Plasma generator and coating apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a plasma generator and a coating equipment, wherein the plasma generator comprises: a first electrode part having at least one first electrode plate, a middle part of the first electrode plate is connected with a radio frequency electrode in a top view, and the first electrode plate has a plurality of gas outlet holes; a second electrode plate, the second electrode plate is grounded, and the second electrode plate is opposite to the first electrode plate; and a gas inlet part, the gas inlet part is used for introducing gas to the first electrode part, the gas inlet part has a plurality of insulating plates, the plurality of insulating plates are stacked along the opposite direction of the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate, a plurality of gas inlet holes are formed on each insulating plate respectively, the gas inlet holes of each insulating plate are communicated with each other in the state that the plurality of insulating plates are stacked with each other, and the gas inlet holes on two adjacent insulating plates are staggered with each other in the top view. The plasma generator can improve the uniformity of the gas at least to a certain extent, and thus the uniformity of the generated plasma is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of thin film deposition technology, and more particularly to plasma generators and coating equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Plasma-based deposition methods can produce thin films through chemical reactions at low temperatures, thus reducing the requirements for substrate deposition temperatures and enabling deposition at low or even room temperatures. Furthermore, radio frequency plasma chemical vapor deposition (RF plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition) is a type of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, characterized by plasma generated by the ionization of gas under a high vacuum and an alternating radio frequency electric field.

[0003] In existing technologies, to achieve uniform plasma distribution, a center-fed radio frequency (RF) power supply may be selected to make the RF signal more uniform on the upper electrode plate. Furthermore, to improve the uniformity of gas diffusion, a gas equalization device is installed in front of the upper electrode plate to enhance the uniformity of the gas sprayed from the upper electrode plate, thereby improving the uniformity of the generated plasma. Summary of the Invention

[0004] However, although improving the uniformity of gas diffusion can improve the uniformity of plasma, in some cases, the plasma distribution may still be uneven due to factors such as uneven gas intake.

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a plasma generator that can at least improve the uniformity of the intake air, thereby improving the uniformity of the generated plasma. Furthermore, the present invention also provides a coating apparatus incorporating this plasma generator.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a plasma generator includes: a first electrode portion having at least one first electrode plate, wherein, in a top view, the middle portion of the first electrode plate is connected to a radio frequency electrode, and the first electrode plate has a plurality of air outlet holes; a second electrode plate being grounded, the second electrode plate being disposed on one side of the first electrode portion and facing away from the first electrode plate; and an air inlet portion disposed on the other side of the first electrode portion and for intake towards the first electrode portion, the air inlet portion having a plurality of insulating plates, the plurality of insulating plates being stacked along the opposing direction of the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate, each of the insulating plates having a plurality of air inlet holes, wherein, in the state of the plurality of insulating plates being stacked together, the air inlet holes of each insulating plate are interconnected, and, in a top view, the air inlet holes of two adjacent insulating plates are staggered.

[0007] The plasma generator according to the first aspect of the present invention has the following beneficial effects: it can improve the uniformity of the intake air to at least a certain extent, and thereby improve the uniformity of the generated plasma.

[0008] In some embodiments, in the stacked state, a first connecting gap is formed between the opposite sides of two adjacent insulating plates, and the air inlets of the two adjacent insulating plates are connected through the first connecting gap.

[0009] In some embodiments, the depth of the first connecting gap is greater than 0.25 mm and less than 10 mm.

[0010] In some embodiments, the air inlets on each of the insulating plates are formed with a first distribution region and a second distribution region, the first distribution region being closer to the radio frequency electrode than the second distribution region, and the distribution of the air inlets in the first distribution region being denser than the distribution of the air inlets in the second distribution region.

[0011] In some embodiments, the diameter of each of the air inlets is 0.25 mm or more and 10 mm or less.

[0012] In some embodiments, the air intake portion and the first electrode portion are stacked, and a second communication gap is formed between the air intake portion and the first electrode portion. The air intake hole on the insulating plate adjacent to the first electrode portion in the air intake portion communicates with the air outlet hole on the first electrode plate through the second communication gap.

[0013] In some embodiments, the depth of the second connecting gap is more than 0.25 mm and less than 10 mm.

[0014] In some embodiments, the first electrode portion has a plurality of first electrode plates, which are spaced apart along the opposing direction of the first electrode plates and the second electrode plates to form a flow equalization cavity.

[0015] In some embodiments, from a top-down view, the air inlet and the air outlet are misaligned between adjacent insulating plates and the first electrode plate.

[0016] In some embodiments, from a top-down view, the vent holes of adjacent first electrode plates are misaligned.

[0017] In some embodiments, the diameter of the vent hole of one of the first electrode plates is larger than the diameter of the vent hole of the other first electrode plate located on the opposite side of the second electrode plate.

[0018] In some embodiments, a third distribution region and a fourth distribution region are formed in the vent holes on each of the first electrode plates. The third distribution region is closer to the radio frequency electrode than the fourth distribution region, and the distribution of the vent holes in the third distribution region is denser than the distribution of the vent holes in the fourth distribution region.

[0019] In some embodiments, a plurality of first electrode plates are interconnected, and the first electrode plate adjacent to the insulating plate is connected to the radio frequency electrode; the vent in the third distribution region of the first electrode plate connected to the radio frequency electrode is inclined toward the radio frequency electrode.

[0020] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a coating apparatus includes a coating chamber, wherein a plasma generator as described above is disposed within the coating chamber.

[0021] The coating apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention has the following beneficial effects: since the uniformity of the generated plasma can be improved, the uniformity of the film layer can be improved. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a coating apparatus having the plasma generator of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the plasma generator of the present invention from the front view.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a top view of the plasma generator of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 4 It is along Figure 3 The sectional view at point AA.

[0026] Figure 5 It is along Figure 3 The sectional view at point BB. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The embodiments of this implementation are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this implementation, and should not be construed as limiting this implementation.

[0028] In the description of this embodiment, it should be understood that the orientation descriptions, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this embodiment and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this embodiment.

[0029] In the description of this embodiment, "several" means one or more, "multiple" means two or more, "greater than," "less than," and "exceeding" are understood to exclude the stated number, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the stated number. The use of "first" and "second" in the description is merely for distinguishing technical features and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features, or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0030] In the description of this embodiment, unless otherwise explicitly limited, terms such as setting, installing, and connecting should be interpreted broadly, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above terms in this embodiment in conjunction with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a coating apparatus 200 having a plasma generator 100. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the plasma generator 100 from the front view. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the plasma generator 100 from a top view. Figure 3 In the diagram, thin solid lines and thin dashed lines are used to schematically represent the arrangement of air inlets 108 of different insulators 107, and thick solid lines and thick dashed lines are used to schematically represent the arrangement of air outlets 106 of different first electrode plates 104. Figure 4 It is along Figure 3 Sectional view at point AA in the diagram. Figure 5 It is along Figure 3 The sectional view at point BB.

[0032] Reference Figures 1 to 5 and mainly refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4The plasma generator 100 according to the first embodiment includes: a first electrode section 101, a second electrode plate 102, and an air inlet section 103. The first electrode section 101 has at least one first electrode plate 104, and in a top view, the center of the first electrode plate 104 is connected to a radio frequency electrode 105. The first electrode plate 104 has a plurality of air outlet holes 106 extending along the thickness direction. The second electrode plate 102 is grounded and is disposed on one side of the first electrode section 101 and faces the first electrode plate 104, spaced apart. The air inlet section 103 is disposed on the other side of the first electrode section 101 and intakes air toward the first electrode section 101. The air inlet section 103 has a plurality of insulating plates 107, which are stacked along the opposing direction of the first electrode plate 104 and the second electrode plate 102. Each insulating plate 107 has a plurality of air inlet holes 108 extending along the thickness direction. With multiple insulating plates 107 stacked on top of each other, the air inlets 108 of each insulating plate 107 are interconnected. Furthermore, from a top view, the air inlets 108 on two adjacent insulating plates 107 are staggered.

[0033] According to the plasma generator 100 of the first embodiment, the uniformity of the intake gas can be improved to at least a certain extent, thereby improving the uniformity of the generated plasma. Specifically, the working principle of the plasma generator 100 is as follows: two parallel electrode plates with a certain distance (arranged in a capacitive manner) are placed in a vacuum chamber, one electrode plate is connected to a radio frequency (RF) power supply, and the other electrode plate is grounded. Furthermore, when a coating process gas (e.g., silane and hydrogen) is introduced into the vacuum chamber and enters between the two electrode plates, a glow discharge is generated when an RF signal is fed to the electrode plate connected to the RF power supply, and the coating process gas is excited to generate plasma under the action of the RF electric field.

[0034] Since the uniformity of the sprayed gas in the coating process affects the uniformity of the generated plasma, and the uniformity of the plasma affects the quality of the deposited film, coating equipment 200 with a plasma generator 100 (e.g., PECVD equipment, PEALD equipment) focuses on improving the uniformity of the gas sprayed onto the electrode plate connected to the RF electrode 105.

[0035] Furthermore, to reduce the non-uniformity of the radio frequency (RF) signal on the electrode plate, known devices typically employ a center-feed RF method. However, center-feed RF can also affect the uniformity of the central region during the diffusion of the coating process gas. Additionally, unexpected discharge phenomena (sometimes referred to as "parasitic plasma") may occur in the gas inlet channel (e.g., inlet 108). These unexpected discharge phenomena may cause plasma to be generated prematurely and some process gas to be lost before the coating process gas enters the flow equalization device of the electrode plate connected to the RF electrode 105. In this case, fluctuations in the gas entering the flow equalization device of the electrode plate connected to the RF electrode will occur, leading to non-uniformity of the gas intake. Moreover, unexpected discharge phenomena at the gas inlet can affect the stability and consistency of the plasma impedance in the main plasma region, causing fluctuations in process repeatability and stability.

[0036] In this embodiment, the air intake 103 is formed as follows: the air intake 103 has multiple insulating plates 107, which are stacked along the opposing direction of the first electrode plate 104 and the second electrode plate 102. Multiple air intake holes 108 are formed on each insulating plate 107. With the multiple insulating plates 107 stacked, the air intake holes 108 of each insulating plate 107 are interconnected. Furthermore, from a top view, the air intake holes 108 on adjacent insulating plates 107 are staggered. Specifically, in this embodiment, by staggering the air intake holes 108 on different insulating plates 107, the electric field lines generated by the radio frequency electric field in the air intake channel (e.g., the air intake holes 108) of the air intake 103 are "bent," thereby increasing the path of the electric field lines and weakening the electric field strength in the air intake channel. Since there is no direct electric field and gas flow channel between the radio frequency electrode and the ground, it helps to reduce the risk of "arson" in the air intake channel. With the electric field strength in the intake channel of the insulating plate 107 weakened, the frequency of discharge phenomena in the intake channel can be reduced. This reduces gas fluctuations in the intake channel and improves the uniformity of the intake.

[0037] Continue to refer to Figure 1In this embodiment, the plasma generator 100 can be installed inside the coating chamber 201 of the coating equipment 200. Examples of coating equipment 200 include PECVD (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition) equipment and PEALD (Plasma Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition) equipment. Taking a PEALD equipment as an example, a PEALD equipment includes, for example, a coating chamber 201, a precursor inlet device 202, a purge isolation device 203, the plasma generator 100 of this embodiment, and a substrate 204. A substrate 205 to be coated is placed on the substrate 204. The substrate 205 is sequentially driven through the substrate 204 to the precursor inlet device 202, the purge isolation device 203, the plasma generator 100, and back to the purge isolation device 203, thereby completing one process cycle (depositing one atomic layer).

[0038] Continue to refer to Figure 4 The radio frequency electrode 105 of the plasma generator 100 is introduced into the first electrode section 101 via the feeding mechanism 109. A gas source for generating plasma is injected through the air inlet section 103. As described above, the air inlet section 103 includes a plurality of insulating plates 107, for example, made of ceramic material. For ease of explanation, the following description uses two insulating plates 107 as an example, but the number of insulating plates 107 is not limited to two; it may include three or more. The insulating plates 107 are generally rectangular plates. Each insulating plate 107 has a mounting hole 110 in its center, and these mounting holes 110 are generally coaxial when the insulating plates 107 are stacked on top of each other. The feeding mechanism 109 is accommodated within these mounting holes 110.

[0039] To connect the air inlets 108 of each insulating plate 107, in the stacked state, a gap is formed between the opposite sides of two adjacent insulating plates 107 (referred to as "first insulating plate 107a" and "second insulating plate 107b" for ease of explanation). The air inlets 108 of adjacent insulating plates 107 (the air inlet of the first insulating plate 107a is sometimes referred to as "first air inlet 108a") and the air inlet 108 (the air inlet of the second insulating plate 107b is sometimes referred to as "second air inlet 108b") are connected through the first connecting gap 111. Specifically, for example, the first insulating plate 107a has a plurality of first air inlets 108a extending through its thickness, and the first air inlets 108a are arranged, for example, in a rectangular array. A second insulating plate 107b is disposed below the first insulating plate 107a, and a plurality of second air inlets 108b extending through the second insulating plate 107b along its thickness direction are formed thereon. The second air inlets 108b are arranged, for example, in a rectangular array. The first air inlets 108a and the second air inlets 108b may be offset along the long side direction and / or the short side direction of the first insulating plate 107a and the second insulating plate 107b. The four edges of the second insulating plate 107b are in contact with the four edges of the first insulating plate 107a. A first connecting gap 111 is formed between the lower part of the first insulating plate 107a and the upper part of the second insulating plate 107b, and the first connecting gap 111 allows all the second air inlets 108b in the second insulating plate 107b to communicate with all the first air inlets 108a in the first insulating plate 107a.

[0040] Continue to refer to Figure 3 , Figure 4 In some embodiments, from a top-down view, the first connecting gap 111 encompasses both the first air inlet 108a and the second air inlet 108b. In other words, both the first air inlet 108a and the second air inlet 108b are located within the area of ​​the first connecting gap 111. The formation of the first connecting gap 111 is not particularly limited. For example, a groove may be formed on the lower surface of the first insulating plate 107a and / or the upper surface of the second insulating plate 107b, excluding the surrounding edges. The shape of the groove is not particularly limited; for example, it may be rectangular. Furthermore, the shape of the groove may also be, for example, serpentine. Specifically, for example, the groove may be formed only in the area where the first air inlet 108a and the second air inlet 108b are located. This allows the electric field lines generated by the radio frequency electric field in the air intake channel of the air intake section 103 to be "bent," thereby increasing the path of the electric field lines and weakening the electric field strength in the air intake channel.

[0041] Furthermore, the depth D1 of the first connecting gap 111 can be greater than 0.25 mm and less than 10 mm. Specifically, according to Paschen's Law of gas discharge theory, which states that the relationship between the product of the electrode spacing and pressure and the corresponding gas discharge threshold voltage, to suppress gas discharge in the intake channel (i.e., intake port 108), it is desirable that the product of the electrode spacing and pressure be much less than 1 or much greater than 10. This can greatly increase the gas discharge threshold voltage, thereby increasing the difficulty of gas discharge. Since the gas pressure value is determined according to the specific process, it is difficult to adjust the pressure value arbitrarily. In addition, if the product of the electrode spacing and pressure is much greater than 10, it may lead to an overall increase in the size of the equipment. Therefore, in this embodiment, by minimizing the electrode spacing as much as possible, the product of the electrode spacing and pressure can be made less than 1. For a pressure range of 1-25 Torr, the minimum ignition voltage will be within a gap of 0.4 mm-10 mm. In this embodiment, to suppress parasitic plasma, the depth D1 of the first connecting gap 111 can be 0.25 mm or more. Furthermore, by making the depth D1 of the first connecting gap 111 (i.e., the depth of the groove) 0.25 mm or more, the processing difficulty of the groove can be reduced. Furthermore, by making the depth of the first connecting gap 111 10 mm or less, the product of the electrode spacing and pressure can be minimized as much as possible while ensuring that the gas pressure value meets the process requirements (e.g., 1 to 25 Torr), thereby increasing the difficulty of gas discharge. In some embodiments, the depth D1 of the first connecting gap 111 can be further made 1 mm or more and 8 mm or less. Even further, the depth D1 of the first connecting gap 111 can be 3 mm or more and 6 mm or less.

[0042] Therefore, in the plasma generator 100 of this embodiment, the frequency of discharge phenomena in the intake channel is reduced by both weakening the electric field strength in the intake channel and increasing the threshold voltage of gas discharge. This reduces gas fluctuations in the intake channel and improves the uniformity of the intake.

[0043] By setting up a multi-layer insulating plate 107 and forming a first connecting gap 111, the threshold voltage of gas discharge can be increased, thereby increasing the difficulty of gas discharge.

[0044] Furthermore, by setting multiple insulating plates 107 and staggering the air inlets 108 of each insulating plate 107, the electric field strength in the air intake channel can be weakened, suppressing the direct electric field. Additionally, to increase the difficulty of gas discharge in the channel, the product of pressure and orifice diameter must be much smaller than the Paschen curve P×d value. In some embodiments, the diameter of each air inlet 108 can be 0.25 mm or more and 10 mm or less. Further, the diameter of each air inlet 108 can be 1 mm or more and 8 mm or less.

[0045] In some embodiments, to make the air intake of the air intake section 103 more uniform, a first distribution region 112 and a second distribution region 113 are formed in the air intake holes 108 on each insulating plate 107. The first distribution region 112 is closer to the radio frequency electrode 105 than the second distribution region 113, and the distribution of the air intake holes 108 in the first distribution region 112 is denser than the distribution of the air intake holes 108 in the second distribution region 113. Specifically, the first distribution region 112 is, for example, a region within a certain length and width range centered on the power feeding mechanism 109. For example, the length and width of this region can be more than twice and less than three times the diameter of the mounting hole 110 opened in the middle of each insulating plate 107. In this region (i.e., the first distribution region 112), the distance between adjacent air inlets 108 on the same insulating plate 107 along the long and / or short sides of the insulating plate 107 is, for example, more than 0.3 times and less than 0.5 times the distance between air inlets 108 in other regions (i.e., the second distribution region 113) along the long and / or short sides of the insulating plate 107. Since the power supply mechanism 109 occupies a certain amount of air intake space, in this embodiment, by providing a denser arrangement of air inlets 108 near the power supply mechanism 109, other diffusion in the central region can be increased, compensating for the uneven gas diffusion in the central region caused by the central power supply.

[0046] Continue to refer to Figure 3 , Figure 5The first electrode portion 101 is disposed below the air intake portion 103. The air intake portion 103 and the first electrode portion 101 are stacked, and a communication gap is formed between the air intake portion 103 and the first electrode portion 101 (for ease of distinction, the communication gap between the air intake portion 103 and the first electrode portion 101 is referred to as the "second communication gap 114"). The air intake hole 108 (second air intake hole 108b in the figure) on the insulating plate 107 (second insulating plate 107b in the figure) adjacent to the first electrode portion 101 in the air intake portion 103 communicates with the air outlet hole 106 on the first electrode plate 104 through the second communication gap 114. Specifically, the first electrode portion 101 is used as an electrode unit connected to the radio frequency electrode 105. The first electrode portion 101 may have multiple first electrode plates 104, for example. For ease of explanation, an example of a first electrode portion 101 having three first electrode plates 104 is given here. The lowermost insulating plate 107 (second insulating plate 107b in the figure) in the air intake section 103 overlaps with the outer edges of the uppermost first electrode plate 104 in the first electrode section 101. The second connecting gap 114 can be formed in a manner similar to that of the first connecting gap 111. Furthermore, the depth D2 of the second connecting gap 114 can be 0.25 mm or more and 10 mm or less, further, it can be 1 mm or more and 8 mm or less. Even further, it can be 3 mm or more and 6 mm or less. As a result, the threshold voltage of gas discharge can be greatly increased, just like the first connecting gap 111, thereby increasing the difficulty of gas discharge.

[0047] Furthermore, from a top-down view, the air inlet 108 and air outlet 106 of the adjacent insulating plates 107 (the second insulating plate 107b in the attached figure) and the first electrode plate 104 are misaligned. For example, the holes of the insulating plates 107 and the first electrode plate 104, which are separated by a second connecting gap 114, are misaligned. Specifically, the first electrode plate 104 is also generally rectangular in shape, and its size is approximately the same as that of the insulating plate 107. The air outlets 106 on the first electrode plate 104 are arranged in a rectangular array, for example. Moreover, the air outlets 106 on the first electrode plate 104 and the air inlet 108 on the insulating plate 107 are misaligned along both the long and short sides of the first electrode plate 104, respectively. In other words, from a top-down view, the air inlet 108 on the third insulating plate 107 and the air outlet 106 of the uppermost first electrode plate 104 in the first electrode section 101 are not concentric.

[0048] Therefore, starting from the air inlet 108, the gas passes through the air intake section 103, which not only weakens the electric field strength within the air intake channel but also increases the threshold voltage of gas discharge. This significantly reduces gas discharge within the air intake section 103 and suppresses unnecessary gas consumption within it. Furthermore, by providing a structure that weakens the electric field strength within the air intake channel (a structure where the air inlet 108 and the air outlet 106 are staggered) between the air intake section 103 and the first electrode section 101, and by similarly providing a second connecting gap 114 that increases the threshold voltage of gas discharge, the discharge of gas in the region before it enters the first electrode section 101 after exiting the air intake section 103 can be further suppressed. This improves the overall uniformity of the gas entering the first electrode section 101.

[0049] Continue to refer to Figure 5 In some embodiments, to further improve the uniformity of the gas sprayed from the first electrode section 101, the first electrode section 101 may have a plurality of first electrode plates 104, which are spaced apart along the opposing direction of the first electrode plates 104 and the second electrode plate 102 to form a flow equalization cavity 115. For example, there may be three first electrode plates 104, which are interconnected to form an electrode unit with the same electric field (i.e., can be regarded as a single electrode). The first electrode plate 104 adjacent to the insulating plate 107 (i.e., the uppermost electrode plate) is connected to the radio frequency electrode 105 through the feeding mechanism 109. In addition, the other two first electrode plates 104 serve as dispersion plates for gas diffusion. Thus, an electrode structure with a flow equalization cavity 115 for gas flow equalization can be formed.

[0050] Reference Figure 3 Furthermore, from a top-down view, the vent holes 106 of adjacent first electrode plates 104 are also staggered. By staggering the vent holes 106 of adjacent first electrode plates 104, the gas can be more evenly filled and diffused between the two first electrode plates 104, and then continue to diffuse into the lower first electrode plate 104.

[0051] Continue to refer to Figure 5In some embodiments, to make the gas in the equalization cavity 115 more uniform, a third distribution region 116 and a fourth distribution region 117 are formed in the vent holes 106 on each first electrode plate 104. The third distribution region 116 is closer to the radio frequency electrode 105 than the fourth distribution region 117, and the distribution of vent holes 106 in the third distribution region 116 is denser than that in the fourth distribution region 117. Specifically, the third distribution region 116 is, for example, a region within a certain length and width range centered on the feed mechanism 109. For example, this region roughly overlaps with the first distribution region 112 from a top-down view. Furthermore, in this region (i.e., the third distribution region 116), the distance between adjacent vent holes 106 on the same first electrode plate 104 is, for example, more than 0.3 times and less than 0.5 times the distance between vent holes 106 in other regions (i.e., the fourth distribution region 117). Since the power supply mechanism 109 occupies a certain amount of air intake space, it is difficult to directly arrange the air outlet 106 below the central power supply structure. By setting a denser number of air outlets 106 near the power supply mechanism 109, other diffusion in the central region can be increased, thus compensating for the uneven gas diffusion in the central region caused by the central power supply.

[0052] Furthermore, the vent 106 in the third distribution area 116 of the first electrode plate 104 connected to the radio frequency electrode 105 is inclined toward the radio frequency electrode 105. That is, the vent 106 in the third distribution area 116 of the first electrode plate 104, which is opposite the insulating plate 107 across the second communication gap 114 in the first electrode portion 101, is inclined toward the radio frequency electrode 105. More specifically, the angle R1 between the virtual axis L0 of the vent 106 and the virtual axis L1 of the radio frequency electrode 105 can be, for example, more than 30° and less than 45°. By making the angle R1 between the virtual axis L0 of the vent 106 and the virtual axis L1 of the radio frequency electrode 105 less than 45°, it can be ensured that the gas exiting through the vent 106 can fill the area below the power supply mechanism 109 as much as possible. By making the angle between the virtual axis L0 of the vent 106 and the virtual axis L1 of the radio frequency electrode 105 greater than 45°30°, it can be prevented that the gas exiting through the vent 106 will converge and collide below the power supply mechanism 109, thereby preventing gas turbulence in that area.

[0053] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the diameter of the vent hole 106 of one of the first electrode plates 104 is larger than the diameter of the vent hole 106 of the other first electrode plate 104 located on the opposite side from the second electrode plate 102. That is, in this embodiment, the diameter of the vent hole 106 of the lower first electrode plate 104 is larger than the diameter of the vent hole 106 of the upper first electrode plate 104. This reduces the number of first electrode plate 104 layers and the overall volume of the first electrode section 101, thereby reducing the corresponding radio frequency power loss.

[0054] Continue to refer to Figure 1 As described above, the plasma generator 100 of each embodiment can be installed inside the coating chamber 201 of the coating apparatus 200. Examples of coating apparatus 200 include PECVD equipment and PEALD equipment. By using the plasma generator 100 of each embodiment, the coating apparatus 200 of the second embodiment can improve the uniformity of the generated plasma, thereby improving the uniformity of the film layer.

[0055] Although embodiments of this implementation have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of this implementation, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A plasma generator, characterized in that, include: The first electrode section has a first electrode plate. In a top view, the middle part of the first electrode plate is connected to the radio frequency electrode, and the first electrode plate has multiple air vents. The second electrode plate is grounded and is disposed on one side of the first electrode portion and is spaced apart from the first electrode plate and opposite to it. An air intake section is disposed on the other side of the first electrode section and faces the first electrode section to intake air. The air intake section has multiple insulating plates, which are stacked along the opposing direction of the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate. Each insulating plate has multiple air intake holes. When the multiple insulating plates are stacked together, the air intake holes of each insulating plate are interconnected. Furthermore, from a top view, the air intake holes on two adjacent insulating plates are staggered. In the stacked state, a first connecting gap is formed between the opposite sides of two adjacent insulating plates, and the air inlets of two adjacent insulating plates are connected through the first connecting gap. Furthermore, the air inlets on each insulating plate are all located within the area of ​​the first connecting gap. The depth of the first connecting gap is greater than 0.25 mm and less than 10 mm; Each of the insulating plates has a first distribution area and a second distribution area formed in the air inlet hole. The first distribution area is closer to the radio frequency electrode than the second distribution area. Furthermore, the distribution of the air inlet holes in the first distribution area is denser than the distribution of the air inlet holes in the second distribution area. The first electrode portion has a plurality of first electrode plates, which are spaced apart along the opposing direction of the first electrode plates and the second electrode plates to form a flow equalization cavity. A third distribution region and a fourth distribution region are formed in the vent holes on each of the first electrode plates. The third distribution region is closer to the radio frequency electrode than the fourth distribution region, and the distribution of the vent holes in the third distribution region is denser than the distribution of the vent holes in the fourth distribution region.

2. The plasma generator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The diameter of each of the aforementioned air inlets is 0.25 mm or more and 10 mm or less.

3. The plasma generator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The air intake section and the first electrode section are stacked, and a second communication gap is formed between the air intake section and the first electrode section. The air intake hole on the insulating plate adjacent to the first electrode section in the air intake section is connected to the air outlet hole on the first electrode plate through the second communication gap.

4. The plasma generator according to claim 3, characterized in that, The depth of the second connecting gap is greater than 0.25 mm and less than 10 mm.

5. The plasma generator according to claim 1, characterized in that, From a top-down view, the air inlet and air outlet are misaligned between the adjacent insulating plates and the first electrode plate.

6. The plasma generator according to claim 5, characterized in that, From a top-down view, the air vents of adjacent first electrode plates are misaligned.

7. The plasma generator according to claim 1, characterized in that, In each of the first electrode plates, the diameter of the air outlet of one first electrode plate is larger than the diameter of the air outlet of the other first electrode plate located on the opposite side of the second electrode plate.

8. The plasma generator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of first electrode plates are interconnected, and the first electrode plate adjacent to the insulating plate is connected to the radio frequency electrode; The vent hole in the third distribution area of ​​the first electrode plate connected to the radio frequency electrode is inclined toward the radio frequency electrode.

9. A coating equipment, comprising a coating chamber, characterized in that, The coating chamber is provided with a plasma generator as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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