Insulating window, reaction chamber and inductively coupled plasma processing device

Abstract

The present invention discloses an insulating window, a reaction chamber and an inductively coupled plasma processing device, which relate to the field of semiconductor technology, and are used to solve the problem that the yield and performance of the etching process are affected by the generation of polymer particles due to the uneven surface temperature of the ceramic window. The insulating window comprises: an insulating window body, a heating component and a temperature control component. The insulating window body has a cavity structure. The heating component is evenly arranged in the cavity structure, and is used to heat the insulating window body. The temperature control component is connected to the heating component, and is used to adjust the heating temperature of the heating component. The reaction chamber comprises the insulating window mentioned in the above technical solution. The inductively coupled plasma processing device comprises the insulating window mentioned in the above technical solution. The inductively coupled plasma processing device provided by the present invention is used to process wafers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and in particular to an insulating window, a reaction chamber and an inductively coupled plasma processing device. Background Art

[0002] In the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) processing device is generally used as a device for performing film formation or etching processing on a substrate of a semiconductor wafer. Figure 1 The following is a schematic cross-sectional view of an inductively coupled plasma device in the prior art. Figure 1 As shown, the inductively coupled plasma processing device includes a reaction chamber 1, and the reaction chamber 1 includes a reaction chamber side wall 11. A ceramic window 2 is arranged at the upper end of the reaction chamber side wall 11, and an inductively coupled coil 3 is arranged on the upper part of the ceramic window 2. The inductively coupled coil 3 is connected to a radio frequency power source (not shown in the figure). A gas injection device 4 is arranged in the middle of the ceramic window 2 for supplying a processing gas. A base (not shown in the figure) is arranged in the reaction chamber 1, and an electrostatic chuck 5 is arranged on the base for supporting and fixing a wafer 6 to be processed. Above the wafer 6 is a plasma processing area. In the plasma processing area, the inductively coupled coil 3 excites the processing gas into a plasma state to etch the wafer 6 in the reaction chamber 1.

[0003] At present, when the above-mentioned inductively coupled plasma processing device is used to process wafers, the generated by-products, such as fluorocarbon polymers, are easily deposited in the area where the temperature of the ceramic window is lower, thereby forming polymer particles in the area where the temperature of the ceramic window is lower. When the polymer particles fall on the wafer, they will affect the device performance and thus reduce the wafer yield. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide an insulating window, a reaction chamber and an inductively coupled plasma processing device, which are used to improve the uniformity of the surface temperature of the insulating window, thereby avoiding the deposition of polymer particles on the insulating window and improving device performance and wafer yield.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0006] An insulating window is used in a reaction chamber of an inductively coupled plasma processing device. The insulating window comprises: an insulating window body, a heating component and a temperature control component. The insulating window body has a cavity structure. The heating component is evenly arranged in the cavity structure and is used to heat the insulating window body. The temperature control component is connected to the heating component and is used to adjust the heating temperature of the heating component.

[0007] Compared with the prior art, the insulating window provided by the present invention includes an insulating window body and a heating component uniformly arranged in the cavity structure of the insulating window body. When the inductively coupled plasma processing equipment is working, the insulating window body is heated by the heating component, so that the insulating window body can be evenly heated, so that there is no area with a lower temperature in the insulating window body. The technical problem in the prior art that polymers are easily deposited in areas with lower temperatures of the ceramic window, thereby forming polymer particles in areas with lower temperatures of the ceramic window, and when the polymer particles fall, it will affect the device performance and wafer yield. Furthermore, the insulating window also includes a temperature control component. The temperature control component can adjust the heating temperature of the heating component according to actual needs to avoid waste of resources caused by excessively high temperatures, save costs and make the insulating window more widely used.

[0008] The present invention also provides a reaction chamber, comprising the above-mentioned insulating window.

[0009] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the reaction chamber provided by the present invention are the same as the beneficial effects of the insulating window described in the above or any possible technical solution, and are not described in detail here.

[0010] The present invention also provides an inductively coupled plasma processing device, comprising the above reaction chamber.

[0011] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the inductively coupled plasma processing device provided by the present invention are the same as the beneficial effects of the insulating window described in the above or any possible technical solution, and are not described in detail here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0013] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an inductively coupled plasma device in the prior art;

[0014] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of an insulating window according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of a part of the structure of the insulating window in an embodiment of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0016] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of a part of the structure of the insulating window in an embodiment of the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0017] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a part of the structure of the insulating window in an embodiment of the present invention Figure 3 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0019] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or indirectly connected to the other element.

[0020] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined. The meaning of "several" is one or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0021] In the description of the present invention, it is necessary to understand that the directions or positional relationships indicated by the terms "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", etc. are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0022] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0023] In the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) processing device is generally used as a device for performing film formation or etching processing on a substrate of a semiconductor wafer. Figure 1 The following is a schematic cross-sectional view of an inductively coupled plasma device in the prior art. Figure 1As shown, the inductively coupled plasma processing device includes a reaction chamber 1, and the reaction chamber 1 includes a reaction chamber side wall 11. A ceramic window 2 is arranged at the upper end of the reaction chamber side wall 11, and an inductively coupled coil 3 is arranged on the upper part of the ceramic window 2. The inductively coupled coil 3 is connected to a radio frequency power source (not shown in the figure). A gas injection device 4 is arranged in the middle of the ceramic window 2 for supplying a processing gas. A base (not shown in the figure) is arranged in the reaction chamber 1, and an electrostatic chuck 5 is arranged on the base for supporting and fixing a wafer 6 to be processed. Above the wafer 6 is a plasma processing area. In the plasma processing area, the inductively coupled coil 3 excites the processing gas into a plasma state to etch the wafer 6 in the reaction chamber 1.

[0024] At present, when the above-mentioned inductively coupled plasma processing device is used to process wafers, the generated by-products tend to condense in the area of ​​the ceramic window with lower temperature, thereby forming polymer particles in the area of ​​the ceramic window with lower temperature. When the polymer particles fall off, it will affect the yield and performance of the wafer.

[0025] Based on this, an embodiment of the present invention provides an inductively coupled plasma processing device for performing film forming or etching processing on a semiconductor wafer. The inductively coupled plasma processing device includes a reaction chamber, a base and an electrostatic chuck are provided in the reaction chamber for placing the wafer to be processed, and an insulating window is provided on the upper cover of the reaction chamber for sealing the reaction chamber.

[0026] Figure 2 The cross-sectional view of the insulating window in the embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Figure 2 As shown, the insulating window provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes: an insulating window body 100 and a heating component 110. The insulating window body 100 has a cavity structure 1001, and the heating component 110 is evenly arranged in the cavity structure 1001, and is used to heat the insulating window body 100. It should be understood that the insulating window body 100 here can be a ceramic insulating window body, or an insulating window body 100 made of other insulating materials. The shape of the insulating window body 100 is selected according to the shape of the actual reaction chamber. For example, the shape of the insulating window body 100 can be circular, or elliptical, etc.

[0027] Specifically, Figure 2As shown, the above-mentioned insulating window body 100 may include a top insulating window 1002 and a bottom insulating window 1003, and the top insulating window 1002 and the bottom insulating window 1003 are connected together. The connection method of the top insulating window 1002 and the bottom insulating window 1003 may be connected together by bonding, or by co-firing, etc., which is not limited here. Among them, a first accommodating space 1002A is provided on the side of the top insulating window 1002 facing the bottom insulating window 1003, and a second accommodating space 1003A is provided on the side of the bottom insulating window 1003 facing the top insulating window 1002. The first accommodating space 1002A and the second accommodating space 1003A constitute the cavity structure 1001 of the insulating window body 100. It should be noted that a central boring hole 1004 is also provided on the insulating window body 100 for placing a gas injection device (not shown in the figure). The gas injection device is used to inject reaction gas into the reaction chamber.

[0028] In practical applications, the above-mentioned heating component is placed in the accommodating space of the bottom insulating window, and the top insulating window and the bottom insulating window are connected together to form an insulating window. The wafer to be processed is placed in the reaction chamber, and the insulating window cover is set on the top of the reaction chamber, so that a closed insulating environment is formed in the reaction chamber. The reaction gas is injected into the reaction chamber through the gas injection device on the insulating window, and a high-density plasma is formed under the excitation of the electromagnetic field generated by the radio frequency energy to process the wafer. At this time, the heating component starts to work to uniformly heat the insulating window body, so that each area of ​​the insulating window body has the same heating temperature, and the heating temperature is higher than the formation temperature of the polymer. As a result, during the processing of the wafer, the polymer is no longer deposited on the inner surface of the insulating window, avoiding the problem of polymer particles falling on the wafer to cause particle defects, thereby improving the yield of the product.

[0029] like Figure 3 As shown, the insulating window further includes a temperature control component 120, which is connected to the heating component 110 and is used to adjust the heating temperature of the heating component 110 to ensure that the temperature of the heating component 110 is sufficient to avoid the generation of polymer particles.

[0030] In an alternative approach, Figure 3 As shown, the heating component 110 includes an electric heating element. The temperature control component 120 includes a first controller 1201 and a voltage regulator 1202 connected to each other. The voltage regulator 1202 is connected in series to the transmission line of the electric heating element, and is used to adjust the voltage applied to the electric heating element under the control of the first controller 1201, and to control the temperature of the electric heating element by adjusting the voltage to control the heating current of the electric heating element. It should be noted that the temperature range of the electric heating element can be controlled within 80°C to 140°C to suppress the generation of polymer particles in the etching process as much as possible, and at the same time, avoid energy waste.

[0031] The electric heating element may be a heating coil. The heating coil is evenly arranged in the cavity structure so that the cavity structure can be evenly heated. Specifically, the heating coil may be arranged around the central boring hole provided on the insulating window body as the center of the circle. The heating coil may also be arranged in an "S" shape along the hollow cavity of the insulating cavity body, etc., which is not limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] like Figure 3 As shown, the temperature control component 120 further includes at least one temperature sensor 1203. The at least one temperature sensor 1203 is used to detect the temperature of the insulating window body. To ensure that the temperature of the insulating window body is maintained within a preset range, so as to reduce the deposition of polymer particles. It should be noted that the number of the temperature sensor 1203 can be one or more, and the multiple temperature sensors 1203 are respectively arranged on the outside of the insulating window body (the side of the insulating window body away from the reaction chamber), and are used to detect the temperature of different parts of the insulating window body, and feed back the temperature detection results to the first controller.

[0033] The temperature control method of the temperature control component is specifically as follows: when processing the wafer in the reaction chamber, the first controller controls the voltage regulator to adjust the voltage applied to the electric heating element so that the electric heating element is heated. The first controller controls the temperature sensor to detect the temperature on the insulating window body, the temperature sensor sends the temperature detection result to the first controller, the first controller receives the temperature detection result sent by the temperature sensor, and the first controller determines the relationship between the temperature detection result and the preset temperature range. When the temperature detection result is not within the preset temperature range, the first controller further controls the voltage regulator to work to ensure that the temperature detection result is within the preset range.

[0034] In another optional manner, the heating assembly includes at least one heating pipe. The at least one heating pipe is evenly arranged in the cavity structure. The arrangement of the heating pipes here can refer to the above description of the arrangement of the heating coils, which will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the number of heating pipes can be one or more.

[0035] For example, when the number of the heating pipe is one, the heating pipe can refer to the above description on the layout of the heating coil, which will not be repeated here.

[0036] For another example, when there are two heating pipes, the two heating pipes can be arranged in an "S" shape at one end of the cavity structure. The two heating pipes can also be arranged in a substantially circular shape and concentrically or non-concentrically with each other. Of course, the two heating pipes can also use other heating pipe shapes other than circular, such as rectangular. In this case, the temperature of the insulating window body can be adjusted in different regions by controlling the different temperatures of each pipe.

[0037] The heating pipe contains a heating substance, which may be a gas or a liquid.

[0038] like Figure 4 As shown, the temperature control assembly 120 includes a heat supply source 1204 and a second controller 1205. The heat supply source 1204 is connected to the heating pipe and is used to provide heat to at least one heating pipe. The second controller 1205 is connected to the heat supply source 1204 and is used to control the temperature of the heat source provided by the heat supply source 1204. It should be understood that when the heating material in the heating pipe is gas, the heat supply source 1204 here is hot gas; when the heating material in the heating pipe is liquid, the heat supply source 1204 here is hot liquid.

[0039] The heat supply source can be selected according to actual needs. For example, the heat supply source can be a heater, which is connected to the liquid supply pipeline and can heat the liquid in the liquid supply pipeline to a preset temperature. For another example, the heat supply source can be an evaporator, which is connected to the liquid supply pipeline and can evaporate the liquid in the liquid supply pipeline into a gas state. When the gas temperature reaches the preset temperature, the gas is passed into the heating pipeline.

[0040] In practical applications, such as Figure 5 As shown, when the heating component 110 is a heating pipe, the temperature control component 120 may also include a temperature sensor 1203, which may be set according to actual conditions. For example, the number of the temperature sensor 1203 may be one, or the number of the temperature sensor 1203 may be two or more. The temperature sensors 1203 are respectively arranged on the outside of the insulating window body (the side of the insulating window body away from the reaction chamber). It should be noted that when there are multiple heating pipes, at least each heating pipe is provided with a temperature sensor 1203.

[0041] In the case where the temperature control component includes a temperature sensor, the temperature control method of the temperature control component is specifically as follows: when processing the wafer in the reaction chamber, the second controller controls the heat supply source to pass the heating material into the heating pipe, so that the heating pipe is heated. The second controller controls the temperature sensor to detect the temperature on the insulating window body, the temperature sensor sends the temperature detection result to the second controller, the second controller receives the temperature detection result sent by the temperature sensor, and the second controller determines the relationship between the temperature detection result and the preset temperature range. When the temperature detection result is not within the preset temperature range, the second controller controls the heat supply source to work to ensure that the temperature detection result is within the preset range.

[0042] In the absence of a temperature sensor, temperature control can be achieved by setting the supply temperature of the heat supply source to ensure that the temperature detection result is within a preset range. The specific temperature control method of the above-mentioned temperature control component is: when processing the wafer in the reaction chamber, the second controller controls the heat supply source to pass the heating material into the heating pipe according to the preset temperature, so that the heating pipe is heated.

[0043] The first controller and the second controller can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the present invention, so as to control the temperature of the insulating window body.

[0044] In the description of the above embodiments, specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0045] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An insulating window, characterized in that: Applied in a reaction chamber of an inductively coupled plasma processing device, the insulating window comprises: an insulating window body, a heating component and a temperature control component; The insulating window body has a cavity structure; The heating assembly is evenly arranged in the cavity structure and is used to heat the insulating window body; The temperature control component is connected to the heating component and is used to adjust the heating temperature of the heating component; The heating assembly includes at least one heating pipe; The temperature control component includes: an evaporator and a second controller, wherein the evaporator is connected to the heating pipe and the liquid supply pipe, and is used to evaporate the liquid in the liquid supply pipe into a gas state; the second controller is used to control the evaporator to pass the gas into the heating pipe when the gas temperature reaches a preset temperature.

2. The insulating window according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating assembly includes an electric heating element; The temperature control assembly includes a first controller and a voltage regulator connected to each other; The voltage regulator is connected in series to the power transmission line of the electric heating element, and is used to adjust the voltage applied to the electric heating element under the control of the controller.

3. The insulating window according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The temperature control component further comprises at least one temperature sensor; the at least one temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the insulating window body.

4. The insulating window according to claim 2, characterized in that: The electric heating element is a heating coil, and the heating coil is evenly arranged in the cavity structure.

5. The insulating window according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating component includes at least one heating pipe, which is evenly arranged in the cavity structure and contains a heating substance.

6. The insulating window according to claim 5, characterized in that: The heating substance is gas or liquid.

7. The insulating window according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The insulating window body is a ceramic insulating window body.

8. A reaction chamber, characterized in that: The reaction chamber comprises the insulating window according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. An inductively coupled plasma processing device, characterized in that: Comprising the reaction chamber described in claim 8.

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