Device for providing plasma and semiconductor processing chamber

Abstract

The present application relates to a device for providing plasma and a semiconductor processing chamber. One aspect of the present application provides a device for providing plasma, comprising: a circulation channel located inside the device; one or more gas inlets for receiving gas and providing the gas into the circulation channel; one or more gas outlets for outputting the gas in the circulation channel; and a radio frequency electrode attached to the circulation channel and used to form an electric field in the circulation channel to ionize the gas in the circulation channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates generally to the field of semiconductor equipment, and more particularly to an apparatus for providing plasma in a semiconductor equipment. Background Art

[0002] Plasma has been widely used in various processes of semiconductor processing, such as deposition, etching, cleaning, etc. In some applications, a remote plasma source is used to generate plasma, and then the plasma is provided to the reaction chamber through a gas delivery pipeline between the remote plasma source and the reaction chamber. However, the above-mentioned gas delivery pipeline is usually relatively long, and the activity of the plasma will gradually decrease during the gas delivery process. When the plasma reaches the reaction chamber via the above-mentioned gas delivery pipeline, the reduced activity of the plasma may lead to a decrease in reaction efficiency, or even fail to meet the requirements of normal reaction. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a solution to enhance the activity of the plasma from the remote plasma source. Summary of the invention

[0003] According to one aspect of the present application, a device for providing plasma may include: a circulation channel located inside the device; one or more gas inlets for receiving gas and providing the gas into the circulation channel; one or more gas outlets for outputting the gas in the circulation channel; and a radio frequency electrode attached to the circulation channel and used to form an electric field in the circulation channel to ionize the gas in the circulation channel.

[0004] According to some embodiments of the present application, the device is generally annular, and the circulation channel is an annular space within the device.

[0005] In some embodiments, the one or more air inlets are located on the outer side wall, top or bottom surface of the circulation channel.

[0006] In some embodiments, the one or more air outlets are located on the inner side wall of the circulation channel.

[0007] In some embodiments, the one or more air outlets are evenly distributed on the inner side wall along the circumference of the circulation channel.

[0008] In some embodiments, the RF electrode is located on one of a top and a bottom surface of the circulation channel.

[0009] In some embodiments, the RF electrode is one of the top and bottom surfaces of the circulation channel.

[0010] In some embodiments, the device further comprises a ground electrode located on the other of the top and the bottom surface of the circulation channel.

[0011] In some embodiments, the ground electrode is the other of the top and the bottom surface of the circulation channel.

[0012] In some embodiments, at least one of the RF electrode and the ground electrode comprises a plurality of segmented electrodes spaced apart from one another.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present application, the gas includes plasma from a remote plasma source.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present application, a semiconductor processing chamber may include: a chamber; a device for providing plasma according to any embodiment of the present application, which is located inside the chamber; and one or more chamber pipes, which pass through the chamber and are connected to one or more gas inlets of the device, and are used to provide gas to the one or more gas inlets.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present application, the semiconductor processing chamber further includes a tray located inside the chamber, the tray is used to support a target object for semiconductor process processing, wherein the device is an annular structure and does not block the space above the tray.

[0016] In some embodiments, the tray is located in an inner cavity defined by the annular structure.

[0017] In some embodiments, the semiconductor processing chamber further comprises a support assembly extending through the bottom of the chamber, one end of the support assembly is connected to the tray, and the other end of the support assembly is coupled to the driving device.

[0018] In some embodiments, the support assembly is configured to drive the tray to perform lifting and lowering motion and / or rotation in the inner cavity defined by the annular structure under the drive of the driving device.

[0019] The details of one or more examples of the present application are set forth in the following drawings and description. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The disclosure in this specification refers to and includes the following figures:

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a semiconductor processing chamber according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0022] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 For ease of reference, the Figure 2 Omitted Figure 1Partial components of the chamber shown.

[0023] As a matter of practice, the various features illustrated in the drawings may not be drawn to scale. Therefore, the sizes of the various features may be arbitrarily enlarged or reduced for clarity. The shapes of the components illustrated in the drawings are exemplary shapes only and do not define the actual shapes of the components. In addition, the embodiments illustrated in the drawings may be simplified for clarity. Therefore, the drawings may not illustrate all components of a given device or apparatus. Finally, the same reference numerals may be used throughout the specification and the drawings to represent the same features. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In order to better understand the spirit of the present application, it is further described below in conjunction with some embodiments of the present application.

[0025] The words "in one instance" or "according to one instance" used in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same specific embodiment, and the words "in other (some / certain) instances" or "according to other (some / certain) instances" used in this specification do not necessarily refer to different specific embodiments. The purpose is, for example, that the claimed subject matter includes a combination of all or part of the exemplary specific embodiments. The meaning of "upper" and "lower" referred to herein is not limited to the relationship directly presented in the drawings, which may include other clear corresponding relationships, such as "left" and "right", or the opposite of "upper" and "lower". The term "connected" or "coupled" referred to herein should be understood to cover "directly connected" and "connected via one or more intermediate components". The names of the various components used in this specification are for illustrative purposes only and do not have a limiting effect. Different manufacturers may use different names to refer to components with the same function.

[0026] Various embodiments of the present application are discussed in detail below. Although specific implementations have been discussed, it should be understood that these embodiments are for illustrative purposes only. Those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. The implementation of the present application may not necessarily include all components or steps in the embodiments described in the specification, and the execution order of each step may also be adjusted according to actual application.

[0027] Figure 1A semiconductor processing chamber 100 according to some embodiments of the present application is exemplarily shown, which may be a part of a semiconductor processing device. The semiconductor processing chamber 100 has a cavity 101 and a top 102. The cavity 101 has a bottom and a sidewall. The top 102 is supported on the sidewall of the cavity 101, and the coupling between the cavity 101 and the top 102 is sealed to form the internal space of the semiconductor processing chamber 100. A tray 107 for supporting a target object (such as a wafer or a bare die, etc.) for semiconductor process processing may be provided in the semiconductor processing chamber 100. A shower plate (not shown) may be coupled to the top 102 and arranged opposite to the tray 107. The shower plate may be used to spray process gas onto the target object on the tray 107 during a process step. The support assembly 104 extends from the outside of the cavity 101 through the bottom of the cavity 101 into the inside of the cavity 101. The tray 107 is connected to one end of the support assembly 104. In some embodiments, the other end of the support assembly 104 may be coupled to a driving device (not shown), such as a motor. In some embodiments, the tray 107 may have a heating function. For example, a heating element may be embedded in the tray 107.

[0028] The internal space of the semiconductor processing chamber 100 further contains a device 103 for providing plasma. The device 103 is generally annular to define an inner cavity 105. Although not shown in the figure, those skilled in the art should know that the device 103 can be fixed in the semiconductor processing chamber 100 by an appropriate support structure, for example, it can be mechanically coupled to the inner wall and / or the bottom of the chamber body 101. In some embodiments, the motor can drive the support assembly 104 to cause the tray 107 to perform lifting and / or rotation in the internal space of the semiconductor processing chamber 100. In some embodiments, the tray 107 can be moved into or out of the inner cavity 105 through the bottom end of the device 103. The device 103 does not block the space above the tray 107. In some embodiments, the tray 107 can be moved into or out of the inner cavity 105 through the top end of the device 103. In some embodiments, the tray 107 can rotate in the inner cavity 105.

[0029] The semiconductor processing chamber 100 further includes a chamber pipeline 109. Figure 1 As shown, the cavity pipeline 109 passes through the side wall of the cavity 101 and is connected to the device 103. Figure 1 As shown by the arrows in , the chamber line 109 can guide gas from the outside of the semiconductor processing chamber 100 to the device 103 in the semiconductor processing chamber 100. In some embodiments, the gas guided through the chamber line 109 includes plasma from a remote plasma source. In other embodiments, the chamber line 109 can pass through other parts of the chamber 101 and connect to the device 103.

[0030] Further references Figure 1 and Figure 2 The annular space in the device 103 forms a circulation channel 111. The circulation channel 111 is defined by a top, a bottom, an outer side wall 113 and an inner side wall 114. Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 1 , the circulation channel 111 has a substantially rectangular cross section. In other embodiments, the circulation channel 111 may have a cross section of other shapes.

[0031] The device 103 is also provided with an air inlet 108, which is sealedly connected to one end of the cavity pipeline 109 and is used to provide the gas guided through the cavity pipeline 109 to the circulation channel 111. Figure 2 In the example, the air inlet 108 is located on the outer side wall 113 of the circulation channel 111. In other examples, the air inlet 108 connected to one end of the cavity pipeline 109 can be provided on the top or bottom surface of the circulation channel 111. For exemplary purposes, Figure 1 and Figure 2 Only one cavity pipeline 109 and one gas inlet 108 are shown in the figure. It should be understood that in other embodiments of the present application, multiple gas inlets 108 may be provided on the device 103, and each gas inlet 108 may be connected to a corresponding cavity pipeline 109, so that multiple gases from the same or different gas sources can be input. Figure 2 As shown by the arc arrow in FIG. 1 , the gas entering the circulation channel 111 can circulate and diffuse in the circulation channel 111 .

[0032] The device 103 is also provided with a gas outlet 112, which is used to provide the gas in the circulation channel 111 to the inner cavity 105. Figure 2 As shown, a plurality of air outlets 112 are disposed on the inner sidewall 114 of the circulation channel 111. In some embodiments, the plurality of air outlets 112 are evenly distributed on the inner sidewall 114 along the circumference of the circulation channel 111. For exemplary purposes, Figure 2 A specific number and distribution of the gas outlets 112 are shown, and it should be understood that in other embodiments of the present application, the gas outlets 112 on the device 103 may have other numbers and distribution patterns.

[0033] The top and bottom surfaces of the circulation channel 111 may be provided with an upper electrode 117 and a lower electrode 118, respectively. In some embodiments, the upper electrode 117 is a radio frequency electrode, and the lower electrode 118 is a ground electrode corresponding to the radio frequency electrode. In other embodiments, the lower electrode 118 is a radio frequency electrode, and the upper electrode 117 is a ground electrode corresponding to the radio frequency electrode. The radio frequency electrode is connected to a radio frequency source, and the ground electrode is connected to the ground. In some embodiments, the radio frequency frequency of the radio frequency source may be in the range of 400 KHz to 60 MHz.

[0034] In some embodiments, the upper electrode 117 may be a ring electrode. In one embodiment, the top of the circulation channel 111 is an insulating material (e.g., ceramic), and the ring electrode may be formed by a conductive material (e.g., copper) laid on the insulating material. In another embodiment, the top of the circulation channel 111 is a conductive material (e.g., copper), which itself serves as the upper electrode 117.

[0035] In some embodiments, the lower electrode 118 may be a ring electrode. In one embodiment, the bottom surface of the circulation channel 111 is an insulating material (e.g., ceramic), and the ring electrode may be formed by a conductive material (e.g., copper) laid on the insulating material. In another embodiment, the bottom surface of the circulation channel 111 is a conductive material (e.g., copper), which itself serves as the lower electrode 118.

[0036] In some embodiments, at least one of the upper electrode 117 and the lower electrode 118 may be a plurality of segmented electrodes distributed along annular intervals. For example, the top of the circulation channel 111 may be made of an insulating material (e.g., ceramic), and the upper electrode 117 may be formed by laying a plurality of segmented conductive materials (e.g., copper) spaced apart on the insulating material.

[0037] When the RF source applies RF power to the RF electrode (upper electrode 117 or lower electrode 118), an electric field is formed in the circulation channel 111, thereby energizing the gas transported to the circulation channel 111 through the cavity pipeline 109 (even if the gas is ionized). In an embodiment where the gas is a plasma from a remote plasma source, the electric field in the circulation channel 111 can enhance the activity of the plasma before the plasma is used in the next process step (for example, before entering the inner cavity 105), thereby improving the efficiency of the corresponding process. In addition, the annular structure of the device 103 of the present application surrounds the outside of the tray 107 and is not blocked above the tray 107, so it will not have any impact on the supply of process gas to the shower plate. In other words, there is no need to move the device 103 or the tray 107 before each shower plate provides process gas, thereby saving time for the entire process flow.

[0038] The device for providing plasma provided in the present application (such as device 103) can be applied to various scenarios in semiconductor manufacturing processes, including but not limited to providing cleaning gas. Figure 1 and Figure 2 A method for providing a cleaning gas using the apparatus for providing plasma of the present application is described. Those skilled in the art should understand that similar methods can be applied to other process steps without departing from the spirit and scope of protection of the present application.

[0039] According to some embodiments of the present application, after the wafer is processed, the wafer can be removed from the tray 107. Various substances (such as silicon materials, etc.) remaining after the reaction can be suspended in the internal space of the chamber 101, deposited on the tray 107 and / or deposited on the side walls of each component. At this time, a cleaning gas is introduced into the chamber 101 to remove various substances remaining in the chamber 101 from the previous process flow. The cleaning gas can be plasma.

[0040] In some embodiments, a remote plasma source (RPS) can be used to generate a plasma as a cleaning gas. For example, the RPS can generate a plasma as a cleaning gas by injecting nitrogen trifluoride (NF 3 ) gas is ionized (or polarized) to generate a cleaning gas containing a large amount of fluorine (F) ions. The cleaning gas is provided to the chamber pipeline 109 of the semiconductor processing chamber 100 through a corresponding delivery pipeline.

[0041] The chamber pipeline 109 further guides the cleaning gas into the circulation channel 111. The cleaning gas circulates and diffuses in the circulation channel 111. At the same time, an electric field is generated in the circulation channel 111 by applying radio frequency power to the upper electrode 117 or the lower electrode 118, and the cleaning gas is secondary energized (or secondary ionized).

[0042] Furthermore, the secondarily energized cleaning gas is provided to the inner cavity 105 via a plurality of gas outlets 112, such as Figure 2 As shown by arrow 120 in FIG. 1 , the cleaning gas entering the inner cavity 105 can further diffuse into the entire internal space of the cavity 101, thereby reacting with residual substances in various places inside the cavity 101. For example, F ions in the cleaning gas can react with residual silicon materials to generate silicon fluoride gas.

[0043] Finally, the gas mixture (including the reactants of plasma and residual substances) in the chamber 101 is discharged to the outside of the semiconductor processing chamber 100 through the gas exhaust pipeline (not shown) of the semiconductor processing chamber 100, so as to achieve the purpose of cleaning the chamber 101 and its internal components (such as the tray 107).

[0044] Since the gas delivery pipeline between the RPS and the semiconductor processing chamber 100 is long, there is a problem of reduced plasma activity or even failure when the cleaning gas reaches the semiconductor processing chamber 100. The embodiment of the present application enhances the activity of the plasma by re-energizing the cleaning gas in the circulation channel 111, thereby improving the cleaning efficiency.

[0045] The description in this specification is provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the present application. Various modifications to the present application will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined in this specification may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not limited to the examples and designs described in this specification, but is to be given the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed in this specification.

Claims

1. A device for providing plasma, wherein include: A circulation channel, which is located inside a cavity of a semiconductor processing chamber; one or more gas inlets for receiving a gas and providing the gas into the circulation passage, wherein the gas comprises plasma from a remote plasma source; one or more gas outlets for outputting the gas in the circulation channel; and A radio frequency electrode is attached to the circulation channel and is used to form an electric field in the circulation channel to ionize the gas in the circulation channel.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is annular and the circulation channel is an annular space within the device.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the one or more air inlets are located on the outer side wall, top or bottom surface of the circulation channel.

4. The device according to claim 2, wherein the one or more air outlets are located on the inner side wall of the circulation channel.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the one or more air outlets are evenly distributed on the inner side wall along the circumference of the circulation channel.

6. The device of claim 2, wherein the radio frequency electrode is located on one of a top surface and a bottom surface of the circulation channel.

7. The device of claim 2, wherein the radio frequency electrode is one of a top surface and a bottom surface of the circulation channel.

8. The device according to claim 6 further comprises a grounding electrode located on the other of the top and the bottom surface of the circulation channel.

9. The device according to claim 7, further comprising a ground electrode, the ground electrode being the other of the top and the bottom surface of the circulation channel.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein at least one of the RF electrode and the ground electrode comprises a plurality of segmented electrodes spaced apart.

11. A semiconductor processing chamber, include: Cavity; The device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, which is located inside the cavity; as well as One or more chamber lines are connected through the chamber to the one or more gas inlets of the device and are used to provide the gas to the one or more gas inlets, wherein the gas includes plasma from a remote plasma source.

12. The semiconductor processing chamber according to claim 11 further comprises a tray located inside the chamber, the tray being used to support a target object to be processed by a semiconductor process, wherein the device is in an annular structure and does not block the space above the tray.

13. The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 12, wherein the tray is located in an inner cavity defined by the annular structure.

14. The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 12, further comprising a support assembly extending through a bottom of the chamber, one end of the support assembly being connected to the tray, and the other end of the support assembly being coupled to a driving device. 15 . The semiconductor processing chamber according to claim 14 , wherein the support assembly is configured to drive the tray to perform lifting movement and / or rotation in the inner cavity defined by the annular structure under the drive of the driving device.

Images