Substrate processing device equipped with free radical unit

Abstract

The present invention as a substrate processing device may include: a chamber for processing a substrate; and a free radical unit for generating a second gas by processing a supplied first gas and supplying the second gas to the chamber. The second gas supplied to the chamber may be combined with a process byproduct generated when generating a deposited film of the substrate and discharged from the chamber together with the process byproduct. The free radical unit may process the first gas into a second gas using remote plasma, and the second gas may be a gas that ionizes the first gas in a plasma environment or a gas that forms free radicals in the first gas in a plasma environment. The second gas may be introduced into the chamber through a gas pipeline independent of other process gases introduced into the chamber in the substrate processing process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a substrate processing device which processes a substrate by utilizing free radicals. Background Art

[0002] As film formation technologies for semiconductor elements, physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) have limitations in their applicability to the manufacture of nano-scale ultra-integrated elements due to the increase in the integration of semiconductor elements. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) has attracted much attention as a necessary technology for the manufacture of nano-scale semiconductor elements because it can deposit and form nano-scale thin films with excellent uniformity in 3D structures with complex shapes. Summary of the invention

[0003] An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that can effectively remove deposition byproducts other than the formed atomic film components from a chamber when a film is deposited on a substrate using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) method.

[0004] The present invention as a substrate processing apparatus may include: a chamber for processing a substrate; and a radical unit for generating a second gas by processing a supplied first gas and supplying the second gas to the chamber.

[0005] The second gas supplied into the chamber may be combined with process by-products generated when the deposited film on the substrate is formed, and may be exhausted from the chamber together with the process by-products.

[0006] The radical unit may process the first gas into a second gas using remote plasma, and the second gas may be a gas that ionizes the first gas in a plasma environment or a gas that forms radicals in the first gas in a plasma environment.

[0007] The second gas may be introduced into the chamber through a gas pipeline independent of other process gases introduced into the chamber during the substrate processing process.

[0008] The present invention can provide a second gas combined with a process byproduct remaining after the atomic film deposition process through an independent process. The process byproduct can be chlorine, the first gas can be hydrogen, and the second gas can be supplied to the interior of the chamber through a free radical unit.

[0009] Since the second gas supplied through the radical unit is supplied independently from other process gases, damage to the deposited film due to high temperature and damage due to the directionality of the heating method in the chamber can be reduced.

[0010] The radical portion can heat the first gas by remote plasma.

[0011] When hydrogen gas is heated by remote plasma, hydrogen radicals with high ionization density can be formed, and excellent isotropy can be ensured. In addition, since the second gas is supplied to the chamber through an independent pipeline by the radical unit, contamination caused by electrodes in the chamber can be reduced.

[0012] Hydrogen radicalization by microwaves can achieve a higher ionization density than other methods and can ensure excellent isotropy. In addition, since the directionality in the vertical direction of the film is low, even when forming an extremely thin film, damage to the film can be reduced and the film can be formed uniformly.

[0013] The hydrogen radicals excited by the remote plasma can be exhausted to the exhaust port and supplied to the chamber only when necessary by opening the valve. In the above case, the remote plasma generator can be operated continuously and the hydrogen radicals excited by the remote plasma can be stably supplied to the chamber. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a substrate processing apparatus including a radical section to which the present invention is applied.

[0015] Figure 2 Yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating another embodiment of a free radical portion.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of a free base to which the present invention is applied.

[0017] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a process cycle of a substrate processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

[0018] Figure 5 Yes Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating another embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 6 Yes Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating yet another embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a gas reaction powder capturing portion to which the present invention is applied.

[0021] Explanation of symbols

[0022] 200: chamber, 210: shower head, 220: substrate support table, 240: exhaust port, 242: exhaust pressure regulating unit, 250: collector, 300: free radical unit, 301: housing, 302: oscillating unit, 303: through hole, 304: space unit, 305: air inlet, 306: air outlet, 410: free radical pipeline, 420: free radical branch pipeline, 500: gas reaction powder capturing unit, 510: housing for powder capturing, 511: first sliding insert, 512: second sliding insert, 520: gas heating unit, 530: gas cooling unit, 531: first gas cooling unit, 531a: first powder capturing plate, 531b: first cooling unit cooling pipe, 531c: 1st powder capturing mesh screen, 532: 2nd gas cooling part, 532a: 2nd powder capturing plate, 532b: 2nd cooling pipe, 532c: 2nd powder capturing mesh screen, 533: 3rd gas cooling part, 533a: 3rd powder capturing plate, 533b: 3rd cooling pipe, 533c: 3rd powder capturing mesh screen, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115: gas supply source, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125: flow regulating part, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137: valve, 231, 232, 233, 234: inlet, W: substrate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The substrate processing device applicable to the present invention may be an atomic layer deposition (ALD) device. The substrate processing device may include: a chamber 200 for performing a film deposition process on a substrate W; and a free radical unit 300 for supplying a second gas to the chamber 200 .

[0024] The chamber 200 may include a support table 220 for supporting the substrate W, and a shower head 210 for providing a gas supplied from a substrate processing apparatus to an inner space of the chamber 200 .

[0025] A source gas may be provided for atomic film deposition, and a reaction gas that chemically reacts with the source gas may be provided. The desired atomic film layer may be formed by chemically reacting the source gas with the reaction gas, and a purge gas may be introduced into the chamber 200 to discharge the components remaining after the reaction from the chamber 200 through the exhaust port 240.

[0026] A source gas may be introduced into the chamber 200 from a substrate processing apparatus, and the source gas may deposit a layer on the substrate W. In order to prevent unnecessary source gas from being deposited on the substrate W, a purge gas may be introduced into the chamber 200 after a certain period of time. Since the chemical reaction level between the purge gas and the source gas or the reaction gas should be low, a component with low reactivity with other chemical species may be provided as the purge gas.

[0027] After reducing the source gas concentration inside the chamber 200 by injecting the purge gas, the reaction gas can be injected into the chamber 200. The injected reaction gas can react with the deposition component of the source gas deposited on the substrate W. The atomic film of the source gas can be replaced by the component generated by the chemical reaction between the source gas and the reaction gas. The new film component replaced can be the target component to be deposited on the substrate W. The remaining components after the completion of the deposition of the target film and the residual components used in the reaction can be discharged from the chamber 200 again by the purge gas.

[0028] Therefore, one cycle of forming one layer of deposited film may include the input of source gas, the input of the first purge gas, the input of reaction gas, and the input of the second purge gas. In the above manner, one layer of atomic deposition film may be deposited in each cycle, thereby adjusting the thickness of the deposited film according to the thickness required by the user.

[0029] The purge gas may be continuously supplied in one cycle, or temporarily stopped during the period of supplying the source gas, or temporarily stopped during the period of supplying the reaction gas, or supplied immediately after the source gas is supplied, or supplied immediately after the reaction gas is supplied. The first purge gas supplied after the source gas and the second purge gas supplied after the reaction gas may be different types of gases.

[0030] As an embodiment, the source gas may be carbon tetrachloride (TiCl4), the reaction gas may be ammonia (NH3), the purge gas may be nitrogen (N2, N3), and the desired deposited film may be a TiN deposited film. After the above chemical reaction, there may be residual components. The residual components after the above chemical reaction may be chlorine (Cl).

[0031] Because the components remaining after the chemical reaction may cause a decrease in the conductivity of the deposited film, and may cause a decrease in the durability of the components inside the chamber 200 due to corrosion. The chamber 200 may include a collector 250 extending in the horizontal direction of the substrate W. Because the components remaining after the chemical reaction may cause corrosion of the collector 250 for the gas to stay during the process and the exhaust port 240 for exhausting the gas inside the chamber 200, it may be necessary to remove them quickly.

[0032] In order to adjust the pressure of the exhaust gas discharged from the exhaust port 240 and maintain the exhaust gas at a certain pressure, an exhaust pressure adjustment unit 242 may be provided.

[0033] The exhaust pressure regulating unit 242 may be a known gas exhaust regulator, or may include an external safety valve for regulating the pressure.

[0034] In order to remove the components remaining after the chemical reaction, a second gas may be provided. The second gas may quickly combine with the components remaining after the reaction and be removed from the chamber 200 together with the purge gas introduced after the substrate W is processed with the reaction gas. The first gas may be hydrogen.

[0035] The second gas for treating the components remaining after the main reaction between the source gas and the reaction gas can be added to the purge air and supplied together, or can be supplied by adding a process independent of the purge gas. As an embodiment, when hydrogen is supplied as the first gas to remove chlorine, the gas D can be a gas in which hydrogen is added to the purge gas, or hydrogen can be supplied after the purge step using the gas D.

[0036] When the first gas is provided by an independent process, the first gas may be, for example, gas E. When the second gas is supplied independently, the second gas may be supplied to the chamber 200 through the third inlet 234 , and the free radical unit 300 may be provided in a gas pipeline connected to the third inlet 234 .

[0037] See also Figure 3 The free base portion 300 may include a housing 301 , an oscillating portion 302 , a through hole 303 , a space portion 304 , an air inlet 305 , and an air outlet 306 .

[0038] The interior of the housing constitutes a space portion 304 , and an air inlet 305 and an air outlet 306 may be formed at the entrance and the exit of the space portion 304 , respectively. The oscillating portion 302 may generate microwaves.

[0039] Remote plasma may include inductively coupled plasma (ICP) using a high frequency (RF) power source or a method utilizing microwaves.

[0040] The microwaves reaching the space portion from the oscillation portion 302 through the transmission hole 303 may form a plasma environment in the space portion 304 , and the first gas supplied through the gas inlet 305 may be converted into a second gas while passing through the plasma environment of the space portion 304 .

[0041] The second gas supplied by the radical unit 300 may be hydrogen-gasoline, and the second gas may be heated by a remote plasma method.

[0042] The excited hydrogen plasma may come into contact with the surface of the deposited film and thus cause various defects to occur, thereby increasing resistance to electromigration that may cause degradation of device performance.

[0043] In addition, by causing the hydrogen radicals in the hydrogen plasma to physically collide with the substrate surface, a contamination layer including oxygen gas formed on the substrate surface can be removed.

[0044] A free radical or free radical refers to a chemical species that exists independently of a non-bonded unpaired electron. In a general molecule, a pair of electrons is formed by two electrons rotating in opposite directions, and thus the free radical exists in a stable state. However, a free radical has non-bonded active electrons, and therefore is generally unstable and highly reactive. The first gas of the present invention may be hydrogen, and the second gas may be a hydrogen free radical. That is, the first gas may be H2, and the second gas may be H + .

[0045] As a method of exciting hydrogen gas into hydrogen radicals, there are various methods.

[0046] For example, hydrogen gas can be excited into hydrogen plasma by an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) method or a capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) method, by microwave plasma formation, or by radio frequency (RF) plasma formation.

[0047] However, when hydrogen radicals are supplied by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) or capacitively coupled plasma (CCP), damage may occur in the deposited film in a directional manner, and thus uniform film processing may be difficult to achieve due to poor step coverage.

[0048] In the present invention, hydrogen gas may be excited into hydrogen radicals by remote plasma.

[0049] Compared with plasma formation using other methods such as radio frequency (RF), hydrogen gas plasma formation using microwaves can have a high ionization density and can ensure excellent isotropy. Therefore, hydrogen radicals can be more effectively combined with components such as chlorine (Cl) remaining after the reaction, and in the subsequent purification step, hydrogen gas can be removed from the interior of the chamber together with chlorine.

[0050] In addition, since the directivity in the vertical direction of the film is low, even when forming an extremely thin ultra-thin film, damage to the film can be reduced and the film can be formed uniformly.

[0051] In order to effectively remove impurities that hinder the formation of a pure and uniform deposited film, a second gas may be introduced into the chamber. The second gas may be introduced independently of the source gas, the reaction gas, and the purge gas, or may be introduced by a heating method independent of the other gases.

[0052] Hydrogen gas can be excited into hydrogen radicals by microwaves through a radical unit that is independent of the chamber. Compared with inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and capacitively coupled plasma (CCP), this eliminates the need to overheat the gas, thereby preventing problems such as damage to the deposited film.

[0053] The second gas can be converted into radicals by remote plasma independent of the source gas, the reaction gas, and the purge gas and introduced into the chamber 200. In the above case, discharge occurs even when there is no electrode in the chamber 200, so that the inside of the chamber 200 can be prevented from being contaminated by the electrode.

[0054] Thus, there is no need to install an additional device for removing foreign matter caused by the electrode inside the chamber 200, thereby simplifying the design inside the chamber 200. In addition, the influence of foreign matter on the substrate can be reduced. Since there is no need to perform an excessive heating process to form hydrogen radicals inside the chamber 200, damage to the deposited film caused by high temperature can also be reduced.

[0055] As a type of atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) can utilize plasma to activate the reaction gas and thereby shorten the nucleus formation time.

[0056] Although deposition with excellent film properties can be achieved, the isotropy of plasma may lead to poor step coverage of increasingly smaller devices.

[0057] As another type of atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, thermal atomic layer deposition (Thermal ALD) may cause film properties to deteriorate due to the extremely long nucleation time and the increase in grain boundary size when forming a thin film, but its step coverage is better than that of plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD).

[0058] Therefore, when a deposited film is formed on a substrate by an atomic layer deposition (ALD) method, either a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) method or a thermal plasma method may be used.

[0059] By converting the second gas excited in the above manner into plasma using an independent microwave and then supplying the plasma into the chamber, the step coverage of the deposited film can be improved.

[0060] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where the third input port 234 is disposed in the shower head 210 and is also disposed in at least one of the collector 250 , the exhaust port 240 , and the gas reaction powder capturing unit 500 .

[0061] In an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, an increase in the size of a substrate W may lead to an increase in the amount of process gas.

[0062] The increase of process byproducts may hinder the smooth passage of the exhaust path for the gas in the chamber 200 to move to the exhaust port 240 during the process.

[0063] In an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, a large amount of process gas may accumulate in an exhaust path and a pump system, which may cause malfunction of the pump system.

[0064] Because the engineering byproducts such as oxides or metal powders accumulated inside the pump may cause the exhaust performance to deteriorate and thus lead to a shutdown accident of the engineering system where the pump suddenly stops working during the engineering process.

[0065] The above accidents are accidents that often occur in mass production lines of processes and may cause damage to a large number of substrates W during the process. To prevent the above accidents, a collector 250 for capturing process byproducts may be provided on the exhaust path.

[0066] The collector 250 can be installed on the exhaust path to help smoothly exhaust the process byproducts, and can also make the vacuum pump work stably and thereby improve the process yield.

[0067] In addition to the chamber where the main process of film formation is performed, the collector 250 and the exhaust port 240 corresponding to the path for discharging process byproducts may also be corroded due to residual chlorine.

[0068] The second gas can be directly introduced from the radical portion into the collector 250 and the exhaust port 240 through a branch gas line not passing through the chamber. In this way, chlorine can be completely exhausted to the outside during the atomic layer deposition (ALD) process.

[0069] The first gas or the second gas exhausted from the radical unit 300 may be supplied to the chamber 200 through the radical line 410. The radical line 410 may be provided with a sixth valve 136 for adjusting the supply pressure of the second gas supplied to the chamber 200.

[0070] The second gas whose pressure is adjusted by the sixth valve 136 may be supplied into the chamber 200 through the third inlet 233 and sprayed onto the substrate W through the shower head 210 .

[0071] Furthermore, a radical branch line 420 for supplying the second gas generated in the radical unit 300 to at least one of the exhaust port 240 , the collector 250 , and the gas reaction powder capturing unit 500 may be additionally provided.

[0072] The gas reaction powder trap 500 may filter the unreacted substances in the form of powder according to the temperature change of the unreacted substances in the chamber 200. The gas reaction powder trap 500 may be formed at a part of the exhaust port 240.

[0073] One end of the radical branch line 420 may be disposed between the sixth valve 136 located on the radical line 410 and the radical unit 300 .

[0074] When the radical branch line 420 introduces the second gas into the exhaust port 240 through the fourth introduction port 234 , the other end of the radical branch line 420 may be disposed downstream of the exhaust pressure regulator 242 at the exhaust port.

[0075] This can prevent the gas introduced into the other end of the radical branch line 420 from affecting the exhaust pressure of the chamber 200 regulated by the exhaust pressure regulator 242 .

[0076] The free radical branch line 420 may be provided with a seventh valve 137 , which can adjust the discharge pressure of hydrogen radicals discharged through the free radical branch line 420 and maintain the pressure above a certain level.

[0077] The seventh valve 137 may be a known gas exhaust regulator, or may include an external safety valve for regulating the pressure.

[0078] Because a plurality of different gases need to be supplied from the substrate processing apparatus to the interior of the chamber 200 when depositing a film, a plurality of different gases may be included in the substrate processing apparatus.

[0079] Various specific gases may be provided in the gas supply source 110 , and the various specific gases may include a source gas, a reaction gas, a purge gas, and a first gas.

[0080] As an embodiment, gas may be introduced from a substrate processing apparatus into the chamber 200 through two introduction ports.

[0081] The substrate processing apparatus may include: a gas supply source 110 for supplying various specific gases; a flow rate adjustment unit for precisely adjusting the gas flow rate; and a valve for supplying or interrupting the supply of gas within a required time of each cycle.

[0082] The flow rate adjustment unit can be formed using a mass flow controller.

[0083] As an embodiment, the gas introduced into the first inlet 230 may include gas A and gas B, and the gas introduced into the second inlet may include gas C and gas D. Gas A to gas D may be different types of gases.

[0084] For example, gas A may be a source gas, and gas C may be a reaction gas. Gas B and gas D may be purge gases. Gas E may be a first gas or a second gas. Gas B and gas D may be the same.

[0085] Gas pipelines for supplying source gas and reaction gas into the chamber may be introduced into the chamber 200 through different gas pipelines in a non-overlapping manner in order to avoid contamination between the respective gas pipelines.

[0086] The purge gas may be introduced into the chamber 200 through a third inlet that is independent of the first inlet 230 and the second inlet 232 .

[0087] The purge gas may be connected to a source gas pipeline or a reaction gas pipeline and introduced into the chamber 200 through the first inlet 230 or the second inlet 232 through the same pipeline.

[0088] In a film deposition process, it may not be necessary to continuously supply source gas or reaction gas. During the period when the valve is closed, it may be difficult for the gas staying inside the gas pipeline supplied to the chamber to maintain a uniform temperature.

[0089] After the input of each source gas or reaction gas is completed, the source gas or reaction gas inside the chamber 200 can be removed, and the source gas or reaction gas remaining inside the supply pipeline of the source gas or reaction gas can be removed by using a purge gas.

[0090] In the purge step performed after the source gas supply step or the reaction gas supply step, the gas remaining inside the source gas line or the reaction gas line due to the valve being closed is also supplied to the chamber 200, but can be exhausted to the exhaust port 240 together with the source gas or the reaction gas inside the chamber 200 during the purge step. Therefore, the source gas or the reaction gas can be prepared at a uniform temperature when forming a deposited film.

[0091] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus. According to the user's design, the number of gas supply sources may vary, and the type of gas and the distribution of gas in each gas supply source may also be different.

[0092] With the help of the gas supply source, a specific gas can be introduced into the gas pipeline, and with the help of the flow rate adjustment part, the amount of gas entering the chamber 200 can be adjusted.

[0093] By means of valves 131 to 136 provided in pipelines connected to the respective gas supply sources 111 to 115 , the inflow and outflow of gas inside the chamber 200 can be regulated during the process.

[0094] When the gas E is the first gas or the second gas, the gas E may pass through the radical unit 300 before being introduced into the chamber 200 through the third introduction port 234 via the valves 135 and 136 .

[0095] Next, an embodiment of the film deposition process will be introduced step by step. The steps of depositing an atomic film layer can be composed of five steps.

[0096] In the first step, the first valve 131 of the pipeline connected to the source gas supply source 111 may be opened so that the source gas (gas A) is introduced into the chamber 200 and deposited on the substrate W.

[0097] In the second step, the first valve 131 of the pipeline connected to the source gas supply source 111 may be closed, so that the first purge gas (gas B) is introduced into the chamber through the first introduction port 230. The first purge gas (gas B) introduced into the chamber may exhaust the source gas (gas A) inside the chamber 200 to the outside through the exhaust port 240.

[0098] After closing the first valve 131 of the pipeline connected to the source gas supply source 111 , the second valve 132 of the pipeline connected to the purge gas (gas B) supply source 112 may be opened.

[0099] Alternatively, the second valve 132 may be closed only during the period when the first valve 131 is open, and maintained in an open state during the remaining process period when the first valve 131 is closed.

[0100] In the third step, the third valve 133 connected to the reaction gas supply source 113 can be opened to allow the reaction gas (gas C) to be introduced into the chamber 200, and the source gas (gas A) and the reaction gas (gas C) can be replaced by the required film components through the chemical reaction between the source gas (gas A) and the reaction gas (gas C).

[0101] In the fourth step, in order to effectively remove components remaining after the chemical reaction for forming the deposited film, the second gas may be introduced into the chamber 200. Unlike other gases, the second gas may be radicalized by the radical unit 300 through remote plasma.

[0102] The first gas may be densified by microwave plasma and introduced into the chamber 200 as the second gas in a non-isotropic state. The second gas may be combined with components remaining after the chemical reaction and exhausted to the exhaust port 240 through a purification step.

[0103] The second gas may be introduced into the chamber 200 through the valves 135 and 136 only for a specific period after the third step in order to remove the components remaining after the reaction. Alternatively, the first gas may be introduced into the chamber 200 during the entire process of depositing the film, and the valves 135 and 136 may be kept open during the entire process.

[0104] The valve located between the free radical 300 and the gas supply source 110 may be defined as a fifth valve 135 , and the valve located between the free radical 300 and the chamber 200 may be defined as a sixth valve 136 .

[0105] When the second gas is supplied to the chamber 200 only during a specific period, the fifth valve 135 and the sixth valve 136 may be closed from the first step to the third step.

[0106] After supplying the reaction gas, the first gas can be supplied to the free radical section 300 by opening the fifth valve 135. While supplying the first gas, the first gas can be converted into the second gas by synchronously connecting the free radical section 300, and the second gas can be supplied to the chamber 200 by opening the sixth valve 136.

[0107] There may be precise differences in the time to open the 5th valve 135, the time to convert the gas with the help of the free radical unit 300, and the time to open the 6th valve 136, but in the case where the gas conversion with the help of the free radical unit 300 occurs instantly, it can be assumed that the above three times occur simultaneously.

[0108] When the first gas (source gas, gas A) is continuously supplied throughout the process, the fifth valve and the sixth valve 136 can be maintained in an open state during the entire process in which the source gas, the purge gas, the reaction gas and the purge gas are supplied in sequence.

[0109] When the first gas is supplied into the chamber 200 and the radical unit 300 is simultaneously turned on for a specific period after the reactive gas is supplied, the second gas may be generated and supplied into the chamber 200 for a specific period.

[0110] When the second gas is introduced into the chamber 200 during a specific period, the radical unit 300 can be operated during the introduction period. When the first gas is introduced into the chamber 200 during the entire process period, the radical unit 300 can be operated between the third step and the fifth step.

[0111] In step 5, the third valve 133 of the pipeline connected to the reaction gas supply source 113 may be closed to inject the purge gas (gas C) into the chamber through the second injection port 232. The purge gas injected into the chamber may be exhausted to the outside through the exhaust port 240.

[0112] After closing the third valve 133, the fourth valve 134 of the pipeline connected to the second purge gas (gas B) supply source 114 may be opened. The fourth valve 134 may be closed only while the third valve 133 is open, and the fourth valve 134 may remain open when the third valve 133 is closed.

[0113] The order of the fourth step and the fifth step can be determined according to the timing of introducing the purge gas.

[0114] When the purge gas is intermittently supplied only after the source gas or the reaction gas is supplied, after the source gas and the reaction gas film is formed, only by removing the remaining components using the second purge gas can the next cycle be avoided from being affected.

[0115] Therefore, when the purge gas is intermittently supplied, the fifth step may be performed after the fourth step.

[0116] However, in order to maintain a constant gas pressure inside the chamber, when the purge gas is supplied to the chamber during most of the period except for a specific time in the cycle, the fourth step may be performed after the fifth step.

[0117] A uniform film deposition process of one cycle can be completed through steps 1 to 5. Since step 4 is a step for effectively removing chlorine, in terms of engineering design, step 4 can be performed intermittently when it is sufficient to remove it by means of hydrogen radicals after forming deposited films multiple times.

[0118] In the case of intermittently supplying hydrogen radicals, it may be difficult to supply hydrogen gas using remote plasma and use it in an actual semiconductor manufacturing process.

[0119] After the hydrogen is radicalized by remote plasma, it is likely to be reconverted into hydrogen by recombination. When the free radical unit 300 reaches a certain pressure, it may not be able to perform normal functions because plasma ignition cannot be performed.

[0120] In the concept of opening the radical unit 300 and supplying the hydrogen radical gas after storing it in order to supply the hydrogen radical gas into the chamber 200, such as in the atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, the operation of the radical unit 300 may be interrupted due to the increase in the internal pressure of the radical unit 300. Therefore, the hydrogen radicals supplied into the chamber 200 may not be stably excited by remote plasma.

[0121] Due to the pressure-sensitive characteristics of the radical unit 300, the diameter of the radical outlet may be 25 mm to 60 mm. When hydrogen radical gas is intermittently supplied to the chamber 200 or when no hydrogen radical is discharged for a long time, the operation of the radical unit 300 may be stopped.

[0122] Therefore, when it is necessary to connect the radical branch line 420 to the exhaust port 240 of the chamber 200 so that the hydrogen radicals excited by the radical section 300 through remote plasma can be discharged to the exhaust port 240 and the hydrogen radicals can be supplied to the interior of the chamber 200, the hydrogen radicals can be supplied to the interior of the chamber 200 by opening the sixth valve 136.

[0123] In the ALD thin film deposition process, hydrogen radicals can be exhausted to the exhaust port 240 through the radical unit 300 in a state where the sixth valve 136 is closed, and when it is necessary to supply hydrogen radicals to the inside of the chamber 200, the sixth valve 136 can be opened to supply hydrogen radicals to the inside of the deposition chamber 100, thereby preventing an accident in which the radical unit 300 stops working. In this way, hydrogen radicals excited by intermittently supplied remote plasma can be stably supplied to the inside of the chamber 200.

[0124] exist Figure 4 as well as Figure 5 In the description, the case where step 4 is performed after step 5 is described.

[0125] See also Figure 4 , the first gas may be continuously supplied during the entire time including the supply time of the source gas, the supply time of the reaction gas, and the supply time of the purge gas.

[0126] During the disorderly supply period in which the first gas is continuously supplied, the radical unit may be operated intermittently. The second gas may be generated during the intermittent operation period of the radical unit.

[0127] In the above case, the overall gas pressure in the chamber can be stably maintained, and the partial pressure of the first gas or the second gas in the chamber can be stably maintained, thereby preventing the problem of degradation of the uniformity of the deposited film due to changes in the overall gas pressure and the partial pressure of the constituent gases.

[0128] See also Figure 5 , source gas and reaction gas may be sequentially supplied into the chamber, and gourd gas for exhausting the source gas or the reaction gas may be injected into the chamber.

[0129] The purge gas may include a first purge gas and a second purge gas.

[0130] The first purge gas may be supplied into the chamber after the source gas is supplied, and the second purge gas may be supplied into the chamber after the reaction gas is supplied.

[0131] The first gas may be supplied to the radical unit 300 at a time after the second purge gas is supplied after the reactive gas is supplied. The radical unit 300 may be turned on synchronously with the time point when the first gas is supplied to the radical unit 300, thereby generating the second gas by microwaves.

[0132] This is an embodiment in which the supply time of the first gas, the time of turning on the radical unit, and the supply time of the second gas are all consistent. In such a case, the radical effect can be maximized.

[0133] In addition, see Figure 5 , a first cycle may be formed by sequentially injecting a source gas, a first purge gas, a reaction gas, and a second purge gas into the chamber 200, and a second cycle that is the same as the first cycle may be repeatedly performed.

[0134] The first gas may be supplied to the radical unit 300 after the first cycle of supplying the second purge gas is completed, and stopped before the second cycle of supplying the source gas is started. The radical unit 300 may generate the second gas in synchronization with the supply timing of the first gas.

[0135] When substrate processing is compared to shampooing, if the injection of the second purge gas after the reaction gas is equivalent to shampoo, by setting the supply time of the second gas during the second cycle, the conditioner effect can be achieved after the shampoo effect is fully continued.

[0136] By this, Figure 4 as well as Figure 5 The embodiment in has the advantage that the function of the second purge gas related to the reaction gas and the radical effect of the second gas can be distributed in time. The above-mentioned advantage can also be achieved when the fifth step is performed after the fourth step.

[0137] As another embodiment of the present invention, a gas reaction powder capturing unit 500 may be provided on the exhaust port 240 to filter the unreacted substances in the chamber 200 in a powder form according to the temperature change.

[0138] The other end of the radical branch line 420 may be connected to the gas-reactive powder trap 500 to discharge hydrogen radicals into the gas-reactive powder trap 500 .

[0139] The gas reaction powder capture section 500 can increase the trap efficiency and reduce the Cl content inside the captured powder by supplying highly reactive hydrogen radicals with the help of remote plasma excitation, thereby improving the durability of the components by reducing corrosion of the internal components of the gas reaction powder capture section 500 and ensuring long-term stable operation.

[0140] Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view illustrating an embodiment of the gas reaction powder capturing unit 500 .

[0141] See also Figure 7 The gas reaction powder capturing portion 500 may include a powder capturing housing portion 510 , a gas heating portion 520 , and a plurality of gas cooling portions 530 .

[0142] The powder capturing housing 510 can be connected to the exhaust port 240 and the other end of the radical branch line 420 .

[0143] The gas heating unit 520 may be disposed on the upper side inside the powder capturing housing 510 to heat the exhaust gas flowing in through the exhaust port 240 and the hydrogen radicals flowing in through the radical branch line 420 .

[0144] The gas cooling part 530 can cool the gas by being arranged at a certain distance on the lower side of the gas heating part 520, and form a gas exhaust channel for gas to pass through in a zigzag shape, and can be equipped with a plurality of powder capturing micropores for capturing powder.

[0145] The powder capturing outer shell 510 may include a first sliding insertion portion 511 and a plurality of second sliding insertion portions 512 into which the gas heating portion 520 and the plurality of gas cooling portions 530 may be slidably inserted.

[0146] The first sliding insertion part 511 and the second sliding insertion part 512 are in a form where the front or side of the powder capturing outer shell 510 is open, and the gas heating part 520 and the plurality of gas cooling parts 530 can be slidably moved and coupled thereto.

[0147] The exhaust port 240 may be connected to the upper side of the powder capturing housing 510 , and the radical branch line 420 may be disposed on the upper side of one side of the powder capturing housing 510 .

[0148] The gas heating unit 520 can heat the exhaust gas flowing in through the exhaust port 240 and the hydrogen radicals flowing in through the radical branch line 420 to ensure that the two gases can react smoothly.

[0149] The plurality of gas cooling parts 530 may include a plurality of first powder capturing microholes for capturing powder on one side.

[0150] The plurality of gas cooling units 530 may include a first gas cooling unit 531 , a second gas cooling unit 532 , and a third gas cooling unit 533 .

[0151] The first gas cooling portion 531 may include a first gas passage opening portion on one side for forming a zigzag gas passage.

[0152] The second gas cooling section 532 may be disposed on one side of the lower portion of the first gas cooling section 531, and may include a plurality of second powder capturing micropores for capturing powder on the other side, and may include a second gas channel opening for forming a tortuous gas channel on one side.

[0153] The third gas cooling section 533 may be disposed on the lower side of the second gas cooling section 532, and may include a plurality of third powder capturing micropores for capturing powder on one side, and may include a third gas channel opening for forming a tortuous gas channel on the other side.

[0154] The first gas cooling unit 531 may include a plurality of first powder capturing fine holes on one side for capturing powder.

[0155] A pair of first powder capturing plates 531 a including first gas passage openings for forming a zigzag gas passage may be disposed on the other side of the first gas cooling portion 531 at a predetermined distance from each other.

[0156] The first gas cooling unit 531 may have a structure in which a first cooling pipe 531 b through which cooling water can circulate is arranged between the first powder capturing plates 531 a .

[0157] The second gas cooling unit 532 may include a plurality of second powder capturing micropores for capturing powder on the other side.

[0158] The second gas cooling unit 532 may be provided with a pair of second powder capturing plates 532a including second gas passage openings for forming a zigzag gas passage at a certain distance from each other on the other side. The second gas cooling unit 532 may be provided with a second cooling pipe 532b for circulating cooling water between the second powder capturing plates 532a.

[0159] The third gas cooling unit 533 may include a plurality of third powder capturing micropores on one side for capturing powder.

[0160] The third gas cooling unit 533 may be provided with a pair of third powder capturing plates 533a including third gas passage openings for forming a zigzag gas passage at a certain distance from each other on the other side. The third gas cooling unit 533 may be provided with a third cooling pipe 533b for circulating cooling water between the third powder capturing plates 533a.

[0161] The structure of the cooling water supply unit for circulating and supplying cooling water to the first cooling pipe 531 b , the second cooling pipe 532 b , and the third cooling pipe 533 b can be variously modified using a cooling water circulation structure or a cooling water supply structure.

[0162] The first gas cooling section 531 also includes a first powder capturing mesh 531c arranged on one side between a pair of first powder capturing plates 531a, the second gas cooling section 532 also includes a second powder capturing mesh 532c arranged on the other side between a pair of second powder capturing plates 532a, and the third gas cooling section 533 also includes a third powder capturing mesh 533c arranged on one side between a pair of third powder capturing plates 533a.

[0163] The first powder capturing mesh 531c is used to capture powder contained in the gas passing through the first powder capturing micropores, the second powder capturing mesh 532c is used to capture powder contained in the gas passing through the second powder capturing micropores, and the third powder capturing mesh 533c is used to capture powder contained in the gas passing through the third powder capturing micropores.

[0164] The first powder capturing mesh 531c, the second powder capturing mesh 532c and the third powder capturing mesh 533c can be arranged between a pair of powder capturing plates to capture powder contained in the gas passing through the powder capturing pores, thereby improving the powder capturing efficiency and significantly increasing the captured amount of powder.

[0165] The first gas cooler 531 , the second gas cooler 532 , and the third gas cooler 533 can capture powder using a pair of powder capturing plates and a powder capturing mesh disposed therebetween.

[0166] When the captured powder reaches a preset amount or more, each cooling part can be periodically separated from the powder capturing outer shell 510 and can be re-combined with the powder capturing outer shell 510 for reuse after removing the captured powder.

[0167] A pair of first powder capturing plates 531a, a pair of second powder capturing plates 532a, and a pair of third powder capturing plates 533a can be formed with the space therebetween open along the outer periphery, so that the outer peripheries of the first powder capturing mesh sieve 531c, the second powder capturing mesh sieve 532c, and the third powder capturing mesh sieve 533c located therebetween are respectively open.

[0168] When the first gas cooling section 531, the second gas cooling section 532 and the third gas cooling section 533 are periodically separated from the powder capturing outer shell section 510, the first gas cooling section 531 to the third gas cooling section 533 can be recombined into the powder capturing outer shell section 510 after removing the powder captured by the outer periphery of the first powder capturing mesh 531c and the outer periphery of the second powder capturing mesh 532c.

Claims

1. A substrate processing device, characterized in that: include: a chamber for processing a substrate; and A radical unit that generates a second gas by processing the supplied first gas and supplies the second gas to the chamber; wherein the second gas supplied into the chamber combines with process byproducts generated when the deposited film on the substrate is formed and is discharged from the chamber together with the process byproducts; The radical unit processes the first gas into a second gas by remote plasma. The second gas is a gas that ionizes the first gas in a plasma environment or a gas that forms radicals in the first gas in a plasma environment. The second gas is introduced into the chamber through a gas pipeline independent of other process gases introduced into the chamber during the substrate processing process. Wherein, the substrate processing device further comprises: an exhaust port, used to exhaust the gas inside the chamber to the outside of the chamber; a gas reaction powder capturing portion, located in the exhaust port and used to filter unreacted substances in the chamber in a powder form according to temperature changes; and A first free radical branch line is connected to the free radical section at one end and to the gas reaction powder capturing section at the other end, and is used to directly supply the second gas exhausted from the free radical section to the inside of the gas reaction powder capturing section. The gas reaction powder capturing section comprises: A powder capturing shell portion, to which the exhaust port and the other end of the first free radical branch line can be connected; a gas heating unit disposed on an upper side inside the powder capturing shell unit to heat the exhaust gas flowing in through the exhaust port and the hydrogen radicals flowing in through the first radical branch line; and A plurality of gas cooling parts are arranged at a certain distance from each other on the lower side of the gas heating part to cool the gas, and a gas exhaust passage is formed in a zigzag shape for the gas to pass through, and a plurality of powder capturing micropores are provided for capturing the powder. The exhaust gas flowing in through the exhaust port and the second gas flowing in through the first radical branch line are heated by the gas heating unit and react with each other.

2. The substrate processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The free radical part includes at least one of a housing, an oscillating part, a through hole, a space part, an air inlet and an air outlet. The interior of the housing constitutes the space portion, and the air inlet and the air outlet are formed at the entrance and the exit of the space portion, respectively. The oscillating part generates microwaves, and the microwaves that reach the space part from the oscillating part through the transmission hole form a plasma environment in the space part. The first gas supplied through the inlet is converted into the second gas while passing through the plasma environment of the space portion.

3. The substrate processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first gas is hydrogen. The second gas is hydrogen radicals formed in a microwave plasma environment.

4. The substrate processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A source gas and a reaction gas for depositing a film on the substrate are provided, equipped with a purge gas for exhausting the source gas or the reaction gas, The first gas is continuously supplied to the chamber during a total time including a supply time of the source gas, a supply time of the reaction gas, and a supply time of the purge gas. The radical unit operates intermittently while the first gas is continuously supplied to the chamber. The second gas generated by the intermittent operation of the radical unit is intermittently supplied to the chamber.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: supplying source gas and reaction gas for depositing a film on the substrate into the chamber in sequence, injecting a purge gas for exhausting the source gas or the reaction gas into the chamber, The first gas is supplied to the radical portion after the time for supplying the purge gas after the reaction gas is supplied. The radical unit is turned on at a timing synchronized with the supply timing of the first gas, thereby generating the second gas by microwaves.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The first cycle is formed by sequentially injecting the source gas, the first purge gas, the reaction gas, and the second purge gas into the chamber. Repeat the second cycle which is the same as the first cycle above. The first gas starts to be supplied to the radical portion after the supply of the second purge gas in the first cycle is completed, and stops being supplied to the radical portion before the supply of the source gas in the second cycle is started. The radical unit generates the second gas in synchronization with the supply timing of the first gas.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: supplying source gas and reaction gas for depositing a film on the substrate into the chamber in sequence, injecting a purge gas for exhausting the source gas or the reaction gas into the chamber, The first gas is supplied to the radical portion after the reaction gas is supplied. The radical unit is turned on at a timing synchronized with the supply timing of the first gas to generate and supply the second gas. The purge gas is supplied after the second gas is supplied.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: Assuming that the valve provided on the gas pipeline supplied to the free radical is the fifth valve, and the valve provided on the gas pipeline between the free radical and the chamber is the sixth valve, The fifth valve and the sixth valve are synchronously opened or closed during the first time in the first substrate processing process, and the free radical part is synchronously connected during the first time. Alternatively, the fifth valve and the sixth valve are always opened during the first substrate processing step, and the free radical portion is synchronously turned on during the second time.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: supplying source gas and reaction gas for depositing a film on the substrate into the chamber in sequence, injecting a purge gas for exhausting the source gas or the reaction gas into the chamber, The source gas is TiCl4, the reaction gas is NH3, the purge gas is N2 or N3, and the process by-product is Cl.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The chamber is provided with a collector for the components remaining after the deposition film is formed. A second radical branch line is also provided for directly injecting the gas exhausted from the radical section to either the collector or the exhaust port.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: A free radical pipeline is also provided for supplying the gas exhausted from the free radical unit to the chamber. The free radical pipeline is provided with a sixth valve for adjusting the pressure of the gas discharged from the free radical section. A second free radical branch line is also provided for directly supplying the gas exhausted from the free radical section to the exhaust port. One end of the second free radical branch pipeline is located between the sixth valve and the free radical portion, and the other end is connected to the exhaust port. The exhaust port is provided with an exhaust pressure regulating unit for regulating the exhaust pressure of the chamber. The other end of the second radical branch line is located downstream of the exhaust pressure regulating unit at the exhaust port.

12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The powder capturing outer shell is provided with the first sliding insertion portion into which the gas heating portion is slidably inserted, and a plurality of second sliding insertion portions into which the plurality of gas cooling portions are slidably inserted.

13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein: The plurality of gas cooling units include: A first gas cooling portion including a plurality of first powder capturing micropores for capturing powder on one side and a first gas passage opening for forming a zigzag gas passage on the other side; a second gas cooling portion, located on one side of the lower portion of the first gas cooling portion, including a plurality of second powder capturing micropores for capturing powder on the other side and a second gas channel opening for forming a zigzag gas channel on one side; and A third gas cooling portion, located on one side of the lower portion of the second gas cooling portion, including a plurality of third powder capturing micropores for capturing powder on one side and a third gas passage opening for forming a zigzag gas passage on the other side; The first gas cooling part and the third gas cooling part include a plurality of powder capturing micropores for capturing powder on one side, and a pair of powder capturing plates including gas passage openings for forming a zigzag gas passage arranged at a certain distance from each other on the other side. The cooling pipes for circulating cooling water are arranged between the powder capturing plates. The second gas cooling part includes a plurality of powder capturing micropores for capturing powder on the other side, and a pair of powder capturing plates including gas channel openings for forming a zigzag gas channel are arranged at a certain distance from each other on the other side, and a cooling pipe for circulating cooling water is arranged between the powder capturing plates. The first gas cooling unit, the second gas cooling unit, and the third gas cooling unit include a powder capturing screen disposed between a pair of the powder capturing plates for capturing powder contained in the gas passing through the powder capturing pores.

Images