Batch-type substrate processing equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides a batch type substrate processing apparatus for supplying a processing gas decomposed in a discharge space into a processing space, the discharge space being different from the processing space. The batch type substrate processing apparatus comprises: a reaction tube configured to provide a processing space; a plasma forming part having a discharge space, the discharge space being separated from the processing space by a partition wall, and generating plasma in the discharge space by a plurality of electrodes extending in a longitudinal direction of the reaction tube. The plurality of electrodes comprises a plurality of power supply electrodes spaced apart from each other and a plurality of ground electrodes disposed between the plurality of power supply electrodes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a batch type substrate processing apparatus, and more particularly, to a batch type substrate processing apparatus that supplies a process gas decomposed in a discharge space separated from the process space into a process space. Background Art

[0002] Generally, a substrate processing apparatus positions a substrate to be processed in a processing space to deposit reactive particles contained in a processing gas injected into the processing space by using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or atomic layer deposition (ALD). The substrate processing apparatus is classified into a single wafer type substrate processing apparatus capable of performing a substrate processing process on one substrate and a batch type substrate processing apparatus capable of performing a substrate processing process on a plurality of substrates at the same time.

[0003] In a batch type substrate processing apparatus, the wall surface of the processing space and the substrate are increased in temperature by a hot wall type heating unit surrounding the processing space. Therefore, an unwanted film is formed on the inner wall surface of the processing space by the processing gas. Specifically, when a processing environment such as plasma is formed in the processing space, the film deposited on the inner wall is separated into particles by a magnetic field or an electric field generated in the plasma generation space to act as a contaminant during the substrate processing process. Therefore, the quality of the film on the substrate may be deteriorated, and the efficiency of the substrate processing process may be deteriorated.

[0004] [Prior art literature]

[0005] [Patent Document]

[0006] Korean Patent No. 10-1145538 Summary of the invention

[0007] The present disclosure provides a batch type substrate processing apparatus which supplies a process gas decomposed in a discharge space, which is separated from the process space, into a process space.

[0008] According to an exemplary embodiment, a batch type substrate processing apparatus includes: a reaction tube configured to provide a processing space in which a plurality of substrates are accommodated; and a plasma forming part having a discharge space, wherein the discharge space is separated from the processing space by a partition wall extending in a longitudinal direction of the reaction tube, and configured to generate plasma in the discharge space by a plurality of electrodes extending in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube, wherein the plurality of electrodes include: a plurality of power electrodes spaced apart from each other; and a plurality of ground electrodes disposed between the plurality of power electrodes.

[0009] The plurality of ground electrodes may be disposed to be spaced apart from the plurality of power electrodes, and the plurality of electrodes may be configured to generate capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) in each space between the power electrodes and the ground electrodes spaced apart from each other.

[0010] The plurality of ground electrodes may be spaced apart from each other.

[0011] The spacing distance between the plurality of ground electrodes may be less than or equal to the spacing distance between the power electrode and the ground electrode.

[0012] The batch-type substrate processing equipment may also include an electrode protection component configured to protect multiple power electrodes and multiple ground electrodes, wherein the electrode protection component may include: a plurality of first electrode protection tubes configured to respectively surround the multiple power electrodes; a plurality of second electrode protection tubes configured to respectively surround the multiple ground electrodes; and a bridge component configured to connect the first electrode protection tubes and the second electrode protection tubes facing each other.

[0013] The bridge member may be configured to allow the first electrode protection tube and the second electrode protection tube to be connected to each other, and the batch-type substrate processing equipment may further include: a protective gas supply member connected to one of the first electrode protection tube and the second electrode protection tube connected to each other through the bridge member to supply protective gas; and a protective gas exhaust member connected to the other of the first electrode protection tube and the second electrode protection tube to exhaust the protective gas supplied to the one electrode protection tube.

[0014] The shielding gas may contain an inert gas.

[0015] The batch-type substrate processing equipment may further include: a high-frequency power supply component configured to supply high-frequency power; and a power distribution component disposed between the high-frequency power supply component and a plurality of power electrodes, and configured to distribute the high-frequency power supplied from the high-frequency power supply component so as to provide the distributed high-frequency power to each of the plurality of power electrodes.

[0016] The power distribution component may include a variable capacitor disposed between a distribution point at which the high frequency power is distributed to each of the plurality of power electrodes and at least one of the plurality of power electrodes.

[0017] The batch type substrate processing apparatus may further include a control section configured to selectively adjust the high frequency power applied to each of the plurality of power supply electrodes according to a state of the plasma.

[0018] The batch type substrate processing apparatus may further include a plurality of gas supply pipes configured to supply a processing gas decomposed by the plasma toward each of the spaces between the power electrode and the ground electrode through the discharge hole.

[0019] The plasma forming part may include a plurality of injection holes disposed to be offset with respect to a discharge direction of the discharge hole and arranged in a longitudinal direction of the reaction tube to supply radicals of the process gas decomposed by the plasma to the process space.

[0020] The batch type substrate processing apparatus may further include a plurality of gas supply pipes disposed outside both sides of the plurality of electrodes in a circumferential direction of the reaction tube to supply the processing gas decomposed by the plasma into the discharge space through the discharge hole.

[0021] The plurality of gas supply pipes may be symmetrically disposed at both sides of a radial direction extending from a central axis of the reaction tube to a center of the exhaust space. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Exemplary embodiments may be understood in more detail from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0023] Figure 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0024] Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0025] Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a voltage waveform induced into a ground electrode depending on the number of a plurality of electrodes according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0026] Figure 4 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an electrode protection member according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0027] Figure 5 is a conceptual diagram for explaining supply of high frequency power according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0028] Figure 6 is a horizontal cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a plurality of gas supply pipes according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0029] Description of Figure Numbers

[0030] 10: substrate;

[0031] 50: substrate boat;

[0032] 100: Batch type substrate processing equipment;

[0033] 110: reaction tube;

[0034] 111: Processing space;

[0035] 115: partition wall;

[0036] 115a, 115b: sub-side wall;

[0037] 115c: main side wall;

[0038] 120: plasma forming component;

[0039] 121: power supply electrode / electrode;

[0040] 121a, 121b: power supply electrodes;

[0041] 122: ground electrode / electrode;

[0042] 122a, 122b: ground electrodes;

[0043] 123: injection hole;

[0044] 125: discharge space;

[0045] 130: electrode protection component;

[0046] 131: first electrode protection tube;

[0047] 132: second electrode protection tube;

[0048] 133: Bridge components;

[0049] 141: Shielding gas supply components;

[0050] 142: Protective gas exhaust components;

[0051] 150, 150a, 150b: high frequency power supply components;

[0052] 155: power distribution components;

[0053] 155a: variable capacitor;

[0054] 155b: allocation point;

[0055] 155c: Fixed capacitor;

[0056] 160: control components;

[0057] 170: gas supply pipe;

[0058] 171: discharge hole;

[0059] 175: source gas supply pipe;

[0060] 180: Exhaust components;

[0061] 181: discharge member;

[0062] 182: Exhaust pipeline;

[0063] 183: Exhaust hole;

[0064] A-A', B-B': line;

[0065] C: central axis;

[0066] CC′: radial direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] Hereinafter, specific embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. In fact, these embodiments are provided to make the present disclosure thorough and complete, and these embodiments will fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art. In the description, identical elements are represented by identical reference numerals. In the accompanying drawings, the sizes of layers and regions are enlarged for clarity of description. Throughout the text, identical reference numerals refer to identical elements.

[0068] Figure 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment, and Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. Here, Figure 2 (a) is along Figure 1 A side cross-sectional view taken along line AA', and Figure 2 (b) is along Figure 1 A side cross-sectional view taken along line BB'.

[0069] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 According to an exemplary embodiment, a batch type substrate processing apparatus 100 may include: a reaction tube 110 providing a processing space 111 in which a plurality of substrates 10 are accommodated; and a plasma forming part 120 having a discharge space 125, wherein the discharge space 125 is separated from the processing space 111 by a partition wall 115 extending in a longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110, and plasma is generated in the discharge space 125 by a plurality of electrodes 121 and 122 extending in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110.

[0070] The reaction tube 110 may have a cylindrical shape having a closed upper portion and an open lower portion, and be made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz or ceramic, and may provide a processing space 111 in which a plurality of substrates 10 are accommodated for processing. The processing space of the reaction tube 110 may be a space in which a substrate boat 50 on which a plurality of substrates 10 are laminated in a longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110 is accommodated and an actual processing process (e.g., a deposition process) is also performed.

[0071] Here, the substrate boat 50 may be configured to support the substrates 10 and disposed such that a plurality of substrates 10 are laminated in a longitudinal direction (ie, a vertical direction) of the reaction tube 110 , and also provide a plurality of processing spaces in which the plurality of substrates 10 are individually processed.

[0072] The plasma forming part 120 may generate plasma using a plurality of electrodes 121 and 122, and may decompose the process gas supplied from the gas supply pipe 170 by plasma to provide the decomposed process gas to the process space 111 in the reaction tube 110. The plasma forming part 120 may have a discharge space 125 separated from the process space 111 by a partition wall 115 extending in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110. Here, the plasma forming part 120 may generate plasma in the discharge space 125 by a plurality of electrodes 121 and 122 extending in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110, and the plurality of electrodes 121 and 122 may be disposed in the circumferential direction of the reaction tube 110. For example, the plurality of electrodes 121 and 122 may have a bar shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110 and may be disposed side by side (or in parallel).

[0073] The discharge space 125 of the plasma forming part 120 may be a space in which plasma is generated and may be separated from the processing space 111 by the partition wall 115. Therefore, the plasma forming part 120 may decompose the processing gas supplied from the gas supply pipe 170 using the plasma in the discharge space 125, and may provide only radicals of the decomposed processing gas into the processing space 111.

[0074] Here, the partition wall 115 may extend in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110, be disposed inside the reaction tube 110, or be disposed outside the reaction tube 110. For example, the partition wall 115 may be disposed inside the reaction tube 110 to define the discharge space 125 together with the inner wall of the reaction tube 110, such as Figure 1 , and may include a plurality of sub-side walls 115a and 115b connected to the inner wall (or inner surface) of the reaction tube 110 and a main side wall 115c between the plurality of sub-side walls 115a and 115b. The plurality of sub-side walls 115a and 115b may protrude (or extend) from the inner wall of the reaction tube 110 into the interior of the reaction tube 110, and may be spaced apart from each other to be arranged in parallel. In addition, the main side wall 115c may be spaced apart from the inner wall of the reaction tube 110 and arranged between the plurality of sub-side walls 115a and 115b. Here, the plurality of sub-side walls 115a and 115b and the main side wall 115c may extend along the inner wall of the reaction tube 110 in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110. However, the partition wall 115 may be provided in various shapes without limitation. Figure 1, as long as the partition wall 135 provides a discharge space separated from the treatment process. In another embodiment, the partition wall 115 may be disposed outside the reaction tube 110 to define the discharge space 125 together with the outer wall of the reaction tube 110, and may include a plurality of sub-side walls 115a and 115b connected to the outer surface (or outer wall) of the reaction tube 110 and a main side wall 115c between the plurality of sub-side walls 115a and 115b. The plurality of secondary side walls 115a and 115b may protrude from the outer wall of the reaction tube 110 to the outside of the reaction tube 110, and may be spaced apart from each other to be disposed in parallel. In addition, the main side wall 115c may be spaced apart from the outer wall of the reaction tube 110 and disposed between the plurality of sub-side walls 115a and 115b. The main side wall 115c is provided in the form of a tube having a diameter smaller than or larger than the diameter of the reaction tube 110 to define a discharge space 125 between the side wall of the reaction tube 110 and the main side wall 115c (i.e., between the inner wall of the reaction tube and the main side wall or between the outer wall of the reaction tube and the main side wall).

[0075] The plasma forming part 120 may generate plasma in the exhaust space 125 separated from the processing space 111 by the partition wall 115, so that the processing gas supplied from the gas supply pipe 170 is not directly supplied into the reaction tube 110 to be decomposed in the processing space 111, but is decomposed in the exhaust space 125 which is a space separated from the processing space 111 and then supplied into the processing space 111. Therefore, when plasma is generated in the processing space 111 by directly supplying the processing gas into the processing space 111, a thin film formed on the inner wall of the processing space 111 may be separated into particles by a magnetic field or an electric field due to the plasma.

[0076] In addition, the plurality of electrodes 121 and 122 may include a plurality of power electrodes 121 spaced apart from each other and a plurality of ground electrodes 122 disposed between the plurality of power electrodes 121. The plurality of power electrodes 121 may be spaced apart from each other, and high frequency power (or RF power) may be applied to each of the plurality of power electrodes 121.

[0077] A plurality of ground electrodes 122 may be disposed between a plurality of power electrodes 121 spaced apart from each other and may be grounded. Here, the plurality of ground electrodes 122 may be grounded separately or may be grounded in common. For example, two ground electrodes 122 may be provided in a space in which two power electrodes 121 are spaced apart from each other, and a ground electrode 122 corresponding to each of the power electrodes 121 may be provided. As a result, plasma may be generated between the power electrodes 121 and the ground electrodes 122 corresponding to each other and paired.

[0078] That is, the plurality of power electrodes 121 and the plurality of ground electrodes 122 may have a four-electrode structure, and the high-frequency power may be divided into the high-frequency power supplied to the plurality of power electrodes 121 to reduce the high-frequency power required to generate plasma or the high-frequency power used to obtain the desired positive radicals, thereby generating particles due to the high-frequency power.

[0079] In detail, as in the present disclosure, when the plurality of power electrodes 121 and the plurality of ground electrodes 122 have a four-electrode structure, the high-frequency power required to generate plasma for decomposing the process gas or to obtain the desired positive radicals can be reduced by half or significantly reduced to prevent the electrode protection member 130, the partition wall 115, and the reaction tube 110 from being damaged by the high-frequency power. In addition, the generation of particles due to the damage of the electrode protection member 130, the partition wall 115, and the reaction tube 110 can be prevented. For example, if the power required to decompose the process gas with sufficient energy is 100 watts, when a four-electrode structure is provided in which the plurality of ground electrodes are disposed between the plurality of power electrodes 121, a power of 50 watts less than the power of 100 watts can be supplied to each of the power electrodes 121. As a result, even if power loss other than the power required to generate plasma is supplied, the same amount of radicals as when the power of 100 watts is supplied can be finally obtained. In addition, since the low power of 50 watts is supplied to each of the power electrodes 121, the process gas can be more efficiently decomposed without generating particles due to high voltage.

[0080] Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a voltage waveform induced into a ground electrode depending on the number of a plurality of electrodes according to an exemplary embodiment. Here, Figure 3 (a) shows a four-electrode structure, and Figure 3 (b) shows a three-electrode structure.

[0081] refer to Figure 3 , we can see that in Figure 3 (a) The four-electrode structure and Figure 3 In the three-electrode structure of (b), the voltage waveform induced to the ground electrode is different.

[0082] In detail, in Figure 3In the three-electrode structure shown in (b), when the same high-frequency power is synchronously applied to the two power electrodes 121a and 121b, the power applied to the first power electrode 121a and the power applied to the second power electrode 121b may be combined (or merged), and thus, a double voltage may be induced to the common ground electrode 122. That is, in the three-electrode structure using the common ground electrode 122, the voltage applied to the first power electrode 121a and the voltage applied to the second power electrode 121b have the same phase difference, and thus, an electric field greater than the electric field of the two power electrodes 121a and 122b may be induced to the ground electrode 122. In addition, due to the undesirably high electric field, the plasma potential increases in proportion to the electric field, and thus plasma damage occurs. Specifically, plasma damage may occur to damage the second electrode protection tube 132, the partition wall 115, and the reaction tube 110 disposed around the ground electrode 122 to which the double voltage is induced.

[0083] On the other hand, Figure 3 As shown in (a), in the four-electrode structure according to the exemplary embodiment, a voltage corresponding to a half level of the voltage induced to the ground electrode 122 (i.e., the same voltage as the voltage applied to each of the first power electrode and the second power electrode) can be induced to the two ground electrodes 122a and 122b. Therefore, plasma damage due to a high electric field caused by a high voltage during plasma generation (turning on) and plasma maintenance can be suppressed or prevented. That is, the same voltage as the voltage applied to the first power electrode 121a can be induced to the first ground electrode 122a by the voltage applied to the first power electrode 121a. In addition, the same voltage as the voltage applied to the second power electrode 121b can be induced to the second ground electrode 122b by the voltage applied to the second power electrode 121b.

[0084] In addition, in the case of a three-electrode structure, the three electrodes may interfere with each other, but in the case of a four-electrode structure, the first power electrode 121a and the first ground electrode 122a may be paired, and the second power electrode 121b and the second ground electrode 122b may be paired, and therefore, electrodes corresponding to each other only at a close distance may act on each other, but electrodes not corresponding to each other at a long distance may have little effect on each other. In addition, interference between the power electrodes 121a and 121b that do not correspond to each other and the ground electrodes 122b and 122a may have almost no effect. For reference, in principle of electromagnetic fields and circuits, the power electrode 121 acts together with the closest ground electrode 122.

[0085] Here, the plurality of ground electrodes 122 may be disposed to be spaced apart from the plurality of power electrodes 121, and each of the plurality of electrodes 121 and 122 may generate capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) in each space between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 spaced apart from each other. Each of the plurality of ground electrodes 122a and 122b may be disposed to be spaced apart from the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b. Here, the power electrodes 121 and the ground electrodes 122 may be spaced apart from each other to provide a plasma generation space, and the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b and the plurality of ground electrodes 122a and 122b may define the plasma generation space.

[0086] Also, the plurality of electrodes 121 and 122 may generate capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) in each space (i.e., plasma generation space) between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 spaced apart from each other. Here, high frequency power may be applied to each of the plurality of power electrodes 121, and thus, capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) may be generated by an electric field generated in a space between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 121 facing (or corresponding to) each other.

[0087] Here, unlike the capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) method, in which plasma is generated by obtaining energy from electron acceleration generated by an electric field generated in a space between a power supply electrode 121 and a ground electrode 122 that are spaced apart from each other (or separated from each other), in the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) method, when a magnetic field generated by a current flowing through antennas connected to each other changes over time, plasma is generated from an electric field generated around the magnetic field. Generally speaking, in the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) method, plasma is generated from an E mode and converted into an H mode to generate high-density plasma. The inductively coupled plasma (ICP) method is divided into an E mode and an H mode according to plasma density or applied power. In order to perform mode conversion from an E mode with a low plasma density to an H mode with a high plasma density, high power must be induced. In addition, when the input power increases, a plurality of radicals that do not participate in a reaction according to a particle and a high electron temperature are generated to cause a restriction, in which it is difficult to obtain a good quality film, and it is difficult to generate a uniform plasma according to an electric field generated by an antenna.

[0088] However, in the present disclosure, since capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) is generated in each of the spaces (i.e., plasma generation spaces) between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122, it may be difficult to sense high power for performing mode conversion as in the inductively coupled plasma (ICP). As a result, by generating a large number of radicals participating in the reaction according to the low electron temperature, the generation of particles is more effectively prevented and a good quality film is obtained.

[0089] Also, the plurality of ground electrodes 122a and 122b may be spaced apart from each other and may be physically separated from each other. Here, the meaning of 'spaced apart' or 'separated' does not mean one body but means that the distance between each other is extremely narrow and greater than 0.

[0090] When the plurality of ground electrodes 122a and 122b are attached to each other without being spaced apart from each other, the plurality of ground electrodes 122a and 122b may interfere with each other, and the plurality of ground electrodes 122a and 122b may interfere with the power electrode 121b and the power electrode 121a which do not correspond thereto. For example, a voltage applied to the first power electrode 121a and a voltage applied to the second power electrode 121b may be combined in the first ground electrode 122a and the second ground electrode 122b (i.e., a plurality of ground electrodes), and thus, almost a double voltage may be induced to the first ground electrode 122a and the second ground electrode 122b (e.g., a plurality of ground electrodes). In this case, a plasma potential proportional to an electric field may increase due to a high electric field, and thus, plasma damage may occur to damage the second electrode protection tube 132, the partition wall 115, and the reaction tube 110 disposed around the plurality of ground electrodes 122a and 122b inducing the double voltage. Here, in the case of the four-electrode structure, since the total volume of the ground electrodes 122a and 122b is increased compared to the case of the three-electrode structure, a lower voltage than that in the three-electrode structure can be induced to the plurality of ground electrodes 122a and 122b.

[0091] However, when the plurality of ground electrodes 122a and 122b are spaced apart from each other, interference between the plurality of ground electrodes 122a and 122b can be suppressed or prevented, and interference between the plurality of ground electrodes 122a and 122b and the power electrodes 121b and 121a that do not correspond thereto can be suppressed or prevented. That is, there is no interference between the plurality of ground electrodes 122a and 122b, and there is no interference between the power electrodes 121b and 121a that do not correspond to the plurality of ground electrodes 122a and 122b, and therefore, the same voltage as the voltage applied to the first power electrode 121a can be induced to only the first ground electrode 122a by the voltage applied to the first power electrode 121a. In addition, the same voltage as the voltage applied to the second power electrode 121b can be induced to only the second ground electrode 122b by the voltage applied to the second power electrode 121b. Therefore, plasma damage due to a high electric field caused by a high voltage during plasma generation and plasma maintenance can be suppressed or prevented.

[0092] Here, the spacing distance between the plurality of ground electrodes 122 may be less than or equal to the spacing distance between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122. When the spacing distance between the plurality of ground electrodes 122 is greater than the spacing distance between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122, a relatively low plasma density is generated in the space between the plurality of ground electrodes 122, and the plasma density and / or radical density in the discharge space 125 may be generated unevenly. For this reason, the amount of radicals supplied to each of the injection holes 123 of the plasma forming part 120 may vary, and non-uniform processing (or deposition) may occur between the plurality of substrates 10. In addition, the width of the discharge space 125 (or the width of the plasma forming part) is inevitably limited due to the structure of the batch type substrate processing apparatus 100, and when the spacing distance between the plurality of ground electrodes 122 increases, since the space between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 as the plasma generation space is relatively reduced, the process gas may not be effectively decomposed, and therefore, the radicals may not be effectively obtained.

[0093] Therefore, the spacing distance between the plurality of ground electrodes 122 may be less than or equal to the spacing distance between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122. As a result, the process gas may be effectively decomposed to effectively obtain radicals without interference between the plurality of ground electrodes 122a and 122b and interference between the power electrodes 121a and 121b and the ground electrodes 122b and 122a that do not correspond to each other, and the plasma density and / or the radical density within the discharge space 125 may be uniformly generated. Therefore, non-uniform processing between the plurality of substrates 10 may be prevented to improve processing (or deposition) uniformity between the plurality of substrates 10.

[0094] Therefore, in the batch type substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the exemplary embodiment, a plurality of ground electrodes 122 may be provided between the plurality of power electrodes 121 spaced apart from each other to provide a plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b, which correspond to the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b, and therefore, the ground electrode 122 may be generally used to prevent the double electric field from being induced into the ground electrode 122. Therefore, plasma damage due to the plasma potential generated in proportion to the increase in the electric field may be suppressed or prevented, and therefore, the life of the plasma forming part may be extended. In addition, the sputtering effect may be reduced by using the plurality of power electrodes 121 to reduce the applied voltage, and the processing time may be shortened by using high plasma density and radicals.

[0095] Figure 4 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an electrode protection member according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0096] refer to Figure 4, the batch type substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the exemplary embodiment may further include an electrode protection member 130 that protects the plurality of power electrodes 121 and the plurality of ground electrodes 122 .

[0097] The electrode protection member 130 may protect the power electrodes 121 and the ground electrodes 122 , and may surround at least a portion of each of the power electrodes 121 and the ground electrodes 122 to protect each of the power electrodes 121 and the ground electrodes 122 .

[0098] Here, the electrode protection member 130 may include: a plurality of first electrode protection tubes 131, which respectively surround the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b, a plurality of second electrode protection tubes 132, which respectively surround the plurality of ground electrodes 122a and 122b; and a bridge member 133, which connects the first electrode protection tubes 131 and the second electrode protection tubes 132 facing each other. The plurality of first electrode protection tubes 131 may surround the outer circumferential surface of each of the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b to protect each of the plurality of power electrodes 121.

[0099] In addition, the plurality of second electrode protection tubes 132 may surround the outer circumferential surface of each of the plurality of ground electrodes 122 a and 122 b to protect each of the plurality of ground electrodes 122 .

[0100] For example, each of the plurality of power electrodes 121 and the plurality of ground electrodes 122 may be protected to be surrounded from top to bottom by the first electrode protection tube 131 and / or the second electrode protection tube 132. Here, each of the plurality of power electrodes 121 and the plurality of ground electrodes 122 may be made of a flexible braided wire.

[0101] In general, the conductance due to the use of a high-frequency power source may cause a skin effect in which a current flows along a surface (or may be affected by the penetration depth of a metal, which is a depth through which a current flows). Here, when a mesh-type mesh electrode is used, since an area occupied by a free space is wide, RF power is inefficiently applied by a larger resistance due to a smaller surface area. In addition, a substrate processing process is repeatedly performed at high and low temperatures, and when the electrode is provided as a mesh type, the shape of the mesh-type electrode changes irregularly according to a change in temperature, which is disadvantageous in terms of shape maintenance. In addition, there is a limitation in that non-uniform plasma is generated when a high-frequency power is applied because the resistance changes according to the changed shape.

[0102] In order to prevent these limitations, the plurality of power electrodes 121 and the plurality of ground electrodes 122 may not only be inserted into the first electrode protection tube 131 and / or the second electrode protection tube 132, but also minimize the free space, and thus be provided in a braided type (braided wire) having flexibility. For example, in order to further reduce the free space, a method of applying a metal on the surface of each of the electrodes may be additionally performed. In addition, a spring member (not shown) that fixes and supports both ends of each of the plurality of power electrodes 121 and the plurality of ground electrodes without moving may be further provided, so that the plurality of power electrodes 121 and the plurality of ground electrodes 122 provided in a flexible braided type extend in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110 inside the discharge space 125 so as to be maintained in a fixed state. Here, the plurality of flexible power electrodes 121 and the plurality of flexible ground electrodes 122 may be fixed in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110 by spring members, respectively, and then maintained in a thin and elongated rod shape.

[0103] The first electrode protection tube 131 and the second electrode protection tube 132 surround the outside of the power electrode 121 and the outside of the ground electrode 122, respectively, to protect each of the plurality of power electrodes 121 and the plurality of ground electrodes 122 exposed to the plasma atmosphere from plasma, while electrically insulating each of the power electrodes 121 and the plurality of ground electrodes 122. Therefore, the plurality of power electrodes 121 and the plurality of ground electrodes 122 can be safely protected from contaminants or particles that can be generated by plasma. Here, each of the first electrode protection tube 131 and the second electrode protection tube 132 can be made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz or ceramic, and can be manufactured to be integrated with the reaction tube 110.

[0104] The bridge member 133 may connect the first electrode protection tube 131 and the second electrode protection tube 132 facing each other, and may maintain a gap between the first electrode protection tube 131 and the second electrode protection tube 132. Therefore, the distance between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 that interact with each other to generate plasma may be constantly maintained, and a pair of power electrodes 121 and the ground electrode 122 corresponding to each other may have the same distance. Here, the first electrode protection tube 131 and the second electrode protection tube 132 facing each other refer to the electrode protection tube 131 and the electrode protection tube 132 into which the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 are inserted, and the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 interact with each other to generate plasma in the space therebetween. That is, the power electrode 121 may work together with the nearest ground electrode 122 to generate plasma in the space therebetween.

[0105] In order to obtain uniform plasma density in the discharge space 125, the space between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 must have the same volume (or area). In addition, it is necessary that plasma (or plasma potential) with the same intensity can be generated in the space between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 to generate plasma with uniform density in the space between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 (or plasma generation space). In this regard, the first electrode protection tube 131 and the second electrode protection tube 132 can be connected to each other by the bridge member 133 to maintain the distance between the first electrode protection tube 131 and the second electrode protection tube 132. Therefore, the distance between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122, which interact with each other to generate plasma in the space therebetween, can be constantly maintained, and the space between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 can have the same volume to generate plasma with uniform density in a plurality of plasma generation spaces.

[0106] In addition, the bridge member 133 may connect the first electrode protection tube 131 to the second electrode protection tube 132, and allow the first electrode protection tube 131 and the second electrode protection tube 132 to communicate with each other so that gas flows between the first electrode protection tube 131 and the second electrode protection tube 132. For example, a gas passage in which the inner walls (or inner surfaces) of the first electrode protection tube 131 and the second electrode protection tube 132 are respectively spaced apart from the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 (or the surfaces of the power electrode and the ground electrode) so that gas flows may be provided in each of the first electrode protection tube 131 and the second electrode protection tube 132. In addition, a gas passage having a tube shape may be provided in the bridge member 133 to allow the gas passage of the first electrode protection tube 131 and the gas passage of the second electrode protection tube 131 to communicate with each other.

[0107] In addition, the batch-type substrate processing equipment 100 according to the exemplary embodiment may further include: a protective gas supply component 141, which is connected to one electrode protection tube 131 or the electrode protection tube 132 of the first electrode protection tube 131 and the second electrode protection tube 132 connected to each other through the bridge component 133 to supply protective gas; and a protective gas exhaust component 142, which is connected to the other electrode protection tube 132 or the electrode protection tube 131 of the electrode protection tube 131 and the second electrode protection tube 132 to exhaust the protective gas supplied to the one electrode protection tube 131 or the electrode protection tube 132.

[0108] The shielding gas supply part 141 may be connected to one electrode protection tube 131 or the electrode protection tube 132 of the first electrode protection tube 131 and the second electrode protection tube 132 which are connected to each other through the bridge part 133 to supply shielding gas. The substrate processing process may be performed at a high temperature of approximately 600° C. or higher, and the power electrode 121 and / or the ground electrode 122 made of a metal such as nickel (Ni) may be oxidized at a high temperature of approximately 600° C. or higher. Therefore, it is possible to prevent oxidation of the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 by supplying shielding gas to one electrode protection tube 131 or the electrode protection tube 132 via the shielding gas supply part 141. Here, the shielding gas supplied to one electrode protection tube 131 or the electrode protection tube 132 may flow to the other electrode protection tube 132 or the electrode protection tube 131 via the bridge part 133 (or through the bridge part).

[0109] The shielding gas exhaust part 142 is connected to the other electrode protection tube 132 or the electrode protection tube 131 of the first electrode protection tube 131 and the second electrode protection tube 132 to exhaust the shielding gas supplied to the one electrode protection tube 131 or the electrode protection tube 132. Here, the shielding gas exhaust part 142 may exhaust the shielding gas supplied to the one electrode protection tube 131 or the electrode protection tube 132 to flow to the other electrode protection tube 132 or the electrode protection tube 131 through the bridge part 133.

[0110] In the present disclosure, a passage for the shielding gas may be provided, which passes through one electrode protection tube 131 or 132, the bridge member 133, and the other electrode protection tube 132 or 131 through the shielding gas supply part 141, the bridge member 133, and the shielding gas exhaust part 142. Therefore, the shielding gas may effectively flow into the first electrode protection tube 131 and the second electrode protection tube 132 to effectively prevent oxidation of the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122.

[0111] In the three-electrode structure according to the prior art, when the plurality of first electrode protection tubes 131 and the second electrode protection tubes 132 are connected to each other by the bridge member 133, the flow rate of the protective gas flowing through each of the plurality of first electrode protection tubes 131 and the flow rate of the protective gas flowing through the second electrode protection tube 132 may be different from each other. Therefore, since the flow rates are different from each other, the flow of the protective gas may not be smooth. As a result, the oxidation of the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 may not be effectively prevented. In addition, the different flow rates of the protective gas in the first electrode protection tube 131 and the second electrode protection tube 132 may affect the plasma formation, and effective decomposition of the process gas may not be achieved.

[0112] However, in this embodiment, since the bridge member 133 connects one first electrode protection tube 131 to one second electrode protection tube 132, the shielding gas supply member 141 may be connected to one electrode protection tube 131 or electrode protection tube 132, and the shielding gas exhaust member 142 may be connected to the other electrode protection tube 132 or electrode protection tube 131, so that the flow of shielding gas passing through one electrode protection tube 131 or electrode protection tube 132, the bridge member 133, and the other electrode protection tube 132 or electrode protection tube 131 is smooth. Therefore, oxidation of the power supply electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 may be effectively prevented, and the shielding gas may not affect plasma formation, and therefore, the process gas may be effectively decomposed.

[0113] Here, the protective gas may include an inert gas, and the inert gas may be nitrogen (N2), argon (Ar), etc. An inert gas such as nitrogen (N2) may be supplied to the first electrode protection tube 131 and the second electrode protection tube 132 to prevent oxygen (O2) from being introduced into or staying in the first electrode protection tube 131 and the second electrode protection tube 132. As a result, it is possible to prevent the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 from being oxidized by reacting with oxygen (O2).

[0114] The batch-type substrate processing apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment may further include: a high-frequency power supply component 150 that supplies high-frequency power; and a power distribution component 155 that is disposed between the high-frequency power supply component 150 and the plurality of power electrodes 121 to distribute the high-frequency power supplied from the high-frequency power supply component 150, thereby providing the distributed high-frequency power to each of the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b.

[0115] The high frequency power supply part 150 may supply high frequency power, and the supplied high frequency power may be applied (or supplied) to the plurality of power electrodes 121. When the high frequency power is applied to the power electrodes 121, an electric field (or magnetic field) may be generated between the power electrodes 121 and the ground electrode 122, and thus, capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) may be generated by the generated electric field.

[0116] When high-frequency power is applied to each of a plurality of power electrodes 121 (for example, a four-electrode structure in which two ground electrodes are disposed between two power electrodes), the high-frequency power can be divided to be supplied individually to the power electrodes 121. Therefore, the power required to form (or generate) plasma or power to obtain a desired amount of radicals can be reduced, and the generation of particles can be reduced or prevented when compared with the case where high-frequency power is applied to one power electrode 121. In addition, since plasma is generated in a larger (or wider) space (or area) than when plasma is generated using one power electrode 121 and one ground electrode 122, the process gas can be more effectively decomposed.

[0117] For example, the high-frequency power supply part 150 may apply a high-frequency power having a frequency selected in the range of approximately 4 MHz to approximately 40 MHz to each of the plurality of power supply electrodes 121a and 121b. When the frequency of the high-frequency power is greater than approximately 40 MHz, even in the case of a four-electrode structure having two power supply electrodes 121, the imaginary part Zn' of the overall impedance Zn is too low to cause limitation of plasma ignition. On the other hand, when the frequency of the high-frequency power supply is less than 4 MHz, since the imaginary part Zn' of the overall impedance Zn is too large, even if the number of power supply electrodes 121 increases, the minimum imaginary part Zn' of the overall impedance Zn may not be achieved. That is, the circumference (length) of the reaction tube 110 is determined according to the size (or circumference) of the substrate 10, and the maximum number of the power supply electrodes 121 is determined according to the circumference of the reaction tube 110. For this reason, even if the imaginary part Zn' of the overall impedance Zn is reduced by increasing the number of power electrodes 121 according to the limit of increase in the number of power electrodes 121, the imaginary part Zn' of the overall impedance Zn may not be reduced to the minimum imaginary part Zn' of the overall impedance Zn.

[0118] Therefore, the high-frequency power supply part 150 may apply a high-frequency power having a frequency selected in the range of approximately 4 MHz to approximately 40 MHz to each of the plurality of power supply electrodes 121a and 121b. In addition, as the number of power supply electrodes 121 increases, the plasma generation space increases. Therefore, the same (or a certain level) plasma density must be provided in all plasma generation spaces for plasma uniformity in the discharge space 125. For this, a high-frequency power having the same frequency (or within an error range of ±10%) may be applied to each of the power supply electrodes 121.

[0119] For example, in the case of a four-electrode structure in which two ground electrodes 122 are disposed between two power electrodes 121 , high-frequency power having a frequency of approximately 27 MHz (or approximately 27.12 MHz) may be applied to each of the power electrodes 121 .

[0120] The power distribution component 155 may be disposed between the high-frequency power supply component 150 and the plurality of power supply electrodes 121 to distribute the high-frequency power supplied from the high-frequency power supply component 150, thereby providing the distributed high-frequency power to each of the plurality of power supply electrodes 121a and 121b. Here, the power distribution component 155 may be a power distributor, which is disposed between the high-frequency power supply component 150 and the plurality of power supply electrodes 121 to distribute the high-frequency power supplied (or output) from the high-frequency power supply component 150. The high-frequency power distributed as described above may be provided to each of the plurality of power supply electrodes 121a and 121b. In this case, the same power (or voltage) may be applied to each of the plurality of power supply electrodes 121a and 121b, and therefore, uniform plasma may be generated in the space between each of the power supply electrodes 121 and each of the ground electrodes 122.

[0121] Figure 5 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the supply of high frequency power according to an exemplary embodiment. Here, Figure 5 (a) shows a case where high-frequency power is supplied to each of a plurality of power supply electrodes by using one variable capacitor and one fixed capacitor, Figure 5 (b) shows a case where high-frequency power is supplied to each of a plurality of power supply electrodes through a plurality of high-frequency power supply components, and Figure 5 (c) shows a case where high-frequency power is supplied to each of a plurality of power supply electrodes by using a plurality of variable capacitors.

[0122] refer to Figure 5 ,like Figure 5 As shown in (b), high-frequency power may be applied to the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b respectively by the plurality of high-frequency power supply components 150a and 150b, but different powers may be applied to the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b respectively due to the performance difference between the plurality of high-frequency power supply components 150a and 150b. As a result, non-uniform plasma having different plasma densities may be generated in each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122. In addition, when high-frequency power is applied to each of the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b by the plurality of high-frequency power supply components 150a and 150b to discharge plasma, all high-frequency power may be concentrated to one side where plasma is generated due to low impedance, and therefore, plasma may not be uniformly generated in the space between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122. In addition, electrical damage may easily occur in the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122, which generate plasma.

[0123] However, when high-frequency power supplied from one high-frequency power supply component 150 is distributed through the power distribution component 155 and provided to each of the multiple power electrodes 121a and 121b, the same power can be applied to the multiple power electrodes 121, and thus, uniform plasma can be generated in the space between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122.

[0124] The formation of plasma between each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 may be non-uniform due to various (external) factors, and therefore, the plasma density generated in each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 may be non-uniform with respect to each other. Specifically, when at least a portion of the power electrode 121 is disposed outside the partition wall 115, the partition wall 115 may be disposed in the space between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122. Therefore, the non-uniformity of the plasma density in each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 may be further enhanced. In this case, the intensity or ratio of the high-frequency power supplied to each of the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b may be adjusted by the power distribution part 155, and then, the high-frequency power adjusted in intensity or ratio may be supplied to each of the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b. As a result, uniform plasma may be generated in each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122.

[0125] In addition, when the plasma density generated in the space between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 is not non-uniform, the high-frequency power output from one high-frequency power supply part 150 can be equally distributed to be supplied to the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b. Here, the high-frequency power supply part 150 can supply RF power in the form of pulses to the plurality of power electrodes 121, and can also supply RF power by adjusting the width and duty ratio of the pulses.

[0126] Here, the power distribution component 155 may include a variable capacitor 155a disposed between a distribution point 155b and at least one power electrode 121a or 121b among the plurality of power electrodes 121, and high-frequency power is distributed to each of the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b at the distribution point 155b. The variable capacitor 155a may be disposed between a distribution point 155b and at least one power electrode 121a or 121b among the plurality of power electrodes 121, and high-frequency power is distributed to each of the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b at the distribution point 155b. In addition, the variable capacitor 155a may change capacitance (or storage capacity) to adjust the magnitude or ratio of high-frequency power supplied from the high-frequency power supply component 150.

[0127] For example, in Figure 5A variable capacitor 155a is provided in the power distribution part 155 shown in (a) of FIG. That is, the fixed capacitor 155c may be provided between the distribution point 155b and one of the power electrodes 121a or 121b among the plurality of power electrodes 121, and the variable capacitor 155a may be provided between the distribution point 155b and another power electrode 121b or 121a among the plurality of power electrodes 121. As a result, the variable capacitor 155a may be adjusted according to the plasma density generated in the space between one power electrode 121a or 121b and one ground electrode 122a or 122b to adjust the plasma density generated in the space between another power electrode 121b or 121a and the ground electrode 122b or 122a. Here, the plasma density generated in the space between another power electrode 121b or power electrode 121a and the ground electrode 122b or ground electrode 122a can be adjusted to be the same as the plasma density generated in the space between one power electrode 121a or power electrode 121b and the ground electrode 122a or ground electrode 122b.

[0128] Multiple variable capacitors 155a can be as follows Figure 5 The plurality of variable capacitors 155a may be respectively connected (or arranged) between the distribution points 155b and the plurality of power electrodes 121, and the high frequency power supplied from the high frequency power supply component 150 is distributed at the distribution points 155b. Here, the plurality of variable capacitors 155a may adjust the magnitude or ratio of the high frequency power supplied from the electrically connected high frequency power supply component 150.

[0129] In this embodiment, the variable capacitor 155a can be installed at the rear end (or back) of the distribution point 155b to be set between the distribution point 155b and at least one power electrode 121a or 121b of the multiple power electrodes 121, thereby adjusting the plasma density in each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122.

[0130] The batch type substrate processing apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment may further include a control part 160 for selectively adjusting the high frequency power applied to each of the plurality of power supply electrodes 121 a and 121 b according to a plasma state.

[0131] The control part 160 can selectively adjust the high frequency power applied to each of the plurality of power supply electrodes 121a and 121b according to the plasma state such as discharge current, discharge voltage and phase. Here, the control part 160 can be connected to the power distribution part 155 to control the variable capacitor 155a, thereby adjusting the intensity or ratio of the high frequency power applied to each of the plurality of power supply electrodes 121a and 121b.

[0132] For example, the batch type substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the exemplary embodiment may further include a plasma measuring part (not shown) measuring the plasma density of each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122. The control part 160 may adjust the high frequency power applied to each of the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b according to the plasma density measured in the plasma measuring part (not shown).

[0133] The plasma measuring part (not shown) may measure the plasma density of each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122, and may also measure the plasma density by measuring discharge characteristic values ​​such as discharge current, discharge voltage, and phase. For example, the plasma measuring part (not shown) may include a probe rod, and the probe rod may be disposed in each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 to measure the discharge characteristic values ​​of the plasma generated in each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122. As a result, the plasma measuring part (not shown) may measure the plasma density.

[0134] The control component 160 may receive information of the plasma density measured by the plasma measurement component (not shown) to adjust the high-frequency power applied to each of the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b according to the measured plasma density. Here, the control component 160 may be connected to the power distribution component 155 to control the variable capacitor 155a, thereby adjusting the intensity or ratio of the high-frequency power applied to each of the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b. For example, a probe rod may be disposed in each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 to adjust the magnitude or ratio of the high-frequency power through the variable capacitor 155a. Therefore, the discharge characteristic value (e.g., discharge current, discharge voltage, phase, etc.) and / or the plasma density of the plasma generated in each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 may be measured from the probe rod to adjust the magnitude or ratio of the high-frequency power applied to each of the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b.

[0135] In this embodiment, the magnitude or ratio of high frequency power applied to each of the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b can be controlled so that the deposition of radicals required for the substrate treatment process can be uniformly and variably adjusted to solve the limitation of non-uniform plasma density distribution.

[0136] The batch type substrate processing apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment may further include a plurality of gas supply pipes 170 supplying a process gas, which is decomposed by plasma, toward each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 through the exhaust holes 171 .

[0137] The plurality of gas supply pipes 170 may supply the process gas toward each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 through the exhaust holes 171. Here, the plurality of gas supply pipes 170 may supply the process gas to each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122, and the supplied process gas may be decomposed by plasma in each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122. Also, the plurality of gas supply pipes 170 may include the exhaust holes 171, and the exhaust holes 171 may be provided in the form of slits extending in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110 and provided in plurality to be arranged in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110. The exhaust holes 171 may supply (or exhaust) the process gas supplied through the passage of the gas supply pipes 170 to the exhaust space 125. Here, the exhaust holes 171 may be defined toward the space between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 and may supply the process gas into the space between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122.

[0138] For example, a plurality of gas supply pipes 170 may be disposed outside the exhaust space 125 to extend in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110, and then disposed outside (in the pipeline) in the width direction of the reaction tube 110 from the pipeline connected along the arrangement of the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122. Here, the exhaust holes 171 of the gas supply pipes 170 may be respectively disposed to face each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122. The gas supply pipes 170 may supply the process gas to the exhaust space 125 so that the process gas required for the process of processing the substrate 10 therein is decomposed in the plasma forming part 120. Here, when the exhaust space 125 is filled with the process gas supplied from the plurality of gas supply pipes 170, a predetermined high frequency power may be applied to each of the plurality of power electrodes 121a and 121b to form a pair (or face each other), thereby generating plasma between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122. In addition, the process gas excited and decomposed into a plasma state may be provided to the inside of the processing space 111 so that the substrate processing process is performed.

[0139] A plurality of gas supply pipes 170 may be disposed outside in the width direction of the reaction tube 110 from the pipelines connected along the arrangement of the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122, and when the discharge holes 171 of the gas supply pipes 170 are respectively disposed to face each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122, the discharge holes 171 of the gas supply pipes 170 may face the space between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 to directly supply (or transfer) the process gas into the space between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122. Therefore, the plasma decomposition rate of the process gas may be increased. That is, the process gas supplied through the discharge holes 171 of the gas supply pipes 170 may be directly supplied to the space between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122, in which plasma is generated (or formed) (that is, plasma is generated), and thus the time taken to diffuse the process gas to be decomposed into the plasma generation space may be shortened. Therefore, the decomposition rate of the process gas may be improved to improve the plasma decomposition rate.

[0140] In addition, a plurality of gas supply pipes 170 may be disposed outside the reaction tube 110 in the width direction from the pipelines connected along the arrangement of the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122, and the discharge holes 171 of the gas supply pipes 170 may be respectively disposed to face each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122, thereby reducing the volume of the discharge space 125 surrounded by the partition wall 115. Therefore, the time taken to uniformly diffuse the process gas supplied into the discharge space 125 can be reduced, and the process gas plasma can be decomposed to reduce the time taken to supply the process gas to the process space 111. Figure 1 In the embodiment, a plurality of gas supply pipes 170 protrude from the outer surface of the reaction tube 110 and are respectively disposed between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122. However, the positions of the plurality of gas supply pipes 170 are not particularly limited as long as the plurality of gas supply pipes 170 are disposed between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122 and are disposed outside the extension lines of the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122.

[0141] The processing gas may include one or more gases, and may include a source gas and / or a reaction gas that reacts with the source gas, and the source gas and the reaction gas may react to form a thin film. Here, the processing gas decomposed by the plasma may be a reaction gas, and the source gas may be directly supplied to the processing space 111 through a separate source gas supply pipe 175. Unlike the source gas supply pipe 175 that directly supplies the source gas to the processing space 111, the gas supply pipe 170 first supplies the reaction gas (or processing gas) to the exhaust space 125 in the plasma forming part 120. Here, the reaction gas may be activated by the plasma and then provided to the processing space 111. For example, when the thin film material to be deposited on the substrate 10 is silicon nitride, the source gas may include a gas including (or containing) silicon (e.g., dichlorosilane (SiH2Cl2, DCS), etc.), and the reaction gas may include a nitrogen-containing gas (e.g., NH3, N2O, NO, etc.).

[0142] In this embodiment, a reaction gas such as NH 3 , N 2 O, and NO having a relatively high gas decomposition temperature compared to a gas decomposition temperature of a source gas decomposed even at a low temperature may be supplied to the plasma forming part 120 , and thus, the reaction gas may be effectively decomposed by the plasma forming part 120 and provided to the processing space.

[0143] The batch type substrate processing apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment may further include a heating device (not shown) surrounding the reaction tube 110 to heat the plurality of substrates 10. Also, the substrate boat 50 may be rotated by a rotating device (not shown) connected to a lower portion of the substrate boat 50 in order to achieve uniformity of the substrate processing process.

[0144] In addition, the plasma forming part 120 may include a plurality of injection holes 123 disposed to be offset with respect to the discharge direction of the discharge hole 171 and arranged in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110 to supply radicals of the process gas decomposed by the plasma to the process space 111. The plurality of injection holes 123 may be arranged in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110, may supply radicals from the process gas decomposed by the plasma to the process space 111, and may be disposed to be offset with respect to the discharge direction of the discharge hole 171. Here, the plurality of injection holes 123 may be provided in a plurality of columns arranged in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110, and each of the columns may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the reaction tube 110.

[0145] That is, the injection holes 123 and the exhaust holes 171 may be disposed to be offset relative to each other in the radial direction from the central axis of the reaction tube 110, and may be offset relative to each other in the radial direction from the central axis of the reaction tube 110 to the injection holes 123 and in the radial direction from the central axis of the reaction tube 110 to the exhaust port 171. For example, the plurality of injection holes 123 may be respectively defined at different heights in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110 to correspond to the unit processing space of the substrate boat 50, and simultaneously disposed at positions corresponding to at least one of the plurality of electrodes 121 and 122 extending in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110. In this case, since the exhaust holes 171 of the gas supply tube 170 are respectively disposed to face each of the spaces between the power electrode 121 and the ground electrode 122, the plurality of injection holes 123 may be disposed to be offset relative to the exhaust direction of the exhaust holes 171. When the positions of the plurality of injection holes 123 and the exhaust holes 171 do not correspond to each other and are misaligned relative to each other, the processing gas supplied to the exhaust space 125 through the exhaust holes 171 may not be directly discharged to the processing space 111 through the injection holes 123, but may be decomposed after a time tolerance for plasma decomposition and then supplied to the processing space 111, thereby further improving the plasma decomposition efficiency.

[0146] Figure 6 is a horizontal cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a plurality of gas supply pipes according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0147] refer to Figure 6 According to an exemplary embodiment, the batch type substrate processing apparatus 100 may further include a plurality of gas supply pipes 170, which are arranged outside each of the two sides of the plurality of electrodes 121 and 122 in the circumferential direction of the reaction tube 110 to supply the processing gas decomposed by the plasma into the exhaust space 125 through the exhaust hole 171.

[0148] Multiple gas supply pipes 170 can be arranged along the circumferential direction of the reaction tube 110 similar to the multiple electrodes 121 and 122, and are also arranged outside each of the two sides of the multiple electrodes 121 and 122. The multiple electrodes 121 and 122 are arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the reaction tube 110, so that the processing gas required for processing the substrate 10 is decomposed in the plasma forming part 120, and thus the processing gas decomposed by the plasma can be supplied to the exhaust space 125 through the exhaust hole 171.

[0149] When the exhaust space 125 is filled with the process gas by receiving the process gas from the plurality of gas supply pipes 170, a predetermined high frequency power may be applied to each of the plurality of power supply electrodes 121a and 121b to plasma decompose the process gas. The process gas decomposed as described above may be provided to the process space 111 so that a substrate treatment process is performed.

[0150] Also, the plurality of gas supply pipes 170 may include exhaust holes 171, and the exhaust holes 171 may be provided in the form of slits extending in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110 and provided in plurality to be arranged in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110. The exhaust holes 171 may supply the process gas supplied through the passage of the gas supply pipe 170 to the exhaust space 125.

[0151] Here, when the gas supply pipe 170 is disposed in the partition wall 115 (i.e., the discharge space), the discharge hole 171 may be defined to face the direction opposite to the power electrode 121. When the discharge hole 171 of the gas supply pipe 170 disposed outside the power electrode 121 is disposed to face the partition wall 115, the process gas supplied from the discharge hole 171 may gradually diffuse from the partition wall 115 facing the discharge hole 171 to the central area of ​​the discharge space 125, and thus, the process gas may be uniformly distributed in the entire space of the discharge space 125. Therefore, the entire process gas may be decomposed by plasma and provided to the process space 111.

[0152] On the other hand, when the discharge hole 171 of the gas supply pipe 170 disposed outside the power supply electrode 121 is not defined at a position facing the partition wall 115, but is defined at a position facing the power supply electrode 121, the process gas may diffuse into the discharge space 125 and thus does not have a time margin for plasma decomposition. Therefore, the process gas may be discharged into the process space 111 through the injection hole 123 of the plasma forming part 120. As a result, the process gas may be wasted, and thus, the process efficiency may be reduced.

[0153] However, in this embodiment, since the discharge hole 171 of the gas supply pipe 170 may be defined at a position opposite to the partition wall 115, the process gas may not be directly discharged into the process space 111 through the injection hole 123 of the plasma forming part 120, but may be uniformly diffused into the central area from the edge area (i.e., from the partition wall facing the discharge hole) of the discharge space 125 to be filled. Therefore, the time margin for the process gas to stay in the discharge space 125 may be increased to improve the plasma decomposition efficiency of the process gas.

[0154] In addition, when the gas supply pipe 170 is disposed outside the partition wall 115 (i.e., outside the sub-side wall of the partition wall 115), the process gas may be supplied to the discharge space 125 in the partition wall 115. Here, the discharge hole 171 may face the power electrode 121. In this case, since the gas supply pipe 170 is disposed outside the sub-side wall 115a and the sub-side wall 115b of the partition wall 115 to directly supply the process gas to the discharge space 125 in the partition wall 115, a uniform pressure may be generated in the discharge space 124 in a short time without generating a vortex in the discharge space 125. In addition, since the gas supply pipe 170 is disposed outside the partition wall 115, the volume of the discharge space 125 may be small, and thus a uniform pressure may be generated in the discharge space 125 in a short time.

[0155] Here, the plurality of gas supply pipes 170 may be symmetrically disposed at both sides of the radial direction CC′ extending from the central axis C of the reaction tube 110 to the center of the exhaust space 125. Here, the plurality of electrodes 121 and 122 may also be symmetrically disposed at both sides of the radial direction CC′ extending to the center of the exhaust space 125. When the plurality of gas supply pipes 170 are symmetrically disposed in the radial direction CC′ extending to the center of the exhaust space 125, the process gas may be uniformly supplied to the two spaces (or regions) of the exhaust space 125, and thus, the process gas may be effectively diffused within the exhaust space 125. In addition, since the plurality of electrodes 121 and 122 are symmetrically disposed at both sides of the radial direction CC′ extending to the center of the exhaust space 125, the plasma uniformity of the two spaces of the exhaust space 125 may be improved. Therefore, the amount of radicals supplied (or passing) between the plurality of injection holes 123 defined in the plasma forming part 120 and supplying the radicals to the processing space 111 may be uniform.

[0156] The batch type substrate processing apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment may further include an exhaust part 180 communicating with the reaction tube 110 to exhaust processing residues in the processing space 111 to the outside.

[0157] The exhaust part 180 may communicate with the processing space 111 to exhaust the processing residue in the processing space 111 to the outside. Here, the exhaust part 180 may be disposed to face the plasma forming part 120.

[0158] In addition, the exhaust part 180 may include an exhaust member 181 extending in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube 110, an exhaust line 182 connected to the exhaust member 181, and an exhaust pump (not shown). The exhaust member 181 may include a plurality of exhaust holes 183 facing the plurality of injection holes 123 of the plasma forming part 120 and arranged in the longitudinal direction (i.e., vertical direction) of the reaction tube 110 to correspond to the unit processing space of the substrate boat 50. Therefore, the process gas decomposed in the plasma forming part 120 and supplied to the plurality of substrates 10 through the plurality of injection holes 123 may pass through the substrates 10 and be sucked into the plurality of exhaust holes 183.

[0159] Therefore, since the plurality of injection holes 123 of the plasma forming part 120 and the plurality of exhaust holes 183 of the exhaust part 180 correspond to each other and are disposed in the same line in a second direction (e.g., a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate) intersecting the first direction (or the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube) in which the substrate 10 is laminated, the free radicals injected from the injection holes (123) can be introduced into the exhaust holes 183 to generate a laminar flow. That is, the free radicals injected from the injection holes 123 can flow in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate 10, and thus, the free radicals can be uniformly supplied to the top surface of the substrate 10. Therefore, the free radicals injected from the injection holes 123 can contact the surface of the substrate 10, and then move along the substrate 10 so as to be introduced into the exhaust holes 183.

[0160] As described above, in this embodiment, the processing gas can be decomposed by the plasma in the exhaust space separated from the processing space, and then supplied to the processing space to prevent particles from the thin film deposited on the inner wall of the reaction tube, thereby improving the efficiency of the processing process for the substrate. In addition, a plurality of ground electrodes can be arranged between a plurality of power electrodes spaced apart from each other to provide a ground electrode corresponding to each of the plurality of power electrodes so that the ground electrode is usually used, thereby preventing the double electric field from being induced into the ground electrode. Therefore, plasma damage due to the plasma potential increased in proportion to the electric field can be suppressed or prevented, and therefore, the life of the plasma forming component can be extended. The sputtering effect can be reduced by using a plurality of power electrodes to reduce the applied voltage, and the processing time can be shortened by using a high plasma density and free radicals. In addition, the processing gas can be supplied to each of the spaces between the power electrode and the ground electrode through a plurality of gas supply pipes to improve the plasma decomposition rate. In addition, since the plurality of injection holes of the plasma forming part are disposed to be offset with respect to the discharge direction of the discharge hole defined in each of the plurality of gas supply pipes, the process gas that is not decomposed by the plasma may not be introduced into the process space, but the process gas may be sufficiently decomposed, and then, free radicals may be supplied into the process space. The high frequency power supplied from one high frequency power supply part may be distributed by the power distribution part, and then provided to the plurality of power supply electrodes, so that uniform plasma is generated in the space between the power supply electrode and the ground electrode.

[0161] Although the embodiments have been described with reference to several illustrative embodiments of the embodiments, the embodiments are not limited to the aforementioned embodiments, and therefore, it should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles of the present disclosure may be designed by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the actual protection scope of the present invention will be determined by the technical scope of the appended claims.

[0162] In a batch type substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment, a processing gas may be decomposed by plasma in an exhaust space separated from a processing space and then supplied into the processing space to prevent particles from a thin film deposited on an inner wall of a reaction tube, thereby improving the efficiency of a processing process for a substrate.

[0163] In addition, a plurality of ground electrodes may be provided between a plurality of power electrodes spaced apart from each other to provide a ground electrode corresponding to each of the plurality of power electrodes so that the ground electrode is commonly used, thereby preventing a double electric field from being induced into the ground electrode. Therefore, plasma damage due to the plasma potential generated by the increase in proportion to the electric field can be suppressed or prevented, and thus, the life of the plasma forming part can be extended. The sputtering effect can be reduced by using a plurality of power electrodes to reduce the applied voltage, and the processing time can be shortened by using a high plasma density and free radicals.

[0164] In addition, the processing gas can be supplied to each of the spaces between the power electrode and the ground electrode through the plurality of gas supply pipes to improve the plasma decomposition rate. In addition, since the plurality of injection holes of the plasma forming part are arranged to be misaligned with respect to the discharge direction of the discharge hole defined in each of the plurality of gas supply pipes, the processing gas that is not decomposed by the plasma may not be introduced into the processing space, but the processing gas may be sufficiently decomposed, and then, free radicals may be supplied into the processing space.

[0165] High-frequency power supplied from one high-frequency power supply section may be distributed by the power distribution section and then provided to a plurality of power supply electrodes so that uniform plasma is generated in a space between the power supply electrode and the ground electrode.

[0166] Although the batch type substrate processing apparatus has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it is not limited thereto. Therefore, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A batch type substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a reaction tube configured to provide a processing space in which a plurality of substrates are accommodated; as well as a plasma forming part having a discharge space which is partitioned from the processing space by a partition wall extending in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube and configured to generate plasma in the discharge space by a plurality of electrodes extending in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube, Wherein the plurality of electrodes comprises: a plurality of power supply electrodes spaced apart from each other; as well as a plurality of ground electrodes disposed between the plurality of power electrodes, The plurality of ground electrodes are disposed to be spaced apart from the plurality of power electrodes, and The plurality of electrodes are configured to generate capacitively coupled plasma in each space between the power electrode and the ground electrode spaced apart from each other, wherein the plurality of ground electrodes are spaced apart from each other, The spacing distance between the plurality of ground electrodes is less than or equal to the spacing distance between the power electrode and the ground electrode.

2. The batch type substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an electrode protection member configured to protect the plurality of power electrodes and the plurality of ground electrodes, The electrode protection component comprises: a plurality of first electrode protection tubes, configured to respectively surround the plurality of power supply electrodes; a plurality of second electrode protection tubes, configured to respectively surround the plurality of ground electrodes; as well as The bridge member is configured to connect the first electrode protection tube and the second electrode protection tube facing each other.

3. The batch type substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the bridge member is configured to allow the first electrode protection tube and the second electrode protection tube to communicate with each other, and The batch type substrate processing equipment further comprises: a shielding gas supplying member connected to one of the first electrode protection tube and the second electrode protection tube that are connected to each other through the bridge member to supply shielding gas; as well as A shielding gas exhausting member is connected to the other electrode protection tube of the first electrode protection tube and the second electrode protection tube to exhaust the shielding gas supplied to the one electrode protection tube. 4 . The batch type substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the protective gas comprises an inert gas.

5. The batch type substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a high frequency power supply component configured to supply high frequency power; as well as A power distribution section is provided between the high-frequency power supply section and the plurality of power supply electrodes and is configured to distribute the high-frequency power supplied from the high-frequency power supply section so as to provide the distributed high-frequency power to each of the plurality of power supply electrodes.

6. The batch type substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the power distribution component includes a variable capacitor provided between a distribution point at which the high frequency power is distributed to each of the plurality of power electrodes and at least one of the plurality of power electrodes. 7 . The batch type substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a control section configured to selectively adjust high frequency power applied to each of the plurality of power supply electrodes according to a state of the plasma. 8 . The batch type substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of gas supply pipes configured to supply a processing gas decomposed by the plasma toward each of the spaces between the power electrode and the ground electrode through a discharge hole.

9. The batch-type substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the plasma forming component comprises a plurality of injection holes, the plurality of injection holes are arranged to be staggered relative to a discharge direction of the discharge hole, and are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the reaction tube to supply free radicals of the processing gas decomposed by the plasma to the processing space.

10. The batch type substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of gas supply pipes provided outside both sides of the plurality of electrodes in a circumferential direction of the reaction tube to supply the processing gas decomposed by the plasma into the discharge space through a discharge hole. 11 . The batch type substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the plurality of gas supply pipes are symmetrically arranged at both sides of a radial direction extending from a central axis of the reaction tube to a center of the discharge space.

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