Shower plate, semiconductor device processing equipment and method

Abstract

The present invention provides a shower plate, a semiconductor device processing apparatus, and a semiconductor device processing method. The shower plate comprises: a top plate disposed on the top of the shower plate, having a first air inlet disposed in its central region for receiving reactant gas; a shower head disposed at the bottom of the shower plate, cooperating with the top plate to form a gas mixing chamber, and outputting reactant gas to a reaction chamber below through multiple gas outlets disposed at the bottom of the shower head; and a flow restriction ring disposed between the central region and the edge region of the shower plate, occupying a portion of the height of the gas mixing chamber and used to reduce the diffusion velocity of the reactant gas from the central region to the edge region.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor processing, and specifically relates to a shower plate, a semiconductor device processing device, and a semiconductor device processing method. Background Art

[0002] In the field of semiconductor processing, showerheads are crucial. Current showerheads in the field direct reactant and purge gases into the showerhead through a central pipeline, with these gases being exhausted from the showerhead and the outer side of the central pipeline, respectively. This fails to achieve zoning control and control the uniformity of film thickness deposited on wafers. Consequently, conventional showerheads can cause uneven film thickness at the center and edges of wafers during deposition, making independent control difficult and ultimately failing to meet uniformity requirements.

[0003] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the existing technology, there is an urgent need in the art for a shower plate that increases the deposition rate of the edge film through a current limiting module ring, thereby controlling the uniformity of the film, and can meet the process requirements through a simple hardware design, thereby reducing costs and improving the reliability and economy of semiconductor processing. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The following is a brief summary of one or more aspects to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all conceivable aspects and is neither intended to identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that will be provided later.

[0005] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the present invention provides a shower plate, a semiconductor device processing equipment and a semiconductor device processing method, which can increase or decrease the deposition rate of the edge film through the current limiting module ring, thereby controlling the uniformity of the film, and can meet the process requirements through simple hardware design, thereby reducing costs and improving the reliability and economy of semiconductor processing.

[0006] Specifically, the above-mentioned spray plate provided according to the first aspect of the present invention includes: a top plate, arranged at the top of the spray plate, and a first air inlet is provided in the central area of ​​the spray plate for obtaining reaction gas; a spray head, arranged at the bottom of the spray plate, cooperating with the top plate to form a mixing chamber, and outputting the reaction gas to the reaction chamber below through a plurality of air outlet holes provided at the bottom of the spray head; and a flow limiting ring, arranged between the central area and the edge area of ​​the spray plate, occupying part of the height of the mixing chamber, and used to reduce the diffusion flow rate of the reaction gas from the central area to the edge area.

[0007] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the flow limiting ring is provided on the lower surface of the top plate facing the shower head, or on the upper surface of the shower head facing the top plate.

[0008] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the cross-sectional shape of the flow limiting ring along the radial direction of the shower plate is selected from a triangle, a semicircle, a trapezoid or a rectangle.

[0009] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the shape and / or height of the limiting ring is determined according to a target deposition rate of the edge region.

[0010] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, a second gas inlet is provided in the edge region of the top plate for inputting dilution gas into the edge region to reduce the film deposition rate in the edge region of the wafer below the shower plate.

[0011] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the first distance between the flow limiting ring and the edge of the shower plate, the second distance between the second air inlet and the edge, and / or the second distance between the flow limiting ring and the second air inlet are determined based on the target deposition rate of the edge area.

[0012] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the aperture, density and / or spacing of the plurality of gas outlet holes provided in the edge region are determined according to a target deposition rate of the edge region.

[0013] In addition, the processing equipment for the above-mentioned semiconductor device provided according to the second aspect of the present invention includes: a reaction chamber, which includes a wafer tray for carrying wafers of semiconductor devices; and a spray plate as described above, which is arranged above the reaction chamber, for obtaining reaction gas and outputting reaction gas to the reaction chamber through multiple gas outlets at the bottom of the spray plate, wherein a first flow rate of the reaction gas in the central area of ​​the spray plate is greater than a second flow rate in the edge area of ​​the spray plate.

[0014] In addition, the processing method of the above-mentioned semiconductor device provided according to the third aspect of the present invention includes the following steps: placing the wafer to be processed on a wafer tray in a reaction chamber; and inputting a reaction gas into the shower plate through the first air inlet of the shower plate according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and outputting the reaction gas to the reaction chamber through a plurality of air outlets at the bottom of the shower plate, wherein the shower plate is arranged above the reaction chamber, and the first flow velocity of the reaction gas in the central area of ​​the shower plate is greater than the second flow velocity of the reaction gas in the edge area of ​​the shower plate.

[0015] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned processing method also includes the following steps: inputting dilution gas into the shower plate through the second air inlet of the shower plate to adjust the thin film deposition rate in the edge area of ​​the wafer, wherein the second air inlet is arranged in the edge area of ​​the top plate of the shower plate.

[0016] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the step of inputting dilution gas into the shower plate through the second air inlet of the shower plate to adjust the film deposition rate of the edge area of ​​the wafer includes: monitoring the first film thickness of the central area of ​​the wafer and the second film thickness of the edge area of ​​the wafer; reducing the flow rate of the dilution gas in response to the first film thickness being greater than the second film thickness; and increasing the flow rate of the dilution gas in response to the first film thickness being less than the second film thickness. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The above features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood after reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the following drawings. In the drawings, the components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components with similar related properties or characteristics may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a shower plate provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a current limiting module ring provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic flow chart of a method for processing a semiconductor device according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0021] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the deposition rate of each area according to a conventional shower plate.

[0022] Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing the deposition rate of each region according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0023] Reference numerals:

[0024] 11 top plate;

[0025] 12 sprinkler heads;

[0026] 13 current limiting ring;

[0027] 111 first air intake;

[0028] 121 vent;

[0029] 21 Second air inlet;

[0030] 22 Current limiting ring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following specific embodiments illustrate the embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention will be introduced in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, this does not mean that the features of this invention are limited to this embodiment. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the invention in conjunction with the embodiment is to cover other options or modifications that may be extended based on the claims of the present invention. In order to provide a deep understanding of the present invention, the following description will include many specific details. The present invention can also be implemented without using these details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion or blurring the focus of the present invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0032] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed, detachable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0033] Furthermore, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "horizontal," and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood to refer to the orientations depicted in that section and the accompanying drawings. These relative terms are used solely for convenience of description and do not necessarily imply that the devices described herein must be manufactured or operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0034] It will be understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. may be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers, and / or portions, these components, regions, layers, and / or portions should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are merely used to distinguish different components, regions, layers, and / or portions. Thus, a first component, region, layer, and / or portion discussed below may be referred to as a second component, region, layer, and / or portion without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.

[0035] As mentioned above, showerheads are crucial for semiconductor processing. Current showerheads in the field direct reactant and purge gases into the showerhead through a central conduit, with these gases then being removed from the showerhead and the outer side of the central conduit, respectively. This fails to achieve zoning control and control of the uniformity of film thickness deposited on the wafer. Consequently, conventional showerheads can result in uneven film thickness at the center and edges of the wafer during deposition, making independent control difficult and ultimately failing to meet uniformity requirements.

[0036] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the present invention provides a shower plate, a semiconductor device processing equipment and a semiconductor device processing method, which can increase the deposition rate of the edge film through the current limiting module ring, thereby controlling the uniformity of the film, and can meet the process requirements through simple hardware design, thereby reducing costs and improving the reliability and economy of semiconductor processing.

[0037] In some non-limiting embodiments, the shower plate provided by the first aspect of the present invention can be configured in the semiconductor processing equipment provided by the second aspect of the present invention to implement the semiconductor device processing method provided by the third aspect of the present invention.

[0038] In some embodiments of the present invention, the semiconductor processing equipment provided in the second aspect of the present invention may include a reaction chamber and the shower plate provided in the first aspect of the present invention. Here, the reaction chamber may include a wafer tray for holding semiconductor device wafers. The shower plate may be positioned above the reaction chamber to receive a reactant gas. The shower plate may also output the reactant gas to the reaction chamber via a plurality of gas outlets at the bottom of the shower plate. Here, the reactant gas may have a first flow rate in a central region of the shower plate that is greater than a second flow rate in an edge region of the shower plate.

[0039] Please refer to Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 , Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a shower plate provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a current limiting module ring provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0040] like Figure 1 as well as Figure 2As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned spray plate may include: a top plate 11, a spray head 12 and a flow limiting ring 13. Here, the top plate 11 can be arranged at the top of the spray plate. The central area of ​​the top plate 11 can be provided with a first air inlet 111 for obtaining the reaction gas. The spray head 12 can be arranged at the bottom of the spray plate to cooperate with the top plate to form a gas mixing chamber, and output the reaction gas to the reaction chamber below through a plurality of gas outlets 121 provided on the bottom plate of the spray head. The above-mentioned flow limiting ring 13 can be arranged between the central area and the edge area of ​​the spray plate, occupying part of the height of the gas mixing chamber, and used to reduce the diffusion flow rate of the above-mentioned reaction gas from the above-mentioned central area to the above-mentioned edge area.

[0041] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the flow limiting ring 13 may be provided on the lower surface of the top plate 11 facing the shower head 12 , or on the upper surface of the top plate 11 facing the shower head 12 .

[0042] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the cross-sectional shape of the current limiting ring 22 along the radial direction of the shower plate can be selected from triangles, semicircles, trapezoids or rectangles of different heights. The specific shape and corresponding height of the current limiting ring can be determined according to the deposition rate of the edge area and have different designs. Specifically, when the deposition rate in the edge area is high, a current limiting ring shape with a weaker restriction effect such as a triangle or a semicircle can be selected and the height of the current limiting ring can be reduced to increase the diffusion rate of the reaction gas in the edge area, thereby reducing the deposition rate in the edge area. Conversely, when the deposition rate in the edge area is low, a current limiting ring shape with a stronger restriction effect such as a trapezoid or a rectangle can be selected and the height of the current limiting ring can be increased to reduce the diffusion rate of the reaction gas in the edge area, thereby increasing the deposition rate in the edge area.

[0043] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the first distance between the restrictor ring and the edge of the shower plate, the second distance between the second air inlet and the edge, and the second distance between the restrictor ring and the second air inlet can also be determined based on the target deposition rate of the edge region and have different designs. Specifically, when the deposition rate in the edge region is high, the first distance can be appropriately reduced and the second distance can be increased to increase the diffusion rate of the reactant gas in the edge region, thereby reducing the deposition rate in the edge region. Conversely, when the deposition rate in the edge region is low, the first distance can be appropriately increased and the second distance can be decreased to reduce the diffusion rate of the reactant gas in the edge region, thereby increasing the deposition rate in the edge region.

[0044] Those skilled in the art will understand that the flow limiting ring with the above-mentioned triangular, semicircular, trapezoidal or rectangular cross-section is only a preferred solution provided by the present invention, which is intended to adjust the flow rate of the passing gas, thereby adjusting the deposition rate of the edge area, and is not used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0045] Optionally, in other embodiments, the current limiting ring may also adopt other cross-sectional shapes to achieve corresponding technical effects.

[0046] In addition, in other embodiments of the present invention, the height of the above-mentioned current limiting ring 22 can be determined according to the difference in thickness of the wafer film in the center area and the edge area, thereby limiting the flow rate of the gas flowing from the center to the edge, and further achieving control of the wafer film thickness.

[0047] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, a second gas inlet 21 may be provided at the edge of the top plate 11 for supplying dilution gas to the edge to reduce the film deposition rate at the edge of the wafer beneath the shower plate. This allows the present invention to increase or decrease the deposition rate of the edge film as needed by combining the flow limiting module ring and the dilution gas flow at the edge, thereby controlling the uniformity of the film. Furthermore, simple hardware design can achieve process requirements, reducing costs and improving the reliability and economic efficiency of semiconductor processing.

[0048] In addition, in other embodiments of the present invention, the density, spacing, and diameter of the dilution gas outlet holes are also divided into different designs to increase or decrease the deposition rate of the edge film by combining the dilution gas flow at the flow limiting module ring and the edge as needed, thereby controlling the uniformity of the film. The aperture, density, and spacing of the outlet holes in the edge area can be determined according to the deposition rate of the edge film. Specifically, when the deposition rate in the edge area is high, the aperture and / or density of the outlet holes in the edge area can be appropriately increased, and / or the spacing between the outlet holes can be reduced to increase the diffusion rate of the reaction gas in the edge area, thereby reducing the deposition rate in the edge area. Conversely, when the deposition rate in the edge area is low, the aperture and / or density of the outlet holes in the edge area can be appropriately reduced, and / or the spacing between the outlet holes can be increased to reduce the diffusion rate of the reaction gas in the edge area, thereby increasing the deposition rate in the edge area.

[0049] The following describes the operating principles of the aforementioned shower plate, using examples of semiconductor device processing methods. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these examples of semiconductor device processing methods are merely non-limiting implementations of the present invention, intended to clearly demonstrate the main concepts of the present invention and provide specific solutions for easy implementation. They are not intended to limit the full functionality or operation of the shower plate. Similarly, the shower plate is merely a non-limiting implementation of the present invention and does not limit the execution of the various steps in these semiconductor device processing methods.

[0050] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3 . Figure 3 A schematic flow chart of a method for processing a semiconductor device according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0051] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the processing method of the above-mentioned semiconductor device can first place the wafer to be processed on the wafer tray in the reaction chamber. Afterwards, the method can input the reaction gas into the above-mentioned shower plate through the first air inlet 23 of the above-mentioned shower plate, and output the reaction gas to the above-mentioned reaction chamber through the multiple air outlets 121 at the bottom of the shower plate. Here, the shower plate is arranged above the reaction chamber, and the first flow rate of the above-mentioned reaction gas in the central area of ​​the shower plate is greater than the second flow rate in the edge area of ​​the shower plate. In this way, the method can increase the deposition rate of the edge film through the current limiting module ring, thereby controlling the uniformity of the film. In addition, the method can also meet the process requirements through simple hardware design and reduce costs.

[0052] Furthermore, during the semiconductor device processing, the above processing method can also introduce dilution gas into the shower plate through the second gas inlet 21 of the shower plate. Here, the second gas inlet 21 can be located at the edge of the shower plate's top plate 11. In this way, the present invention can increase or decrease the deposition rate of the edge film as needed by combining the flow restriction module ring and the dilution gas flow at the edge, thereby more precisely controlling the film uniformity.

[0053] Specifically, in some embodiments of the present invention, during the process of adjusting the film deposition rate of the edge region of the wafer by supplying dilution gas to the shower plate through the second gas inlet 21 of the shower plate, the processing method can monitor a first film thickness in the center region of the wafer and a second film thickness in the edge region of the wafer. When the first film thickness is greater than the second film thickness, the flow rate of the dilution gas is reduced. When the first film thickness is less than the second film thickness, the flow rate of the dilution gas is increased.

[0054] Please refer to Figure 4 as well as Figure 5 . Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the deposition rate of each region according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing the deposition rate of each region according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0055] like Figure 4 As shown in FIG, when the deposition rate in the edge area is lower than that in the center area, the wafer will be unevenly distributed with the center thicker and the sides thinner because the shower plate of the prior art cannot adjust the gas concentration. Figure 5 As shown, when the deposition rate at the edge is slow, the present invention can reduce or even cut off the dilution gas flow in this area, using only the flow restriction ring to hinder the diffusion of the gas flowing from the central pipeline to the reactant gas flow rate at the edge of the shower plate. This low flow rate increases the concentration of the reactant gas at the edge, ultimately improving the deposition rate at the edge of the wafer.

[0056] Conversely, when the deposition rate at the wafer edge is faster, the present invention can reduce this rate by increasing the dilution gas flow rate. This allows the present invention to increase or decrease the deposition rate of the edge film as needed by combining the flow limiting module ring and the dilution gas flow rate at the edge, thereby controlling the uniformity of the film. Furthermore, simple hardware design can achieve process requirements, thereby reducing costs and improving the reliability and economic efficiency of semiconductor processing.

[0057] Although the above methods are illustrated and described as a series of acts for simplicity of explanation, it is to be understood and appreciated that these methods are not limited by the order of the acts, as some acts may occur in a different order and / or concurrently with other acts from those illustrated and described herein or not illustrated and described herein but understandable to those skilled in the art according to one or more embodiments.

[0058] The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A spray plate, characterized in that: include: a top plate, disposed on top of the shower plate, having a first gas inlet in its central region for obtaining reaction gas, and a second gas inlet in its edge region for supplying dilution gas to the edge region to reduce the film deposition rate in the edge region of the wafer below the shower plate; a shower head, disposed at the bottom of the shower plate, cooperating with the top plate to form a gas mixing chamber, and outputting reaction gas to the reaction chamber below through a plurality of gas outlets disposed at the bottom of the shower head; and A flow limiting ring is provided between the central area and the edge area of ​​the shower plate, occupying part of the height of the mixing chamber, and is used to reduce the diffusion flow rate of the reaction gas from the central area to the edge area, wherein when the deposition rate of the edge area is greater than the target deposition rate of the edge area, the first distance between the flow limiting ring and the edge of the shower plate is reduced and the second distance between the second air inlet and the edge is increased to reduce the deposition rate of the edge area; when the deposition rate of the edge area is less than the target deposition rate of the edge area, the first distance between the flow limiting ring and the edge of the shower plate is increased and the second distance between the second air inlet and the edge is reduced to increase the deposition rate of the edge area.

2. The shower plate according to claim 1, wherein: The flow limiting ring is arranged on the lower surface of the top plate facing the shower head, or the upper surface of the shower head facing the top plate.

3. The shower plate according to claim 1, wherein: The cross-sectional shape of the flow limiting ring along the radial direction of the spray plate is selected from a triangle, a semicircle, a trapezoid or a rectangle.

4. The shower plate according to claim 3, wherein: The shape and / or height of the restrictor ring is determined according to a target deposition rate of the edge region.

5. The shower plate according to claim 1, wherein: The aperture, density and / or spacing of the plurality of gas outlet holes disposed in the edge region are determined according to a target deposition rate of the edge region.

6. A semiconductor device processing equipment, characterized in that: include: A reaction chamber, including a wafer tray for carrying wafers of semiconductor devices; as well as The shower plate according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is arranged above the reaction chamber, and is used to obtain the reaction gas and output the reaction gas to the reaction chamber through multiple gas outlets at the bottom of the shower plate, wherein the first flow rate of the reaction gas in the central area of ​​the shower plate is greater than the second flow rate of the reaction gas in the edge area of ​​the shower plate.

7. A method for processing a semiconductor device, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Placing the wafer to be processed on a wafer tray in the reaction chamber; A reaction gas is input into the shower plate through a first gas inlet of the shower plate according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and the reaction gas is output into the reaction chamber through a plurality of gas outlets at a bottom of the shower plate, wherein the shower plate is disposed above the reaction chamber, and a first flow velocity of the reaction gas in a central region of the shower plate is greater than a second flow velocity of the reaction gas in an edge region of the shower plate; Inputting a dilution gas into the shower plate through a second gas inlet of the shower plate to adjust the film deposition rate in the edge area of ​​the wafer, wherein the second gas inlet is provided in the edge area of ​​the top plate of the shower plate; When the deposition rate of the edge region is greater than the target deposition rate of the edge region, a first distance between the restrictor ring and the edge of the shower plate is reduced and a second distance between the second air inlet and the edge is increased to reduce the deposition rate of the edge region; and When the deposition rate of the edge area is less than the target deposition rate of the edge area, the first distance between the restrictor ring and the edge of the shower plate increases and the second distance between the second air inlet and the edge decreases to increase the deposition rate of the edge area.

8. The processing method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The step of inputting dilution gas into the shower plate through the second gas inlet of the shower plate to adjust the film deposition rate of the edge area of ​​the wafer includes: monitoring a first film thickness in a central region of the wafer and a second film thickness in an edge region of the wafer; In response to the first film thickness being greater than the second film thickness, reducing the flow rate of the dilution gas; and In response to the first film thickness being smaller than the second film thickness, the flow rate of the dilution gas is increased.

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