping element; 1812. First shaft hole; 18121. Clamping hole; 170'. Second rotating assembly; 171'. Second rotating mechanism; 1711'. Second gear; 180'. Second flipping assembly; 181'. Second flipping mechanism; 1811'. Second rotating shaft; 1812'. Second shaft hole; 1813'. Flipping element; 18111'. Second clamping element; 18121'. Second clamping hole; 190. Exhaust gas equalization element; 200. Sample; 300. Plasma; 800. Computer device; 801. Bus; 802. Processor; 803. Memory; 804. Communicator. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this disclosure from the information disclosed herein. This disclosure can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this disclosure can be modified or changed according to different viewpoints and application modules without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this disclosure can be combined with each other.

[0036] The embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains can readily implement it. This disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0037] In this disclosure, references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic represented in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this disclosure. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics represented may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or a group of embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples represented in this disclosure, as well as the features of those different embodiments or examples.

[0038] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the representation of this disclosure, "a set" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0039] For the purpose of clarity, devices unrelated to the description are omitted, and the same or similar components throughout the specification are given the same reference numerals.

[0040] Throughout this specification, when it is said that a device is "connected" to another device, this includes not only "direct connection" but also "indirect connection" by placing other components in between. Furthermore, when it is said that a device "comprises" a certain constituent element, unless otherwise stated otherwise, this does not exclude other constituent elements, but rather implies that other constituent elements may be included.

[0041] While the terms first, second, etc., are used in some examples herein to refer to various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, first interface and second interface, etc., are used. Furthermore, as used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to also include the plural forms unless the context indicates otherwise. It should be further understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” indicate the presence of the stated feature, step, operation, element, module, item, kind, and / or group, but do not exclude the presence, occurrence, or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, modules, items, kinds, and / or groups. The terms “or” and “and / or” as used herein are interpreted as inclusive, or mean any one or any combination thereof. Thus, “A, B, or C” or “A, B, and / or C” means “any one of: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B, and C.” Exceptions to this definition will only occur if the combination of elements, functions, steps, or operations is inherently mutually exclusive in some way.

[0042] The technical terms used herein are for reference only to specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. The singular form used herein includes the plural form unless the statement explicitly indicates otherwise. The word "comprising" as used in this specification means to specify a particular characteristic, region, integer, step, operation, element, and / or component, and does not exclude the presence or addition of other characteristics, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components.

[0043] Although not explicitly defined, all terms, including technical and scientific terms used herein, shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries shall be further interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the relevant technical literature and the message of the present disclosure, and shall not be over-interpreted as having an ideal or overly formulaic meaning unless otherwise defined.

[0044] In related technologies, plasma processing equipment generates plasma by applying a radio frequency electric field to a gas to process semiconductor materials or photoresist on the surface of a wafer.

[0045] To achieve uniform surface treatment of wafers, structural designs are typically made for the gas inlet device and the plasma source coil that forms the plasma, such as movable structures and the shape design of the plasma source coil. However, these designs only indirectly affect the gas that forms the plasma, and the effect is not significant enough.

[0046] Therefore, this disclosure provides a plasma processing device, which, by providing a structure within the device cavity that allows for adjustment of the gas distribution, enables direct adjustment of the plasma density distribution relative to different positions of the sample.

[0047] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a plasma processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0048] In some embodiments, the sample 200 may be implemented as a wafer, and the plasma processing equipment 100 may be used to perform process processing on the wafer surface, such as etching of semiconductor materials on the wafer surface or removing photoresist.

[0049] The plasma processing device 100 includes a device cavity 110, a guide 120, a gas equalization component 130, a lifting assembly 140, a carrier 150, and a control unit 160.

[0050] In some embodiments, the device cavity 110 includes a first cavity 111 and a second cavity 112. The first cavity 111 and the second cavity 112 are arranged vertically, with the first cavity 111 located above the second cavity 112. As an example, the first cavity 111 and the second cavity 112 can be coaxially arranged. The first cavity 111 and the second cavity 112 can be cylindrical structures. The first cavity 111 and the second cavity 112 are connected. Specifically, the first cavity 111 has a bottom opening, and the top of the second cavity 112 is open to communicate with the bottom opening. The first cavity 111 has a vent 1111 for introducing gas used to form plasma 300. As an example, the vent 1111 can be located on the top surface of the first cavity 111. Optionally, the vent 1111 can be located at the center of the top surface of the first cavity 111, or it can be on the side, or vents 1111 can be provided in the center and on the side respectively for selective gas entry. The type of gas can be selected according to process requirements, such as reaction gases (e.g., hydrogen, oxygen), and can also include activating gases for the reaction gases (e.g., inert gases, such as argon).

[0051] In the example of Figure 1, the plasma processing device 100 can be implemented as an inductively coupled plasma processing device. As an example, the second cavity 112 can be implemented as a reaction chamber for the plasma to react with the sample, and the first cavity 111 can be implemented as a generating chamber for forming plasma 300. The cross-sectional diameter of the first cavity 111 is smaller than that of the second cavity 112, thus protruding from the second cavity 112. A cylindrical spiral plasma source coil 113 can be wound around the outside of the first cavity 111. The cylindrical spiral plasma source coil 113 is connected to a radio frequency source to apply a radio frequency electric field to the gas entering the first cavity 111 from the vent 1111, thereby forming plasma 300. Plasma 300, also called electroplasma, is an ionized gaseous substance composed of positive and negative ions generated after atoms and atomic groups have been partially stripped of electrons and ionized. Plasma 300 is a gaseous mixture of ions, electrons, free radicals, neutral atoms, and molecules. The ions in plasma 300 are positively or negatively charged atoms or molecules. These are formed by the loss or gain of one or more electrons from atoms or molecules. The types and numbers of ions depend on the composition and generation method of plasma 300. Free electrons break free from the bonds of atoms or molecules, becoming negatively charged particles. Free electrons have high energy and can move and conduct electricity under the influence of an electric field. In addition to free electrons and ions, plasma 300 also contains some neutral particles, i.e., unionized atoms or molecules. These neutral particles play a role in balancing ions and electrons in plasma 300, maintaining the overall electroneutrality of plasma 300. Free radicals are a class of chemical substances with unpaired electrons, and they play an important role in chemical reactions and biological systems. Free radicals are generally highly reactive, and they tend to achieve electron pairing by capturing or donating electrons.

[0052] In some embodiments, the top surface of the first cavity 111 is a dielectric window made of a non-metallic insulating material, and the annular sidewall of the first cavity 111 can be an electrostatic shielding material. In other embodiments, the top surface of the first cavity 111 in FIG. 1 may extend beyond the inner sidewall and be connected to the upper end of an outer sidewall surrounding the inner sidewall, the lower end of which is connected to the top surface of the second cavity 112 to form a third cavity (not shown) that incorporates the first cavity 111 and the cylindrical spiral plasma source coil 113.

[0053] In other embodiments, a flat, coiled plasma source coil is disposed outside the device cavity 110. When using a flat, coiled plasma source coil, the first cavity 111 and the second cavity 112 have the same diameter and length, thus eliminating the need for the first cavity 111 to protrude relative to the second cavity 112.

[0054] The guide 120 is arranged around the bottom opening of the first cavity 111. For example, the guide 120 can be fixed to the top surface of the second cavity 112. The guide 120 forms a variable-diameter guide channel 121 connecting the bottom opening and the second cavity 112. As an example, in FIG1, the hollow portion of the guide 120 is the guide channel 121. The guide 120 is configured to have an inverted frustum shape with a decreasing cross-sectional area in the direction near the gas equalizer 130 (i.e., from top to bottom in the figure), so that the guide channel 121 is configured to have a shape with a decreasing cross-sectional area from top to bottom, thereby forming a gas-gathering effect, that is, a gas-gathering effect on electrons, ions, etc. contained in the plasma 300. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the guide 120 can also be configured to have a shape with an increasing cross-sectional area in the direction near the gas equalizer 130, thereby forming a gas-diffusion effect.

[0055] The gas equalizer 130 is vertically and movably disposed within the second cavity 112, located below the guide member 120. In some embodiments, the gas equalizer 130 can be a horizontally placed circular disc, ring, or plate. The gas equalizer 130 has a plurality of air guide holes 131 distributed from its center to its edge, each air guide hole 131 being a through hole penetrating the thickness of the gas equalizer 130. The depth direction of each air guide hole 131 is inclined relative to the vertical direction to guide the gas in the inclined direction of the air guide hole 131. Thus, the gas can be diffused or aggregated downwards through each air guide hole 131. For example, in the embodiments of Figures 1 and 4, the air guide holes 131 of the gas equalizer 130 are offset outwards from the central axis from the center to the edge, that is, the spacing increases from top to bottom relative to the central axis in the Z direction, to create a diffusion effect. In some embodiments, the air guide hole 131 may be a straight hole extending along a straight line; or, the air guide hole 131 may be a hole extending along a broken line; or, the air guide hole 131 may be a hole extending along a curve; or, the air guide hole 131 may be a hole extending along a combination of straight lines and curves.

[0056] The carrier 150, located within the second cavity 112 and below the gas equalization component 130, is used to carry the sample 200 being treated by the plasma 300. Gas forms plasma 300 in the first cavity 111, and the electrons, ions, free radicals, etc., contained therein fall through the guide channel 121 and the gas guide holes on the gas equalization component 130 before reaching the surface of the sample 200 carried by the carrier 150 for reaction processing. In some embodiments, the carrier 150 can be implemented as a heat stage or an electrostatic chuck (ESC). Optionally, an exhaust gas equalization component 190 can be provided around the carrier 150 to homogenize the gas exiting the equipment cavity.

[0057] Referring to Figure 1, the processing procedure of the plasma processing equipment 100 is explained in detail. Gas enters the first cavity 111 through a through-hole at the top of the equipment cavity 110 of the plasma processing equipment 100. An radio frequency current is generated by applying a radio frequency voltage to the plasma source coil, inductively heating the gas to form plasma 300. Free radicals and ions in the plasma 300 fall, pass through the guide 120 and the gas homogenizer 130, and then react with the surface of the sample 200 on the carrier 150, including but not limited to wafer etching, resist removal, and deposition. The generated byproducts are extracted from the exhaust port, completing the process.

[0058] It is understood that the guide 120 is exemplarily configured to gather the gas, while the gas equalizer 130 diffuses the gathered gas to a uniform distribution on the surface of the sample 200. Gathering before diffusion allows the plasma 300 to be concentrated in the center of the sample 200 before diffusion, and then the plasma 300 can be gradually dispersed to achieve a regular plasma density distribution suitable for the sample 200. In contrast, if the gas is not gathered first by the guide 120, more gas may diffuse to the outer periphery of the sample 200 due to the diffusion function of the gas guide holes on the gas equalizer 130, reducing the processing efficiency of the sample 200. Therefore, the variable diameter structure of the guide channel 121 and the inclined structure of each gas guide hole 131 form a combined gathering and dispersing effect on the passing gas, ensuring a uniform plasma density distribution in the effective area above the wafer, thus guaranteeing processing efficiency.

[0059] In some embodiments, the lifting assembly 140 includes a lifting mechanism 141 and a lifting drive unit 142. The lifting mechanism 141 is movably vertically disposed, connecting to and driving the air distribution member 130 to rise and fall. As an example, the lifting mechanism 141 includes one or a pair of lifting members 1411 (e.g., implemented as a lifting rod, lifting frame, or lifting seat, etc.), the lifting members 1411 can extend in the vertical direction and can move vertically, and the lifting members 1411 are connected to the air distribution member 130. Optionally, the top wall of the second cavity 112 may be formed with a through hole for the lifting member 1411 to move vertically through, and the lifting member 1411 and the through hole can maintain a slidable sealing contact, for example, through a sealing member (e.g., a sealing ring).

[0060] The lifting drive unit 142 is connected to the lifting mechanism 141 to drive the movement of the lifting mechanism 141. In some embodiments, the lifting drive unit 142 may include a cylinder or a motor. In some embodiments, the lifting drive unit 142 may be located outside the device cavity 110 and form a connection with the lifting mechanism 141 extending outside the device cavity 110 to drive the lifting mechanism 141 to move up and down. When the lifting drive unit 142 is implemented as a cylinder, it may be arranged to extend in the vertical direction, for example, the cylinder piston rod is upright or downward, and the piston rod may be connected to the lifting member 1411 of the lifting mechanism 141 through a connector. When the lifting drive unit 142 includes a motor, it may be connected to a linear motion mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the motor into the lifting motion, such as a lead screw. In other embodiments, the lifting drive unit 142 and the lifting mechanism 141 may both be located inside the device cavity 110, for example, fixedly connected to the inner wall of the device cavity 110. When the lifting drive unit 142 is located outside the device cavity 110, it may be electrically connected to an external power source to obtain power. When the lifting drive unit 142 is located inside the equipment cavity 110, it can be connected to an external power source through the vacuum interface wiring on the inner wall of the equipment cavity 110.

[0061] The control unit 160 is connected to the lifting assembly 140 to control the lifting and lowering of the gas equalizer 130. In some embodiments, the control unit 160 is communicatively connected to the lifting drive unit 142 to control the lifting mechanism 141 to drive the lifting and lowering of the gas equalizer 130. An example illustrates the communication connection between the control unit 160 and the lifting drive unit 142. In one example, the lifting assembly 140 is located inside the device cavity 110 and is wirelessly connected to the control unit 160 (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.). In another example, the lifting drive unit 142 can also be wired to the control unit 160 outside the device cavity 110 via a vacuum interface on the shell wall of the device cavity 110. In yet another example, if the lifting drive unit 142 and the control unit 160 are located outside the device cavity 110, the lifting drive unit 142 can be easily wired to the control unit 160 (wireless communication can also be used if wiring is inconvenient).

[0062] The control unit 160 controls the raising and lowering of the gas equalizer 130 to adjust the distance between the gas equalizer 130 and the carrier 150. This allows the tilted arrangement of the gas guide holes 131 on the gas equalizer 130, in conjunction with the raising and lowering of the gas equalizer 130, to adjust the plasma density distribution of the plasma 300 in the radial position between the center and the edge of the sample 200 to be processed. Specifically, refer to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the structure after the raising mechanism 141 in Figure 1 has descended. Arrows in Figures 1 and 2 indicate the direction of the gas in the guide channel 121 of the guide 120 and the gas guide holes 131 on the gas equalizer 130. It can be seen that when the gas equalizer 130 is positioned higher and the distance between it and the sample 200 is larger, the plasma density will gradually decrease from the center of the sample 200 surface towards the edge. For example, when the gas equalizer 130 is at a high position, more gas guide holes 131 guide the falling gas to the central region of the sample 200, while relatively less falls on the edge region. Therefore, at this time, the plasma 300 distribution density in the central region of the sample 200 surface is higher, while that at the edge is relatively lower. As the gas equalizer 130 in Figures 1 and 2 falls to a lower position, due to the diffusion effect of the gas guide holes 131 tilting outward from top to bottom, more and more gas guide holes 131 guide the falling gas to the edge region of the sample 200, while the amount falling on the central region of the sample 200 is relatively reduced. Therefore, at this time, the plasma 300 distribution density in the edge region of the sample 200 surface can increase to a higher level, while that in the central region is relatively lower. It can be seen that since the magnitude of the plasma 300 distribution density determines the processing speed of the corresponding sample 200 surface region, the higher the density, the faster the processing speed may be (e.g., faster etching and deposition). Thus, by controlling the raising and lowering of the gas equalizer 130, the processing speed of the central region and the edge region of the sample 200 surface can be adjusted.

[0063] It is understandable that in the actual sample 200 processing process, when a difference in processing speed is detected between the central region and the edge region of the sample 200 surface by some online detection methods (such as optical interferometry or OES method), the difference can be adjusted and compensated by raising / lowering the gas equalization component 130 so as to make the surface processing of the sample 200 uniform.

[0064] In some alternative embodiments, since the gas equalizer 130 may not guarantee the relative uniformity of the processing speed in each region of the sample 200 circumferentially when stationary, as shown by the arrow in Figure 3, the gas equalizer 130 can be configured to rotate horizontally around the central axis Z to adjust the plasma density distribution 300 in the circumferential direction of the sample 200. In some application scenarios, the plasma density distribution 300 in the circumferential direction of the sample 200 can be homogenized by rotating the gas equalizer 130 horizontally for a certain period of time. Alternatively, the gas equalizer 130 can have different structural regions that can achieve different plasma density distributions 300 (i.e., corresponding to different processing speeds). By rotating the gas equalizer 130, the length of time that the structural region with a higher plasma density distribution stays on the surface region of the sample 200 with a slower processing speed can be adjusted to compensate for the processing speed.

[0065] An example is given to illustrate the structural implementation of the gas equalizer 130. Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the rotating structure of the gas equalizer 130 in one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0066] A rotating assembly 170 is connected between the lifting mechanism 141 and the gas equalization component 130. The rotating assembly 170 includes a rotating mechanism 171 and a rotating drive unit 172. The rotating mechanism 171 is horizontally rotatable, connecting to and driving the gas equalization component 130 to rotate horizontally, thereby adjusting the plasma density distribution 300 on the circumferential direction of the sample 200 surface. The rotating drive unit 172 is connected to the rotating mechanism 171, and communicates with and is controlled by the control unit 160, for driving the movement of the rotating mechanism 171. Referring to Figure 4, the rotating mechanism 171 may include a horizontally arranged and rotatable gear 1711, and the gas equalization component 130 has teeth on its peripheral edge that mesh with the gear 1711. The rotating drive unit 172 may include a first motor, the output shaft of which is connected to the central shaft of the gear 1711. The rotation of the output shaft of the first motor drives the rotation of the gear 1711, and the rotation of the gear 1711 drives the rotation of the meshing gas equalization component 130. As an example, the lifting assembly 140 may be fixedly connected to a frame or include a frame portion, for example, the lifting member 1411 may be fixedly connected to or integrally connected to the frame. The gear 1711 and the air distribution member 130 may be rotatably mounted on the frame. In some examples, the frame may be provided with an annular groove, which is recessed to form a circular groove that matches the shape of the air distribution member 130, and the central area of ​​the circular groove is hollowed out. The air distribution member 130 is supported by the annular groove and engaged in the circular groove and can rotate within the circular groove, with the bottom of the air distribution member 130 exposed in the hollow. Alternatively, to better position the air distribution member 130, the frame may also have an extension extending from the edge to the bottom of the air distribution member 130, the extension may have an upwardly protruding pivot portion, and the center of the air distribution member 130 may have a shaft hole that rotatably engages with the pivot portion. Of course, if the extension (not shown) is provided, it is necessary to avoid the opening of the air guide hole 131, which will require a certain distribution density of the air guide hole 131.

[0067] In some embodiments, the gas equalizer 130 can also be horizontally flipped to switch between converging and diffusing effects. As shown in Figure 5, the air guide holes of the upper gas equalizer 130 in Figure 5 are inclined outward from the central axis Z from top to bottom, achieving a diffusing effect. After being flipped, the gas equalizer 130 presents the shape shown in the lower part of Figure 5, with each air guide hole 131 inclined inward from top to bottom, achieving a converging effect. By flipping, the gas equalizer 130 can change its diffusion or converging effect on the gas, forming different combinations of converging and dispersing effects with the guide 120. For example, if the guide 120 acts as a converging element and the gas equalizer 130 acts as a diffusing element, the gas will first converge and then diffuse. Or, if the guide 120 acts as a converging element and the gas equalizer 130 acts as a converging element, the gas will converge twice (defined as enhanced converging effect). Or, if the guide 120 acts as a diffusing element and the gas equalizer 130 acts as a converging element. Alternatively, the guide 120 can act as a diffuser, and the gas equalizer 130 can act as a diffuser (defined as enhancing diffusion). Thus, through the combination of the above various gathering and diffusion effects, combined with the function of the gas equalizer 130 in adjusting the processing speed between the central and edge areas of the sample 200 surface by raising and lowering, the purpose of improving the adjustment speed can be achieved. For example, by enhancing diffusion or enhancing gathering in combination with raising and lowering, the effect of quickly adjusting the processing speed of the edge or central area can be achieved.

[0068] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of the structure for achieving the flipping of the air distribution component in one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0069] In some embodiments, a flipping component 180 is connected between the lifting mechanism 141 and the air equalizer 130 so that the air equalizer 130 can be flipped through the flipping component 180.

[0070] The flipping assembly 180 includes a flipping mechanism 181 and a flipping drive unit 182. The flipping mechanism 181 is rotatably arranged about a horizontal axis, connecting to and driving the air distribution member 130 to flip. The flipping drive unit 182 is connected to the flipping mechanism 181 and communicates with and is controlled by the control unit 160, for driving the movement of the flipping mechanism 181. In some embodiments, the flipping mechanism 181 may include a first rotating shaft 1811 and a first shaft hole 1812. As an example, the first rotating shaft 1811 is rotatably protruding from the side wall of the air equalizer 130 and extends horizontally. A flexible, floating locking member 18111 may protrude from the wall surface of the first rotating shaft 1811. The lifting member 1411 of the lifting mechanism 141, at one end (or the frame) connecting to the air equalizer 130, may have a first shaft hole 1812 that engages with the first rotating shaft 1811. The inner wall of the first shaft hole 1812 may form a locking hole 18121 that engages with the locking member 18111. Thus, the rotation of the first rotating shaft 1811 can drive the air equalizer 130 to rotate. Correspondingly, the flipping drive unit 182 may include a second motor. The output shaft of the second motor is connected to and drives the rotation of the first rotating shaft 1811, enabling the air equalizer 130 to flip. Of course, the positions of the first rotating shaft 1811 and the first shaft hole 1812 can be interchanged. For example, the first rotating shaft 1811 can be set in the lifting member 1411, and the first shaft hole 1812 can be set in the air distribution member 130.

[0071] In some other embodiments, the gas equalizer 130 may also be configured to be able to rotate horizontally and flip horizontally, thereby having the ability to switch between circumferential gas equalization and gathering / dispersing action as described in the above embodiments.

[0072] Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of the structure for realizing the rotation and flipping of the air distribution component in one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0073] In this embodiment, a second rotating assembly 170' and a second tilting assembly 180' are connected between the lifting mechanism 141 and the air distribution member 130. The second rotating assembly 170' includes a second rotating mechanism 171' and a rotating drive unit 172. The second tilting assembly 180' includes a second tilting mechanism 181' and a tilting drive unit 182. In this embodiment, the second rotating mechanism 171' includes a second gear 1711' that is horizontally rotatably disposed on the lifting mechanism 141. The rotating drive unit 172 includes a first motor that is shaft-connected to and drives the second gear 1711' to rotate.

[0074] The second flipping mechanism 181' includes a flipping member 1813' that is rotatably coupled to the second rotating mechanism 171'. As an example, the outer periphery of the flipping member 1813' may be toothed, meshing with the second gear 1711', to be rotatably coupled to the flipping member 1813'. The air distribution member 130 is rotatably coupled to the flipping member 1813' and is rotated by the flipping drive unit 182. As an example, similar to the flipping structure in FIG7, the second flipping mechanism 181' also includes a cooperating second rotating shaft 1811' and a second shaft hole 1812', located respectively in the air distribution member 130 and the flipping member 1813' (which can be interchanged). The second rotating shaft 1811' and the second shaft hole 1812' are coupled, such that their second locking member 18111' and second locking hole 18121' engage, so that the rotation of the second rotating shaft 1811' can drive the air distribution member 130 to rotate horizontally relative to the flipping member 1813'. The flipping drive unit 182 includes a second motor, which is connected to and drives the rotation of the second rotating shaft 1811'.

[0075] Therefore, in the embodiment of FIG7, the gas equalizer 130 can be driven by the second motor to perform a horizontal flipping motion relative to the flipping member 1813', while the flipping member 1813' can be driven by the first motor to carry the gas equalizer 130 to perform a horizontal rotational motion, so that the gas equalizer 130 can be switched between gathering / dispersing functions and can also be used to rotate gas.

[0076] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0077] The control unit 160 can be implemented based on the computer device 800.

[0078] The computer device 800 includes a bus 801, a processor 802, and a memory 803. The processor 802 and the memory 803 can communicate with each other via the bus 801. The memory 803 can store computer programs or instructions. The processor 802 implements the functions of the control unit 160 in the previous embodiment by running the computer programs or instructions in the memory 803. As an example, the memory 803 can store program instructions for controlling various combinations of the lifting drive unit 142, the rotation drive unit 172, and the flip drive unit 182 in the foregoing embodiments.

[0079] Bus 801 can be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Buses can be categorized as address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of representation, although only one thick line is used in the diagram, this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0080] In some embodiments, processor 802 may be implemented as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor unit (MCU), a system-on-chip (System-on-Chip), or a field-programmable array (FPGA). Memory 803 may include volatile memory for temporary data storage during program execution, such as random access memory (RAM).

[0081] The memory 803 may also include non-volatile memory for data storage, such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, hard disk drive (HDD), or solid-state disk (SSD).

[0082] In some embodiments, the computer device 800 may further include a communicator 804. The communicator 804 is used for communication with external devices. In specific examples, the communicator 804 may include one or more wired and / or wireless communication circuit modules. For example, the communicator 804 may include one or more of, such as a wired network card, a USB module, a serial interface module, etc. The wireless communication protocols followed by the wireless communication module include, for example, Nearfield communication (NFC) technology, Infrared (IR) technology, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Time-Division Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Bluetooth (BT), Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), etc.

[0083] This disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement the function of the control unit 160 in any of the previous embodiments.

[0084] That is, the method steps in the above embodiments are implemented as software or computer code that can be stored in a recording medium (such as CD ROM, RAM, floppy disk, hard disk or magneto-optical disk), or implemented as computer code that is originally stored in a remote recording medium or a non-transitory machine-readable medium and will be stored in a local recording medium after being downloaded via a network, so that the method represented herein can be stored in such software processing on a recording medium using a general-purpose computer, a special processor or programmable or special hardware (such as ASIC or FPGA).

[0085] This disclosure may also provide a computer program product, comprising one or more computer programs or instructions, which, when run, perform all or part of the functions of the control unit 160 in this disclosure. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions.

[0086] Computer programs or instructions can be stored in a readable storage medium or transferred from one readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The readable storage medium can be any available medium capable of access, or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium can be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or it can include both volatile and non-volatile types of storage media.

[0087] In summary, this disclosure relates to the field of semiconductor technology and provides a plasma processing apparatus, including an apparatus cavity, a guide, a gas homogenizer, a sample carrier, a lifting assembly connected to and driving the gas homogenizer to move up and down, and a control unit. The apparatus cavity includes a first cavity and a second cavity located below and communicating with the first cavity. The first cavity is for gas to be introduced. The guide is arranged around the bottom opening of the first cavity to form a variable-diameter guide channel. The gas homogenizer is vertically and vertically disposed below the guide in the second cavity and has multiple gas guide holes. The gas guide holes are inclined relative to each other in the vertical direction. The variable diameter of the guide channel and the inclination of each gas guide hole form a combination of convergence and dispersion of the passing gas. The control unit controls the movement of the lifting assembly and changes the plasma density distribution in the radial position from the center to the edge of the sample by adjusting the distance between the gas homogenizer and the sample. This allows for direct adjustment of the gas distribution through the convergence and dispersion of the gas homogenizer, gas guide holes, and guide, enabling efficient and rapid adjustment of the plasma distribution.

[0088] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of this disclosure and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Any person skilled in the art can modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed in this disclosure should still be covered by the protection scope of this disclosure.

Claims

A plasma processing device, characterized in that, include: The device cavity includes a first cavity, a bottom opening, and a second cavity located below the first cavity and communicating with the bottom opening of the first cavity; the first cavity is provided with a vent hole for introducing gas used to form plasma; A guide is arranged around the bottom opening of the first cavity to form a variable-diameter guide channel connecting the bottom opening and the second cavity; A gas equalizer is vertically and vertically disposed in the second cavity, located below the guide member; the gas equalizer is provided with multiple air guide holes distributed from the center to the edge; wherein the depth direction of each air guide hole is inclined relative to the vertical direction; wherein the variable diameter structure of the guide channel of the guide member and the inclined structure of each air guide hole form a combination effect of gathering and dispersing the passing gas. A carrier, located within the second cavity and below the gas equalizer, is used to carry the sample being treated by plasma. A lifting assembly is connected to drive the lifting of the air distribution component; The control unit, connected to the lifting assembly, is used to control the lifting of the gas equalizer to adjust the distance between the gas equalizer and the carrier, thereby adjusting the plasma density distribution of the plasma in the radial position between the center and the edge of the sample to be processed. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 is characterized in that, The guide member has a smaller cross-sectional area along the direction close to the gas equalizer to form a gathering effect; in the direction away from the guide member, each air guide hole of the gas equalizer from the center to the edge is offset outward relative to the central axis to form a diffusion effect. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 is characterized in that, The gas equalizer is configured to rotate horizontally around its central axis to adjust the plasma density distribution on the circumferential direction of the sample surface; and / or, the gas equalizer is configured to flip horizontally to switch between aggregation and diffusion effects. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 is characterized in that, The combined effect of aggregation and dispersion includes at least one of the following: first aggregation followed by diffusion; first aggregation followed by aggregation. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 is characterized in that, The lifting assembly includes: The lifting mechanism is configured to move up and down, and connects to and drives the air distribution component to move up and down. A lifting drive unit is connected to and communicates with the lifting mechanism and is controlled by the control unit, and is used to drive the movement of the lifting mechanism. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 5 is characterized in that, The lifting drive unit and the control unit are located outside the equipment cavity; the lifting mechanism can move relatively vertically and passes through the shell wall of the equipment cavity in a sealed manner to connect to the lifting drive unit; the lifting drive unit and the control unit are wired together. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 5 is characterized in that, A rotating assembly is connected between the lifting mechanism and the air distribution component, the rotating assembly comprising: A rotating mechanism is configured to rotate horizontally, connecting to and driving the air-distributing component to rotate horizontally; A rotary drive unit, connected to and communicating with the rotary mechanism and controlled by the control unit, is used to drive the movement of the rotary mechanism; Alternatively, a tilting assembly is connected between the lifting mechanism and the air distribution component, the tilting assembly comprising: A flipping mechanism is rotatably configured around a horizontal axis, connecting to and driving the air-distributing component to flip; A flipping drive unit, connected to and communicating with the flipping mechanism and controlled by the control unit, is used to drive the movement of the flipping mechanism; Alternatively, a second rotating component and a second flipping component are connected between the lifting mechanism and the air distribution component; The second rotating assembly includes a second rotating mechanism and a rotating drive unit; The second flipping component includes a second flipping mechanism and a flipping drive unit; The second rotating mechanism is configured to rotate horizontally, and the second flipping mechanism includes a flipping member that can be driven to rotate horizontally and is connected to the second rotating mechanism. The air distribution member is flipped and connected to the flipping member and is driven to flip by the flipping drive unit. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 5 is characterized in that, The lifting assembly is located inside the equipment cavity and is wirelessly connected to the control unit or wiredly connected to the control unit via a vacuum interface on the wall of the equipment cavity. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 is characterized in that, The plasma formation etches the photoresist or semiconductor material on the sample surface. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 is characterized in that, The plasma processing device is an inductively coupled plasma processing device; the first cavity protrudes relative to the second cavity, and a cylindrical spiral plasma source coil is wound around the outside of the first cavity, or a flat coiled plasma source coil is disposed outside the cavity of the device.

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