Air intake device and semiconductor process equipment
Through the design of the double-layer air intake device, the reaction gas and surface treatment gas are independently transported, which solves the problem of poor repeatability and uniformity of the process results and improves the yield of the wafer.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202210575035.2
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2022-05-25
- Publication Date
- 2025-08-26
- Estimated Expiration
- 2042-05-25
AI Technical Summary
In the prior art, N2 plasma and reaction gases WF6, B2H6 and H2 are transported to the reaction chamber through the same uniform gas structure, resulting in poor repeatability and uniformity of process results.
A double-layer air intake device is adopted, including a first cavity and a second cavity, and the independent transport of reaction gas and surface treatment gas is achieved through the first connecting pipe and a plurality of second connecting pipes, respectively entering the process chamber through different uniform air holes to avoid mutual influence of gases.
It improves the repeatability and uniformity of process results, improves the yield of wafers, and reduces the possibility of gases affecting each other.
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Figure CN114743903B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present application belongs to the field of semiconductor equipment technology, and specifically relates to an air intake device and semiconductor process equipment. Background Art
[0002] With the gradual development of integrated circuit technology, feature sizes are shrinking. Traditional aluminum interconnect processes are limited by signal delays at small line widths. To address this issue, copper interconnects are being used instead of aluminum. This effectively solves the signal delay issue and significantly increases chip integration and device density. However, copper has diffusion issues. As a result, tungsten plugs have gradually become a widely used process technology in the semiconductor industry.
[0003] As the aspect ratio of the hole or trench gradually increases, it is difficult to achieve a good filling effect by simply generating a tungsten plug by chemical vapor deposition. The opening of the hole or trench needs to be passivated by an N2 treatment process to reduce the tungsten film generation rate at the opening of the hole or trench and improve the filling capacity of the tungsten plug.
[0004] The current process uses the same set of uniform gas structures for gas supply. Specifically, during the process, the two reactants WF6 and B2H6 are alternately transported to the reaction chamber through the uniform gas structure to carry out atomic layer deposition reaction to form a tungsten nucleation layer; then, N2 plasma is also transported to the reaction chamber through the uniform gas structure to perform surface treatment on the surface of the tungsten nucleation layer; then, WF6 and H2 are simultaneously transported to the reaction chamber through the uniform gas structure to carry out chemical vapor reaction to generate bulk tungsten.
[0005] However, in the above process, N2 plasma and reaction gases WF6, B2H6 and H2 are all delivered to the reaction chamber through the same set of uniform gas structures, so that the N2 plasma and the reaction gases will affect each other, resulting in poor repeatability and uniformity of the process results. Summary of the Invention
[0006] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide an air intake device and semiconductor process equipment that can solve the problem of poor repeatability and uniformity of process results when the current uniform gas structure transports multiple gases.
[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, this application is implemented as follows:
[0008] An embodiment of the present application provides an air intake device for supplying gas to a process chamber of a semiconductor process equipment, the air intake device comprising: a first cavity, a second cavity, a first connecting pipe, and a plurality of second connecting pipes;
[0009] The first cavity and the second cavity are stacked, and a first air inlet and a plurality of first air uniforming holes are opened on a side of the first cavity facing the second cavity, connecting the first and second cavities. A plurality of second air uniforming holes are opened on a side of the first cavity facing away from the second cavity, and some of the plurality of second air uniforming holes are connected to the plurality of first air uniforming holes in a one-to-one correspondence through a plurality of second connecting pipes.
[0010] The first connecting pipe passes through the second cavity and is connected to the first cavity through the first air inlet. A second air inlet is formed on a side of the second cavity away from the first cavity, and the second air inlet is connected to the second cavity.
[0011] The embodiment of the present application further provides a semiconductor process equipment, the semiconductor process equipment comprising: a process chamber, a base and the above-mentioned air inlet device;
[0012] The base is arranged in the process chamber and is used to carry the wafer;
[0013] The air intake device is arranged in the process chamber, and at least part of the multiple second air uniforming holes of the air intake device are arranged opposite to the base. The first connecting pipe of the air intake device and the air intake pipe connected to the second air intake holes both extend out of the process chamber.
[0014] In an embodiment of the present application, one type of gas (i.e., reaction gas) enters the second cavity through the second air inlet hole, diffuses in the second cavity, passes through a plurality of first uniform air holes, a plurality of second connecting tubes, and a portion of the second uniform air holes corresponding to the second connecting tubes in sequence, and is discharged from the second uniform air holes of this portion, so as to facilitate process reaction through the reaction gas; another type of gas (i.e., surface treatment gas) can be transported to the first air inlet hole through the first connecting tube, and enter the first cavity through the first air inlet hole, diffuses in the first cavity, and is discharged from the portion of the second uniform air holes in the plurality of second uniform air holes that do not correspond to the second connecting tube, so as to facilitate surface treatment through the surface treatment gas; based on this, the independent delivery of reaction gas and surface treatment gas in the process can be realized through the air inlet device, thereby avoiding contact and mutual influence between the reaction gas and the surface treatment gas, and further improving the repeatability and uniformity of the process results. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] Figure 1 Schematic cross-sectional view of a gas homogenizing structure in the related art;
[0016] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of the air intake device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;
[0017] Figure 3A schematic cross-sectional view of an air intake device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;
[0018] Figure 4 A schematic top view of the air intake device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;
[0019] Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of a partition disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;
[0020] Figure 6 This is a schematic structural diagram of the first wall disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;
[0021] Figure 7 This is a schematic structural diagram of the second connecting pipe disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;
[0022] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the process chamber, base, exhaust device and air inlet device disclosed in the embodiment of the present application.
[0023] Description of reference numerals:
[0024] 10-air inlet of the air grating; 20-air grating space; 30-air outlet of the air grating;
[0025] 100-air intake device;
[0026] 110 - housing; 111 - first wall; 1111 - second air-distributing hole; 112 - second wall; 1121 - second air-inlet hole; 1122 - avoidance hole; 113 - connecting wall;
[0027] 120- partition; 121- first air inlet; 122- first air uniformity hole;
[0028] 130-first connecting pipe;
[0029] 140- second connecting pipe;
[0030] 150- positioning piece;
[0031] 160-intake pipe;
[0032] A-first cavity; B-second cavity; C-expansion structure;
[0033] 200-process chamber;
[0034] 300-base;
[0035] 400 - exhaust device; 411 - upper exhaust grille; 4111 - air inlet grille hole; 4112 - first air duct; 412 - lower exhaust grille; 4121 - second air duct; 420 - exhaust pump; 430 - exhaust pipe; 440 - control valve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0036] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0037] The terms "first," "second," and the like in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a specific order or precedence. It should be understood that the terms used in this manner are interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments of this application can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein, and that the objects distinguished by "first," "second," and the like are generally of the same type, and do not limit the number of objects; for example, the first object can be one or more. In addition, the term "and / or" in the specification and claims refers to at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the objects connected are in an "or" relationship.
[0038] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below through specific embodiments and their application scenarios in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
[0039] refer to Figure 1 The related technology provides a uniform gas grid structure, which is provided with a uniform gas grid air inlet 10, a uniform gas space 20 and a uniform gas grid air outlet 30. During the reaction process, the two reactants WF6 and B2H6 alternately enter the uniform gas space 20 through the uniform gas grid air inlet 10, diffuse in the uniform gas space 20, and then enter the reaction chamber through the uniform gas grid air outlet 30 to carry out atomic deposition reaction and form a tungsten nucleation layer.
[0040] Subsequently, N2 plasma also enters the gas homogenizing space 20 through the gas homogenizing grid inlet 10, and after diffusing in the gas homogenizing space 20, enters the reaction chamber through the gas homogenizing grid outlet 30 to perform surface treatment and form a WNx film.
[0041] Then, WF6 and H2 are simultaneously introduced into the gas inlet 10 of the gas leveling grid, and enter the reaction chamber after passing through the gas leveling space 20 and the gas outlet 30 of the gas leveling grid to undergo a chemical vapor reaction to generate bulk tungsten.
[0042] However, in the above process, the surface treatment gas (N2) and the reaction gas (WF6, B2H6 and H2) are all input into the reaction chamber through the uniform gas grid, so that the surface treatment gas and the reaction gas will affect each other, resulting in poor repeatability and uniformity of the process results.
[0043] To address the above issues, the present invention discloses an air intake device 100 that can be used in semiconductor processing equipment to supply gas to a process chamber 200 of the semiconductor processing equipment. Of course, the air intake device 100 can also be used in other equipment, and the present invention does not specifically limit the application equipment or application scenarios of the air intake device 100.
[0044] refer to Figures 2 to 8 The disclosed air intake device 100 includes a first cavity A, a second cavity B, a first connecting pipe 130 and a plurality of second connecting pipes 140 .
[0045] The first chamber A is used to introduce one gas, which may be a surface treatment gas such as N2, and the second chamber B is used to introduce another gas, which may be a reaction gas such as WF6, B2H6, H2, etc. In some embodiments, the first chamber A and the second chamber B are stacked to form a double-layered gas intake structure. This design can reduce the space occupied by the gas intake device 100 to a certain extent, thereby meeting the gas supply needs of a wider range of semiconductor process equipment.
[0046] Taking into account that the first cavity A and the second cavity B are stacked, when the gas supply pipeline is arranged at a position close to the second cavity B and away from the first cavity A, in order to be able to introduce surface treatment gas into the first cavity A, a first air inlet hole 121 connecting the first cavity A and the second cavity B can be opened on the side of the first cavity A facing the second cavity B, and a first connecting pipe 130 is connected to the first air inlet hole 121. At this time, the first connecting pipe 130 is connected to the first cavity A through the first air inlet hole 121, so that the surface treatment gas can pass through the first connecting pipe 130 and the first air inlet hole 121 in sequence into the first cavity A, so as to facilitate gas supply to the first cavity A.
[0047] To connect the first connecting tube 130 to an external air supply line, the first connecting tube 130 passes through the second cavity B. Specifically, one end of the first connecting tube 130 is located within the second cavity B and connected to the first air inlet 121, while the other end of the first connecting tube 130 passes through the second cavity B to facilitate connection to the external air supply line. Alternatively, a hole may be opened in the wall of the second cavity B to facilitate the passage of the first connecting tube 130.
[0048] In order to discharge the surface treatment gas in the first cavity A and enter the process chamber 200 for the surface treatment process, in some embodiments, a plurality of second uniform gas holes 1111 are provided on the side of the first cavity A facing away from the second cavity B. The surface treatment gas in the first cavity A can be discharged through the plurality of second uniform gas holes 1111, so as to provide the required surface treatment gas for the surface treatment process. By providing a plurality of second uniform gas holes 1111, the area covered by the discharged surface treatment gas can be expanded, which helps to diffuse the surface treatment gas, thereby improving the uniformity of the surface treatment process. It should be noted here that the side of the first cavity A with the plurality of second uniform gas holes 1111 can be regarded as a uniform gas grid, and the surface treatment gas can be evenly distributed through the uniform gas grid. On the one hand, the uniformity of the discharge of the surface treatment gas can be improved, and on the other hand, the exhaust area can be expanded, so that the tungsten nucleation layer on the surface of the wafer can be treated in all directions to ensure the uniformity of the surface treatment.
[0049] To allow the introduction of reactant gas into the second chamber B, a second air inlet 1121 may be provided on the side of the second chamber B facing away from the first chamber A, and the second air inlet 1121 is in communication with the second chamber B. Thus, reactant gas may be introduced into the second chamber B through the second air inlet 1121. Optionally, an air inlet pipe 160 may be connected to the second air inlet 1121, and the air inlet pipe 160 may be connected to an external air supply line to facilitate the supply of gas to the second chamber B.
[0050] Taking into account that the first chamber A and the second chamber B are stacked, when the wafer is located close to the first chamber A and away from the second chamber B, in order to facilitate the reaction gas in the second chamber B to cover the wafer surface to meet the process requirements, in an embodiment of the present application, the reaction gas in the second chamber B can be directly transported across the first chamber A to the second gas uniforming hole 1111 through multiple second connecting pipes 140, and then introduced into the process chamber 200 through the second gas uniforming hole 1111 to perform a deposition process on the wafer in the process chamber 200.
[0051] Based on the above situation, a plurality of first gas-uniform holes 122 can be provided on the side of the first chamber A facing the second chamber B (i.e., the partition 120 described below), and the number of the first gas-uniform holes 122 is less than the number of the second gas-uniform holes 1111; further, some of the plurality of second gas-uniform holes 1111 are connected to the plurality of first gas-uniform holes 122 in a one-to-one correspondence through the plurality of second connecting tubes 140. In this way, the reaction gas in the second chamber B can sequentially pass through the plurality of first gas-uniform holes 122, the plurality of second connecting tubes 140, and some of the second gas-uniform holes 1111 among the plurality of second gas-uniform holes 1111, and finally pass into the process chamber 200 through some of the second gas-uniform holes 1111 among the plurality of second gas-uniform holes 1111, so as to facilitate deposition processing on the wafers in the process chamber 200. It should be noted here that the side of the first cavity A with multiple first gas uniforming holes 122 facing the second cavity B (i.e., the partition 120 mentioned below) can be regarded as a gas uniforming grid. The multiple first gas uniforming holes 122 in the gas uniforming grid are correspondingly connected to a part of the multiple second gas uniforming holes 1111, so that the reaction gas can be evenly distributed. On the one hand, the uniformity of the reaction gas discharge can be improved, and on the other hand, the exhaust area can be expanded, so that a relatively uniform thin film can be formed on the surface of the wafer by the reaction gas, so as to improve the wafer yield.
[0052] Taking into account that the number of second air uniform holes 1111 is greater than the number of first air uniform holes 122, after each first air uniform hole 122 is connected to the corresponding second air uniform hole 1111 through the second connecting tube 140, another part of the second air uniform holes 1111 remains that is not connected to the second connecting tube 140, but is connected to the first cavity A, so that the surface treatment gas in the first cavity A can be discharged through the remaining other part of the second air uniform holes 1111 to facilitate the surface treatment process.
[0053] In an embodiment of the present application, a double-layer gas uniforming grid is formed by opening a plurality of second gas uniforming holes 1111 on the side of the first cavity A facing away from the second cavity B, opening a plurality of first gas uniforming holes 122 on the side of the first cavity A facing the second cavity B, and a plurality of second connecting tubes 140. The double-layer gas uniforming grid can realize independent transportation of two different types of gases (i.e., reaction gas and surface treatment gas), thereby preventing the two types of gases from affecting each other, and further ensuring process uniformity and repeatability.
[0054] Based on the above-mentioned settings, the structure of the air intake device 100 in the embodiment of the present application is relatively simple, easy to design and manufacture, and has low cost; and when the air intake device 100 is applied to the process chamber 200 of the semiconductor process equipment, it occupies a relatively small space in the process chamber 200, which can be beneficial to the distribution of other structural parts in the process chamber 200; in addition, two different types of gases can be respectively input through the first cavity A and the second cavity B, and the two different types of gases are discharged through the second uniform gas hole 1111, so that the two different types of gases are conveniently in contact with the wafer respectively, which is beneficial to promoting the uniformity of the wafer after the process, thereby improving the yield of the wafer, and can also avoid the influence caused by the contact between the two different types of gases, thereby improving the repeatability and uniformity of the process results.
[0055] In some embodiments, the air intake device 100 may include a housing 110, which includes a first wall 111, a second wall 112, and a connecting wall 113. The first wall 111 and the second wall 112 are spaced apart and connected by the connecting wall 113. Thus, the first wall 111, the second wall 112, and the connecting wall 113 collectively define an inner cavity of the housing 110 to accommodate gas. Alternatively, the housing 110 may be a circular housing, a polygonal housing, or the like. The shape of the housing 110 is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.
[0056] In order to form the first cavity A and the second cavity B, a partition 120 can be provided in the shell 110. The partition 120 is located between the first wall 111 and the second wall 112, and the outer edge of the partition 120 is connected to the connecting wall 113. The partition 120 can separate the inner cavity of the shell 110 into the stacked first cavity A and the second cavity B.
[0057] It should be noted that since the first cavity A and the second cavity B are used to introduce two different types of gases, the two cavities need to be independent of each other and not connected. Based on this, the outer edge of the partition 120 can be sealed with the connecting wall 113 to prevent gas leakage between the first cavity A and the second cavity B.
[0058] The first air inlet 121 and the plurality of first air-uniform holes 122 are both provided in the partition 120. The first connecting tube 130 sequentially passes through the second wall 112 and the second chamber B. One end of the first connecting tube 130 is connected to the first air inlet 121 of the partition 120, while the other end of the first connecting tube 130 passes through the second wall 112 and exits the second chamber B. Based on this, when the first chamber A is separated from the gas supply side by the second chamber B, the first connecting tube 130 can pass through the second chamber B to connect the gas supply line to the first chamber A, thereby preventing the second chamber B from affecting the gas supply to the first chamber A. Compared to a method in which the first connecting tube 130 is connected to the first chamber A via an area outside the second chamber B, the arrangement of the first connecting tube 130 in the embodiment of the present application can avoid the first connecting tube 130 occupying additional space and affecting the layout of the gas inlet device 100 within the process chamber 200, and can also prevent the first connecting tube 130 from increasing the structural complexity of the gas inlet device 100.
[0059] Optionally, the first air inlet 121 can be opened at the center position of the partition 120 so that the surface treatment gas introduced into the first cavity A can be evenly diffused in the first cavity A, thereby improving the diffusion uniformity of the surface treatment gas and facilitating improving the uniformity of the process.
[0060] In addition, multiple first uniform gas holes 122 can be evenly distributed in the middle area and edge area of the partition 120 to facilitate uniform discharge of surface treatment gas. On the one hand, it can expand the exhaust area, and on the other hand, it can ensure exhaust uniformity, which is beneficial to improving process uniformity.
[0061] One end of each of the plurality of second connecting tubes 140 is connected to the plurality of first gas-leveling holes 122 of the partition plate 120, and the other ends of each of the plurality of second connecting tubes 140 are connected to a portion of the second gas-leveling holes 1111 of the first wall 111. Thus, the plurality of first gas-leveling holes 122 can be connected to a portion of the second gas-leveling holes 1111 through the plurality of second connecting tubes 140, so that the reaction gas within the second chamber B can be discharged through the second gas-leveling holes 1111. Furthermore, the connection between the second connecting tubes 140 and the partition plate 120 prevents the first chamber A and the second chamber B from being connected through the first gas-leveling holes 122, thereby preventing the two different types of gases from contacting and interfering with each other due to gas leakage.
[0062] Taking into account that the wafer to be processed is located on the side of the first chamber A away from the second chamber B, in some embodiments, multiple second gas uniforming holes 1111 are opened on the first wall 111. Based on this, the multiple second gas uniforming holes 1111 can be directed towards the wafer to facilitate gas supply toward the wafer, thereby making the gas distribution more uniform.
[0063] In some embodiments, the partition 120 is movably disposed within the housing 110 so that the partition 120 can be moved closer to or further away from the first wall 111. Based on this, the space sizes of the first cavity A and the second cavity B can be adjusted to meet different process requirements.
[0064] When more surface treatment gas needs to be introduced into the first chamber A, the partition 120 can be moved away from the first wall 111, thereby expanding the space of the first chamber A and correspondingly reducing the space of the second chamber B. When more reaction gas needs to be introduced into the second chamber B, the partition 120 can be moved toward the first wall 111, thereby expanding the space of the second chamber B and correspondingly reducing the space of the first chamber A. Based on this, adjustments can be made according to different process requirements, greatly expanding the adjustable range of the process.
[0065] When the distance between the partition 120 and the first wall 111 increases, the uniform flow time of the surface treatment gas in the first cavity A can be extended, thereby improving the uniformity of the uniform flow. In addition, adjusting the distance between the partition 120 and the first wall 111 can also adjust the energy of the plasma in the first cavity A. Specifically, when the distance between the partition 120 and the first wall 111 increases, the energy of the plasma is weakened, and when the distance between the partition 120 and the first wall 111 decreases, the energy of the plasma is enhanced. Therefore, the embodiments of the present application can adjust the uniformity of the uniform flow and the energy of the plasma by adjusting the distance between the partition 120 and the first wall 111, so as to optimize the process results.
[0066] Considering that one end of the second connecting tube 140 is connected to the partition 120, the length of the second connecting tube 140 needs to be adaptively adjusted during the movement of the partition 120 to avoid interfering with the movement of the partition 120. In some embodiments, the second connecting tube 140 may be an elastically extendable tube, with its ends respectively fixed to the partition 120 and the first wall 111. Therefore, during the movement of the partition 120, the length of the second connecting tube 140 can be adjusted to adaptively adjust to the movement of the partition 120. This prevents the second connecting tube 140 from separating from at least one of the partition 120 and the first wall 111, thereby preventing the first chamber A and the second chamber B from communicating and interfering with each other. Furthermore, it prevents damage to structural components such as the partition 120, the second connecting tube 140, and the first wall 111 during the movement of the partition 120. Therefore, the use of a retractable and deformable second connecting tube 140 ensures both the normal operation of the process and the integrity of the air intake device 100. Optionally, the elastic telescopic tube may be a bellows or the like.
[0067] To allow the first connecting pipe 130 to pass through the second chamber B without obstruction, in some embodiments, the second wall 112 is provided with a relief hole 1122 that communicates with the second chamber B, and the first connecting pipe 130 is movably disposed within the relief hole 1122. Thus, on the one hand, the relief hole 1122 provides relief for the first connecting pipe 130, allowing the first connecting pipe 130 to pass through the second chamber B from the side of the second chamber B facing away from the first chamber A and then communicate with the first chamber A, thereby delivering the surface treatment gas to the first chamber A. On the other hand, because the first connecting pipe 130 is connected to the partition plate 120 and is movable within the relief hole 1122, pushing and pulling the first connecting pipe 130 can also drive the partition plate 120 to move within the inner cavity of the housing 110, thereby adjusting the position of the partition plate 120 and, thereby, adjusting the space between the first chamber A and the second chamber B.
[0068] Optionally, the avoidance hole 1122 can be disposed in the middle region of the second wall 112. Accordingly, the first gas inlet hole 121 can be disposed in the middle region of the partition plate 120. The first gas inlet hole 121 and the avoidance hole 1122 are disposed opposite each other, such that the first connecting pipe 130 passes through the avoidance hole 1122 and connects to the first gas inlet hole 121. This ensures that the flow direction of the surface treatment gas remains unchanged, resulting in a smoother flow of the surface treatment gas, thereby reducing plasma energy loss. Furthermore, the location of the first gas inlet hole 121 in the middle region of the partition plate 120 facilitates rapid diffusion of the surface treatment gas within the first chamber A.
[0069] In order to prevent position interference between the air intake pipe 160 and the first connecting pipe 130, the second air intake hole 1121 can be staggered with the avoidance hole 1122. In this way, when the air intake pipe 160 is connected at the second air intake hole 1121 and the first connecting pipe 130 is passed through the avoidance hole 1122, the air intake pipe 160 and the first connecting pipe 130 can be separated from each other to prevent position interference.
[0070] Taking into account the airtightness of the second cavity B, a sealant, including a sealing ring, a sealing gasket, etc., can also be set between the hole wall of the avoidance hole 1122 and the outer wall of the first connecting tube 130. The sealant can be used to seal the first connecting tube 130 and the avoidance hole 1122 to prevent gas leakage due to poor sealing of the second cavity B.
[0071] To prevent the partition 120 from moving freely within the inner cavity of the housing 110, the air intake device 100 may further include a plurality of positioning members 150. The plurality of positioning members 150 are arranged at intervals on the connecting wall 113 along the direction from the first wall 111 to the second wall 112. Each layer of positioning members 150 is used to connect with the partition 120 to position the partition 120. Based on this, after the position of the partition 120 is adjusted, the corresponding layer of positioning members 150 can be used to lock the partition 120, thereby achieving the desired position and preventing the partition 120 from moving freely.
[0072] The distance between two adjacent layers of positioning members 150 can be set according to actual working conditions. In a more specific embodiment, three layers of positioning members 150 can be provided, and the distance between two adjacent layers of positioning members 150 can be a, with the distance between the middle layer of positioning members 150 and the first wall 111 being the reference distance d. On this basis, when a layer of positioning members 150 near the second wall 112 is used to position the partition 120, the distance between the partition 120 and the first wall 111 can be calculated as a+d; when a layer of positioning members 150 near the first wall 111 is used to position the partition 120, the distance between the partition 120 and the first wall 111 can be calculated as da. Of course, the arrangement of multiple layers of positioning members 150 and the distances between them are not limited.
[0073] In some embodiments, each layer of positioning members 150 may include multiple positioning members 150, and the multiple positioning members 150 are distributed on the connecting wall 113 along the circumference of the shell 110 to facilitate positioning of the partition 120 from multiple directions, thereby ensuring the stability and positioning accuracy of the partition 120.
[0074] In a more specific embodiment, the multiple positioning members 150 of each layer can be centrally symmetrically distributed on the connecting wall 113 of the housing 110 along the circumference of the connecting wall 113. Based on this, when the multiple positioning members 150 of each layer position the partition 120, the multiple positioning members 150 can exert a relatively balanced force on the partition 120, thereby alleviating deformation of the partition 120 caused by uneven force.
[0075] Optionally, the positioning member 150 can be a component such as a screw, a stud, or a pin. Accordingly, the connecting wall 113 is provided with multiple layers of mounting holes, each layer including multiple spaced mounting holes. The mounting holes can be threaded holes. The positioning member 150 can be set through the mounting holes so that one end of the positioning member 150 extends into the inner cavity of the shell 110, and the partition 120 is positioned by the end of the positioning member 150 located in the inner cavity of the shell 110.
[0076] In a more specific embodiment, the positioning member 150 may be a screw positioning pin.
[0077] Based on the above arrangement, the partition 120 can be supported by one end of the positioning member 150 located in the inner cavity of the shell 110, that is, after adjusting the position of the partition 120, the partition 120 is located above the mounting hole in the corresponding area. Thus, after the positioning member 150 is installed, the end of the positioning member 150 is located below the partition 120, thereby supporting the partition 120 to prevent the partition 120 from moving.
[0078] Of course, positioning holes can also be opened on the outer edge of the partition 120. After adjusting the position of the partition 120, the positioning holes are aligned with the mounting holes at corresponding positions, so that the positioning members 150 can be inserted into the corresponding mounting holes and positioning holes to achieve the positioning of the partition 120.
[0079] To reduce energy loss of the plasma during the gas intake process, a flared structure C may be provided on the outlet side of the first gas inlet hole 121. It should be noted that the partition plate 120 has a certain thickness and has an inlet side and an outlet side. The inlet side is disposed toward the second cavity B. The first connecting pipe 130 for supplying gas to the first cavity A is connected to the inlet side, and the outlet side is disposed toward the first cavity A to allow the surface treatment gas supplied by the first connecting pipe 130 to pass into the first cavity A.
[0080] Because the outlet side of the first air inlet 121 is provided with a flared structure C, i.e., an outwardly flared design, the cross-sectional area of the first air inlet 121 gradually increases along the gas flow direction (i.e., from the air inlet side to the air outlet side). This reduces the obstruction to the surface treatment gas at the outlet side as it passes through the first air inlet 121, thereby facilitating rapid diffusion of the surface treatment gas. This in turn improves the diffusion uniformity of the surface treatment gas and reduces plasma energy loss caused by obstruction of the surface treatment gas at the outlet side.
[0081] Similarly, the second gas inlet hole 1121, the first gas uniforming hole 122 and the second gas uniforming hole 1111 may also be provided with a flared structure C on their respective gas outlet sides to form an outward-expanding design to improve gas diffusion uniformity and reduce plasma energy loss.
[0082] refer to Figures 2 to 8 Based on the above-mentioned air intake device 100, the embodiment of the present application further discloses a semiconductor process equipment, which includes a process chamber 200, a susceptor 300 and the above-mentioned air intake device 100. The susceptor 300 is disposed in the process chamber 200 for supporting wafers. The air intake device 100 is disposed at the top of the process chamber 200, and at least some of the multiple second uniform air holes 1111 of the air intake device 100 are disposed opposite to the susceptor 300. The first connecting pipe 130 of the air intake device 100 and the air intake pipe 160 connected to the second air intake hole 1121 both extend outside the process chamber 200.
[0083] Optionally, the process chamber 200 is used to provide a process environment for performing semiconductor processes on wafers, and includes a sealed chamber body, through which the structures required for the semiconductor process can be accommodated. The base 300 is used to support the wafer. Considering that when performing semiconductor processes on the wafers, the uniformity of the process can be improved by rotating the base 300, the bottom of the base 300 can be connected to a support shaft, and the end of the support shaft away from the base 300 extends outside the process chamber 200 to facilitate transmission connection with an external drive mechanism. In this way, under the driving action of the drive mechanism, the base 300 can be driven to rotate by the support shaft, and the base 300 drives the wafer to rotate synchronously, thereby allowing the process gas to contact and react with the wafer surface more evenly, so as to improve the uniformity of the process and improve the wafer yield.
[0084] In addition, the semiconductor process of the wafer needs to be completed at a preset temperature. Therefore, the base 300 can be provided with a heating element, and a heating wire can be provided inside the base 300, so as to heat the supporting surface of the base 300 through the heating element, and heat the wafer through the supporting surface, thereby meeting the temperature requirements of the semiconductor process.
[0085] It should be noted here that for the specific structure and working principle of semiconductor process equipment, please refer to relevant technologies and will not be elaborated here.
[0086] In an embodiment of the present application, at least a portion of the second uniform air hole 1111 of the air intake device 100 is arranged opposite to the base 300, so that the process gas (such as reaction gas or surface treatment gas, etc.) delivered by the air intake device 100 can be diffused through the second uniform air hole 1111 to the area covering the entire base 300, thereby making the distribution of the process gas more uniform, so that each area of the wafer carried on the base 300 can be in contact with the process gas, and further making the process more sufficient and uniform, and ultimately improving the uniformity of the process and the yield of the wafer.
[0087] After each process is completed, the reaction exhaust gas in the process chamber 200 needs to be exhausted. Based on this, the semiconductor process equipment can further include an exhaust device 400, which can exhaust the reaction exhaust gas in the process chamber 200 to prevent the reaction exhaust gas from adversely affecting the next process.
[0088] In some embodiments, the exhaust device 400 may include an exhaust grid disposed within the process chamber 200 and an exhaust pump 420 disposed outside the process chamber 200, wherein the exhaust grid has an air inlet grid hole 4111 and an air passage, wherein the air inlet grid hole 4111 connects the inner cavity of the process chamber 200 with the air passage, and the air passage is connected to the exhaust pump 420 via an exhaust pipe 430, and the exhaust pipe 430 is provided with a control valve 440. Based on this, under the driving action of the exhaust pump 420, the reaction exhaust gas in the process chamber 200 can pass through the air inlet grid hole 4111, the air passage, the exhaust pipe 430, and the exhaust pump 420 in sequence, and finally be discharged by the exhaust pump 420, thereby achieving the exhaust of the reaction exhaust and preventing the reaction exhaust from affecting the next process; at the same time, the flow rate and pressure of the reaction exhaust gas flowing in the air passage can be controlled by the control valve 440 to control the reaction pressure during the process. Optionally, the air extraction pump 420 may be a dry pump, etc., and the control valve 440 may be a butterfly valve, etc.
[0089] Optionally, the air extraction grid may have an annular cavity, which is arranged around the base 300, and the inner wall of the annular cavity is provided with a plurality of air inlet grid holes 4111 which are respectively connected to the annular cavity along its own circumference, so that the reaction exhaust gas around the base 300 can be adsorbed from multiple directions to increase the area of the adsorption region and improve the adsorption efficiency. It should be noted here that the above-mentioned annular cavity plays the role of guiding and transporting the reaction exhaust gas and can be regarded as an airway. In addition, the bottom wall of the annular cavity is provided with an air outlet, through which the reaction exhaust gas in the annular cavity can flow into the air extraction pipe 430 to facilitate the discharge of the reaction exhaust gas.
[0090] In some embodiments, the exhaust device 400 may include a stacked upper exhaust grid 411 and a lower exhaust grid 412, wherein the air inlet grid holes 4111 of the upper exhaust grid 411 are disposed in an area adjacent to the base 300, and the air passage of the upper exhaust grid 411 is connected to the exhaust pipe 430 via the air passage of the lower exhaust grid 412. Based on this, the reaction exhaust in the process chamber 200 may sequentially pass through the air inlet grid holes 4111 of the upper exhaust grid 411, the first air passage 4112, the second air passage 4121, the exhaust pipe 430, and the exhaust pump 420, and finally be discharged through the exhaust pump 420. The coordinated use of the upper exhaust grid 411 and the lower exhaust grid 412 facilitates the exhaust of the reaction exhaust, thereby improving the exhaust efficiency. In addition, the lower vacuum grid 412 can also support and fix the upper vacuum grid 411 so that the upper vacuum grid 411 is located around the base 300, which is conducive to adsorbing the reaction exhaust gas.
[0091] Optionally, the upper vacuum grid 411 may have a first annular cavity, and the lower vacuum grid 412 may have a second annular cavity, wherein both the first annular cavity and the second annular cavity are used to guide and transport the reaction exhaust gas, so that the first annular cavity can be regarded as the first air duct 4112, and the second annular cavity can be regarded as the second air duct 4121, thereby facilitating the guidance and transportation of the reaction exhaust gas to improve the emission efficiency of the reaction exhaust gas.
[0092] The following will take the chemical vapor deposition of tungsten plugs as an example to explain the entire process in detail, as follows:
[0093] During the process reaction, the first step is: WF6 and B2H6 alternately enter the second cavity B through the second gas inlet 1121, and perform gas diffusion in the second cavity B. The gas passes through the first uniform gas hole 122, the second connecting pipe 140 and a part of the second uniform gas hole 1111 in sequence, and enters the process chamber 200 through a part of the second uniform gas hole 1111 to form a uniform tungsten nucleation layer on the surface of the wafer; the second step is: N2 plasma passes through the first connecting pipe 130 and the first gas inlet 121 in sequence into the first cavity A, and in the first cavity In the third step, WF6 and H2 enter the second chamber B through the second gas inlet 1121 and diffuse within the second chamber B. The gases then pass through the first gas-leveling hole 122, the second connecting pipe 140, and a portion of the second gas-leveling holes 1111, and enter the process chamber 200 through the portion of the second gas-leveling holes 1111 to undergo a chemical vapor deposition reaction on the wafer surface, forming bulk tungsten. The entire process is now complete.
[0094] Based on the above process, the gas inlet device 100 can avoid the mutual influence between N2 plasma and reaction gas (such as WF6, B2H6, H2), so that the repeatability and uniformity of the above process can be greatly improved, which is beneficial to improving the wafer yield.
[0095] To sum up, the embodiment of the present application can allow two different types of gases to be introduced into the process chamber 200 through their respective airways through the design of a double-layer cavity, so that the two different types of gases can be introduced independently, thereby avoiding the problem of two different types of gases remaining in the air intake device 100 and causing mutual influence; by designing the first air inlet hole 121, the second air inlet hole 1121, the first uniform air hole 122 and the second uniform air hole 1111 to be outward-expanded (that is, provided with an expansion structure C), it is more conducive to the rapid diffusion of the process gas, thereby improving the diffusion uniformity of the process gas and reducing the energy loss of the plasma; the two layers of uniform air grids are connected together by an elastic telescopic tube, so that the distance between the two layers of uniform air grids can be adjusted according to different process requirements, greatly expanding the adjustable space of the process.
[0096] The embodiments of the present application are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation methods. The above-mentioned specific implementation methods are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the guidance of this application, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms without departing from the purpose of this application and the scope of protection of the claims, all of which are within the protection of this application.
Claims
1. A gas inlet device (100) for supplying gas to a process chamber (200) of a semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: The air intake device (100) comprises: a first cavity (A), a second cavity (B), a first connecting pipe (130), and a plurality of second connecting pipes (140); The first cavity (A) and the second cavity (B) are stacked, and a first air inlet (121) and a plurality of first air uniforming holes (122) communicating with the first cavity (A) are provided on a side of the first cavity (A) facing the second cavity (B), and a plurality of second air uniforming holes (1111) are provided on a side of the first cavity (A) facing away from the second cavity (B), and some of the plurality of second air uniforming holes (1111) are connected to each of the first air uniforming holes (122) in a one-to-one correspondence through a plurality of second connecting pipes (140); The first connecting pipe (130) passes through the second cavity (B) and is connected to the first cavity (A) through the first air inlet hole (121); a second air inlet hole (1121) is provided on a side of the second cavity (B) facing away from the first cavity (A); the second air inlet hole (1121) is connected to the second cavity (B); The air intake device (100) comprises a housing (110), wherein the housing (110) comprises a first wall (111), a second wall (112) and a connecting wall (113) connecting the first wall (111) and the second wall (112). A partition (120) is provided in the shell (110), the partition (120) is located between the first wall (111) and the second wall (112), and the outer edge of the partition (120) is connected to the connecting wall (113), and the partition (120) divides the inner cavity of the shell (110) into the first cavity (A) and the second cavity (B); The partition (120) is movably disposed in the housing (110) so that the partition (120) can be moved closer to or farther away from the first wall (111); The second connecting tube (140) is an elastic telescopic tube, and two ends of the second connecting tube (140) are respectively fixed to the partition plate (120) and the first wall (111).
2. The air intake device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that The first air inlet (121) and the plurality of first air uniforming holes (122) are both provided on the partition (120); the first connecting tube (130) passes through the second wall (112) and the second cavity (B) in sequence and is connected to the first air inlet (121) of the partition (120); one end of the plurality of second connecting tubes (140) is connected to the plurality of first air uniforming holes (122) of the partition (120) in a one-to-one correspondence; The plurality of second air-uniform holes (1111) are all provided on the first wall (111), and the other ends of the plurality of second connecting tubes (140) are respectively connected to portions of the second air-uniform holes (1111) on the first wall (111).
3. The air intake device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that The second wall (112) is provided with a avoidance hole (1122), the avoidance hole (1122) is communicated with the second cavity (B), and the first connecting pipe (130) is movably inserted into the avoidance hole (1122).
4. The air intake device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that The air intake device (100) further includes a multi-layer positioning member (150), the multi-layer positioning member (150) being arranged at intervals on the connecting wall (113) along a direction from the first wall (111) to the second wall (112); Each layer of the positioning members (150) is respectively used to be connected to the partition (120) to position the partition (120).
5. The air intake device (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that Each layer of the positioning members (150) includes a plurality of the positioning members (150), and the plurality of positioning members (150) are distributed on the connecting wall (113) in a centrally symmetrical manner along the circumference of the connecting wall (113).
6. The air intake device (100) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that: The positioning member (150) is a screw positioning pin.
7. The air intake device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that An expansion structure (C) is provided on the gas outlet side of at least one of the first gas inlet hole (121), the second gas inlet hole (1121), the first gas uniforming hole (122) and the second gas uniforming hole (1111).
8. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: include: A process chamber (200), a base (300), and an air inlet device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7; The base (300) is arranged in the process chamber (200) and is used to carry a wafer; The air intake device (100) is arranged at the top of the process chamber (200), and at least part of the plurality of second uniform air holes (1111) of the air intake device (100) are arranged opposite to the base (300), and the first connecting pipe (130) of the air intake device (100) and the air intake pipe (160) connected to the second air intake hole (1121) both extend outside the process chamber (200).
9. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 8, wherein: The semiconductor process equipment further comprises an exhaust device (400), wherein the exhaust device (400) comprises an exhaust grid arranged inside the process chamber (200) and an exhaust pump (420) arranged outside the process chamber (200); The exhaust grid has an air inlet grid hole (4111) and an air duct, wherein the air inlet grid hole (4111) connects the inner cavity of the process chamber (200) and the air duct, and the air duct is connected to the exhaust pump (420) via an exhaust pipe (430), and the exhaust pipe (430) is provided with a control valve (440).
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Flow uniformizing assembly, air inlet device and semiconductor equipment
CN117438277A
Substrate processing device and substrate processing method
JP2018170499A