A process chamber and parallelism detection method

Abstract

The present application discloses a process chamber and a method for detecting parallelism. The process chamber includes a chamber body and a chamber cover disposed above the chamber body; a carrying device has a carrying surface for carrying wafers; a dielectric window has a first surface disposed opposite the carrying surface and a second surface away from the carrying surface; a detection component includes a processor and multiple detectors disposed on the chamber cover, along the projection direction of each detector on the carrying surface, a first distance is provided between the second surface and the corresponding detector, a second distance is provided between the first surface and the carrying surface, and a third distance is provided between the detector and the carrying surface. The detector detects the corresponding first distance, and the processor calculates the difference between multiple second distances based on the multiple first distances and multiple third distances obtained in advance, and compares the absolute values ​​of the multiple differences with preset thresholds respectively; and multiple leveling components are connected to the dielectric window. The process chamber detection and leveling operations of the present application are simple and efficient.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and in particular to a process chamber and a method for detecting parallelism. Background Art

[0002] Edge etching is a method of etching the edge of a wafer. It can etch silicon or particles at the edge of the wafer to reduce the generation of defects in subsequent processes.

[0003] During edge etching, the process chamber's dielectric window is essentially parallel to the electrode. The higher the parallelism, the higher the edge etching accuracy. Because the dielectric window itself can move relative to the electrode, and there is an assembly gap between the dielectric window and other components, the angle of the dielectric window relative to the electrode may change after the process chamber has been used for a period of time, causing the two to become non-parallel. Therefore, the parallelism between the dielectric window and the electrode must be tested and leveled before use.

[0004] Currently, multiple fixtures are typically placed between the dielectric window and the electrode. The parallelism between the dielectric window and the electrode is checked by pressing the fixtures and measuring their height. This results in frequent opening and closing of the process chamber during leveling, making the leveling operation complex. Therefore, it is crucial to provide a process chamber that can easily detect and level the parallelism between the dielectric window and the electrode. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In response to the above technical problems, the present application provides a process chamber and parallelism detection method, which can improve the problem of complicated parallelism detection and leveling operation between the dielectric window and the electrode of the existing process chamber.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, in a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a process chamber for use in semiconductor equipment, comprising:

[0007] A chamber body and a chamber cover plate disposed above the chamber body;

[0008] A carrying device, the carrying device is disposed in the chamber body and has a carrying surface for carrying the wafer;

[0009] a dielectric window disposed in the chamber body and having a first surface disposed opposite to the carrying surface and a second surface away from the carrying surface;

[0010] a detection assembly comprising a processor and a plurality of detectors disposed on the chamber cover, wherein, along a projection direction of each detector onto the carrying surface, a first distance is defined between the second surface and the corresponding detector, a second distance is defined between the first surface and the carrying surface, and a third distance is defined between the detector and the carrying surface, the detector being configured to detect the corresponding first distance, the processor being electrically connected to the plurality of detectors and configured to calculate a difference between a plurality of second distances based on the plurality of first distances and a plurality of pre-acquired third distances, and to compare the absolute values ​​of the plurality of differences with a preset threshold value;

[0011] Multiple leveling components are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the multiple detectors in the vertical direction, each leveling component is arranged above the corresponding detector, the medium window is connected to the multiple leveling components, and the multiple leveling components are connected to the chamber cover.

[0012] Optionally, the dielectric window includes an electrode portion, a connecting rod and an adjustment portion, the electrode portion is arranged in the chamber body and has the first surface and the second surface, one end of the connecting rod is connected to the electrode portion, and the other end passes through the chamber cover and is connected to the adjustment portion, and the adjustment portion is connected to multiple leveling components.

[0013] Optionally, the chamber cover includes a cover body and a mounting bracket arranged above the cover body, the mounting bracket is sleeved on the outside of the connecting rod, the leveling assembly includes a leveling top screw, the adjustment part is connected to multiple leveling top screws, and multiple leveling top screws are connected to the mounting bracket.

[0014] Optionally, the mounting bracket includes a support ring and an annular mounting plate, the support ring is arranged on the cover body, the annular mounting plate is arranged at one end of the support ring away from the chamber cover, and a plurality of leveling screws are connected to the annular mounting plate.

[0015] Optionally, the detector is a distance sensor, a plurality of the distance sensors are arranged below the mounting bracket, a plurality of the leveling screws are arranged above the mounting bracket, and the distance sensors and the leveling screws are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence in the vertical direction.

[0016] Optionally, the number of the detectors is three, the three detectors are not collinear and their projections on the horizontal plane are equilateral triangles.

[0017] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application further provide a parallelism detection method for detecting the parallelism of the dielectric window and the carrier device of the process chamber described in the above embodiments, comprising:

[0018] a measuring step, wherein each of the detectors detects the corresponding first distance;

[0019] a calculation step, wherein the processor calculates the difference between a plurality of second distances according to a plurality of first distances and a plurality of pre-acquired third distances;

[0020] In the judgment step, the processor compares the absolute values ​​of the plurality of differences with the preset thresholds respectively to judge whether the parallelism meets the requirement.

[0021] Optionally, after the judgment step, the detection method further includes an adjustment step: when any of the absolute values ​​is greater than the preset threshold, adjusting the corresponding leveling component to adjust the corresponding second distance, and returning to the measurement step until each of the absolute values ​​is less than or equal to the preset threshold.

[0022] Optionally, the multiple methods for obtaining the third distance include:

[0023] Placing a plurality of compressible cylindrical pressing blocks on the bearing surface, and arranging them in a one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of leveling assemblies and the plurality of detectors in the vertical direction;

[0024] The process chamber is vacuumed, the dielectric window is lowered by a preset distance and squeezes the plurality of cylindrical pressing blocks, and the plurality of detectors detect the first distance;

[0025] measuring the heights of the plurality of cylindrical pressing blocks after being squeezed and the thickness of the dielectric window;

[0026] The corresponding third distance is obtained by summing the first distance, the height of the cylindrical pressing block, and the thickness of the dielectric window.

[0027] Optionally, the detection method further includes obtaining a thickness of the dielectric window, where the thickness of the dielectric window is an average value of thicknesses at multiple locations of the dielectric window; or, the thickness of the dielectric window is a thickness at each point on the second surface corresponding to the first distance;

[0028] The calculating step includes: the processor calculating the difference between two of the second distances according to the first distances, the thickness of the dielectric window, and the third distances.

[0029] Optionally, the number of the detectors is three, the three detectors are not collinear, and their projections on the horizontal plane form an equilateral triangle, a first normal vector of the second surface and a second normal vector of the horizontal plane have an angle, and before calculating the differences between the plurality of second distances, the calculating step further includes:

[0030] The corresponding second distance is calculated according to the first distance, the third distance, the thickness of the dielectric window and the angle.

[0031] Optionally, the calculating step further includes:

[0032] Calculate the coordinates of each point on the second surface corresponding to the first distance in a pre-established coordinate system, wherein the coordinate system uses a horizontal plane on which any one of the detectors is located as a reference plane, a line connecting the projections of any two of the detectors on the reference plane as the X-axis, a perpendicular bisector of the line as the Y-axis, and a midpoint of the line as the center of a circle;

[0033] Calculating the first normal vector;

[0034] The angle is calculated according to the first normal vector and a second normal vector of the horizontal plane.

[0035] As described above, the process chamber of the present application can use multiple detectors to respectively detect the first distances corresponding thereto, and use a processor to calculate the difference between each of the multiple second distances based on the multiple first distances and the multiple pre-acquired third distances, and compare the absolute values ​​of the multiple differences with a preset threshold value. When at least one of the absolute values ​​of the multiple differences is greater than the preset threshold value, the first surface and the support surface can be adjusted to be substantially parallel by adjusting the leveling component so that the absolute values ​​of the multiple differences are all less than or equal to the preset threshold value. The process chamber of this embodiment is simple to operate and highly efficient during detection and leveling. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] The accompanying drawings herein are incorporated into and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application, and together with the specification, are used to explain the principles of the present application. In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for describing the embodiments. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without inventive work.

[0037] Figure 1 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a process chamber provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 2 1 is a schematic diagram of a top view of a chamber cover of a process chamber provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 3 1 is a flow chart of a method for leveling a process chamber according to an embodiment of the present application, provided in a comparative example of the present application;

[0040] Figure 41 is a flow chart of a first parallelism detection method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the calculation principle of parallelism detection provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 6 is a flow chart of a method for obtaining multiple third distances provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 7 1 is a flow chart of a second parallelism detection method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of another calculation principle of parallelism detection provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 9 It is a schematic diagram of the plane coordinate system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0046] The purpose of this application, its features, and advantages will be further described in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings illustrate specific embodiments of this application, which will be described in more detail below. These drawings and the accompanying text are not intended to limit the scope of the present application in any way, but rather to illustrate the concepts of this application to those skilled in the art by reference to specific embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, with examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, when referring to the drawings, identical numerals in different figures represent identical or similar elements, unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments are not intended to represent all embodiments consistent with the present application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with certain aspects of the present application, as detailed in the appended claims.

[0048] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device comprising the element. In addition, components, features, and elements with the same name in different embodiments of the present application may have the same meaning or different meanings, and their specific meanings need to be determined by their explanation in the specific embodiment or further combined with the context of the specific embodiment.

[0049] It should be understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. may be used herein to describe various types of information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are merely used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, first information may be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may be referred to as first information without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0050] Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein can be interpreted as "at the time of" or "when" or "in response to determining". Furthermore, as used in this article, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to also include the plural forms, unless there is an opposite indication in the context. It should be further understood that the terms "comprising" and "including" indicate the presence of the described features, steps, operations, elements, components, projects, kinds, and / or groups, but do not exclude the presence, occurrence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, projects, kinds, and / or groups. The terms "or", "and / or", "including at least one of the following" etc. used in this application can be interpreted as inclusive, or mean any one or any combination. For example, “comprising at least one of the following: A, B, C” means “any of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A and B and C”; and for another example, “A, B or C” or “A, B and / or C” means “any of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A and B and C”. An exception to this definition will occur only when a combination of elements, functions, steps or operations are inherently mutually exclusive in some manner.

[0051] It should be understood that, although the various steps in the flowchart in the embodiment of the present application are shown in sequence according to the indication of the arrows, these steps are not necessarily performed in sequence in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless clearly stated herein, the execution of these steps is not strictly limited in order, and they can be performed in other orders. Moreover, at least a portion of the steps in the figure may include multiple sub-steps or multiple stages, and these sub-steps or stages are not necessarily performed at the same time, but can be performed at different times, and their execution order is not necessarily performed in sequence, but can be performed in turn or alternately with at least a portion of other steps or sub-steps or stages of other steps.

[0052] It should be noted that in this article, step codes such as XX, XX, etc. are used for the purpose of expressing the corresponding content more clearly and concisely, and do not constitute a substantial limitation on the order. Those skilled in the art may execute XX first and then XX, etc. during specific implementation, but these should all be within the scope of protection of this application.

[0053] It should be understood that the terms "top", "bottom", "up", "down", "vertical", "horizontal", etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0054] For ease of description, the following embodiments are all described using the orthogonal space formed by the horizontal plane and the vertical direction as an example. This premise should not be understood as a limitation to the present application.

[0055] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 1 is a structural diagram of a process chamber provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the process chamber includes a chamber body 10 , a chamber cover 20 , a carrier 30 , a dielectric window 40 , a detection assembly 50 and a plurality of leveling assemblies 60 .

[0056] The chamber cover 20 is placed on top of the chamber body 10 to form a sealed chamber structure. During operation, the interior of the chamber body 10 can be evacuated to form a vacuum environment for wafer etching, and the chamber body 10 can also be inflated to restore the air pressure inside the chamber body 10.

[0057] The carrier 30 is disposed in the chamber body 10 and has a carrier surface 31 for carrying the wafer. As an example, the carrier 30 may be an electrode, and during etching, the wafer is placed on the carrier surface 31 of the electrode.

[0058] The dielectric window 40 is disposed within the chamber body 10 and has a first surface 411 disposed opposite the carrying surface 31 and a second surface 412 remote from the carrying surface 31. For example, when the carrying device 30 is an electrode, an accelerating electric field can be formed between the first surface 411 of the dielectric window 40 and the carrying surface 31 of the electrode, thereby enabling plasma etching of the wafer positioned on the carrying surface 31 of the electrode.

[0059] The detection component 50 includes a processor (not shown in the figure) and multiple detectors 51 arranged on the chamber cover 20. Along the projection direction of each detector 51 on the carrying surface 31, there is a first distance between the second surface 412 and the corresponding detector 51, a second distance between the first surface 411 and the carrying surface 31, and a third distance between the detector 51 and the carrying surface 31. The detector 51 is used to detect the corresponding first distance. The processor is electrically connected to the multiple detectors 51, and is used to calculate the difference between the multiple second distances based on the multiple first distances and the multiple third distances obtained in advance, and compare the absolute values ​​of the multiple differences with preset thresholds respectively.

[0060] Multiple leveling components 60 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with multiple detectors 51 in the vertical direction, each leveling component 60 is arranged above the corresponding detector 51, the medium window 40 is connected to the multiple leveling components 60, and the multiple leveling components 60 are connected to the chamber cover 20.

[0061] When the comparison result of the processor is that the above-mentioned multiple absolute values ​​are all less than or equal to the preset threshold, it means that the parallelism between the first surface 411 of the dielectric window 40 and the carrying surface 31 of the carrying device 30 meets the requirement.

[0062] When the result of the processor comparison is that at least one of the above-mentioned multiple absolute values ​​is greater than the preset threshold, it means that the parallelism between the first surface 411 of the dielectric window 40 and the bearing surface 31 of the bearing device 30 does not meet the requirements. The leveling component 60 corresponding to the absolute value greater than the preset threshold can be adjusted until all absolute values ​​are less than or equal to the preset threshold, so that the parallelism between the first surface 411 and the bearing surface 31 meets the requirements.

[0063] It will be appreciated that the process chamber of this embodiment can use multiple detectors 51 to respectively detect the first distances corresponding thereto, and the processor can calculate the difference between each of the multiple second distances based on the multiple first distances and the multiple pre-acquired third distances, and compare the absolute values ​​of the multiple differences with a preset threshold. When at least one of the absolute values ​​of the multiple differences is greater than the preset threshold, the leveling assembly 60 can be adjusted so that the absolute values ​​of the multiple differences are all less than or equal to the preset threshold, thereby adjusting the first surface 411 and the supporting surface 31 to be substantially parallel. The process chamber of this embodiment is simple to operate and highly efficient during leveling and detection.

[0064] It should be noted that when the process chamber includes only three detectors 51, the three detectors 51 should not be collinearly arranged, and the three intersection points O2 corresponding to the first surface 411 should not be collinear. The three non-collinear intersection points O2 can define a plane, and the three corresponding leveling components 60 adjust the heights of the corresponding three intersection points O2, thereby adjusting the inclination angle of the first surface 411. When the process chamber includes four or more detectors 51, at least three detectors 51 should not be collinearly arranged for leveling and distance measurement. The redundant detectors 51 can be used for parallelism verification (leveling verification) after leveling, or can serve as redundant backup for leveling and distance measurement.

[0065] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 1The dielectric window 40 may include an electrode portion 41, a connecting rod 42, and an adjustment portion 43. The electrode portion 41 is disposed in the chamber body 10 and has a first surface 411 and a second surface 412. One end of the connecting rod 42 is connected to the electrode portion 41, and the other end passes through the chamber cover 20 to be connected to the adjustment portion 43. The adjustment portion 43 is connected to a plurality of leveling components 60. It should be noted that the electrode portion 41, the connecting rod 42, and the adjustment portion 43 may be an integrated structure or may be interconnected through a connecting structure, which is not particularly limited in this embodiment. Since the leveling component 60 is connected to the chamber cover 20, the leveling component 60 can be supported by the chamber cover 20 to adjust the inclination angle of the adjustment portion 43. The adjustment portion 43 drives the electrode portion 41 to swing in the vertical direction through the connecting rod 42 to achieve height adjustment of each intersection O2 on the first surface 411 of the electrode portion 41.

[0066] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 The chamber cover 20 may include a cover body 21 and a mounting bracket 22 arranged above the cover body 21, and the mounting bracket 22 is sleeved on the outside of the connecting rod 42. The cover body 21 and the mounting bracket 22 may be an integrated structure, or may be connected to each other through a connecting structure, which is not particularly limited in this embodiment. The leveling assembly 60 includes a leveling screw, and the adjustment portion 43 is connected to a plurality of leveling screws, and the plurality of leveling screws are abutted against the mounting bracket 22. For example, the leveling screw and the adjustment portion 43 may be connected by a thread, and the height of each intersection O2 on the first surface 411 may be adjusted by rotating each leveling screw. In this embodiment, the leveling screw is abutted against the mounting bracket 22 to avoid directly pressing against the cover body 21, causing the cover body 21 to be subjected to large local stress and warped, thereby affecting the accuracy of the first distance measured by the detector 51.

[0067] As an example, see Figure 1 The mounting bracket 22 may include a support ring 221 and an annular mounting plate 222. The support ring 221 is mounted on the cover body 21, and the annular mounting plate 222 is located at the end of the support ring 221 away from the chamber cover 20. The connecting rod 42 of the dielectric window 40 extends through the annular mounting plate 222. A plurality of leveling screws are abutted against the annular mounting plate 222. In this embodiment, the force exerted by the leveling screws on the mounting plate 222 is evenly distributed across the cover body 21 via the support ring 221, thereby preventing deformation of the cover body 21 caused by concentrated force.

[0068] As an example, the detector 51 can be a distance sensor, with multiple distance sensors disposed below the mounting bracket 22, and multiple leveling screws disposed above the mounting bracket 22, with the distance sensors and the leveling screws disposed in a one-to-one correspondence in the vertical direction. For example, the detector 51 can be a laser ranging sensor, which emits a laser signal in the vertical direction (i.e., the projection direction) toward the second surface 412 and calculates the distance (first distance h) between the laser ranging sensor itself and the intersection O1 based on the returned laser signal. The laser ranging sensor can be disposed on the inner side surface of the cover body 21, or on the outer side surface of the cover body 21. When disposed on the outer side surface of the cover body 21, the cover body 21 can be made of a transparent material, or only the area corresponding to the light emitting area of ​​the laser ranging sensor can be made of a transparent material.

[0069] As a preferred example, the number of detectors 51 is set to three, and the three detectors 51 are not collinear and their projection on the horizontal plane forms an equilateral triangle. For example, the connecting rod 42 of the dielectric window 40 can pass through the center of gravity of the equilateral triangle, and the three leveling components 60 can be evenly distributed on the adjustment portion 43 at equal distances relative to the connecting rod 42, thereby further improving the leveling accuracy. For example, see Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the top structure of a chamber cover of a process chamber provided in an embodiment of the present application. The cover body 21 and the mounting bracket 22 are both circular. Three detectors 51 are located on the cover body 21, and the projection on the horizontal plane is an equilateral triangle. The center of the cover body 21, the center of the mounting bracket 22 and the center of gravity of the equilateral triangle coincide. The connecting rod 42 extends from the center of the cover body 21 and the center of the mounting bracket 22. The three leveling components 60 are respectively located on the adjustment part 43 and are opposite to the three detectors 51.

[0070] The above embodiments describe the process chamber and the leveling and detection principles of the present application in detail. Based on the above process chamber, the present application also provides a parallelism detection method. In order to more clearly illustrate the advantages of the detection method of the present embodiment, the present application provides a control example for comparison. Figure 3 , Figure 3 : is a flow chart of a method for detecting the parallelism of a process chamber according to an embodiment of the present application, provided as a comparative example of the present application. The detection method includes:

[0071] S301 , inflate the process chamber, open the process chamber, and place three compressible leveling fixtures of equal height, and the three leveling fixtures are not collinear.

[0072] S302, close the process chamber, evacuate the chamber, control the medium window to move downward, and press the leveling tool.

[0073] The leveling tool 101 is compressible, please combine Figure 1 The leveling fixture 101 can be a compressible cylindrical block that has stable dimensions after compression and can be restored to its original dimensions by external force. For example, the leveling fixture 101 can be made of PEEK (polyetheretherketone resin) 1000. In this step, ensure that the etched window 31 moves downward until each leveling fixture 101 is compressed and deformed.

[0074] S303 , inflate the process chamber, open the process chamber, take out the leveling fixtures, measure the heights of the three leveling fixtures after compression, and calculate the difference between the two.

[0075] S304: If any of the three differences is not within the tolerance range (ie, greater than a preset threshold), adjust the tilt angle of the dielectric window through the leveling component, and return to S301 until the first surface of the dielectric window is parallel to the bearing surface of the bearing device.

[0076] The control example inspection method primarily measures the distance between the first surface 411 of the dielectric window 40 and the supporting surface 31 of the supporting device 30 at three non-collinear locations using the leveling tool 101. Three values ​​are obtained, and the difference between each of the three values ​​is calculated. If the difference exceeds the tolerance range, the tilt angle of the dielectric window 40 is adjusted, and the three distances are remeasured until the difference between each of the three distances is less than or equal to a preset threshold. The control example inspection method requires frequent opening and closing of the process chamber, as well as gas and vacuum operations, resulting in complex operations and low efficiency.

[0077] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 : is a flow chart of a first parallelism detection method provided in an embodiment of the present application, which may include:

[0078] S401, measuring step, each detector detects a corresponding first distance.

[0079] It is understood that when the carrying surface 31 is horizontal, the projection direction of each detector 51 onto the carrying surface 31 is the vertical direction. The intersection of the projection line of each detector 51 onto the carrying surface 31 and the second surface 412 is defined as O1, the intersection with the first surface 411 is defined as O2, and the intersection with the carrying surface 31 is defined as O3. Then, the distance from each detector 51 to the corresponding intersection O1 is defined as a first distance h, the distance from each intersection O2 to the corresponding intersection O3 is defined as a second distance d, and the distance from each detector 51 to the corresponding intersection O3 is defined as a third distance L. Each detector 51 can directly measure the corresponding first distance h.

[0080] S402, a calculation step, in which the processor calculates the difference between the plurality of second distances according to the plurality of first distances and the plurality of pre-acquired third distances.

[0081] It should be noted that the multiple third distances L can be measured in advance, for example, can be directly measured by each detector 51, and the processor calculates the difference between the multiple second distances d based on the multiple first distances h and the multiple third distances L obtained in advance.

[0082] See also Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the calculation principle of parallelism detection provided by an embodiment of the present application. Taking the case where three detectors 51 and three leveling components 60 are correspondingly provided as an example, the three leveling components 60 are provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the three detectors 51 in the vertical direction, and the leveling components 60 are provided above the corresponding detectors 51. The medium window 40 is connected to the three leveling components 60, and the three leveling components 60 are connected to the chamber cover 20. The three detectors 51 are defined as the first detector, the second detector, and the third detector. The first distances corresponding to the three detectors 51 are h1, h2, and h3, respectively. The second distances corresponding to the three detectors 51 are d1, d2, and d3, respectively. The third distances corresponding to the three detectors 51 are L1, L2, and L3, respectively. The distances between the three intersection points O1 and the corresponding three intersection points O2 are T1, T2, and T3, respectively. As mentioned above, L1, L2, and L3 can be measured and obtained in advance and are known quantities. h1, h2, and h3 can be measured and obtained by the corresponding three detectors 51. The processor is electrically connected to the three detectors 51 and can calculate d1, d2, and d3 based on h1, h2, and h3 and L1, L2, and L3 as follows:

[0083] d1=L1-h1- T1 (1);

[0084] d2=L2-h2- T2 (2);

[0085] d3=L3-h3- T3 (3);

[0086] The processor further calculates the absolute value of the difference between d1, d2, and d3. When the second surface 412 is highly parallel to the first surface 411, refer to Figure 2 , we can make an approximation and assume that T1=T2=T3, and the three absolute values ​​are:

[0087] |d1-d2|=|[h2-(L2-L1)- h1]| (4);

[0088] |d1-d3|=|[h3-(L3-L1)- h1]| (5);

[0089] |d2-d3|=|[h3-(L3-L2)- h2]| (6);

[0090] S403, a determination step: The processor compares the absolute values ​​of the multiple differences with a preset threshold value to determine whether the parallelism meets the requirements. The processor further compares the absolute values ​​with a preset threshold value, where the preset threshold value can be 0.02mm, 0.025mm, 0.03mm, 0.04mm, 0.05mm, etc., and can be selected based on the accuracy requirements.

[0091] When the comparison result of the processor is that the three absolute values ​​are all smaller than or equal to the preset threshold, it means that the parallelism between the first surface 411 of the dielectric window 40 and the carrying surface 31 of the carrying device 30 meets the requirement.

[0092] In the embodiment of the present application, each detector 51 detects the first distance corresponding to it, and the processor calculates the difference between the multiple second distances based on the multiple first distances and the multiple third distances obtained in advance, and compares the absolute values ​​of the multiple differences with the preset threshold value to determine whether the parallelism between the first surface 411 of the dielectric window 40 and the bearing surface 31 of the bearing device 30 meets the requirements. The detection method of this embodiment does not require frequent operations of taking and placing the leveling tool 101 and inflation and vacuuming operations, and the detection operation is simple and efficient. In addition, in the detection method of this embodiment, the terms (L2-L1), (L3-L1), and (L3-L2) included in the calculation formula of the absolute value offset the installation height errors between the detectors 51. Even if there is a large error in the installation height of each detector 51 on the chamber cover 20, it does not affect the accuracy of the parallelism detection between the first surface 411 and the bearing surface 31.

[0093] If the processor compares the three absolute values ​​and finds that at least one of them is greater than a preset threshold, it indicates that the parallelism between the first surface 411 of the dielectric window 40 and the supporting surface 31 of the supporting device 30 does not meet the requirements, and the leveling assembly 60 can be adjusted to meet the requirements. Therefore, after the above step S403, the following steps may be further included:

[0094] S404, an adjustment step, when any absolute value is greater than a preset threshold, adjusting the corresponding leveling component to adjust the corresponding second distance, and returning to step S401 until all absolute values ​​are less than or equal to the preset threshold.

[0095] For example, when only |d1-d2| is greater than the preset threshold and d1 is greater than d2, the leveling component 60 corresponding to d1 can be adjusted to reduce d1, and the three detectors 51 re-measure h1, h2, and h3. The processor recalculates the three absolute values ​​according to the aforementioned method and compares the size relationship of the three absolute values ​​with the preset threshold until the three absolute values ​​are adjusted to be less than or equal to the preset threshold, so that the parallelism between the first surface 411 and the supporting surface 31 meets the requirements.

[0096] As an example, see Figure 6 , Figure 6 is a flow chart of a method for obtaining multiple third distances provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method may include:

[0097] S601. Place a plurality of compressible leveling tools on a carrying surface, and arrange them in a one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of leveling components and a plurality of detectors in a vertical direction.

[0098] See also Figure 1 The leveling tool 101 is placed on the carrying surface 31 , and each leveling tool 101 and the corresponding detector 51 are located on the same vertical line.

[0099] S602 , the process chamber is vacuumed, the medium window is lowered by a preset distance and multiple leveling fixtures are squeezed, and multiple detectors detect a first distance.

[0100] This step ensures that the dielectric window 40 is lowered to a point where each leveling tool 101 has a certain amount of compression, and then each detector 51 measures the corresponding first distance.

[0101] S603 , measuring the heights of the multiple extruded leveling fixtures and the thickness T of the dielectric window.

[0102] It should be noted that the thickness of the dielectric window 40 can be the average thickness of multiple locations on the dielectric window 40; alternatively, the thickness of the dielectric window 40 can be the thickness at each intersection O1 on the second surface 412 corresponding to the first distance, which can be directly measured. The height d of the leveling tool 101 after being squeezed can be directly measured using a measuring tool.

[0103] S604: Sum the first distance, the height of the leveling tool, and the thickness of the dielectric window to obtain a corresponding third distance.

[0104] For example, if three detectors 51 are provided, in the event of measuring three third distances, the first distances corresponding to the three detectors 51 are defined as h10, h20, and h30, the second distances corresponding to them are d10, d20, and d30, and the third distances corresponding to them are L1, L2, and L3. The distances between the three intersection points O1 and the corresponding three intersection points O2 are T10, T20, and T30, respectively. Then L1, L2, and L3 are:

[0105] L1= d10+ h10+ T10 (7);

[0106] L2= d20+ h20+ T20 (8);

[0107] L3= d30+ h30+ T30 (9).

[0108] Substituting equations (7), (8), and (9) into equations (4), (5), and (6) can calculate the three absolute values.

[0109] Furthermore, since the first surface 411 and the second surface 412 of the dielectric window 40 may not be parallel, there is a thickness error in the dielectric window 40 at the intersection O1 corresponding to each detector 51. When the thickness error is not negligible compared to the preset threshold, even if the parallelism is determined to be OK by the above-mentioned detection method, the first surface 411 of the dielectric window 40 and the supporting surface 31 of the supporting device 30 do not actually meet the parallelism requirement. For this reason, please refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 : This is a flow chart of a second parallelism detection method provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein there are three detectors 51, namely a first detector, a second detector, and a third detector. The three detectors 51 are not collinear and their projections on the horizontal plane form an equilateral triangle. The first normal vector of the second surface 412 and the second normal vector of the horizontal plane have an angle. The detection method includes:

[0110] S701, measuring step: each detector detects a corresponding first distance.

[0111] S702. Calculate the coordinates of each point on the second surface corresponding to the first distance in a pre-established coordinate system, wherein the coordinate system takes the horizontal plane where any one of the detectors is located as a reference plane, wherein the line connecting the projections of any two of the detectors on the reference plane is the X-axis, the perpendicular bisector of the line is the Y-axis, and the midpoint of the line is the center of the circle.

[0112] When the second surface 412 is less parallel to the first surface 411, the approximation cannot be performed. Figure 8 , Figure 8This is a schematic diagram of another calculation principle for parallelism detection provided by an embodiment of the present application. When calculating the absolute values ​​of the differences between each of d1, d2, and d3, it is necessary to consider the thickness errors of the dielectric window 40 at the three intersection points O1. The thicknesses of the dielectric window 40 at the three intersection points O1 are defined as T1*, T2*, and T3*, respectively, and these thicknesses can be measured in advance.

[0113] To simplify the calculation, see Figure 9 , Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a plane coordinate system provided by an embodiment of the present application. Assuming that the first detector is installed at the lowest height, the horizontal plane where the first detector is located is the XOY plane, assuming that the projections of the three detectors on the XOY plane are P1, P2, and P3, respectively, and that the triangle P1P2P3 is an equilateral triangle with a side length of ΔL, the spatial coordinate system is further defined with the vertically upward direction as the +Z direction, the line connecting P1 and P2 as the X-axis, and the perpendicular bisector of the line as the Y-axis.

[0114] Then the coordinates of the intersection points O1 (respectively denoted as O11, O12, and O13 for the convenience of calculation) of the three detectors 51 on the second surface 412 in the XYZ space coordinate system are:

[0115] O11=(P1x, P1y, P1z)=(ΔL / 2, 0, -h1),

[0116] O12=(P2x, P2y, P2z)=(-ΔL / 2, 0, (L2-L1)-h2),

[0117] O13=(P3x, P3y, P3z)=(0,3 0.5 ΔL / 2, (L3-L1)-h3).

[0118] S703: Calculate the first normal vector.

[0119] The first normal vector of the second surface 412 of the dielectric window 40 is defined as n. The first normal vector n=(x, y, z) is calculated as follows:

[0120] x=(P2y-P1y)×(P3z-P1z)-(P3y-P1y)×(P2z-P1z);

[0121] y=(P2z-P1z)×(P3x-P1x)-(P3z-P1z)×(P2x-P1x);

[0122] z=(P2x-P1x)×(P3y-P1y)-(P3x-P1x)×(P2y-P1y).

[0123] S704: Calculate an angle between the first normal vector and the second normal vector of the horizontal plane.

[0124] The second normal vector of the horizontal plane is (0, 0, 1). Calculate the angle θ between the first normal vector n and the second normal vector of the horizontal plane (Z direction). θ is calculated as follows:

[0125] cosθ=|z| / (x 2 +y 2 +z 2 ) 0.5 .

[0126] S705: Calculate a corresponding second distance according to the first distance, the third distance, the thickness of the dielectric window, and the angle.

[0127] According to θ, the distances T1, T2, and T3 between the three intersection points O1 and the corresponding three intersection points O2 can be further calculated. Figure 8 , as follows:

[0128] T1= T1* / cosθ (10);

[0129] T2= T2* / cosθ (11);

[0130] T3= T3* / cosθ (12).

[0131] Substituting equations (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), and (12) into equations (1), (2), and (3) yields d1, d2, and d3.

[0132] S706, judgment step, the processor compares the absolute values ​​of the three differences with the preset thresholds respectively. When any one of the three absolute values ​​is greater than the preset threshold, execute S707 and then return to S701. Otherwise, end the detection.

[0133] S707: Adjust the corresponding leveling component to adjust the corresponding second distance.

[0134] In this embodiment, the above calculation process can be completed by a processor. In the above processing, the relative installation height errors of the three detectors 51 and the thickness error of the dielectric window 40 are simultaneously considered, so the parallelism detection is more accurate.

[0135] It should be noted that the above embodiment of the present application uses three non-collinear detectors 51 and corresponding three leveling assemblies 60 as an example to illustrate the detection method. For situations with more than three detectors 51 and a corresponding number of leveling assemblies 60, the situation can be converted to three, and this application will not repeat it in detail.

[0136] The above describes in detail a process chamber and parallelism detection method provided by this application. This article uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. It should be noted that in this application, the descriptions of each embodiment have their own emphases. For portions not detailed or recorded in one embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0137] The various technical features of the technical solution of this application can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the various technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this application.

[0138] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application and do not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present application specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A process chamber, used in semiconductor equipment, characterized in that: include: A chamber body and a chamber cover plate disposed above the chamber body; A carrying device, the carrying device is disposed in the chamber body and has a carrying surface for carrying the wafer; The carrying device is an electrode; a dielectric window disposed in the chamber body and having a first surface disposed opposite to the carrying surface and a second surface away from the carrying surface; a detection assembly comprising a processor and a plurality of detectors disposed on the chamber cover, wherein, along a projection direction of each detector onto the carrying surface, a first distance is defined between the second surface and the corresponding detector, a second distance is defined between the first surface and the carrying surface, and a third distance is defined between the detector and the carrying surface, the detector being configured to detect the corresponding first distance, the processor being electrically connected to the plurality of detectors and configured to calculate a difference between a plurality of second distances based on the plurality of first distances and a plurality of pre-acquired third distances, and to compare the absolute values ​​of the plurality of differences with a preset threshold value; Multiple leveling components are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the multiple detectors in the vertical direction, each leveling component is arranged above the corresponding detector, the medium window is connected to the multiple leveling components, and the multiple leveling components are connected to the chamber cover.

2. The process chamber according to claim 1, wherein: The dielectric window includes an electrode portion, a connecting rod and an adjustment portion. The electrode portion is arranged in the chamber body and has the first surface and the second surface. One end of the connecting rod is connected to the electrode portion, and the other end passes through the chamber cover and is connected to the adjustment portion. The adjustment portion is connected to the plurality of leveling components.

3. The process chamber according to claim 2, wherein: The chamber cover includes a cover body and a mounting bracket arranged above the cover body, the mounting bracket is sleeved on the outside of the connecting rod, the leveling assembly includes a leveling top screw, the adjustment part is connected to multiple leveling top screws, and the multiple leveling top screws are connected to the mounting bracket.

4. The process chamber according to claim 3, wherein: The mounting bracket includes a support ring and an annular mounting plate. The support ring is arranged on the cover body. The annular mounting plate is arranged at one end of the support ring away from the chamber cover. A plurality of leveling screws are connected to the annular mounting plate.

5. The process chamber according to claim 3, wherein: The detector is a distance sensor, a plurality of the distance sensors are arranged below the mounting bracket, a plurality of the leveling screws are arranged above the mounting bracket, and the distance sensors and the leveling screws are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence in the vertical direction.

6. The process chamber according to claim 1, wherein: The number of the detectors is three, the three detectors are not collinear, and their projections on the horizontal plane are equilateral triangles.

7. A parallelism detection method for detecting the parallelism of the dielectric window and the carrier device of the process chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: include: a measuring step, wherein each of the detectors detects the corresponding first distance; a calculation step, wherein the processor calculates the difference between a plurality of second distances according to a plurality of first distances and a plurality of pre-acquired third distances; In the judgment step, the processor compares the absolute values ​​of the plurality of differences with the preset thresholds respectively to judge whether the parallelism meets the requirement.

8. The detection method according to claim 7, characterized in that After the judging step, the detection method further includes an adjusting step: when any of the absolute values ​​is greater than the preset threshold, adjusting the corresponding leveling component to adjust the corresponding second distance, and returning to the measuring step until each of the absolute values ​​is less than or equal to the preset threshold.

9. The detection method according to claim 7, characterized in that The method for obtaining the plurality of third distances includes: Placing a plurality of compressible cylindrical pressing blocks on the bearing surface, and arranging them in a one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of leveling assemblies and the plurality of detectors in the vertical direction; The process chamber is vacuumed, the dielectric window is lowered by a preset distance and squeezes the plurality of cylindrical pressing blocks, and the plurality of detectors detect the first distance; measuring the heights of the plurality of cylindrical pressing blocks after being squeezed and the thickness of the dielectric window; The corresponding third distance is obtained by summing the first distance, the height of the cylindrical pressing block, and the thickness of the dielectric window.

10. The detection method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The detection method further includes obtaining a thickness of the dielectric window, where the thickness of the dielectric window is an average value of thicknesses at multiple locations of the dielectric window; or, the thickness of the dielectric window is a thickness at each point on the second surface corresponding to the first distance; The calculating step includes: the processor calculating the difference between two of the second distances according to the first distances, the thickness of the dielectric window, and the third distances.

11. The detection method according to claim 10, characterized in that: There are three detectors, the three detectors are not collinear, and their projections on the horizontal plane form an equilateral triangle. A first normal vector of the second surface and a second normal vector of the horizontal plane have an angle. Before calculating the differences between the plurality of second distances, the calculating step further includes: The corresponding second distance is calculated according to the first distance, the third distance, the thickness of the dielectric window and the angle.

12. The detection method according to claim 11, characterized in that The calculation step further includes: Calculate the coordinates of each point on the second surface corresponding to the first distance in a pre-established coordinate system, wherein the coordinate system uses a horizontal plane on which any one of the detectors is located as a reference plane, a line connecting the projections of any two of the detectors on the reference plane as the X-axis, a perpendicular bisector of the line as the Y-axis, and a midpoint of the line as the center of a circle; Calculating the first normal vector; The angle is calculated according to the first normal vector and a second normal vector of the horizontal plane.

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